Hello, my name is Stefanie and I am a believer in the magic of the Instant Pot. It wasn’t always this way, but I now know there’s a good reason why it’s one of the most popular gifts this holiday season.
I first started reading things about the Instant Pot in mommy groups on Facebook earlier this year. I’m a Crock Pot enthusiast, particularly in the colder months, so I didn’t really understand the need for another large kitchen appliance.
It wasn’t until I spent some time with my friend Tracy a couple of months ago that the Instant Pot got its first ringing endorsement from someone I knew, and I can’t even express how enthusiastic Tracy was about her Instant Pot. She told me about the super-active Facebook group that covers all things Instant Pot (the group is just under 900,000 members). She said the cleanup is a breeze, and dinner can be done in an hour or less.
Thanks to a really great sale at Kohl’s, I was able to score an 8 Qt Duo 7-in-1 Instant Pot for $85 (they are normally $129.99 for that model) back in October. Admittedly, it took me a few weeks to give it a try.
I joined the Facebook group shortly after it arrived, and I was intimidated. I saw so many warnings about the ways I could mess up a meal or our kitchen cabinets or the Instant Pot itself that it seemed like a lot of work in comparison to a set-and-forget Crock Pot dinner. Finally, I bit the bullet and tried a recipe that required minimal prep and only one pressure cycle: an Instant Pot beef stew.
While it took a thorough reading of the Instant Pot manual and a few Google searches, the beef stew turned out to be a big and delicious success.
Since then, I’ve made three other dishes and they’ve all been successes. I’ve relied on the Facebook group and reviews online to find the recipes, and each time I’ve been very happy with the results. Sometimes it seems that the larger size makes it take longer to come to pressure, but I like being able to make larger meals and have leftovers for a couple of days.
We have a Costco near our house now (HALLELUJAH), so I’m thinking their meat selection plus the Instant Pot will have us primed for a delicious winter season. Last night I made ribs in the Instant Pot with a recipe from Pressure Luck, and they were beyond delicious! Our larger Instant Pot meant I could prepare two full racks of ribs:
I finished them off in the oven for 10 minutes, and they turned out great:
I’m now four for four with Instant Pot successes, and can’t wait to try new recipes all year long.
Here are the four delicious recipes I’ve used so far:
- Baby Back Ribs by Pressure Luck
- Beef and Broccoli by Pressure Luck
- Beef Stroganoff by Allrecipes
- Beef Stew by Budget Bytes
Next I think I want to try a chicken noodle soup, or even a dessert! The possibilities are endless with this magical gadget.