Do you need another gadget? Of course not! Do you need the Instant Pot? Well, let’s discuss.
Before we go any further, I’m going to lay out a few terms. I call this thing the Instapot. Sadie, who is almost 13 and likes to point out when I’m incorrect, reminds me every time I say it (and that’s a lot) that it’s called the Instant Pot. But for some reason INSTANT POT is hard for me to say, and I call it the instapot. So that’s what we’ll call it here, even though it will damage my SEO and search credentials. I’ll let those go in favor of poetic language.
I also feel it necessary to tell you something before we get into it. Call it a confession. But I want you to know who you’re dealing with.
My small kitchen appliances include the following:
Stand mixer (Kitchen aid pro, as I’ve been getting that question a lot lately), food processor (Cuisinart 11-cup), toaster, coffee grinder, rice cooker, waffle maker, hello kitty waffle maker (a wedding gift, and TOTALLY ESSENTIAL, I swear), slow cooker (the inexpensive un-classy kind), Vitamix, regular blender, immersion blender, popcorn popper, soda stream, vacuum sealer, ice cream maker (2), pasta maker (2), yogurt maker (gathering dust because I use my slow cooker), dehydrator, a home-proofer (more on that soon, I promise), sprouter (yes, you read that right), electric kettle, and an ebilskiver maker (ask Joey- that one’s his fault).
I also have a tortilla press, but I don’t count that because it doesn’t quite seem the same. And I’ve got an electric lemon juicer that doesn’t work but I haven’t thrown it away because I’m still mourning it and imagining it will come back to life one day.
So that’s me. One could say I have a weakness for gadgets.
I’d been hearing about the instapot quite a bit, mostly because everyone who writes about food on the internet has written about it. I don’t have a pressure cooker, not because I wasn’t interested but more because I have an induction stove and it’s hard to find a good induction-friendly pressure cooker. My mother had one all through my childhood, and she used it to make perfect brown rice and adzuki beans (macrobiotic hippy childhood over here if you’re new to the blog). But I’d mostly decided I absolutely did not need, DID NOT WANT another gadget, especially one of great cost and counter real estate.
And yet.
The constant theme of last fall’s book tour turned out to be the impossible task of dinner. We got somewhere in our conversations, I think, but one question that kept coming up was whether I’d played around with a pressure cooker. I hadn’t, of course, and as someone who often has all day to make dinner, it wasn’t first on my list. But there are a lot of you out there who are coming home at 5:30 or 6 and need to get dinner out. I know that. Even more, I had a friend who swore it didn’t just make everything fast, it made everything better.
So in one particularly vulnerable moment of procrastination meets retail therapy, my friend very smart friend Elizabeth Barbone posted on FB that whoa! the Instapot is on super sale! Click, click, buy–before I could even be conscious about it. It was as mindless and comforting as a bowl of cereal in front of Netflix.
I eagerly awaited my pot. It arrived, and then it sat in the corner, untouched, for days. I felt like I would really have to commit to it as soon as I opened it. I’d have to clean all the parts, read all the manuals, make dinner in it NOW. Scariest of all, I’d have to find some space on the counter for it. I knew I’d get to it, eventually. Mostly I was afraid I’d regret it all once I opened it.
This was all back in November, and right around then I had a big event in Hillsdale, NY where I was demonstrating how to make pumpkin puree and pie. I had to roast a whole bunch of pumpkins for the event–too many for my oven to handle. I decided to bust out the instapot and pressure cook half the pumpkins. And that’s exactly what I did.
The roasted pumpkins took over an hour. The pressure cooked pumpkins took under 20 minutes, and the result had more flavor and better texture. The next day, I was the crazy lady at the event making pie and raving about the instapot. I couldn’t stop talking about it. It went on from there. Perfect brown rice in half the time. White rice or millet in a few minutes. Lentil soup in 30 minutes. And maybe my favorite: all day-quality stock in under an hour. I’ve been using it almost every day.
So do you need an instapot? I don’t know! But I sure did.
A few specifics:
Adapting recipes. It does take a bit of learning, because times and recipes are different. Helpful things to have and know:
- The recipe book that comes with the pot. Helpful!
- Bruce Weinstein and Mark Scarbrough’s book, which has specific directions for electric pressure cookers.
- This Craftsy class taught by Bruce and Mark. Great to see the pot in action.
- This website. It keeps coming up on google whenever I do a search to help me adapt a recipe. It’s been functioning as my wikipedia of instapot recipes.
Materials and cleaning.This couldn’t be simpler. One thing that’s great about it is that the insert is stainless steel, so it makes it a good option if you’re not psyched about the teflon in your rice cooker. There are really just two parts to take off and clean, a tiny attachment to the inside of the lid and a silicone gasket. They come off easily and can go in the dishwasher. The gasket is really essential to the machine, and it also absorbs smells, so I’d buy an extra off the bat if its easy to do so.
The terrifying nature of pressure cookers. Nope. Not scary. The instapot doesn’t even do that wobbly steam thing my mother’s one use to (except for about 10 seconds as it builds its pressure). And it has all sorts of safety features to make sure it simply can’t open if the pressure hasn’t released first. Really, it’s a plug-in-and-let-it-do-it’s-thing situation.
On natural vs. manual release: This is really the one aspect of the instapot that I’ve had to really learn my way around. The pot cooks with a certain amount of pressure, and then at the end of cooking the pressure has to be released before you can open the lid. (The lid won’t even open, so you don’t have to fear your own bad judgement.) If you’re in a hurry or you’re following a certain recipe that calls for it, you can “manually release” by flicking open the valve and letting all the steam out. Depending on the dish, the pot might release steam for a minute or so. (This process terrifies my dog so much that we have to take her outside while I do it, so be wary if you have a dog who likes to watch you cook.) More likely you’ll want to “naturally release” which just means you unplug the pot when it’s done and let it cool and release pressure on its own. This takes 10 to 20 minutes, and the lid will be able to open when it’s ready. It’s not hard to learn, but I’d make sure you read that part of the manual before you begin.
On the timing: The whole “1-minute-quinoa” thing is a bit deceiving because the pot takes time to heat up and to release pressure. But still, it’s fast.
On the various settings: I mostly just use the “manual” setting and choose my time based on the recipe. I haven’t used the slow cooker or rice cooker settings, as I’m finding I can do those things better with the pressure setting. But if anyone has had good experiences with those, please share! Also, I have the 6 in 1 multi cooker, but the 7 in 1 has a yogurt setting. I’ve found pretty mixed results with any machine that imparts heat to the milk as it cultures (I prefer using blankets to maintain the heat already in there), but again if any one has used it, let us know.
And a few random notes: As I’ve made clear, I think this is a great tool for any kitchen. But especially if you’re living with limited or no stovetop, this will be a huge game changer. I’ve had times I was living in apartments with one burner, and I wish this had existed then.
And keep notes! Taking a moment to jot down a grain cooking ratio/ time will save you trying to figure it out next time.
Do you have an instapot? What have you learned? What do you like? Let’s create a little resource here in the comments….
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Occasionally I teach workshops, and I have one coming up this fall. Join me and stellar novelist 
“The next day, I was the crazy lady at the event making pie and raving about the instapot. I couldn’t stop talking about it.” <—YES. I totally get this. (Also, I call it InstaPot too.)
So maybe I got that from you? In any case, it’s the correct name 🙂
Ha! We call it the instapot too. Total game changer for broth alone. And beets! Sooo much faster than the oven roasting I usually do. I’m still working on perfecting beef stew…if I put everything in together, the veggies get too soft, but if I do the meat first and then add the veggies it takes much longer, what with waiting for the pressure to come down and then up again. Even that method only takes an hour and a half though — half my usual time. I wasn’t thrilled with the results for butternut squash — I still prefer the way oven roasting concentrates their flavor and caramelizes them (and again, not a fan of the mushiness). I think tenderizing meats and cutting whole grain cook times down will be the most useful for our family — whole chicken is next on my list of things to try.
You know I haven’t tried beets yet, but that makes perfect sense. And I’ve done a whole chicken in soup, and it was easy and totally wonderful. Maybe I’ll work on that beef stew issue and I’ll get back to you…
I pressure can in my instant pot all the time for small batches of leftover soup or jam. You can find instructions online, but basically you just add an inch of water to the bottom, use the trivet, and only process 3 pint jars at a time. Use the steam function and adjust the time according to your recipe (I use Ball standard recipes). This is by far my most used appliance in the kitchen! Love the yogurt feature, too.
Pressure canning! My interest was peaked, as I didn’t think that was possible in the instapot. So I know we all have our own comfort levels with canning, but my searches are coming up with a no on this one. Here’s an overview of why: http://www.hippressurecooking.com/forums/topic/instant-pot-canning/
Hi there! I’m usually a lurker but this post has brought me out of lurker-dom.
I, too, purchased the Instant Pot during that same crazy-good November Amazon.com sale (and I always call it InstaPot too!). I only started using it at the beginning of this month because we had guests staying with us for Thanksgiving and then there was Chanukah and then the craziness that is Winter Break. So far I LOVE IT!
I’ve never owned a slow-cooker (crazy, I know) or a rice cooker (I seriously wanted the latter, but I just never could justify it). I owned a stove-top pressure cooker that I used for years but my husband was always fearful of it exploding, even though it was a modern one.
When my aunt told me about the Instant Pot sale and all the functions that it had I was very intrigued. It could replace my pressure cooker, sauté-pan, the rice cooker I’ve pined for, and the slow-cooker that I thought would be nice to have all in ONE machine and also make yogurt?! I had to have it. I have since donated my stovetop pressure cooker and the Instant Pot that I had intended to store under a cabinet when not in use is somehow still out on my countertop as a permanent fixture! It’s been GREAT!
Just today, I made Tuscan Chickpea Soup in the InstaPot using dried beans that I forgot to soak overnight. This was the first time adjusting this favorite recipe in the pot AND with dried beans. The recipe calls for 3 cans of chickpeas, but I love the taste (and price) of dried beans, cooked. I cooked it at high pressure for 50 minutes and it was delicious. The perfect texture that I wanted for soup. I’m sure I could’ve gotten away with less time but this worked out well for me.
And how awesome to be able to cook rice at high pressure for 4 minutes and be done and perfect?! My kids absolutely LOVE rice and are beyond happy that there’s always rice waiting for them in the fridge. And it’s so much quieter than my old pressure cooker (and there’s none of the hovering that I needed to do to make sure it stayed at the right pressure and fiddle with knobs if it was getting to hot or not hot enough).
A few days ago, I cooked artichokes in it for 15 minutes at high pressure. Artichokes are the single reason I purchased my first, regular pressure cooker in the first place! 45 minutes of cooking time down to 15. That’s my kind of gadget!
I’ve also made channa masala and Chickpea & Rice with Cabbage Soup (from Isa Does It, with adaptations for dried beans and brown rice and the Instant Pot) – sense a chickpea obsession? – and will be making a lentil, kale, quinoa soup in the next few days.
There are a bunch of pins out on Pinterest (I just created a new board so I can try a bunch of recipes for it) and there’s even a FB group for InstaPot (I just joined the vegan or vegetarian one because I don’t eat meat, but there’s another one there for omnivores). So if you’re on Facebook or Pinterest, I highly recommend doing a search over there. I’ve read that there are some issues with some of the recipes in the included booklet so it was helpful to hear some tips from those that have been in the trenches with the appliance.
I look forward to hearing more about your InstaPot adventures!! Have fun! This is the perfect season to be venturing out with this baby! Soups, stews, and more – OH MY!
Hello Lisa! Welcome from lurk land 🙂 Happy to have you in the light!
Thanks for all this- I’m most excited about the artichokes! And thanks for all the resources. Helpful for all of us, I know.
Do you know that cooking under pressure makes your dish more value? That’s because when the pressure is higher the temperature is lower. So after cooking there are more vitamins and minerals that are sensitive (eg. vitamin C).
Yes, I’ve heard this! And it makes sense that nothing is lost as well, since there’s no water that escapes.
I just wanted to add a link to my FB post on this post- lots of great comments over there, too:
I’ve had my Instant Pot since July and love it. Got rid of my rice cooker and crock pot. Used it to make my pie pumpkins, cook 5 lbs of sweet potatoes and more for Thanksgiving. Btw, it makes an awesome (7 in) cheesecake! I’ve made yogurt, applesauce, soup, bone broth. Have I mentioned that I love it?!?
I saw the cheesecake covered in the craftsy class, but I haven’t tried it. It makes sense though- I imagine it’s really wonderful and doesn’t dry out. Next up on the list…
Ha! I first heard about it from Alice Currah (savorysweetlife.com) and also went for it on that sale day. Wonder how many people did the same? We have been using it a ton to presoak beans and cook beans — a big time-saver.
Chronicled it here: http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=fiKMVajI66c
Yes, there’s definitely been a wave of talking about it! And you know I have to say, I have yet to hear ANYONE complain about it. Pretty unique in that way.
So glad to see other InstaPot fans out there! I received one this past fall as a bridal shower gift and now I use it several times a week, but I feel like I’m still not using it to its full potential. I love making homemade mac and cheese in it – the pasta cooks up fast in chicken broth and then you add shredded cheese and serve. It is so easy, minimal mess and absolutely delicious. I don’t buy boxed mac and cheese anymore, which was always a staple for me as a working mother. I also make a lot of brown rice, steel cut oats and minute-quinoa in bulk, which makes it easy to take to work during the week.
I haven’t tried the beans, grains or yogurt options yet, but I plan to this summer once we have a little more time. I’ve read that you can also make the yogurt in glass containers in the pot, but I haven’t tried the technique yet.
Thanks for the other cookbook suggestions and the Pinterest and Facebook group resources. I’ve always tried to serve my family as little processed food as possible, but the boxed dinners just save so much time some nights. I love that this lets me get dinner on the table just as quickly, but without worrying about any preservatives/salt/etc. More recipe ideas please!
You have an induction stove! How did you water-bath can before the InstaPot please? Did you?
I have a new-ish induction stove, which I mostly love, except for the Frankenstein’s lab buzzing noises when multiple burners are on medium or high and the fact that my enamel water bath canner won’t work on it. Did you just sacrifice a fancy, enormous All-Clad pot to the canning gods or something? Do tell, pretty please.
Because of this post, and because Mark Sisson over at Mark’s Daily Apple periodically raves about his InstaPot too, I broke down and bought one last Friday on Amazon. Seems to have been on super sale now too. Maybe now I’ll just water bath can in the InstaPot, which the manufacturer said was okay in the Amazon comments, though not (as you noted) pressure canning in it. But I would still like to be able to can on my induction stove if needed.
I have never used a pressure cooker before, but I couldn’t pass this one up, especially since it has a congee setting, which is a breakfast staple around here. Well, that and you and Mark both raved about it. Thanks for tipping me over the edge! I’m excited to become proficient eventually.
Ditto on the Frankenstein sounds. I’m not a fan of that. But there’s an induction compatible canning pot! Definitely a step up from enamel but not quite All-Clad 🙂 It’s here: http://www.amazon.com/VICTORIO-VKP1130-Stainless-Multi-Use-Canner/dp/B0075O2Z34/ref=sr_1_2?ie=UTF8&qid=1453915937&sr=8-2&keywords=Stainless+steel+canning+pot
Magnificent. I’ve been so overwhelmed by various things in life that it never occurred to me to do an internet search. Thank you, Alana!
So now I’ve used my InstantPot a bit. All the recipes that suggest letting the pressure come down naturally say that it’ll be done depressurizing in 10-20 minutes. I’ve let mine go for 60 minutes after I’ve turned it completely off, and still the pressure isn’t low enough to allow me to open the lid. Am I somehow doing it wrong? I must be missing something?
Hi Sarah, I’m having a similar experience, although usually by 60 minutes it’s depressurized enough to take off the lid. Usually I end up doing a mix of natural release (15 minutes or so), and then I vent it and it weakly leaks out it’s last bit of pressure. One thing though- are you actually unplugging the pot when it’s done cooking? Or are you just letting it go to “keep warm?”
I was debating for a few months about buying this and reading your post sealed the deal. Ordered last Friday, got it Tuesday (Amazon Prime for the win) and have used it 4 times in 2 days. Totally worth the another kitchen gadget?! ridicule.
YES! I’m starting to think I should change the name of this post to “why do I even have a stovetop anymore?” because that’s what this gadget is making me ask.
I love my Insta(nt)Pot so much that I started a Facebook group to share recipes. Feel free to nudge me if you want in. 😉
My absolute favourite thing to do with it is still-frozen meat + liquid and magically dinner exists within half an hour. http://flavorrd.com/2015/07/instant-pot-insta-chicken/ (I’ve done this with pork tenderloin, too.)
Risotto has also been a game changer. http://makerealfood.com/2014/07/15/butternut-squash-risotto-rice-cooker-instant-pot-vegangluten-free/
Well, no Instant Pot (or instapot!) for me, but I have been making a concerted effort to put forth awesome dinners (most of the time!) after work for my family. I received your second cookbook for Christmas and have enjoyed it. I even challenged myself to make the butter (and then buttermilk pancakes) from your first book. Thanks again for our conversations in the fall after the flooding prevented me from making it to Powell’s in Portland.
This came in the mail yesterday as my birthday gift!!!! I can’t wait!
Now that you’ve had it for awhile, would you tell me what I should make? (Vegetarian)
Oh hooray! Happy birthday! I’m still finding it most wonderful for the simple things. Beets, sweet potatoes, stock, and grains are probably my favorites.
Oh, and beans! Unsoaked dry beans in 45 minutes! Miraculous.
I used it! Made a lentil soup. Here’s my one complaint/confusion: How do you know how long it’s going to take to come up to pressure? And how long does it take?
More than 15 minutes had passed and I was trying to decide when to press the Cancel button for natural release, when it suddenly started its timer countdown!
And I will definitely make beans soon! no gas from not soaking?
I think the time it takes to get up to pressure really depends on how filled the pot is and the density of what you’re cooking. Anyone else want to chime in with some sort of formula? I’ve found it very variable.
Wow, what a great resource for those with an Instant Pot, and yes, it is a game changer!!
I grew up with my mom using her pressure cooker almost daily (in the 1970s and 80s), so when i got married in the early 90s, I added a good old fashioned pressure cooker to my kitchen as well. Fast forward to a few years ago when I bought an Instant Pot. I found myself using the pressure cooker more and more, and loved the ease of the convenience added by an electric pressure cooker by the Instant Pot.
I could go on all day about the Instant Pot. Two of my most frequent uses are for quick steaming/cooking of veggies like green beans, carrots, squash of all kinds, potatoes, and for cooking roasts and other large cuts of meat. Having a roast available for dinner is so much easier when you can just throw it in there with seasonings and a little iiquid, and not have to worry about being right there when the cooking time ends.
To celebrate fall, I’ve recently written an article on my cooking site where I tell how easily the Instant Pot can be used for cooking apples! Please check in out if you’d like: http://panandplate.com/article/4-amazing-apple-recipes-your-pressure-cooker-or-instant-pot