Other than my obsession of finding the perfect baking pans, I have been very diligent in not purchasing kitchen gadgets. The criteria for letting one through the door is set extremely high. A house only has so much storage space. So if the gadget doesn't fill a strong need, I leave it on the store shelf. So where did this Instant Pot come from you ask? It was a Christmas present from the kids. I know! I was surprised. My daughter in law was sure I wanted one. She couldn't have been more wrong. This is going to sound strange, since you all know how much I love canning and food preservation, but here is the truth of the matter: I am horrified of pressure cookers!!! Okay, now it is out there for everyone to read. And I do mean horrified. So much so, that it took 3 1/2 months for me to give this baby a whirl. I just wanted to get my original feelings out there prior to this review. Maybe it will be important to someone else not wanting one of these contraptions.
The instruction manual for this machine is very brief and to the point. I thought it was a little scant. But honestly, there really isn't a whole lot to this gadget. For real! The main points are: listen to the sounds of the lid locking, keep your hands and face away from the vent, make sure the dial is set on seal for pressure cooking, and know if you either need to do a 15 minute natural release or a quick release prior to opening. The rest is simply pushing a cooking cycle or setting a time when working with a recipe. It was ridiculously simple.... Well except for my innate fear of being steam burnt or having the appliance blow me up into pieces that is! ;) Which is why I chose to do a quick release AFTER my recipe had me do a natural release for 15 minutes... Better safe than sorry, I say!
Alright, alright. What did I really think of this cooker? I can honestly say, "It is one of the coolest machines in my arsenal." Trust me, I am not saying this to make my daughter in law happy. She isn't the kind of girl that weeps over the truth. I am just floored at how fast this unit can cook meat crazy tender in minutes. It would be an asset to any busy household. Although I must be strong in saying, this IS a seriously dangerous device if you do NOT respect the pressure cooking release procedures. Plus, it is not a machine to leave in the reach of children, as with all kitchen cookers. (Please accept this advice from an experienced cook who ignorantly gave herself a second degree burn in her childhood when removing a lid in the wrong direction over a boiling pot on a stove.)
This machine has been designed to be user friendly. The digital settings and instant settings make pressure cooking a breeze. It creates some wonderful food entrees and makes me forget about being blown up. LOL I cannot believe that I almost didn't own one of these fine machines.
The recipe book included with the machine did not impress me at all. It wasn't for me. But if one goes out on the web, there are literally hundreds of great recipes out there. My first dish was corned beef and cabbage. It took a little less than a hour and a half for the corned beef to be completely finished (includes the pressure build and release.) The potatoes, carrots and cabbage took only an additional 16 minutes... start to finish. Plus to Mr. Hollow's delight, the smell was kept to a minimum. :)
Here is a chuck roast fresh out of the Instant Pot. It is falling apart. Exactly how I love it. I would have let this go in the oven for 3 to 4 hours. In the Instant pot, it cooked start to finish in 96 minutes.
And again to my hubby's happiness, no smell wafting through out the house. Although I personally never minded it!
The gravy was flavorful too!
Now this just knocked me off my feet, a six pound chicken cooked from start to finish in 50 minutes. Holey Toledo, I can have baked meat in the summer without sweating profusely in my kitchen. :) If you follow the recipe and sear the top of the chicken, it is hard to make out that this bird didn't come out of an oven. It was flavorful, juicy and falling off the bone. It was at the moment this bird was done that I realized... This appliance was a keeper!!
The Instant Pot is also a steamer, slow cooker, yogurt maker, sautéing device and rice cooker. It also can be put on a timer. Or if you have to leave, the contents can finish and keep warm for hours. I know, this is nothing revolutionary. It is a pressure cooking device, but the new digital bells and whistles are a whole lot more appealing. So if you are on the fence about this machine, you might want to give it a try. I am certainly going to do some serious food experiments with it for years to come. I am hooked!
Got to go... Mr. Hollow will be home in an hour, and I have a whole chicken to cook. Gotta get the Instant Pot cooking! :)
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