I Tried the Instant Pot — Here’s What I Think About It After Months of Use.
I first heard about the Instant Pot a few years ago when Cambria polled readers to find out their favorite slow cooker. Instead of a traditional slow cooker, many of you raved about the Instant Pot, but I had never even heard of it. Of course now, you can’t read a single food magazine or website without seeing an Instant Pot story (or seven).
A few months after I first heard about the small appliance, I reviewed the Instant Pot on the site. I approached it with a mixture of excitement and curiosity, along with a large dose of skepticism and disbelief. I mean, can one appliance really do the job of seven? After much use, I decided to run a follow-up report. Here’s what I thought about the Instant Pot after months of use.
What Exactly Is the Instant Pot?
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. Sounds kind of impressive, right? And I don’t know about you, but I definitely don’t have the space to store all seven of those appliances.
To be totally honest, I initially thought the Instant Pot seemed way too good to be true, so I was prepared for it to malfunction (or stop working altogether). It was only a matter of time, right?
Except that it wasn’t.
As I worked my way through the instruction manual (a necessary evil), and really started to put my Instant Pot to work, something happened that I never expected: The more I used my Instant Pot, the more I really enjoyed using it. I stopped expecting the worst, and even started relying on it for cooking weekly staples, like dried beans, lentils, brown rice, and hard-cooked eggs.
More About the Instant Pot
How I Use My Instant Pot
I mostly use my Instant Pot as an electric pressure cooker and slow cooker. Sometimes I use it to sauté or warm food, depending on the recipe, and occasionally I use it as a rice cooker. These are the functions that best fit with my lifestyle and the foods I cook on a regular basis. The appliance can also can be used to make yogurt, but I haven’t attempted that yet.
This single appliance has made cooking faster and more convenient. (Even my husband has taken to using it!) I love that I can cook steel-cut oats for breakfast in a fraction of the time it would take on the stovetop, make rice to go with a last-minute stir-fry is in minutes, and slow-cook a stew. In fact, it’s even taken the place of my slow cooker, which has since been moved out of the kitchen.
At some point, during the course of eight months, without realizing it was happening, I completely fell in love with my Instant Pot. Yes, the very one I was so skeptical about in the beginning. I now understand all the praise and rave reviews I read months ago, and I feel the very same way myself.
My Favorite Ways to Use the Instant Pot
What about you? Do you love your Instant Pot as much as I love mine?