A couple weeks ago I purchased my first Instant Pot. I might have been the last person on the planet to know about this wonder appliance! I can’t believe it took me so long to discover. Having an Instant Pot helps me achieve my goal of simplifying my life. As a newbie, I thought I’d share my experience with the product so far.
How I First Learned About the Instant Pot
About a year ago, Major Airhead and I attended our first Airstream Rally at PennWood Airstream Park in western Pennsylvania. As part of the rally, there was an open house where you could tour the various Airstreams of those attending the Rally. That was my favorite part of the whole Rally actually. I was able to get so many decorating ideas and saw some really awesome units, but I digress.
The Major and I had the privilege of touring a 34-foot Airstream Classic with a slide – I believe it was circa 2005. The unit was simply amazing, like something you’d see on HGTV. As I was admiring the jaw dropping unit, its owner mentioned that one of the cabinets at the front of the unit was the perfect spot to store her Instant Pot. By the puzzled look on my face, she could tell that I had no clue. From there she started telling me the wonders of the Instant Pot. Mental note to self: Check out Instant Pots when you get a chance.
Well, it took me several months to get around to checking them out and I never took them seriously until just recently when I stumbled upon the Instant Pot Facebook Community and saw that it was 350,000 plus members strong. I thought, “I really have to get one of these things!”
My decision to purchase was also influenced by the fact that many in the Airstream Community own and use Instant Pots. I had to find out why.
I purchased the Instant Pot DUO 6 Quart unit upon recommendation of someone from the Instant Pot Community who had done thorough research the various units. Originally, I wanted to purchase on Amazon since I am a member of Prime, but they were out of stock with a 3-5 month wait time! After more snooping around the Internet, I was finally able to order one online from Walmart.
It arrived in a few days and I was on my way to learning the benefits of the Instant Pot.
My Review
As I mentioned earlier, I am a newbie to this. I’ve only cooked a handful of meals in the Instant Pot so far but the benefits of owning one have become quickly apparent to me.
You can cook everything in a single pot. If you like one pot meals, like those produced from a crock pot, the Instant Pot is for you. Unlike a crock pot, you can cook foods more quickly and you can sauté your meats, peppers, onions, etc. before the cooking cycle in the same pan. So in the end, you have one pot to clean. The pot is stainless steel and good quality, so cleaning is quick and easy.
Pressure cooking leaves the meat unbelievably moist! My first dish cooked was a chicken and rice dish and you wouldn’t believe how the meat fell apart! Delicious.
The Instant Pot offers several cycles allowing you to pressure cook, steam, sauté, or slow cook (just like a crock pot). The versatility is amazing. It also has a “keep warm” cycle that allows you to cook ahead and keep your meal warm for up to 10 hours. Because of its many cooking options, the Instant Pot allows you to cook healthier meals as well!
As I mentioned earlier, the Instant Pot community is huge. Not only is there a Facebook group, but you can simply Google “Instant Pot” and find hundreds upon hundreds of recipes, tips, and techniques.
There are also plenty of great full-color cookbooks available through Amazon. I haven’t purchased a cookbook so I can’t really recommend one. My goal of simplifying means that I am also downsizing my cookbook collection. My new method of accumulating my favorite recipes is to find a recipe online, try it and if I enjoy the meal I will then either print it off or copy it to a recipe card and place in my small recipe box which is much easier to travel with than a bunch of cookbooks!
Final Thoughts
If you are at all interested in simplifying your life by minimizing your time in the kitchen, enjoy trying new cooking methods, or want to eat healthier home cooked meals the Instant Pot is for you! I feel so strongly about my newest discovery that I plan to dedicate a section of this site to share my favorite recipes. Please follow my blog to access these. In the meantime, if you don’t already have an Instant Pot, check out it out for yourself!
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