Yeah, I know I’m late to the Instant Pot Party. Well, better late than never, right? All I need are some good instant pot recipes and a plan to get started!
The main reason I waited so long to buy one is because I don’t want to get overloaded with the latest and greatest appliances. I remember years ago my mother-in-law had some shelves added to a wall in her kitchen solely to store all of her appliances, like they were trophies of some kind! Nowadays, most of us want them out of sight, except maybe our trendy stand mixer.
Here’s just a small list of what is in our kitchen, either on my counters or in the pantry/cabinets:
- Toaster
- Stand Mixer
- Crock Pot (2 or 3 different sizes)
- Bullet Blender
- Food Processor
- Mini Prep Chopper
- Coffee Maker
WELL… you get the picture. I could go on…
Instant Pot Pressure Cooker
Using the old time-y pressure cooker I’ve cooked everything from meat to beans, and it’s always been a marvel. But now???
Oh. My. GOODNESS!
This might be the most versatile technological invention since the cell phone. I have high hopes that the Instant Pot will get at least weekly use, or at least more than the majority of my gadgets.
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I got my Instant Pot on Amazon Prime Day for a pretty decent deal, so I was anxious to try it and see what all the fuss was about. I’m a pressure cooker from way back (in more ways than one… sheesh, that’s another blog post), so I’m very familiar with the concept. Nothing beats a ham or pork shoulder cooked in a pressure cooker, my mother-in-law taught me that. Mmmmm… fork tender every time!
Getting Started
My instant pot is the 6 quart, and I think it’s perfect. The first instant pot recipes I prepared in it was a 2.5 pound round roast with 2 pounds of potatoes, 1 onion and 1 pound of carrots, which is a decent sized meal, about 6-8 servings. I think it would have held more, but you don’t want to overfill the pot.
I admit to being a bit intimidated at first. Growing up with a healthy fear of pressure cookers, I’ve always been super careful around them. But after familiarizing myself with my new helper, I’m convinced it is much safer than my grandmother’s pressure cooker.
A few tips to get started:
- Read the instruction booklet first. Yeah, I know this is a no-brainer, but you’d be surprised how many folks just jump right in.
- Place the Instant Pot on a bar or an island. Steam can damage cabinets if vented on the counter with wall-mounted cabinets. I set mine on our open counter on the other side of our bar.
- Take it for a test drive. The instruction book says to run about 3 cups of water through a cooking cycle, just to familiarize yourself with its operation.
- Make sure to release steam according to instructions. Always keep your head/face/hands away from the vent. I draped a towel over the vent and let the steam escape into the towel. Otherwise, a ‘stream of steam’ will be released into the room (think Old Faithful)!
- Allow plenty of time. Sure, the instant pot is a time-saver, but you must take into account that the ‘heat-up’ stage is not included in the cooking time. It will take about 10 minutes for pressure to build up and for the actual cooking to start. At the end of the cooking stage, many recipes call for a slow release of the pressure, which will take about 20 minutes.
I really think I’m going to love my new Instant Pot. I can’t wait to experiment with it for some other uses, like rice, yogurt and desserts! Do you have an instant pot? What are your best instant pot recipes?
Happy Cooking!
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