5 Reasons I Can’t Live Without My Instant Pot

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I’ve owned my Instant Pot for almost five months now. I’ve moved from This is Kind of Cool to I Can’t Like Without This Appliance.

Instant Pot: Not Your Grandma’s Pressure Cooker

The Instant Pot is an electric pressure cooker with lots of fun buttons to push. It has been completely life-changing for me in the kitchen. So far I have used the Instant Pot for oatmeal, rice, pasta, hard-boiled eggs, whole chickens, chicken breast, mashed potatoes, roast, yogurt. And these are just the things I can think of off the top of my head. I easily use my Instant Pot 3-4 times per week. Here are the top 5 Reasons I Can’t Live Without My Instant Pot.

Reason One I can’t Live Without My Instant Pot: Homemade Yogurt

I have wanted a yogurt maker for a long-time, but to get one large enough for my family, I was looking at an $80 price tag. $80 for appliance that could only be used to make yogurt. I have made yogurt without a yogurt maker, but it is tedious because you have to keep the milk and yogurt starter at a precise temperature and I was literally babysitting the yogurt all day. The Instant Pot has a yogurt setting and does all he hard work of incubating for you. I have been using this recipe here and it makes the best yogurt I have ever tasted. I love the fact that I control the ingredients and the amount of sugar in the yogurt.

Reason Two: Hard Boiled Eggs

Sounds silly to love an appliance that does the same thing a pot and my stove would do, right? Here’s the deal. Hard-boiled eggs are a cinch in the pressure cooker. Why? Because the come out magically easy to peel. No more gouging holes in your eggs and peeling off more egg than is left behind. This is seriously life-changing.

 Reason Three: Beef Broccoli and Other Amazing Meals

This beef broccoli is so absolutely amazing I have made it three times in the last month. This will definitely satisfy your Chinese food craving. I plan to adapt a few of our other favorites (like orange chicken) to the Instant Pot. The saute setting on the instant pot allows me to brown the meat in the beginning and they quickly thicken the sauce and have it ready to serve at the end. The meat came out so soft and tender, just like a crockpot. And it’s fast; less than 30 minutes from start to finish…way better than my crockpot.

Reason Number Four: It’s Fast

Seriously, the Instant Pot is like a microwave for my crockpot…It has saved me several times when dinner didn’t get started soon enough in the crockpot. I was able to throw it in the Instant Pot and have it ready in minutes…instead of hours. I still love my crockpot, but I love my Instant Pot now too…

Also (consider this reason 4.5 that I can’t live without my Instant Pot) Dried Beans. I can put dried beans in my Instant Pot and they will be fully cooked in an hour. No overnight soaking, no cooking on my stovetop or in my crockpot for hours. Presoaked beans will be done in about 20 minutes.

5. Easy Mashed Potatoes

This is the only way I make mashed potatoes now. All I have to do is peel them and put them in the Instant Pot for 4 minutes with a bit of liquid. Once the potatoes are done, I mash them right int the pot. No more straining the potatoes and trying not to burn myself as I pour boiling water through a colander.

Seriously, this is one of those appliances that I wonder how I ever lived without.

Have you tried the Instant Pot? What is your favorite thing to cook in a pressure cooker?

Related posts:

Quick and Easy Chicken Gumbo Recipe for Large Families Instant Pot Cranberry Sauce Recipe Beef Barley Stew: Easy Instant Pot Dinner