Today I want to tell you all about one of my most frequently used kitchen essentials. What is an “instant pot”? It is essentially an electric pressure cooker, but it is so much more than that too because it can also act as a rice cooker, yogurt-maker, steamer, and slow cooker.
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I have the 7-in-1 6 quart version, but they recently came out with an 8 quart version. The 6 quart is perfect for my family of four, though the 8 quart would be great for those who like to freeze extras for later. I have never used a pressure cooker in my life until I started with this one. I was always scared of pressure cookers, and felt much more comfortable using my trusty slow cooker. But when I saw a Black Friday deal I could not pass up, I had to give it a try!
These are all the reasons why I love it:
- Set and forget – I don’t have to keep watch over my food like I would with stovetop. I just set it for the amount of time I want, and go about my day!
- Doesn’t stink up the house – The aroma is really contained in this pressure cooker. Unlike stovetop, it doesn’t heat up the entire house or make it smelly.
- One pot meals – Because it has a sauté function, I brown my proteins directly IN the pot, then switch it over to pressure cooker mode and seal the food in to finish it off. If I want to reduce a sauce after the food is pressure cooked, I just release the pressure, and switch it back over to sauté again to let the liquids boil and evaporate. This little pot is so versatile in that way! I would never be able to do this with a slow cooker.
- Time Saved – It is so much faster than a slow cooker, and I do a lot of 30-45 minute meals with it. However, it does take time to build up pressure. It’s akin to waiting for water to boil In order for the pressure cooker to do its magic, there needs to be some liquid in the pot, and you need to account for at least 10 minutes of “building pressure” time before it even starts cooking But the benefit of using the pressure cooker over boiling and steaming is that you don’t have to monitor anything.
Some of my favorite things to make in the instapot include beans (no need to presoak!), boiled eggs, braised short ribs, pho, bone broth, mac ‘n cheese, spaghetti, and all kinds of soup. I even made a whole “roasted” chicken in the pot before!
This past Thanksgiving, I made the majority of our sides in the Instapot!… mashed potatoes, butternut squash soup, mac ‘n cheese, sweet potato casserole, and creamed corn. It was a game changer.
Needless to say, I am a huge fan of this electric pressure cooker!
Anyone else a pressure cooker convert?
hostess / cantaloupe / 6486 posts
I really really want one but they seem intimidating, so I really appreciate this breakdown !
wonderful kiwi / 23653 posts
A few mom friends have been raving about it too! We have a crock pot that we never use tho, so I don’t know if we will use this or not. But it’s so tempted when we have #2 since life will be so hectic!
pomegranate / 3393 posts
I’m not sure I understand how it’s different than a stovetop pressure cooker? Same function, just plug in? Or different directions for use all together? And what’s the yogurt function?
apricot / 298 posts
I’m intrigued!
honeydew / 7488 posts
I also love mine! I have converted my whole family since hearing about this on HB. I had always been scared of using my stovetop pressure cooker, and after I got the Instant Pot, I donated it. I also use the slow cooker function a lot.
apple seed / 1 posts
I love our Instant Pot. I use it to make healthy staples for the week: quinoa, steel cut oats, hard boiled eggs, spaghetti squash. It’s so nice to set it and walk away. I’m going to try making yogurt this weekend.
blogger / eggplant / 11551 posts
@MoonMoon: Here’s a great breakdown of all the differences – http://www.hippressurecooking.com/the-difference-between-stove-top-and-electric-pressure-cookers/. I have never used a stovetop pressure cooker, but they have always intimidated me, especially with all the shaking and rattling they do when they build up pressure. The electric pressure cooker also doesn’t require monitoring the way a stovetop one does.
pomegranate / 3393 posts
@Mrs. High Heels: wow that does sound better, thank you! I didn’t quote understand the differences at first.
blogger / eggplant / 11551 posts
@Mrs. Sunshine: there are a lot of resources out there now for the instant pot as more people find out about it. Don’t be intimidated, it’s a friendly pot.
@snowjewelz: I rarely used my crockpot too (plus I always felt like everything I made in there tasted the same and was always mushy)… but I use my instant pot all the time!
@abbylyn: Check it out!
@T-Mom: My husband is a convert too! He doesn’t really cook, but he’s always impressed by the things that come out of this pot. He agrees it was a worthy investment!
wonderful kiwi / 23653 posts
@Mrs. High Heels: Time to sell my crockpot! I like that this pot is smaller too. Will have to fwd this to DH since he’s the cook!
pomegranate / 3272 posts
I cannot say enough about how much I love this thing!!! I use it all of the time as a pressure cooker but rarely use it as a slow cooker since I have two others. I like to batch cook so I sometimes have all 3 going at the same time! And I started using it to make yogurt for my little guy. Cheaper and better than buying it. It just takes awhile.
guest
I got mine on Prime day and so far so happy with it. I have the 6 quart DUO one and tested almost all of its functions. The rice cooker and yogurt maker seem to work very well. One thing that I really like about Instant Pot is it’s safety features. The lid lock is awesome and even a beginner can use it with confident. This is one of the best and safest kitchen pressure cooker I have ever used.
guest
I don’t know if anyone can even answer this question it’s a weird one… Does this make things “taste like Crock-Pot”? My husband won’t eat anything from a Crock-Pot because he says it always makes the food taste like Crock-Pot 🙄 I would love a different solution!
blogger / eggplant / 11551 posts
@Ashley: I know exactly what you mean! This makes things taste much better than the crockpot, though I suppose you can “make things taste like crockpot” too, but this is a lot more versatile and gives you many many more options.
guest
Do you have any idea how it does at elevation? I live at 9000 feet and the pressure cooker is the only good way to do beans but even then it isn’t easy and a little risky (with the stove top one).
guest
This was helpful! I know the thread was started a while back, but I was gifted an Instapot for Christmas and still haven’t used it. Feeling intimidated for some reason. …though I’m feeling more enabled now! Hah.
Anyone interested in posting/sharing a few of their recipes? Perhaps this would help me get a move on using it!
guest
thx for the useful review! Where did u buy ur pot from?