1 Kitchen Device You can't live without-Part 1

Counter-Culture Chick
Dec 9, 2016
5 min read

Calling all cooks, non-cooks, and people who like food!! Guess that includes everyone, woohoo! I'm sharing my favorite kitchen device that magically creates meals in minutes. Presto chango, dinner is served!!

I'm jolly and bright about the Instant Pot! This will take your meal game to the next level, no matter where it's currently at now. What is it? And why should you be asking for one for Xmas or Hanukkah or Kwanzaa.

Part 1 of my 2 part series highlights how cool the Instant Pot is and all of the fun and yummy things you can make with this magical machine. Part 2 will cover how pressure cooking works, and what it is doing to the food you put in it. Is high pressure cooking hurting or helping it? Hint, it's all good, yo! I'll break it down in Part 2.

The Instant Pot is the brand name for a pressure cooker. It is a multi-cooker that does the job of a slow cooker, electric pressure cooker, rice cooker, steamer, yogurt-maker, saute/browning pan, and warming pot. It's a single appliance that does the job of seven different kitchen appliances or tools. Pretty sweet! It has come a long way from the clunky, unpredictable pressure cookers of the past that didn't always come with safety features. A major or minor explosion could cause your oatmeal to to turn into permanent wallpaper! EEK! The appeal comes from it being a one stop pot that creates flavorful meals in less then half the time it would typically take you to cook a meal. And it's easy to use, even for the cooking novice (sister, I'm talking to you!). Easy, fast, and creates flavor? I'm in! Plus, depending on what you put in it, your meals can be healthful and all kinds of Counter-Cultured.

Personal Spotlight: I have always loved to cook and now I cook about 85% of my meals. But it. ain't. easy! I use the oven, stove, and occasionally a slow cooker to make my meals. I never really fully incorporated a slow cooker into my kitchen. Slow cookers are a bad-a** tool too but I instantly fell in love with my Instant Pot. ;P Whether you cook for one, like me, or for a family, this device is down right dope. I have the 6qt version and I scoop up a single portion then fridge or freeze the rest. I've used it to steam veggies, make rice, soups, stews, bone broth, and more! The recipes I have used have created fully flavored meals in minutes. Fo real. (recipes below)

Tough Love Time:

A couple of comments about introducing this device to your kitchen...

1. YOU HAVE TO USE IT!

Admittedly, I did not take the Instant Pot out of the box for the first six months I had it! Oops. It seemed very intimidating and I'm not the greatest with gadgets. My first recipe was a simple side dish using kale and carrots, which I truly don't crave and it is just a coincidence that I used those two veggies in a previous post promising that I don't crave them and I'm not naturally a health nut. I digress. This dish looked and tasted fantastic! (recipe below) It was super easy to make and gave me the confidence to try other ingredients and recipes.

2. READ THE MANUAL-ISH

Small confession time. The first time I used the machine I dumped all of my veggies in the pot, turned it "on" and waited the 7 minutes it was suppose to do its thing. Voila! Nothing. My raw kale and carrots had gotten a 7 minute marinade in a pot and were still raw. Lovely. I'm not saying you have to read the whole manual but make yourself familiar with what buttons do what functions, like the buttons that actually get the thing going. I also checked out YouTube YouNiversity for tutorials on how to use it and nabbed some recipes there while I was 'in class".

3. PAN/POT SEARING FIRST

If using animal protein, I like to sear the meat for only a minute on both sides using the saute feature before adding other ingredients and programming the pot. This caramelizes the natural sugars in the meat and adds an extra element of nutty, savoriness to your dishes. Take into account that you are cooking the meat when you sear it so be aware to not overcook your meat in the Insta.

*To eat meat or not to eat meat, that is not the question. I have not expressed my food philosophy in detail yet. I will post on specifics soon but know that I support eating whole, real, foods. Too broad, eh? More of my personal food philosophy to come. The Instant Pot can creates dishes for all...paleoians, vegetarians, locavorians, episcopalians, equestrians, etc! ;P

*Searing meat is controversial regarding health and I could turn this post into a novel going down that rabbit hole. I'll refer you to this post from someone I consider reputable and thorough in his research for you to make your own conclusions.

4. FIND WHAT FITS- I purchased the 7-in-1 6qt Instant Pot. It has the capability to be a pressure cooker, slow cooker, rice cooker, saute/browning, yogurt maker, steamer & warmer. There are other models with less/more functions and different sizes. There is also an Instant Pot-IP Smart Bluetooth, which allows you to program and monitor cooking with a free app from Android/iPhone/iPad. Fancy!

Back to the fun!! Food recipe time!!

Recipes and Resources: Here are some Instant Pot recipes that I have personally used and have had gushing praise for! Well actually, people said they liked them and I believed them. I just love the word "gushing". These are recipes from other people!! I love to cook but I have not taken my creativity to the kitchen bowl just yet. I follow other tried and true recipes from bloggers who have probably recipe tested FO DAAAYYYS before they approve and send them out into the interwebs.

*The food "photography" is mine. Can't wait for the day when I learn how to take better ones! Until then I'm trying to get away by photoshopping in parsley to make the dish pic above look more attractive. Sigh.

Buffalo Chicken & Sweet Potatoes by Predominantly Paleo (pic above)

Pressure Cooker Kale and Carrots by Nom Nom Paleo

Instant Pot Cauliflower Mash by Pressure Cooker Meals

(I subbed out the buttermilk for coconut milk and added goat cream cheese)

Easy Paleo Chicken Soup by Civilized Caveman (pics below)