Instant Pot 101: Beginner's Guide To Instant Pot

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Should you buy the Instant Pot? How to get started with it? Which cookbook should I buy? What’s the first recipe I should try? All your questions about Instant Pot answered here in this beginner’s guide to Instant Pot.

Table of Contents hide

1 Why I replaced my stovetop pressure cooker with Instant Pot?

2 Which Instant Pot to buy

3 Got your Instant Pot? Here’s what to do next

4 Easy Instant Pot Recipes – let’s get cooking!

5 Maintaining and Troubleshooting Instant Pot

6 Cookbooks and Accessories – Which ones to buy?

Before I share why you should or should not buy an Instant Pot, let me share with you my reasons why I bought an Instant Pot.

Why I replaced my stovetop pressure cooker with Instant Pot?

Now, generations of Indians have used a traditional stovetop pressure cooker and whipped out delicious meals..so why buy an Instant Pot? How is it better? These are the questions that most folks who have been using their pressure cooker for decades are asking.

Here’s why I think investing in an Instant Pot is worth it.

It is a timed electric pressure cooker. You set the cooking time, step off and the Instant Pot will switch off on its own. That means no more counting whistles or how many times the vent went off.
It is not messy like a stovetop pressure cooker that can leak and spew liquid all over your gas.
Instant Pot is not just a pressure cooker – it works as a slow cooker, rice cooker, steamer, food warmer, yogurt maker and more. It consistently ferments idli batter and sets yogurt – my two top reasons for being an Instant Pot fan.
Instant Pot is stainless steel – easy to clean and you don’t have to worry about non-stick residual in your food.
It is quiet, unlike the traditional pressure cooker which releases steam noisily – no more waking up or startling babies.
Most components of the Instant Pot are dishwasher safe. Read: How to clean and care for your Instant Pot.
Easy one-button operation and built-in cooking programs for rice, beans, porridge, etc. No more guessing. Check out: Cook time charts for Instant Pot.
Last but not least, I love the delayed timer feature. Soak the pulses in the Instant Pot at night and set a timer for 8 hours. By the time, you wake up in the morning, the pulses have been soaked and cooked. Such a timesaver!
You can travel with it :-). You can create so many one-pot meals – all you need is an electric outlet. Note: Please follow the safety guidelines mentioned in the manual.