The Instant Pot: Love at First Use! :)

I am slow to come around to kitchen gadgets. I like to keep things simple. I've heard of to many “must have” gadgets in the past that I bought only to be disappointed and have them sit unused on the shelf collecting dust. Eventually I would give them away or take them to Good Will. So a couple years ago I heard that the Instant Pot was all the rage. I read a bit about it. I liked the idea but was just not sure it was worth the money. I was not going to spend that much on a kitchen gadget to have it just sit on the shelf.

If you are not aware of the Instant Pot I'll tell you about it. It is an electric pressure cooker. But it is actually more than that. Mine is a 7 function, 6 quart pot. Not only does it cook food under pressure, but it can also be used as a slow cooker, a rice cooker, it will brown and sauté your food before cooking, you can make yogurt in it and use it as a steamer and warmer.

A friend of mine purchased one a few months ago. She started sharing all the amazing things she was making with it and it peeked my interest once again. I began reading up on it and she continued to share pictures of her daily preparations and eventually I knew this would not be a gadget that would sit and collect dust.

So I made the big step and bought one. By that time I was so excited to get it I had a hard time waiting the 2 days for it to be shipped to me.. ha, ha.

I had my first meal already planned out. I was going to make a pot roast. Now many people pick simpler things when setting out with a new gadget, but I was ready to jump right in. I was over the top impressed with the end results.

I made Mississippi Pot Roast. The cook time for the roast was 35 minutes and another 5 minutes for the carrots. It does take time to come up to pressure, usually about 10 or 15 minutes. But in less than one hour I had a beautiful meal of pot roast, carrots, mashed potatoes and gravy all made. Oh, I also made the gravy from the juices of the roast, right in the Instant Pot. After pulling out the roast I turned it to “saute” and added a little cornstarch and let it cook to thicken up. The roast was falling apart tender and delicious. It was a one pot meal.. well 2 because I made instant mashed potatoes in another pot while the roast was cooking.

That was all it took for me and I was hooked. Since that first maiden voyage I've many things. Hard boiled eggs are a breeze, incredibly easy “fried” rice, I've “roasted” a whole chicken in it, cooked frozen boneless skinless chicken breasts to the falling apart easy to shred stage in 20 minutes, chili and more..


Spaghetti that cooked, pasta and all in 3 minutes....

Sweet pork taco meat that cooked to tender falling apart stage in 25 minutes and refried beans made from dried beans in 30 minutes (plus of course the time needed to come up to pressure)...

The creamiest macaroni and cheese...

And one huge plus for me was chicken bone broth. I made bone broth in 2 hours instead of 2 to 3 days in the crockpot and turned out just beautiful...

I've been using it now for a few weeks. I wanted to try it out and see what I thought of it before sharing about it. I try to only share things that I have personal experience with. All I can say about the Instant Pot is that it has become a total game changer for me in the kitchen. Right now as I write this I am cooking a pork loin roast in my pot. I'm even considering buying a second one so that I can cook some meals simultaneously (like the taco meat and refried beans).  Not only has it saved me hours of time in the kitchen, dishes, but.. I see that as summer comes it will be great to not have to heat up the kitchen when I cook a meal.  There is nothing like walking into the kitchen at 4:00 pm and having a wonderful dinner ready to serve at or before 5:pm.  


This is for sure one kitchen gadget that I do not regret buying. Next on my list is making cheesecake. As I've heard from my friend, they turn out amazing! I most likely will be sharing more about my Instant Pot adventures in the weeks to come.

I'll be sharing more about my Instant Pot soon and sharing recipes.  If you own one I'd love to hear your thoughts on it.

Here is the one I purchased (and am planning on purchasing a second one in the near future)..

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