Instant Pot: Love At First Sight

Last year I wrote a post about how I have a crush on my crockpot. At the time, I really did love that shiny appliance and how it could slowly transform a piece of meat and some vegetables into a tasty dinner for my family. But now I know that was just an infatuation, a sophomore romance shall we say? Because this Christmas, I met a new man pot and it was love at first sight. Let me introduce you to the Instant Pot. 

The Instant Pot is an intelligent multi functional pressure cooker, and it truly is EVERY MOTHER’S DREAM. This baby can make everything from steel cut oatmeal, hard boiled eggs, rice, plus that tasty beef roast I was making in the crock pot. The Instant Pot can even make yogurt and cheesecake. 

Instant Pot, oh how I love you, let me count thee ways…

1. You save me money. I can quickly make a meal from food I have stashed in my freezer. I can easily double or triple a recipe and have leftovers for lunch for my husband and I. Because we are relying on restaurant and take out food much less than we used to, we are saving so much money. The Instant Pot is energy efficient too and will come in handy this summer when I don’t want to use the oven as much. 
2. You save me time. I can literally throw ingredients into the Instant Pot, push a button, and let it do its magic. I can have baked potatoes in 10 minutes and Chicken tacos in 15. No more stirring risotto for 30 minutes or pre-planning to thaw meat in the fridge for 24 hours. As a working mom, it saves me precious time in the morning when I used to assemble a meal in the crockpot on our way out the door. Now I can quickly make supper after coming home from work. (This has been a game changer for me.)
3. You save me space. In my heart of hearts, I desire to be a minimalist when it comes to kitchen purchases. I don’t have space to store a rice cooker, slow cooker, yogurt maker, and multiple sizes of pots and pans. This Instant Pot can take the place of so many kitchen gadgets which ultimately leads to less clutter. (Did I mention the Instant Pot has a slow cooker setting too?) 
4. You save me dishes. Because the Instant Pot can sear meat and cook it, I don’t have to use multiple pots and pans. After the meat is done cooking, I can take it out, put it on a serving platter and then steam vegetables or make rice in the same pot. I don’t know a mom out there who isn’t thrilled to have less dishes to wash and dry after making a meal and cleaning up. 
5. You save my sanity. The Instant Pot makes feeding my family a breeze. Because it’s so easy to prepare a meal, I don’t dread it so much. Because I don’t dread it so much, I don’t put off meal planning and preparation like I used to. My kids ask me “what’s for dinner” and I can answer them. 

I have learned a few important things that I want to share with you. There is a learning curve involved. I am sure there are some lucky ladies who can take this right out of the box and make fail-proof meals instantly. For the rest of us, it may take some trial and error to figure it out. This is where the Facebook groups, Pinterest, and dedicated blogs can be helpful. I even called the manufacturer once because a recipe wasn’t working after repeated attempts. They told me a little trick and I haven’t had an issue since: the Instant Pot needs 1 cup of liquid to make steam to maintain pressure high enough to cook foods quickly. Many recipes call for 1 cup of liquid already, but if they don’t (or if you are converting a regular recipe for use in the Instant Pot) make sure you add it. 

Another trick I have learned is to buy an additional silicone ring for the lid. The silicone absorbs the flavor of whatever you are cooking, so if you don’t want your yogurt tasting like BBQ ribs, change out the silicone ring. You can purchase new ones on Amazon. 

Lastly, create some sort of system whereby you remember to close the vent before starting the Instant Pot. Take it from me, it’s very easy to forget this important step. The first recipe I ever made in the Instant Pot I forgot to do this, and I ended up with raw meat because it never got to full pressure. I immediately cooked it again, this time closing the vent, and it turned out perfectly.

I’m convinced the only thing an Instant Pot can’t do is clean itself. So do yourself a favor, buy one NOW. In the time it took you to read this post, an entire meal for your family would be done, cooked to perfection. 

Happy Cooking-

Karri