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What is the Instant Pot?

I’m sure you’ve heard about the Instant Pot but, if you haven’t, it’s basically an electric pressure cooker with several functions that make pressure cooking a lot easier. With the Instant Pot you actually get 7 appliances in 1! You get a pressure cooker, steamer, yogurt maker, sauté pan, slow cooker, rice cooker, and a food warmer. It also has 13 pre-set functions so you can select exactly what you’re cooking and it will select a pre determined setting. It even has a delay start button that will begin cooking at a later time.

My Impression

    After years of seeing the Instant Pot advertised, I was excited to receive the Instant Pot Duo (6 qt.) as a gift. I’ll start out by saying that I enjoy using the machine and the meals I have cooked in the Instant Pot taste great. However, there is a learning curve involved.

The first thing I did after I opened the box was read the instructions. I was really hoping to see a couple of sample recipes like I’m used to finding when I receive a new appliance but, unfortunately, there were none included. However, their Instant Pot app does have a ton of recipes you can try (more on that later). As a beginner, I would suggest downloading it because it is super helpful

   At the very least, I was expecting some instructions on cooking a meal and there really wasn’t any . I had a lot of questions about how to change some of the settings and when they would be necessary. As it turns out, some functions allow you to change certain settings and others don’t. Also, how do I decide exactly which function to use for what I’m cooking? None of that was explained in the instructions.

It seemed like the instructions were built for someone who already knew what they were doing. I kind of feel like it would be useful to have some coding and deciphering skills here to figure it all out.  However, I was happy to find some information on the smart programs. I also found a cooking times table that shows some cooking times for different types of food, which is super helpful. I find myself using the given information all the time.

The App

I would highly suggest getting the app because it’s super helpful, especially if you’re new to using the Instant Pot. If you don’t really know what you want to cook, then there are suggestions on the front page that you can look at and see if anything looks good to you. What I use more than anything is the filter. It lets you filter the cuisine, the meal, cook time, and the difficulty level… plus more.  Once you pick a meal to cook, it walks you through the process step-by-step. I didn’t get the app right away, but I wish I would have because the step-by-step instructions would have helped me to learn how the machine works a little better.

The Extras

I didn’t know how many accessories there were when I first received the Instant Pot! I am super excited to try the egg bits pan. A bacon or sausage egg bite sounds good… maybe with cheese! I believe that you can even make cheesecake in the Instant Pot, which would make this springform pan useful. There are also non-food items like this magnetic Instant Pot cheat sheet that will stick to your machine. The steam diverter might be the most important addition though, because it reminds me of a potential problem with the steam valve. Because the steam vents straight up, there’s a potential for the steam to eventually warp the upper cabinets in your kitchen. This is definitely something I will be purchasing in the future.

What’s the Verdict?

 I love using the Instant Pot and would suggest buying one, if you haven’t already. However, I would also suggest getting the app alongside it because the instructions aren’t enough when you get started. That is a downside to me because I don’t think you should need an app to understand the product. If they had a section with some useful tips in the instructions that would have been helpful. With all of that aside, I love the product and look forward to learning all of the little details… and hopefully create my own recipes with it!

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P.S. If you’re interested in a recipe that’s not related to the Instant pot, then read my post on How to Make Delicious Homemade Yogurt!