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Find More Time in the Kitchen

I’m sure you’ve heard people talking about The Instant Pot. The reviews are mixed, and I would love to give you the good, the bad and the ugly on The Instant Pot and why it’s one of my most used kitchen appliances.

The Instant Pot (TIP) is an electrical pressure cooker or a Crock Pot on steroids. Can it do everything it promises, well……….

This biggest plus to (TIP) is that you can put in rice, potatoes or pasta and not have to watch it to make sure it doesn’t boil over. I find that it gives me a few minutes to concentrate on something else. I can get some cleanup done before dinner or finish prepping the rest of the meal. Time is a luxury I feel I am sorely lacking as a mom and every little bit helps. (TIP) will help you get a few minutes, and your attention can be focused on something else. I can cook my potatoes and a meatloaf at the same time or make a potato salad and boil eggs at the same time. For me, this is worth the price of purchasing an (IP).

The versatility is also a something that I love. It can be used to cook dinner, proof dough, make yogurt, make cheesecake, and germinate seeds. If you’re anything like me, I try to spend money on a product that is going to do more than one thing in my kitchen. The (IP) can eliminate a crock pot, yogurt crock, rice cooker and steamer, leaving more room on my counter or less clutter. I really enjoy that there are so many recipes and one pot meals that make clean up easier. Speaking of clean up, the lid is dishwasher safe and the stainless-steel inner pot, spray with Dawn Power wash, let sit and it comes clean with minimal effort.

While giving you more time is reason enough to love it, there are a few things about it that I do not love. The word instant is a bit of a misnomer. Any cook time you add to TIP doesn’t take into account that it can take between 15-20 minutes to warm up and depending on what you’re cooking may need to wait to let is cool down. A lot of people rave about making cakes in the TIP, I personally don’t enjoy cakes from TIP, due to requiring water for TIP to cook, cakes made in it are very moist and overly dense, not the light and fluffy cake I’ve been chasing after since I tried to bake.

How To Use The Instant Pot

As stated, TIP is essentially an electric pressure cooker. It requires enough liquid to seal the system and get the temperature required to cook the food. Most of us are familiar with the old stove top pressure cooker, which could be dangerous and make enough noise to think it would explode. The electric IP comes with a variety of settings and as long as you get an effective seal, is quite safe. There are quite a few types of IP, which come with a variety of settings, and you have to decide which of these are necessary for your type of cooking.

Instant Pot Buttons Explained

Manual or Pressure Cook. This is the main button to pressure cook any dish
Pressure Level. This allows you to adjust the temperature of cooking
“+” and “- “. Allows you to increase or decrease your cook time
Sauté Button. Allow you to Sauté or brown food with the lid off
Adjust Button. This will let you adjust the temperature of the sauté button
Keep Warm/Cancel Button. This is your off button when you pressure time is up TIP will switch from cook mode to keep warm and start a count up to show you how long your food has been on the keep warm mode
Timer Button. This button is used to set a delay time to start cooking of up to 24h
Steam Button. Use this with a steamer rack or basket for foods that require steaming
Rice Button. It usually has a reset time of 10 minutes at an appropriate temperature
Slow Cook Button. This turns TIP into a slow cooker.
Yogurt Button. This button has 3 settings Normal (make yogurt), More (Pasteurize Milk). Less (Jiu Niang). The button will maintain the temperature in the range of 106F – 113F
Sterilize Button. This can be used for bottles, their utensils or even your menstrual cup

Terms that may be helpful:

NPR Natural Pressure Release, which means do not release the pressure
QPR Quick Pressure Release, meaning to release the pressure when the cooking process is finished, so no keep warm is required
HP High Pressure
LP Low Pressure
X minute NPR, do not release the pressure for a set amount of time
PIP Pot in Pot, this is used to cook multiple dishes at one time
5-5-5 Method, used predominantly for cooking eggs this is a 5-minute cook time, 5-minute NPR, then a 5-minute ice bath

What do I use my The Instant Pot for:

Making Pasta – Any pasta (except fresh) I cook any amount of pasta for 4 minutes and QPR
KD (Kraft Dinner) – 1, 2, or 3 boxes doesn’t matter, cook for 3 minutes QPR
Eggs – 5-5-5 Method (I can cook a large quantity at one time and the shells come off very easily
Meatloaf & Mash Potatoes – I put my potatoes cut and peeled in the bottom and put a meatloaf covered with foil in a Bundt pan on top. I usually cook for 20 minutes but time will vary on this. Recipe
Cheesecake – I use the IP #17 Cheesecake super easy and delicious
Rice – Rinse rice thoroughly, same parts rice and water + ¼ cup water (water can be substituted for stock) or add bouillon a tbs of olive oil, mix. Rice button (10min) NPR for 15min, fluff with a fork and serve.
Yogurt – Recipe
Potato & Egg Salad – Recipe the best part is you boil your eggs and potatoes at the same time.
Baked Beans – No over night soaking required Recipe
Crack Pot Chicken – This is a family favourite, and only 1 pot to wash Recipe
Ribs – Tender, Fall off the Bone, Cook from frozen Recipe
Egg Bites – Recipe
Germinating Seeds for Planting – instructions
Proof Dough – Instructions
The possibilities are endless!

While The Instant Pot does come with a few accessories. Once you get using it, you can decide what might be most convenient for you to have. I’m adding links below to my choices and I’ll add a few of the best kits, which usually bundle these items together for a better deal.

Instant Pot Accessory Essentials:

When purchasing an Instant Pot, there are various models to choose from and there are multiple sizes 3qt (great for sides or small families), 6qt (most common and versatile), 8qt (great for larger cuts of meat) and 10qt (great for batch cooking). On the instant pot there is one option for me that is non-negotiable the yogurt setting. So, make sure the model you choose has this, another great option is the air fryer lid. It gives you an air fryer option with one less appliance. The downside of this air fryer is that it is small but a great option if you don’t already have an air fryer.

Instant Pot Duo The most economical Pot and a great versatile appliance, 6 Quart
Instant Pot Pro This is an 8 Quart machine, it comes with Sous vide option and a glass lid
Instant Pot Duo Crisp The most cost efficient 8 Quart with Air Fryer Option
Instant Pot Pro Crisp High End 8 Quart with Air Fryer Option
Compare for yourself

Once you’ve got your new Instant Pot and started with the recommended water bath test, let’s get started. Here are a few Tips & Tricks to make the learning curve a little easier.

Do Not Always Quick Release, using this for meat with suck all the steam out and most meats will end up becoming tough and lose moisture.
Clean the condensation Cup. It sits on the side and can fill up quickly and if forgotten, could become difficult to clean.
Steam Burns. When you release the vent, it will release the hot steam. Stay clear of it.
It has a lid holder. Most models, the handle doubles as a place to stand up your lid.
Replace the lid gasket. The gasket must be seated properly and debris free to work safely and effectively. Replace your gasket regularly. It is a clever idea to have one for sweet and one for savoury and one for fish/seafood.
If your gasket is picking up odour from multiple foods, steam it in vinegar.
A Silicone Sling Trivet is a great option to minimize burns and avoid scratching your inner pot.
The Steamer basket can be used for more that veggies, it can also be used for delicate food items.
1 cup of water is usually sufficient, do not over liquid, when cooking (this excludes rice and pasta) and start with hot water to reduce cook time.
Do not overfill your Pot, use the recommended fill lines marked in the pot.
If you live in a higher elevation, you will need to increase your cook time.
All good things to those who wait. Let your meat cuts rest before cutting into them.
The sauté function is great for searing meat and deglazing the pot provides extra flavour for gravies.

After the initial learning curve of learning to use your IP, it is really easy to use and there are a ton of dump recipes to be found online, some of which can be found on Pinterest, or on FB instant pot groups.

Is The Instant Pot as instant as advertised, Hell no. Do I still use it as a staple in my daily cooking, Hell yes. Have I convinced you to become a Pot Head?