I was what you would call fashionably late on the Instant Pot. I didn’t jump on it the way the rest of the food media world did. I just figured, I’m deathly afraid of pressure cookers, I’ve got a Crock-Pot, that’s good enough. It seemed like a solution looking for a problem. I told myself, you don’t really need an Instant Pot. Fast forward to last November.
I missed out on the Amazon Black Friday deal on the 6qt model and decided I’d just wait until the Max model came out this summer. Then, the reviews on the Max weren’t that great. So I waited for Prime Day and nabbed myself a deal. Since it was the middle of summer, it sat in its box until two weeks ago.
What’s good about being so late on the trend is that there are now a zillion cookbooks to choose from for recipes. Melissa Clark’s Dinner in an Instant has been my go-to in the short time I’ve been using it. The weather has finally turned toward fall here, so I’m in the right head space for braised meats and stews. In the last two weeks, I’ve made:Black Beans with Green Chiles & Cumin, Moroccan Chickpeas and Kale, Smoky Lentils and Sausage and Korean Chile-Braised Brisket (scroll to the bottom of the linked page for the recipe). They’ve all been really delicious, like really really delicious. It’s been striking. It should come as no surprise, coming from Melissa Clark, but I still found myself wowed.
Now I’m excited about Melissa Clark’s next Instant Pot book, Comfort In an Instant, due out October 16. Her first book already has Mac and Cheese, and it looks like the book will deliver 75 recipes, including Classic Matzo Ball Soup, Lemon Chicken With Garlic + Olives and Flourless Chocolate Truffle Cake. In the meantime, my next project is what originally spurred me to buy an Instant Pot in the first place — yogurt.
So did I need that Instant Pot? Well, I certainly like the ability to saute in a single pot (my slow cooker is old enough that it wasn’t an option in the old days). I like being able to make beans without having to pre-soak them or monitor them on the stove. We’re still in the getting to know you phase, but I’m enjoying the Instant Pot so far.