Look out world, Marian has an Instant Pot!
So, I’ve been considering the Instant Pot for a few years, but I never really bought into the idea that I needed one. (Am I the only one who thought it was an Insta-pot?) Anyway, I tested out an air fryer a couple of years ago and I finally gave it away because I never latched onto it. I have a crockpot that I only use if I’m bringing soup to a church potluck. I love good kitchen tools, but when it comes to cooking methods, I’m used to the stove, oven, and microwave. I’ve almost bought an Instapot on a couple of occasions and backed away, not sure if I would use it enough to justify storing it.
What finally convinced me I would use it is rice. My inlaws have used the Instapot to cook rice on a couple of our recent visits and, since I cook rice at least once a week, I decided it would be worth it even if I just use it for rice. I asked for one for Christmas along with a couple of cookbooks to get me going.
Fortunately, my mom, who is an Instant Pot owner, was there when I used it for the first time. I was admittedly fearful of the whole pressure situation happening under the lid! It is easy to use, but all of the buttons were a little intimidating for the first time.
I cooked jasmine rice and it was a success. I’ve since moved on to brown rice and lentils! You really do just dump it in, secure the lid, set the timer, and walk away. I like that I can get rice going and work on other things without worrying about leaving a burner unattended or setting a timer.
In addition to the rice being easy to make, it was the best brown rice I’ve ever had. Brown rice can have a chewy texture and it’s hard to get the balance of water and rice perfect. This brown rice turned out fluffy and had a pleasant chew to it without being tough. I just added some butter, parsley, and salt to the water, but I’m interested in trying more flavored rice and risotto.
I roasted some vegetables and then put together some lunches for Jeff. Since I work at home, it’s easy for me to serve up a lunch from larger containers but it’s nice for him to have meals that are easy to take and heat. He adds some rotisserie chicken or ham to his lunch while I’m happy eating the vegetarian version.
See how nice that brown rice looks?
So I don’t have any tips, advice, or Instant Pot wisdom to share, but I am happy to report that it didn’t blow up and I’m getting more comfortable with it each time I use it. I can’t imagine myself putting things in it that are easy to cook on the stove or in the oven, but I am looking forward to trying out some chicken recipes. If you have some go-to Instant Pot recipes, please share! (If you leave a link in the comment, I’ll have to approve it so it won’t show up right away.)
These are the books I got along with the Instant Pot and they have been excellent resources for a beginner.
Healthy Meal Prep Instant Pot Cookbook
I wasn’t sure where I was going to keep the Instant Pot but, fortunately, it fit in one of my appliance garages perfectly!
If you haven’t seen our appliance garages, they are standard cabinets we customized with specialty hardware. You can find more details HERE.
28 Responses
I think my daughter has talked us in to getting an Insta-pot. She raves about it. I’ll have to tell her about the rice. She eats it several times a week.
Melissa Clark’s Dinner in an Instant is wonderful. I’ve had it for several years and have never been disappointed.
Yes! I love my instant pot. Brown rice is a winner for sure. I also love to make pasta in it. I never had good success with Mac and cheese until I began making it in the instant pot. I’ve adjusted many recipes I make to the instant pot. Also, if you like baked sweet potatoes, try them in the instant pot. They are soo much better than baked in the oven. I’m sure you couldn’t guess I’m an instant pot fan. Lol.
My daughter does boiled eggs and is very successful doing them.
My boyfriend bought one for me about 3 or 4 years ago. I never used it or even took it out of the box. I was so intimidated by the pressure cooker afraid I would get burned by the steam. It’s also soo big I have no place to store it. It’s been in my basement the whole time. I call it my Apollo capsule for my cat. I was actually a little mad at my boyfriend for buying me such a big kitchen appliance. Maybe you gave me some inspiration to give it a shot. I would have to follow a recipe book though. I’m not the kind of person who puts a little of this and a little of that, easy-peasie kind of person. Thanks Marion, as always.
https://www.simplyrecipes.com/recipes/pressure_cooker_shredded_chicken_taco_meat/
This was one recipe I was willing to try. It is a family favorite and I made 2 batches last year to have when the whole family was home for Christmas. Goes great with spanish rice and charro beans.
I have enjoyed my Instant Pot for a number of years. It’s wonderful for dried beans. “Great Food Fast” by Bob Warden is my favorite book to use with the Instant Pot, along with the one that came with it.
https://www.365daysofcrockpot.com/
Although this says crockpot, Karen also shares instant pot recipes. She has been my source for great recipes, tips and tricks.
My daughter has one and loves it. She uses it at least twice a week for soups, stew, tacos and braising meat. When I had my kitchen remodeled, she encouraged me to buy one since I would only have a microwave, camp stove and grill for cooking with. I bought one and two years later the box is still unopened! I just felt it was too much work to figure out how to use it. One day I should try it out!
Like you I’m a cook from scratch type of person. I really don’t like a single use appliance collection in my kitchen. All of my adult children have one and love it. Every time they talk about it my mind goes back to when I was little and my parents used a pressure cooker. One evening we heard a loud explosion and ran to the kitchen only to find the pressure cooker had exploded and the lid tore a big hole in the kitchen ceiling! It’s something I’ll never forget. Keep us posted on your success.
Ours never exploded, but I remember one hissing on the stove and being so scared of it! I think the Instant Pot made pressure cooking much safer.
I’ve been planning to get one too, but waffling on the model and capacity. Is yours the Pro model? And did you decide on the 6 or 8 quart (liter,?) size? What did you consider in making your decision?
One morning this week I used my Instant Pot to make chickpeas, then brown rice, then sweet potatoes, then hard-boiled eggs – great for my lunches all week, on top of some salad greens! As you say, it’s so great to set it and then move on to other tasks. And I agree about the rice – my results are so much more consistent in the IP.
Congratulations Marian, for joining the pressure cooking crowd. I’ve had and cooked with an old -fashioned pressure for about 65years, and still going strong. 🙂 I wouldn’t be without it! My absolute favorite meal to make in it is beef roast with potatoes and carrots. So many great meal possibilities, and the toughest cut of meat is always tender. Yum! I did buy a rice cooker a couple of years back, and love steamed asparagus in it too.
I have a ninja foodie, a little bit of a different version from the instantpot. I do so much in it, especially love it for dried beans!
The best thing is a turkey breast – it cooks in 40 minutes, super moist because the steam stays in. I also do a Mexican chicken thing where you use chicken breast, a can of diced tomatoes and chicken broth. Remove the chicken and cook the rice in the juices, a Mexican bowl ready without too much effort. You can also do meatloaf in a separate pan with potatoes under for mashing. Can you tell I love mine?
Here is a recipe for a “crack” chicken chili that you make in the instapot and it is super quick and easy and very similar to the chicken chili you already make.
https://www.thechunkychef.com/instant-pot-crack-chicken-chili/
Also you can do butternut squash in the instapot super quick as well.
https://fitfoodiefinds.com/instant-pot-butternut-squash/
And I also use it for chickpeas and black beans.
https://theforkedspoon.com/instant-pot-chickpeas/?utm_medium=social&utm_source=pinterest&utm_campaign=tailwind_tribes&utm_content=tribes&utm_term=1037060038_48292216_191238
Pinterest has thousands of things you can do in an instapot. Give it a look. I love my instapot.
I was hesitant to get one too, only because I have a small kitchen and was worried it would just be another trend that wasn’t worth using. But when I saw a gal peeling fresh eggs from the nest so easily when steamed in the Instant Pot, I was sold. I have chickens and boiled eggs are a favorite around here. They steam up great in the Instant Pot in 7 minutes and peel like a dream. Fresh eggs are the worst to peel and I tried every trick out there. But nothing worked until I started steaming them in the Instant Pot. Also cooking beans without having to presoak that turn out so creamy and delicious is my other favorite to cook in it. Enjoy your new kitchen tool. Don’t try clotted cream in the Instant Pot! Once you taste how delicious it is you will want to eat it all the time. Not great for the waistline!
Marian, I can’t say enough good things about the IP. This is the Spliit Pea Soup recipe I used most recently:
https://www.bowlofdelicious.com/instant-pot-split-pea-soup-ham-bone/#recipe
I used the ham bone and the reserved juices from cooking the ham. I didn’t add any additional salt. Also added a couple cloves of garlic. Enjoy!
https://www.365daysofcrockpot.com/
Although this says crockpot, Karen also shares instant pot recipes. She has been my source for great recipes, tips and tricks.
We use ours almost exclusively for rice, which it makes perfectly every time! I do like to steam veggies in it, especially carrots because they generally will take a while, then drain, put on saute with butter, honey and basil. So good! I continually got a Burn Notice every time I made something with cream of chicken and rice, so I stay away from those recipes. But seriously, it’s worth it’s weight in gold for the rice.
Congrats on getting your instant pot! I bought a smaller version when our dog was diagnosed with pancreatitis and I needed to cook her skinless, boneless chicken breast and rice. It made my life so much easier, and Mr B still uses it for all sorts of things. Our favorite small appliance by far is the air fryer tho. It even crisps stale chips! We use it for so many things! Fortunately we had enough space in a cabinet to store both. I’m one who doesn’t like any small appliances in view in the kitchen. I need that space for art and lamps! 🙂
I love mine. I make stews, soups, and boiled eggs. I tried dried beans today, and they turned out great! The eggs turn out great each time and peel so easily. It takes 5 minutes to cook, 5 minutes to cool down, and 5 minutes in an ice bath. I’m sure you will find it very easy once you get used to it!
The Instant Pot is so versatile. I love to use it for tender chicken breasts, seasoned— Or with equal parts water and salsa for Mexican chicken. I have made Mac and cheese. It is also great for homemade yogurt. It takes a while, but once it’s doing its thing you can let it go for 10 hours. then take a little to make Greek yogurt by straining it with cheese cloth. I’ve also made the best cake in my instant pot with a special lidded cake pan that fits inside—so moist. And lastly, I purchased a special glass lid so I can use it as a slow cooker. Love it!
I was gifted one for Christmas one year and it set for 6 months and I didn’t touch it. I had been traumatized by my mother’s pressure cooker as a child. Someone at work finally talked me into trying it and I have never looked back. I make so many things in it now, but my favorite is hard boiled eggs. You know how sometimes they won’t peel well because the eggs are fresh? Doesn’t matter ….they peel like a charm in the instant pot. 5 minutes on high pressure, 5 minutes resting time before doing a quick release and then 5 minutes in ice water. The shells slip right off!
I do not own an Instant Pot but have toyed with the idea. It is SO BIG!!!! This past Thanksgiving I went to a small gathering and…..yep! She made a 7 lb turkey breast in the pot. I have to say, it was sooooo moist and delicious. It got me to thinking again. I do own a rice maker (it is old), which I love and a crock pot which I use and love. I am just wondering how much more can this do?…is it worth it.
Oh…I also have a combination Air Fryer- toaster oven that I use probably at least once a day!!! Love it!!!
I have had an Instant Pot for about five years now. The thing I really like to make in it are things like soup and chili. You know how when you make soup or chili everyone says “it tastes better the second day”? With the Instant Pot it tastes like that the first day. There is someting about the pressure cooking feature that gives it that second day flavor right away. I use the saute, pressure cooker, and slow cooking features on mine all the time. Have fun discovering what it can do!
Aside from pressure cooking beets, my go-to is porridge which I make every night: 1T EVOO, 1/4 c Hemp seeds, 1/4 c Chia seeds, 1T Buckwheat, 1T Steel cut oats, 1T Flax meal, 1 3/4 c water. slow cook 4 hours, delay start 6 hours. Ready at 6am. Love it with blueberries for sweetness, a bit of granola for crunch and oat milk or whatever for creaminess.
Also excellent for pulled pork.