5 Reasons I Love My Instant Pot

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5 Reasons I Love My Instant Pot Des Moines Moms BlogMy Instant Pot might be the best purchase I’ve ever made.

I recently heard that the Instant Pot is becoming the main appliance for our generation like microwaves were for our parents.

BUT FIRST–What is an Instant Pot you ask? According to the manufacturer at InstantPot.com

“Instant Pot is the latest 3rd Generation Programmable Pressure Cooker designed by Canadians with the objectives of being Safe, Convenient and Dependable. It speeds up cooking by 2~6 times using up to 70% less energy, and, above all, produces nutritious healthy food in a convenient and consistent fashion.

If you live a fast-paced, health-oriented and green-conscious life style, Instant Pot is designed specifically for you.”

Some of the key highlights for me are the faster cooking times, using less energy, and producing healthy food conveniently. And it all happens in one pot that sits on my counter.

Here are just 5 of the millions of reasons why this is a must-have appliance in our home.

Des Moines Moms Blog 5 Reasons I Love My Instant Pot
Hey Girl, Relax. Dinner is a breeze now!

1. It’s Fast

You can cook just about anything much faster than traditional cooking methods. For example, I LOVE freezer meals. However, I cannot seem to remember to defrost them. With the IP, I can put almost any frozen meal in about 2 hours before dinner and it comes out completely cooked! Since the IP is a pressure cooker, food cooks faster. Sweet potatoes are done quickly. Roasts fall apart and take under two hours to cook! I tell people it’s like “Speed CrockPot-ing”!

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2. It’s Healthy

Research shows pressure cooking is healthy because it can preserve more nutrients than any other cooking method because of its shorter cook times. In our house, it’s just as quick for me to throw in some chicken breasts and cook them as it is to put frozen nuggets in the oven. This has saved me from buying frozen, processed foods and buying fresher produce instead– because it’s so fast. (If you purchase an IP, be sure to find a good recipe for bone broth! It’s a favorite!)

3. It’s Easy

Pinterest is FULL of great IP recipes, and I also belong to a few Facebook groups dedicated to IP cooking. The Instant Pot comes with a recipe book which I refer to for a few recipes, but I use this guide for all of the raw vegetable cooking times too. Once you understand how/when to release the steam (as shown in the guide book–it’s really easy, I promise!), you can just set it and forget it! My IP came with 6 different settings for everything from soup to meat, so it’s just a push of a button to start it. The only thing that doesn’t work well in the IP is dairy. With most recipes it’s easy to add the dairy at the end of cooking. 

Des Moines Moms Blog 5 Reasons I Love My Instant Pot

4. Instant Pot Clean Up Is FAST

All cooking is done in a 6 quart stainless steel bowl that comes with the IP. When I’m done cooking, I put the bowl in the dishwasher and clean the IP lid with soapy water. I like cooking with my crock pot, but it seems that something is always baked on to the side, and it’s hard to clean up. With the IP, nothing has become baked on. It comes out clean from the dishwasher every time!  Almost all of the parts can put in the dishwasher. The outer part can be wiped down, but it never really gets dirty. We can cook our entire meal in one pot and never dirty any pots/pans on the stove. 

Des Moines Moms Blog 5 Reasons I Love My Instant Pot

5. Bulk Cooking

The 6 quart stainless steel bowl is large enough that I can cook a big batch of soup or meat and put meals in the freezer for later. I frequently cook 3 or more pounds of meat at one time and then separate it into more meals.

For example, on Sunday I cooked 3 pounds of chicken. I set the Instant Pot for 15 minutes, and then shredded the super-moist chicken when it was done. Some stayed in the IP for Chicken Noodle Soup, some went into enchiladas to bake later in the week, and about 1 pound went into the freezer for a last-minute dinner sometime. The IP has drastically cut down on my meal prep time!

If you are an Instant Pot owner, what do you love about it? What advice would you give people thinking about purchasing one? Any favorite recipes I should know about? 

Disclaimer: This post is NOT endorsed by Instant Pot. All opinions are my own and no compensation was given for this post.

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5 COMMENTS

  1. I recently got one too and love it!! I’m still learning but have made shredded chicken, chicken tacos, meatballs, chicken and rice soup and recently put two small spaghetti squash in there to cook much faster than in the oven!!

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