I have been eyeing an electric pressure cooker for several months. I was going to use my Christmas money to buy one.
Then when we were in Texas for Thanksgiving, I mentioned to my stepmom my desire, and she said, “Wait a minute. I might have one of those you can have”. What? Could I get one for free and spend my Christmas money on something else? Yep.
She had this pressure cooker that she had purchased off of the tv for someone else, but that gift didn’t pan out. She hadn’t even used it yet. I was feeling so lucky and grateful!
So once we got home from our trip, we were ready to try it out and see what all of the fuss was about.
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The first thing we made was chicken noodle soup. I had never made homemade chicken noodle soup before and wasn’t sure how it would turn out. Let me tell you, it was really good. I couldn’t believe how quick it was compared to the crock pot and how easy it was to learn.
Then we started making something new in it every night. It was so fun! We made chicken enchilada soup, chicken and dumplings, beef stew, roast, etc. We couldn’t get enough! Like I talked about in this post, it is an appliance that I love to have in my modern homestead kitchen.
4 Reasons Why I Love My Electric Pressure Cooker (Instant Pot):
It’s quick:
I have been a slow cooker fan for a long time, and I still am. I won’t ever get rid of my slow cooker. But it is just that: SLOW!
To use the slow cooker/crock pot, I have to remember to put everything in the pot in the morning so it can cook all day. Sometimes I forget or leave the house all day and don’t get it done.
With the electric pressure cooker, as long as I have the ingredients ahead of time, I can put them in the pot and dinner can be ready in under an hour for almost any recipe.
This means I’m more likely to make dinner when I am in a hurry (kid’s sports, scouts, church or whatever keeps us out late) than eat out or eat cereal or whatever is available.
It’s easy:
The electric pressure cooker is easy to learn. I was intimidated at first because it was something new. My husband and I looked at it for a while before we gave it a try. But it is pretty basic and didn’t take us long to get the hang of it.
It serves several functions in one pot:
This one appliance can replace six common devices in your kitchen: Slow cooker, Canner, Soup Maker, Steamer, Cookware and Rice Cooker. That is pretty amazing. I still haven’t tried to can anything with it, because I have a big pressure canner that I use for food preservation.
It helps me make healthy meals for my family:
Like the Crock Pot, the electric pressure cooker allows me to make healthy meals for my family. That is a big priority for me and my family. This is part of modern homesteading for me, cooking healthy meals and knowing where my food comes from.
So this is the pressure cooker I received for Christmas. Instant Pot brand is all the rage now, and I don’t have an Instant Pot. I can’t imagine that I would love the Instant Pot anymore than the brand I have now, but who knows. In fact, I love having an electric pressure cooker so much that I may buy a bigger one.
In that case, I think I will try out the Instant Pot and see what the difference (if any) there is. I could have used two (or more) pressure cookers for Christmas dinner. As it was, I used the instant pot for deviled eggs (to boil eggs), mashed potatoes and mac and cheese.
Favorite Electric Pressure Cooker Recipes
I want to share my favorite recipes that I have used in my electric pressure cooker. I have a Pinterest Board for the Instant Pot as well. I would love for you to follow me on Pinterest and find great recipes there as well.
[clickToTweet tweet=”Have you tried an electric pressure cooker for cooking your real food recipes? #instantpot” quote=”Have you tried an electric pressure cooker for cooking your real food recipes? #instantpot”]
There are also some cookbooks on Amazon that can give you even more tips, tricks and recipes:
The Instant Pot Electric Pressure Cooker Cookbook by Laurel Randolph
365 Days of Electric Pressure Cooker Recipes by Emma Katie
The Best Pressure Cooker Recipes on the Planet by Debra Murray
There are a couple of great Facebook groups that can help with questions and recipes. Check them out here: Instant Pot Community and Instant Pot Cooks.
Have you taken the plunge and bought an electric pressure cooker or Instant Pot? What are your experiences with it? Do you have any favorite recipes to share? Please comment below and let us know your thoughts!
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