The proud owners of an instant pot seriously rave about this addition in their kitchens. Even though pressure cookers have been around for a very long time, the instant pot is becoming a staple in any housewife’s kitchen. The name gives it away, and instant pot cooking makes cooking a breeze in both time and method.
The primary function of the instant pot is as a pressure cooker. Pressure cookers are based on the principle that at higher pressure, the boiling point of water rises, and as a result, it cooks things with water over the boiling point and superheated steam. This transfers heat to the food much better than conventional cooking. The instant pot uses this elevated pressure and temperature to get to the cooking point much faster. In this way, an instant pot is a pressure cooker and slow-cooker at the same time.
Instant Pot is a brand on its own, but there are other brand names out there that do more or less the same thing as the Instant Pot brand name does. With new sensor models, it means when you're busy at home doing something else, or even out of the house, you can do all the settings for the pot to get your perfect meal ready. Many models can come with Bluetooth that allows you control of the pot through your smartphone.
If you're a mom, old or new, you're going to appreciate these 8 reasons why an instant pot needs to be the main machine of your kitchen.
Speed
Think of something that usually takes an entire day to cook, like a thick and a huge piece of meat, or cuts of meat like pork ribs, beef brisket and pork shoulder; that cooking time will be cut down to just a couple of hours. The same goes for soups and stews, plus beans and grains. Normally these would need to simmer for what could seem like forever and a day. You can cook elaborate meals and still have everything ready by supper. All this quiet time means spending more quality time with your family or your much needed ‘me-time'.
Pot size
These babies are quite big, but unique designing over the years have made them sleeker, taking up less room. But you could find options in sizes, for example a 3 or even 2-quart pot for small families. The 6-quart pot is a very popular purchase. It offers plenty of capacity for big dinners, soups and stews, a pot of beans, or even a whole chicken, and actually doesn't take up an insane amount of counter space or shelf space.
Safe
You might remember the old-school types of pressure cookers. They were really loud and seemed like whatever was in there was ready to explode, along with the cooker. They were kind of scary actually! Not anymore with the many built-in safety features that instant pots have. They're designed to ensure that ports operate within safety limits. Sensors can also detect whether the lid is locked or not. And unless the cover is firmly shut, the pot won't take on the pressure. When the cooker's interior becomes pressurized, the lid automatically locks in place.
Cook all food at the same time
The instant pot can cook all of your food at one time. So while it's cooking a chicken it can also cook some potatoes for a potato salad. You can prepare a lovely tasty meal and put it all together in the pot, and set a delay for a couple of hours depending on what you're cooking. You can leave the house and get your errands done, pick up your kids from school, and take them to anywhere else you might have to go with them. If you're a working mom, nothing can be more useful than a pot that does the cooking for you. You return home, open the pot, and serve a delicious dinner for your family.
Recipes
It's practically a given that mom and the family are pretty fed up of meatloaf nights. The key to instant pot cooking happiness is choosing recipes where softness and tenderness is the goal, which traditionally takes hours to get there. The internet has taken the instant pot under its wings, and it's no problem to find a recipe index posted by personal or professional bloggers or cooking websites. These recipes include anything you can imagine and anything your heart desires in main meals, soups, side dishes and desserts. Chances are that someone, somewhere has tried a recipe with their instant pot and wants to share it with the rest of the world.
No more babysitting
As a mom, you already have your kids to care and watch out for. You don't need to add food to baby sit for. There are lots of foods we have to watch over while at the stove. With an instant pot, you can literally walk away after everything is in the pot. You don't need to babysit with an instant pot, since everything is timed for cooking perfection.
Get rid of old pots
Because it's designed to be so versatile by cooking several things at the same time, you can get rid of old pots and pans to make room in your kitchen for other things.
Easy to clean
Anything easy to clean is a win for mom! No matter what you're cooking, at the end of the day, it is only one pot to clean. Some parts of it might be dishwasher safe and others are easy to clean by hand.
Instant pots are one of the fastest selling kitchen appliances on the market, with sales, doubling and tripling over the past years. It's not unusual that you'd want to use your pot for everything, but it actually works for some foods better than others. Frying, for instance, is not its thing, but it does great work for sauté food. Overall, it's a super handy kitchen option for any mother.
