If you have not yet jumped on the pressure cooker bandwagon, this is one of those posts where I will try to convince you that you need one. Remember how deep your love was for the slow cooker when you first discovered it?
Set it and forget it, right? It was magic, and the slow cooker still has its place, maybe… I have fallen fast and hard into love with my pressure cooker, and I think you might too.
Busy moms love to get help; that is exactly what the pressure cooker does. It gives you a hand when you are short on time and can also even rescue you from your forgetfulness. Here are the 7 reasons I love my Instant Pot.
7 Reasons You Need An Instant Pot Pressure Cooker
1. Convenience- Like its slightly less attractive and much slower cousin – the slow cooker, the pressure cooker is here to make your life more convenient. Toss in your ingredients and the minimum amount of liquid, push a button, and walk away for a very short time. After that, your meal is ready to go! You can convert many of your favorite slow cooker recipes into pressure cooker recipes with the right amount of liquid.
2. Speed- Instead of spending 8 hours making a roast, how about 60 minutes, yep I did it. Check out my recipe for that HERE. Forget to thaw out meat but need a good hearty dinner on the table? The pressure cooker can still handle it super quick—no more overnight soaking for beans.
3. Versatility- This baby can be used to brown meat, then cook it. You can make bone broth, yogurt, and steam, some have slow cooker settings, and the list goes on. You can toss out several other appliances when you have a slow cooker which takes me to my next point…
4. Space saver- Because modern pressure cookers do so much, you can get rid of your rice cooker, slow cooker, and yogurt maker. This reason alone saves on counter space, which is always at a premium. You can also use it as your big stock pot so that can go in the donation pile too.
5. Safety- In case you were worried… There is a difference between your grandma’s pressure cooker and modern ones! I feel much safer using an electric pressure cooker. Most come with safety features that will not allow your machine to come to pressure without the lid being properly secured. You also can’t open them until the pressure has been properly released.
6. Nutrients- You might think that pressure cooking would leach the nutrients from your food, but it actually does the opposite. Because the pressure cooker uses the lower heat more efficiently, you actually get more nutrients in your food. Don’t lose the nutrients in the liquid. It’s a good idea just to use the minimum that you need so you can get all the benefits.
7. Flavor Infusion- The pressure and the cooking speed work together to infuse your food with delicious flavors. Use fresh herbs, minimum amounts of liquid, and the awesome browning feature of your pressure cooker. That will help you get the most flavor from your meat.
So now that you’re running to snag your own Instant Pot Pressure Cooker, you might want to start with our list of instant pot pasta recipes.