Are you a busy mom? I know … that sounds like a silly question. If you’re a mom, you’re busy. Crazy busy … like, don’t sit down all day kind of busy. I feel your pain, because I am super busy, too. It seems, as moms, we are always trying to figure out how to get the most done that we can in a day.
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We have these to-do lists that never end … and, that’s the nature of the beast. As soon as you cross something off there will be 6 more things to add.
I want to tell you how I’m using my Instant Pot to save me lots of time and help me get more done. Many of you may have seen Instant Pots around, but aren’t really sure how they could improve your life, so I’m here to tell you.
What Is An Instant Pot?
An Instant Pot is a programmable electric pressure cooker. The amazing thing about the Instant Pot, though, is that it isn’t just your standard pressure cooker, it can do so much more. It’s a rice cooker, steamer, slow cooker, and yogurt maker. It can saute and is programmable for porridge, soups, stews and beans.
Related:
11 Instant Pot Mistakes to Avoid
Instant Pot Hotel Room Meals
Is It Safe?
I know that some people have heard horror stories about pressure cookers blowing split pea soup all over a kitchen, but that won’t happen with your Instant Pot. The Instant Pot has been designed for safety. It has been “certified with 10 proven safety mechanisms,” so rest assured, you and your family are safe with the Instant Pot.
How Can It Save Me Time?
The Instant Pot saves you time by cutting down on your “active” cooking time. When using a pressure cooker, the actual cooking time for most foods is reduced to 1/3 of the time. This doesn’t account for the time it takes to come up to pressure, but that is hands-off time. So, with all these set-it and forget-it features, you can get your food going and then go back to playing with the baby, chasing down the toddler, helping with homework, or folding laundry.
5 Time-Saving Instant Pot Tips
- Making Soup – typically I will saute the onions, vegetables and meat, then add my stock and seasonings, close the lid, press the soup button and walk away. While it’s cooking away I make a quick salad, pull out the rolls and when the Instant Pot goes off we’re ready to eat an amazing meal.
- Frozen Chicken – I plop in some frozen chicken breasts (the kind in a bag), pour soy sauce, honey, and sriracha over the top (making sure to have about 1/2 cup of liquid), close the lid, and set it for 20 minutes. I then cook some rice and frozen broccoli for an amazing asian meal. When the chicken is done, shred or dice it up, toss it around in the juice and serve it over the rice. Make extra and you’ll have enough for Asian Chicken Salad later in the week, or a chicken casserole.
- Baked Potatoes – I scrub a bunch of potatoes, poke some holes in them all, put them in the pot on top of the steam rack with 1 1/2 cups of water, close the lid and set the timer for 13 minutes. When they’re done I serve them with canned chili and shredded cheese on top. Then I use the extras for fried potatoes later in the week, served with eggs.
- Freezer Meals – By putting my freezer meals in a round bowl (one that would fit down inside my Instant Pot), I can take them directly from the freezer and plop them right into the Instant Pot. I need to allow a little extra time to account for the fact that the food is frozen, but it is still quick and helps in case I forgot to thaw. Check out my board of Freezer Meals, for some good recipes. I actually learned this trick from Erin at MyFreezEasy, since she includes Instant Pot meals in her meal plans.
- Breakfast – I set up oats in the evening and program the Instant Pot so breakfast is ready when I want it.
These are just my Top 5 Instant Pot Tips. There really are so many more ways to use it. I’ve had mine for about a year and a half now and it is seriously, my favorite cooking appliance. I use it every week and I recommend it to anyone that will listen to me. Take a look at it, read the Amazon reviews and then get it into your shopping cart. You will not regret it! And, keep in mind that it would make an excellent gift.
Related: 5-Ingredient Instant Pot Black Bean Soup
Update: I just took the Electric Pressure Cooking 101 class from Erin at MyFreezEasy and it is such a great class I wanted to share it with you. It has 5 video-based modules and covers topics like: safety, care and usage, different functions, food types and even includes a video walk-through of 10 different recipes. It is being offered at an introductory price today for $12.00, which is an awesome value. Go check it out here.
Do you already own an Instant Pot? Or did you get one recently as a gift? When you start cooking in yours let me know your favorite way to use it. I’d love to hear everyone else’s favorite Instant Pot tips and tricks.
