I am sure you have seen the Instant Pot all over the place for a while now. I felt the same way, but didn’t quite understand why everyone was using it. So when Amazon had prime day, I scooped it up (for a good price) and haven’t looked back since. I have been using it for several months and thought it was time to do a little Instant Pot review. It’s my goal to share with you all the benefits, pros and cons and everything in between. This Instant Pot review is 100% my honest opinion and I hope it will be helpful for you.
Before I jump into my Instant Pot review, I wanted to share just a little bit about how it actually works.
What is the Instant Pot?
The Instant Pot in a nutshell is a pressure cooker. Although it is more than that as there are other settings on it, so it can replace other appliances such as a slow cooker, yogurt maker, rice cooker, sauté pan and even an egg cooker. So for that reason I was intrigued. I have limited space in my condo for appliances and so for me to have one take up space it really has to be worth it. Because this is also a slow cooker, I was able to replace my previous slow cooker with this one. I also wanted to get a yogurt maker, so the fact that this does that as well is also a bonus.
What is a pressure cooker? Essentially pressure cooking is the process of cooking food, using water or another liquid in a sealed vessel. Food is cooked faster as the steam is trapped and pressure and the resulting temperature is raised quickly. After use, the steam is released slowly so that you can open the cooker safely.
My Instant Pot Review:
What are the best things to use it for?
It truly does a lot! But here are the best uses I have found:
- Cooking grains: I love making a big batch of steel cut oats in here. It cooks them in just minutes and even with the time it takes to heat up and for the steam to release, it’s much more efficient. You don’t need to stir it at all, so it truly does make life a lot easier. You can see how I made them here.
- Hard boiled eggs: The most perfect hard boiled eggs made quickly and easily in the Instant Pot. You don’t have to worry about overdoing them or not with this method. I’ll never make hard boiled eggs any other way.
- Soup: I’ve made soup in about 20 minutes and it was SO flavourful. It tasted like it had been simmering for a while but it only took about 20 minutes to cook.
- Bone broth: I used the pressure cooking method for making bone broth and although it was quick and easy, I think the next time I make a batch, I would use the slow cooker method. It wasn’t quite as flavourful as I am used to, but for a quick version it does do the trick.
- Meat: If you are in a hurry and need something made quickly, I do recommend using the Instant Pot. I’ve made turkey breast in it along with chicken legs. In my opinion the meat does get a little dried out (more so than other cooking methods) but it is quick. So if you are in a pinch and you will be using a sauce on it, I think its fine.
The positives:
Stainless steel: The Instant Pot is all stainless steel (on the inside) where you are cooking your food. So you don’t need to worry about any non-stick coating or plastic being used to cook your food.
Many uses: I love that there are so many functions for the Instant Pot making it truly a multi-use appliance. Like I said in the beginning of this post, for an appliance to take up room in my kitchen, I need it to serve a purpose. The fact that I was able to get rid of my slow cooker and just use this was really important to me.
Efficient: I love that the Instant Pot saves me time in the kitchen. Not only does the appliance itself save time, but it allows me to be more efficient in the kitchen. Because it generally does everything it needs all on its own, I don’t need to worry about constantly stirring something or hovering over it. I can do other things while it does its thing.
Programmable: I love that you can set things to cook when you want them ready. You can program things to cook up to 24 hours in advance. Regular pressure cookers can’t do this.
Price: When you can purchase this at a discounted rate, such as when it is on sale on Amazon, it’s a great deal. Depending on the size and unit you get, the price varies but overall I think the price is worth it provided you use it.
See my Instant Pot steel cut oats below, dreamy and ready in minutes!
The negatives:
Learning curve: if this product is new to you (i.e.- pressure cooking) it can take a bit of time to get used to it. But, just like other appliances (like my Vitamix) when I first bought it, it was a little intimidating. I would suggest reading everything that comes with the Instant Pot to really dig deeper into how it works. But once you get a little more familiar, I promise its not scary.
Prep time: If you are using it as a pressure cooker, just remember it takes time to build that pressure and for the pressure to release after cooking. Sometimes that is an additional 20-30 minutes in total. This is a little longer than a standard pressure cooker because it has a lower PSI than a normal pressure cooker. So while a recipe may say only 3 minutes to cook steel cut oats (and that is true), you still have to take into account the time it takes to reach the pressure and to release it. In my opinion, its still worth it because you don’t need to monitor anything.
Can be scary: I’ll be honest the first few times I used it I was a little nervous with it. Just like any pressure cooker, if used incorrectly, it can injure a person. Just be sure to read through the manual, follow all the safety instructions and you will be fine.
The Bottom Line:
I hope you can tell with this Instant Pot review that I love my Instant Pot and I can’t wait to make more dishes and share them on here. If you can score one on sale, even better. And if you are just starting out in the kitchen or moving into a new place and buying new appliances, I think the Instant Pot should be on your list. If you have limited kitchen space as I do, I think you’ll find the Instant Pot has a spot and may even replace your other appliances.
I was skeptical about the Instant Pot so I put off trying it for a long time. I have been surprised by how much I really like it (and over 25,000 Amazon reviewers agree!). Looking back, I wish I’d tried it much earlier and will definitely recommend it to friends and family, in fact I already have. After using it more and more, I felt comfortable sharing my truthful and honest Instant Pot review.
I hope you found this Instant Pot review helpful and if you have any questions, feel free to leave them here!
The exact Instant Pot I have is this one.
Do you have an Instant Pot? What do you think of it?
If you have an Instant Pot or a slow cooker, make sure to download my FREE meal plan below!
Leave a Reply