Why I Hated My Instant Pot and How I Feel Now

The Anticipation of My Instant Pot

The hype filled Facebook and blogs during the holidays of 2016. In my research I read glowing reviews and watched positive YouTube videos. Not one bad comment did I read. Just to confirm my findings, I asked questions of my Facebook friends. Finally I jumped on the bandwagon and joined the Instant Pot (IP) family.

With Amazon Prime, I received the shipment in 2 days. The excitement was fun! Like Christmas morning, I couldn’t wait to open the box.

Unfortunately upon opening the box and reading through the instructions, I wanted to cry.

This Disappointment of My Instant Pot

Because of our large family, I ordered the 8 quart electronic pressure cooker. For whatever reason, I was expecting something slightly bigger than my crock pot. What I pulled out of the box was a beast. This alone made me anxious as I don’t have a lot of counter space.

Then I started reading the directions and recipe book included with the purchase. I felt like I was reading Greek and the recipes were for families that had completely different taste buds than ours. I had purchased some ingredients for recipes I found online but I couldn’t figure out what to do. I was angry that I had spent a lot of money to make my life easier when in reality it was adding great stress.

Enter in my husband from work. The look on my face immediately told him that my Valentines’ Day present was not creating loving feelings. I explained my frustration about its gargantuan size and how I couldn’t figure out how to make one meal, which adding to my stress, was going to make supper very late since I had big plans for my new device.

With so much wisdom he said:

Heidi, we have a big family of growing kids. You will be grateful for the large size. You didn’t learn how to use the oven in one day. Give it time.

Blessed is the woman who receives a wise husband. Not a Bible verse, but it could have been.

So for the next month, I vowed to give it a solid try. I put away my crock pots and purposely chose meals that could be made in the Instant Pot. There had to be a reason that all of my friends {LOVED} this machine. I was determined to figure out why.

And just a few days ago, it dawned on me that I have used my Instant Pot almost every day now. I realized through the trial period my tears have turned to delight.

Tips to Love Your Instant Pot

For the rest of this post, I want to share what I wish I had known before purchasing, mistakes that I’ve made, and tips to help you decide for yourself. For space reasons, I am not going to explain the mechanics of the appliance so be sure to view the Facebook Video I created.

1. Instant Pots Make Weird Noises for a Few Moments

Because I have used a pressure canner a million times for canning garden harvest, I am very familiar with steam and building pressure. But even with vast past experience, I checked the Instant Pot a few times during the first use to make sure it was safe. Though not loud, if you have never used a pressure cooker, the noises may be alarming. Know that for those few moments that the pressure is building and the float valve is moving into place, there will be some noise and steam will escape. With that said, I feel that the locking lid of the Instant Pot is very safe (you can not open the lid until the float valve has released) and it just takes some getting used to.

2. An Instant Pot is NOT {Just} a Crock Pot

When I purchased the Instant Pot, I envisioned a crock pot on steroids. While one of the features is a slow cooker, the standard use is nothing like a crock pot. The Instant Pot can and will burn food if you aren’t careful. I have slightly burned meatballs and chicken due to overcooking them.

Liquid is not optional, but the key to the Instant Pot working. If pressure doesn’t build correctly, it may mean you don’t have enough water included. On the same point, too much water added makes the food bland and watery. Check the directions for the suggested amount.

The 7-1 programmable cooker that I purchased is a pressure cooker, slow cooker, rice cooker, steamer, saute, yogurt maker, and warmer. The saute feature allows you to do some precooking before pressure cooking without having to dirty another skillet. Also the saute feature will start heating your food making less time needed for pressure to rise.

During the hot summer months I rarely start the oven. I can already tell that I will be using the Instant Pot a lot this summer just for energy efficiency!

3. An Instant Pot is NOT an Oven

When using the pressure cooking mode, liquid and pressure are what cook the food quickly. While this is great for cooking meats and soup, you can’t cook sweet potato fries with a crunchy texture.

With an oven, there is a point that the food must be removed or it will be overcooked. Once the Instant Pot is finished cooking, it immediately goes into a warming setting for up to 10 hours. I am learning to start meals earlier than later because it is better to have it sitting in the warm mode than everyone standing in the kitchen watching the timer on the Instant Pot tick down.

4. Cookin’ Meat

Being able to cook frozen meat is great as I often pull frozen venison or chicken directly out of the freezer. I’ve also learned the option to cook raw meatballs in spaghetti sauce. Delicious.

5. Time Saver?

I still debate how much time I am truly save using the Instant Pot. While the food does cook faster, the added time before and after the cooking occurs removes most time savings. The difference that I do see is that I don’t spend time stirring and monitoring the ingredients. Place in the pot, turn it on, and leave it alone. This is huge for me!

Clean up is so simple. The stainless steel pan is easy to wash and fits well in the frig if you want to made ahead a dish. If something sticks to the bottom, sprinkle a little baking soda and rub with a wet cloth. And I love the glass lid that I purchased.

6. Yes, Hard-Boiled Eggs are Amazing

Most blog posts that I have read rave about making hard-boiled eggs in the Instant Pot. Because I have had several Pinterest fails, I was skeptical. But, they are right! I have never pealed eggs easier.

7. Learning Curve

At first, using the Instant Pot is not a push-a-button-and-go device. This fact created most of my anxiety. I thought I would be able to throw in frozen chicken, push the poultry button, walk away, and bam! Delicious meals. This has not been the case. There are many variables and it takes time to learn how to cook all the food. The great thing is that there isn’t a minimum amount of food to cook so you can start with small amounts.

Keeping a Food Diary will go a long way in helping you learn how to use the Instant Pot. Keep a running list of what you cook, how long, and the outcome. It would also be helpful to track how long it took to build and release pressure. Once you do a few items, you can use the knowledge learned to cook other things. It also makes a quick guide for making things the 2nd and 3rd times. Click to print a free Instant Pot Food Diary Spreadsheet.

8. Under Cooked

Especially when cooking frozen meat, more than once I’ve opened the Instant Pot to meat not fully cooked. At that point I separate the meat, close the lid, allow the pressure to rise again, and cook it a little longer. No problem.

9. Respect the Steam

My biggest disappointment in the Instant Pot had nothing to do with the Instant Pot as a cooking appliance. When I saw recipes that promised Baked Potato Soup in 10 minutes and Homemade Hamburger Helper in 4 minutes, I was sold. What these recipes don’t explain is that this is strictly the full-pressure cooking time and not the amount of time needed for pressure to build and release. Depending on what you are cooking and how much liquid is included the processing time will greatly vary. For example…in making spaghetti sauce, it took over 5 minutes after the cooking is over to quick-release the pressure. This adds time to meal prep. Soup with a lot of liquid can take over 10 minutes to quick-release the pressure.

While doing a quick release of pressure, it is very important that you keep your face and hand away from the steam. It is scalding hot. I place a washcloth over the valve when turning it to help eliminate splatters.

10. Don’t Be Intimidated

This is the biggest point of advice that I can give you. While YouTube and Pinterest were helpful to get me started, most of my learning came when I started using the Instant Pot and taking notes along the way. It wasn’t until I started using it on a regular basis that I appreciated the IP for the wonderful appliance that it is.

I suggest you begin with single food items like hard-boiled eggs, shredded chicken, and rice.

So…Is the Instant Pot a good fit for you?

Yes! If…

You aren’t afraid to try new things.
You can takes notes to learn from each recipe.
You like to spend 5 minutes throwing together a {potentially} delicious meal.

No! If…

The idea of this freaks you out and you know you would never use it. Then, save your money.
If you only want to use it as a rice cooker or slow cooker, it is much cheaper to purchase a rice or slower cooker if you have no plans to use the pressure cooking option.

So what about you? Leave your comments and let me know what you think!