You might remember my delemia when Kramer was in the hospital this spring and I had to eat on the low-iodine diet. I couldn’t eat any food from a restaurant or prepared food yet I was staying overnight in the hospital with Kramer.
I ended up going to WalMart and buying an Instant Pot. I already had one so it seemed silly to me but it was SUPER important that I stay on the diet. So I did what I had to do and bought a second one. This time I bought the larger 8 quart one. This is one I bought.
I ended up getting it home and immediately Kalissa asked if she could have my old one. Reluctantly I let her have my 6 quart one. I had kind of thought it would be nice to have two as I use one so much…but then reality struck and I realized that the kitchen only has so much room in it.
I am so happy I purchased the 8 quart though. Here’s one of the reasons why…
I can fit a whole chicken in it!! I love being able to do that. I couldn’t do that in the 6 quart one. I am going to do the beer can chicken with this one….I just popped it in to show you how roomy it is an 8 quart.
Something else I started doing with this larger Instant Pot that I couldn’t do with the other one is make two things at the same time. See??I put sweet corn in the bottom….
I put a pie tin on top and then put some frozen pulled pork that I had. I prefer to warm in up in the Instant Pot vs the microwave or letting it unthaw naturally. This was the steam keeps it super moist.
I did manual time for five minutes and in no time I have pulled pork and sweet corn all done at the same time.
Everyone always asks, what I make in the Instant Pot….seriously, it’s often just simple things like this. It’s not a recipe. It’s just everyday cooking…often simple things from making cooked carrots to warming food to making meat or soup. I love playing with it and am finding more uses all the time.
In all seriousness….If I could only have one thing for cooking, I’d pick an Instant Pot over the stove.
If mine ever dies…I will get another right away. It’s an essential in my kitchen. If you ever debate on getting one….I’d recommend the 8 quart one.
I added an Instant Pot to my list of items I recommend. You can find that listing by clicking the tab near the top of the screen.
Love my 6 qt Instant Pot too. Got it at Christmas time and started using it right away. Still trying to figure out the time for some of the meat/chicken. Did boneless skinless chicken breasts the other day and cooked them too long so they were kinda dry–so used them chopped up in a big salad and they were fine with the dressing on them.
The best pot roasts are the ones I made in the IP.
Hubby loves the applesauce we make in it.
Soups are wonderful to make and take just a short time.
Jo, I have the 3, 6, & 8 qt ones and use them all the time. I’m,a convert, too. Pasta like macaroni or egg noodles are great because there’s no boiling 6 qts of water. Perfect every time!
I originally got the smaller one as well and found that a lot of my recipes wouldn’t fit and I’d have to use my stove top pressure cooker. Now that I have the larger one, I can cook an entire meal in it and find that almost all of my meals are done in it.
We have a 6 qt and don’t use it enough. I like reading what you put in yours because it gives me ideas. If I ever get home, I’ll be implementing some of those ideas. Anything to make life easier.
Most of the things I make in my 6 QT are fine, but I wouldn’t recommend trying to make the chocolate cheesecake in it. At least, not without the magic trivet remover (which I still don’t have!) It was QUITE the mess.
I have the 6 qt. Instant Pot and have bought a second insert. I made vegetable beef soup and a Hungarian dish with sausage, ham, bacon with a tomato sauce in about 30 minutes. I finished one dish, removed the liner and replaced it with the empty one. I was quickly on my way to cooking the second dish. I don’t have to figure out how to store two electronic products. It was a win win for me.
So I have a question… I love my instant pot but I hate washing the lid, sealing ring and all the tiny parts every time. Do you wash the lid every time you use it?
No I don’t wash the lid every time…I always rinse it but not the full wash.
Reading your post and all the responses makes me consider buying one! Sounds like they are really useful.
Love and prayers