Instant pot - a review...

I thought I'd give a plug for a new kitchen gadget I recently received.   My MIL gave me an Instant Pot as an early Christmas gift!

I only recently started paying attention to this trend of a multi-type cooker, even though they've been around for a while.  Seriously, less than a year ago I can honestly say I'd never even heard of the Instant Pot.   I'm also not normally a kitchen gadget person, but over the last few months I've grown increasingly curious and interested in this cooker, so I was kind of excited when my MIL asked if I'd like one for Christmas.  And then she went ahead and gave it to me just a couple of weeks ago.  Whoo hoo!

So far I've only cooked macaroni, Basmati brown rice, baked potatoes and last night I made my first real meal in it.    I made Beef Bourguignon from the book, The Authorized Collection - Instant Pot Weeknight Meals, and it was pretty good!

I'll be honest...  the Instant Pot doesn't really cook a meal any faster than using regular pots and pans, BUT what it does do is allow you to saute and then cook in the same pot, and then by closing it up and putting the whole thing under pressure, I find I'm completely content to go about my business doing something else without the temptation to check on it, or stir it, or even sneak a taste.  

Now, that might be a turn off to some, but I find it surprisingly easy to do.  And while, again, it doesn't cook the meal any faster, it feels (to me) a little faster since I'm not hovering over it waiting for my meal to finish, or making sure it doesn't burn while it's cooking.  

While my review might be a little premature with my limited cooking experience with my Instant Pot, at the moment I'm kind of loving it.

My criticisms:  

• The book isn't the most thorough thing I've ever read.  And at least once, the "authorized" cookbook contradicted itself.   For example, in a recipe the instructions for cooking pasta said to use the "quick release" to vent the steam (and lower the pressure more quickly).  It refers you to page 4 to read how to do this, but on page 4, it tells you that the quick release feature is not suitable for starchy foods (as "food content may splatter out from the steam release" - presumably clogging the vent).

• An example of where it's not thorough, is each recipe tells you to set the time for cooking, but it doesn't tell you what button to push to do this. There is no "cook time" button.  After pushing a few different things, I was able to figure it out, but it made me nervous the first time to press buttons thinking that this thing was working its way to being under pressure.  I didn't know how much time I had to figure it out.  Now, I'm not so nervous, but that first time I was a little worried and a bit annoyed that it wasn't more intuitive or explained thoroughly.

All that said, with all the helps online, and cookbooks available,  I think this tool will be fairly easy to master.  I'm looking forward to discovering more yummy food I can cook in it.

If you have someone on your Christmas Shopping list who loves gadgets, but doesn't have one of these yet, it would make a great gift.  If you don't know if they'd want one, ask.  I sure didn't feel let down knowing a month early what I'd be getting.   Getting it a month early was just icing on the cake.  Or maybe I should say...  sauce in the pot! 

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