I Tried the Instant Pot and I am Not Sold

Last year for Christmas I got an Instant Pot. I asked for one after hearing everyone sing it's praises. It didn't take me long to unbox it, but then I struggled. I'm still struggling. If there is one thing I tell those who ask about it, it's that the learning curve is steep. So here is what I think about the Instant Pot one year later with my complete review.

A Real and Honest Review of the Instant Pot

What is an Instant Pot?

The Instant Pot is a smart electric pressure cooker. If you say those last three words to anyone over the age of 50 you immediately start to hear stories of cabbage on ceilings from blown tops. The key word here is smart. It's not your grandma's pressure cooker.  It speeds up cooking time, uses less energy and the ad says it can replace 7 kitchen appliances, though I'm not sure how many people have a yogurt maker they need to replace. As my husband likes to say it fixes a problem we don't actually have.

What Made me Want an Instant Pot?

I spend a lot of time on social media and I started hearing stirrings of the IP {as it's called in groups}. People were talking about how they could cook a pot roast in 5 minutes while steaming vegetables.  We eat dinner at home nearly every single night. It's a lot of work, but it's important to us and I like to keep the cook time under 30 minutes because nobody has time for that. When I remember to use my crock pot I love it, and this seemed like a fast crock pot to me.  

Do You Need an Instant Pot?

I guess the question I would ask is are you willing to put in the effort to learn how to use a new appliance? There is a learning curve and even the most experienced cook will have some Instant Pot fails. I honestly was hoping I could plug the thing in, throw some food into it and bingo bango have dinner made in a fraction of the time. Which leads me to my next response...

Why am I not Sold on the Instant Pot?

What I didn't plan for was the amount of time you can't estimate when it comes to building the pressure. That can take anywhere from 8-10 minutes and sometimes if your lid isn't properly secured it won't start until you push the top down or remember to seal the vent, trust me...all things that have postponed our dinner. Last week I tried to make pulled pork and 2 1/2 hours later my meat was finally ready. I was thinking it would only take a half an hour. Nearly every single time I use this I make us late to something. I just have not figured out the timing of it yet. We also eat a lot of chicken and I don't love how the chicken gets rubbery. Again, I'm sure I'm doing something wrong, but to not be able to use it for the majority of the meals we eat kind of defeats the purpose. The house also stinks after I use my IP. The smell kind of lingers. I'm not really sure how to fix this so any advice would be helpful.

Why You Need an Instant Pot

All that to say, don't let me be the person that stops you from getting an Instant Pot. You will need to read the manual, don't skip that step! The Instant Pot may take you out of your comfort zone and it will have you trying new recipes and cooking in new and different ways.  Just this past week I used the IP to make hard boiled eggs. Seven of the eight I made turned out OK, so maybe I'm not all together failing at this thing. I'm still recommending the IP to my friends, I just have a few caveats I add to my recommendation.  So, what do you think?  Do you have an Instant Pot?  Did you love it right away or have you learned to love it? I'd love to hear your thoughts.
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