Admittedly I’m intrigued with the idea of an Instant Pot. What exactly is an Instant Pot?
Apparently Instant Pot is a multi-cooker that does the job of a slow cooker, electric pressure cooker, rice cooker, steamer, yogurt maker, sauté/browning pan, and warming pot. It’s a single appliance that does the job of seven different kitchen appliances or tools.
But seriously, can one appliance really do the job of seven?
I don’t have one so I’d like to ask our Aha! audience a few questions…..
Do you have one?
Has it changed your life?
Any specific brand you recommend?
Favorite recipes to share?
Please leave a comment if you have any information to share!
I have one, and while I wouldn’t say it is life changing for me, there are a couple of things I make in it that are great! First of all – hard boiled eggs…one of my daughters likes to pack one sometimes in her lunch, and for whatever reason (maybe because they are steamed and not boiled?) they peel super easy! One recipe that is AWESOME in the instant pot is this one https://cookiesandcups.com/instant-pot-salsa-verde-chicken/ – the chicken is SO good and you can use it in rice bowls/tortillas/on salads/by itself. I also made my black eyed peas in it this year and they turned out great.
Yes, I have one and I love it. Saves so much time after a long work day. I cook most weekday dinners at home and Instant Pot has been a great time saver.
I love my IP! It’s awesome and does all these things, which admittedly, I don’t use. However, last night I made this awesome soup in 20 minutes, which if if I’d done on the stove would have taken WAY longer. And we eat an obscene amount of hard boiled eggs, they take 4 minutes once at pressure and peel perfectly. It’s also great if you want to something like shred a bunch of chicken to use during the week for multiple things. I own the IP brand, are there others???
I got one for Christmas and have just started using. I have only made steel cut oatmeal and rice and both turned out better in the instapot than on the stove. I am branching out to a chicken dish and a black bean and sausage recipe over the weekend. I hope you print recipes.
I got one last year and love mine. Love these things1. One pot meals2. Quickness
3. Healthy options Don’t like 1. Stench that is left on inside of lid . You al most need 2 . One for sweet and other savory . Took me 5 tries to get a meal right and that we all love
I do have one and love it. there is actually a Facebook page you can join or just Google for recipes.
I bought one and have only used it a few times. It is frustrating to me as recipes just tell you how long to cook the dish, but don’t include time to bring to pressure and pressure release time. I know those times vary depending on food and size of your IP, but I need the big picture. As a result, I haven’t used it very often as I don’t have a good understanding of how long a dish will actually take to make
I was hesitant because we are empty nesters but I do hate planning meals…with my Instant Pot (I have the 8 qt IP brand) I can cook from frozen or prepare ahead. 2 of my favorites for different reasons are risotto (only have to stir in first cup then leave it) and potatoes on the bottom and meatloaf on the top in one pot – mashed potatoes and meat ready in 30 minutes. My husband reminds me that not everything needs to be done in there and I’ve proven that 🙂
I got a similar brand to the IP (Fagor) for Christmas. I second the hard boiled eggs and reduced cooking time. There are SO many recipes out there that I want to try but since I haven’t used it much I am blissfully unaware of any negatives 😉
Was gifted one for Christmas and am wondering all the same things you are. Admittedly the only one of this 7 appliances I have ever used is a slow cooker so I’m curious to see if all the hype is justified. What I lost hope to gain from this is faster cooking and more moist meats. About to embark on my first recipe tonight. Quicker chicken Coq au Vin Blanc. I’ll try to remember to take pictures of results!
Audra, the questions you asked cannot be answered in just a few words by we IP enthusiasts. The electric Instant Pot is the modern version of the old stove top pressure cooker, but built with safe guards and easy to use settings. No horror stories of putting applesauce on the kitchen ceiling as my mother and I did back in the day. While it can be used as a slow cooker, I don’t use is as such. The heating element is only in the bottom and does not go up the sides the way a slow cooker does. But, with a timer for a delayed start of cooking and with the speed in which it cooks, I never need to use the slow cook feature. It cooks rice beautifully and makes yogurt to perfection.
The Instant Pot brand is the one that has taken the country by storm and the only one I would recommend. I have both an 8 qt. and a mini 3 quart and they have certainly changed my life. It is a tool and like all tools will be perfect for some and no so much for others. To aid the learning curve for a new user, there are 800,000 followers on the IP Community FB page who share recipes and experiments. There are excellent blogs and websites filled with IP recipes and suggestions. YouTube has a long line up of “how to” videos. I research all of these before I made my first purchase last summer.
Because it cooks with pressure, moisture never escapes and meats such as roasts, stews, ribs, etc. do not dry out, as with the dry heat of an oven. They also cook faster and are more tender. Windy loves his baby back ribs and we know they will always be perfect done in the IP.
For a crisper crust or browning, any dish can be popped under the broiler to perfect to taste.
Once you determine the time you like something cooked, it will reliably cook within that time frame every time. I make my oyster and mushroom dressing (stuffing) the exact moisture content I want when it is served and know I will not be disappointed.
Prep time is the same as with most dishes, but the convenience in prep time and shorter cook time are what I like. You can saute and brown in the pot itself and then add the other ingredients, set to cook, walk away (or have a glass of wine with husband) and come back when the time is up. Or, it will default to a keep warm cycle until you return. That keep warm feature is wonderful if you want to prepare a dish in advance and hold until serving.
I did all of Thanksgiving dinner, but the turkey, gravy and pie in my IP’s. If my family ate pumpkin cheesecake, dessert would have been made in it also. I do love IP cheesecakes!
Yogurt (I make Greek with the cold process), hardboiled eggs, potatoes, ribs, hot wings, soups, lasagna (no need to cook noodles), beef stroganoff, mac and cheese, rice, steel cut oats, and Sloppy Joes are my favorites.
I have not done fish and seafood yet, and only one chicken dish, but see many good looking recipes. You do NOT want to do tender cuts of meat such as tenderloin. I don’t like steamed bread, so I would not to quick breads, but many do and like the moist, dense taste. Most enthusiasts have more than one IP because they can do sides in one while the main course cooks in the other. Any tool that let’s me spend less time in the kitchen is a tool for me!
There have been reports of it exploding and they have always scared me off from buying one. Google ‘instant pot explosion’ and you’ll see lots of scary stories. Also, there’s this: https://www.schmidtlaw.com/instant-pot-explosion-lawsuit/
Ps- if you get one Audra and love ethnic food then please try Indian butter chicken. Awesome and flavorful. Sesame chicken is also good for a first timer
I bought one but I had to return it. The steam release is intense! You should have an overhead vent hood in order to use an instant pot. I unfortunately do not have an overhead vent hood to suck up the steam. I have a counter height vent. I was also very concerned about my beautiful coffered ceiling in my kitchen so I had to return the instant pot.