The Clean Green House Blog: 3 Reasons Why You Should Cook Using an Instant Pot

cooking with an instant pot

Are you cooking with an Instant Pot yet?

Listen, I’m a minimalist when it comes to my kitchen. I love good food, but to be honest, I don’t ADORE cooking. It’s also really difficult for me to transition from the easy “throw something on the grill with a vegetable and watermelon” summer meals to the seemingly rushed, feed the masses after school dinners. Do ya feel me?

I’m not one for a lot of fancy gadgets or counter clogging contraptions, so when my friend told me about the magical unicorn of all kitchen appliances, I ignored her.
I did!
Fast forward, nearly 3 months later and my dinner game is changed forever.

Meet the Instant Pot Pressure Cooker.

No Longer Skeptical About Cooking With an Instant Pot

As a busy mom, I’m always looking for ways to minimize the time I spend in the kitchen, without sacrificing taste and nutrition. A few years back, I attended a class on pressure cooking and I remember thinking it looked difficult and dangerous and I never purchased a pressure cooker…until the Instant Pot was brought to my attention. It was everything I wanted in pressure cooking without the downside.

You’d think after seeing almost 10k positive reviews I’d be a little more convinced, but here I am, a once skeptic turned believer.

You ALL need this is your house.

Can I tell you why I love it and why it’s worth every darn penny?

If you’re not using one today, you should.

*We have found awesome prices, here – and go read the reviews!!! SOLD!*

Here are 3 reasons why you should be cooking with an Instant Pot.

1. Cuts Dinner Prep Time WAY down

Have you ever cooked beans, only to realize they were taking way longer than expected? What about trying to finish dinner only to realize the chicken is still frozen? Cooking with an Instant Pot will solve these problems. The Instant Pot takes several minutes to reach pressure, but once pressure is realized, the cooking is done quickly. Those beans? You know, the ones that take hours? Well, they cook in 12 minutes! 12! If you’re ever in a rush (uh me. every day) and don’t have a lot of time to sit and watch rice slowly boil, this is for you!

Cooks Frozen Meat

If you ALWAYS forget to put out the chicken to thaw the night before (me again!), have no fear. This pressure cooker can whip some dinner magic in MINUTES. For example, throw in some frozen chicken breasts and 5-10 minutes later? Cooked. THIS IS NOT A CRUEL JOKE. You can check out all the meat cooking times HERE. There are also some great tips for cooking other meats in your pressure cooker HERE.

NOTE: the pressure cooking does require a release of pressure in order to open the lid. This can happen naturally over the course of several minutes, or you can carefully use the vent on the top to do a quick pressure release. Bing. Bang. Easy to use.

2. Cooking With an Instant Pot is Convenient

The instant pot acts as a 7-in-1 Multi-Functional Cooker–Pressure Cooker, Slow Cooker, Rice Cooker, Saute/Browning, Yogurt Maker, Steamer & Warmer. Phew. That’s a lot of action all in one. For those with small kitchens or are limited on space, this is the appliance to have. It does it all and replaces the need for three appliances. If I was stranded on a desert island and needed to feed my family and I could take one small appliance with me – this would be it! You can pitch all those other appliances and go with just this. I love that! Simplify things!

3. Programmable

Aside from all of its cool functions, it’s a pressure cooker that doesn’t have to be monitored (which is not the case for traditional stove top pressure cooking.) You can set it and walk away. And it you don’t come back to it for a while – no worries – it’s keeping it warm for you! It has a timer feature that allows you to set it up to 24 hours in advance. Although make sure all ingredients are okay to sit at room temperature for however long your timer is set for. Oatmeal or steel cut oats is a great option with the timer. Set it the night before and have it ready when you get up in the morning.

I’m now examining every recipe I have trying to figure out how to do more cooking with an Instant Pot. Have you tried this method of cooking? Do you have any Instant Pot recipes to share?