The What, Why, When, and How's of the Instant Pot appliance!

After buying my Instant Pot about a year ago at the urgent recommendation of a friend, after watching the Facebook groups for Instant Pot grow faster in a few months than my blog has grown in its 8 years, and after testing out various kinds of recipes, I’m ready to announce that yes, I’m a devoted follower as well and that I need to share what I have learned!

In fact, I am such a fan of this electric pressure cooker with 7-in-1 functions that I created recipes specifically for it and have written several articles on pressure cooking. I still use my stovetop pressure cooker because I’m familiar with it and it’s easy and just as convenient in my opinion, but watching the nation be smitten by the device has made me realize that Indian food lovers (and others) will and already do LOVE this machine. And that I feel obliged to do them a service and create recipes for them, Indian and non-Indian.

Instant Potheads (a loving term for those who have fallen head over heels) take their machines with them camping, they take them on planes in their carry-on, they eventually buy more than one, they stop using their stoves, they decorate them with Lionel Richie stickers that say, “Is it me you’re cooking for?” and they develop community on groups, blogs, and more. I’ve seen some in this community say that this is how people must have felt when the microwave was invented. Wow! That’s quite a statement.

In my own personal cooking life, I use it less than most Instant Potheads. Why? Because of how cooking is intertwined with my work life. I am a freelance recipe developer so I can’t use the IP for all my cooking. But I see the benefits of it and hear about it day after day from new devotees. I think it’s a great way to get cooking more, get healthy ideas, and have homemade food on the table.

I’ll be teaching IP courses hands-on in the Austin area if you’re from around these parts! But for now, if you’re on Facebook, you can catch me on Facebook Live for my super casual and quick cooking show at 2pm central every Tuesday, starting October 25th. I’ll be showing you how to use the machine and then show you a recipe per week.

If you are already an Instant Pothead, do tell me what recipes you’d like to see! I’ll add them to the list of ones to create. If you want to read more about what an IP is, here are some fantastic resources and many are listed in the articles I mentioned above. I hope to see you soon on the show!