Instant Pot

Follow any food blogs (or vlogs) or even the social media account of any soccer mom you know, and you’ve likely heard of the Instant Pot. Deemed a miracle kitchen device, it can supposedly cook food faster and better with myriad functions and little hard work.

This is (somewhat) true.

The Instant Pot comes in several different versions. When I purchased mine (spurred on by a great sale at Target), I chose the Duo Series 7-in-1, primarily because I wanted to try out the yogurt-making feature. Three months later, I still haven’t used that feature, but I have used plenty of others.

I’ve found the Instant Pot is not so much a miracle-worker and it’s not necessarily ridiculously fast. When someone says they can cook an entire roast from frozen in an hour, while that’s true, they’re not counting the time it takes for the pot to build pressure (about half an hour) and then the time it takes for it to release that pressure (another half an hour). Two hours for a roast from frozen is still impressive, though.

One handy feature is the ability to sauté in the bottom of the Instant Pot, and then pressure cook right within the same dish. If a soup or stew recipe calls for caramelized onions or sautéed garlic, you can do it right in the pot, and then add in your other ingredients before you start pressure cooking.

The Instant Pot also makes seemingly simple dishes even simpler. Many users love how easy it is to make perfect rice every time and how well hard-boiled eggs turn out. The stainless steel rack also makes it easy to suspend heat-proof dishes within the pot while you cook for double-boiler-type situations, allowing you to make dishes like Instant Pot omelets.

The size is hefty, though. It takes up a lot of counter space, which can sometimes be valuable. However, that size will allow you to fit an entire chicken. There are trade-offs.

The safety features make pressure cooking more comfortable for the average home chef, but they can also be annoying. For example, if the pot senses anything stuck to the bottom (even if it’s just an ingredient stuck to the bottom of the pot that could be easily nudged off with a spoon), the overheating warning comes on and it refuses to cook.

Is the Instant Pot worth the $75-plus you’ll pay? It depends on the seriousness of the cook. If you cook at home frequently and enjoy cooking and new kitchen gadgets, go for it. You’ll get quite a few meals’ worth of fun experimentation. If you’re just looking for a kitchen gadget to make your life easier, skip this fad and stick with your slow cooker.