I’ve Been Using That $35 Instant Pot Cart from Target for Weeks Now — And It Really Is a Game-Changer

Leave it to Target to help us with a pain point created by our ongoing collective love affair with the Instant Pot. In the few years my husband and I have had the combo cooker in our kitchen, it’s become indispensable. It’s also become a bit of a logistical issue. 

Our 130-year-old house isn’t exactly bursting with storage space, and when we redid our kitchen we actually removed some storage (I know). There’s literally nowhere to put the Instant Pot in our kitchen; the only two cabinets are already spoken for, the countertop by the stove is already too cluttered, and I work from the island counter, so the poor Instant Pot gets shuffled around on the daily. It’s either in the way, or we’ve stashed it somewhere inconvenient — namely, the scary, cramped, overflowing storage space under the stairs. 

Often we’d leave it sitting on a vintage cabinet in the pantry off our kitchen — a weirdly big mystery room that we converted into kitchen storage — but I didn’t like the clutter. (Have I mentioned I like things to look nice and streamlined?)

And then I heard about this $35 so-called “Instant Pot cart” from Target. It wasn’t really designed for Instant Pot storage, but the small appliance exactly fits this little three-tiered wheeled utility cart. It was worth giving it a shot. After all, if it didn’t work out for the Instant Pot, I was sure I could find something to do with it. 

I assembled it in a few minutes (it was surprisingly not awful to put together!) and then scouted around for a place to put the cart. A corner of the pantry was free, and the cart tucked away nicely. There’s even an outlet in case I want to leave it where it is while it cooks. And sure enough, the Instant Pot fit perfectly on the top shelf. That’s when it dawned on me that there were two more shelves for my storage pleasure! I got to clear some bowls and a Dutch oven from the pantry shelves (yay!) to take advantage of this little surprise. 

Setting up the cart and pot turned into a mini cleaning and organizing spree (sorely needed in the pantry) and I ended up addressing a long-neglected corner that needed some love.

But how about the actual purpose of the cart? Well, let me tell you, the first time I needed to grab it to make some sushi rice, it was so nice to be able to take two steps from the kitchen counter to the Instant Pot. And better still? When I was finished with it, rather than let it sit and take up counter space like we normally do because we can’t be bothered to find a good place for it, I took it right back to its home! Which meant cleanup was easier. Which meant I was happier. Which means I might end up getting even more use out of my Instant Pot.

Note: We have a little step up from the pantry to the kitchen, making wheeling the cart around a bit tough, but if I can find a better home for the cart (on the same level of my kitchen), that will make it even better. And if you, dear reader, can find a way to roll the cart around, I promise you’ll love it even more than I do.

I’ve only had it a couple of weeks but I already can’t imagine not having this little cart. It’s definitely a keeper.