The Instant Pot Can Make Hard Boiled Eggs That Basically Peel Themselves
Unless you’ve been living on a deserted (kitchen) island, you know about the Instant Pot—the all-in-one appliance that can do everything from hard-boil eggs to sauté veggies to cook fall-off-the-bone ribs in under an hour.
The Instant Pot is so ubiquitous these days—on social media, wedding registries, and in the kitchens of busy, health-minded cooks everywhere—that it’s hard to believe the machine has only been around since 2010. But there are still plenty of people who aren’t totally sure what exactly the Instant Pot does, or how it works (hello, countless giftees).
If you’re thinking about adding an Instant Pot to your own kitchen—here’s everything you should know before you buy.
What exactly is an Instant Pot used for?
Instant Pot is actually a brand name (think: Kleenex)—and the company specializes in multi-cookers. They make a number of different types of multi-cookers, but each Instant Pot functions as a slow cooker, skillet, rice cooker, pressure cooker, and more. It's the pressure cooker function that most people are referring to when they talk about an Instant Pot and its ability to cook food in half the time.
But before you toss your other gadgets, get familiar with the functions and buttons found on one of the most popular model: the Instant Pot Ultra 6-quart.
What's the deal with quick release vs. natural release?
Almost every Instant Pot recipe ends with one of two options: natural release or quick release (or a combo).
For natural release, the machine slowly releases the pressure, taking anywhere from five to 40-plus minutes based on how much food is inside, making it ideal for ribs or other big cuts of meat.
For quick release, you press a button or valve (use tongs, because hot steam will come out!) to speed up the process, which is better for finicky foods you don't want to overcook, like chicken breasts.
Note: Whatever you do, resist the urge to quick-release when you're making sweet potatoes or white potatoes, since it’ll cause your spuds to burst—nay, explode.
What is the best Instant Pot to buy?
While there are a number of different Instant Pot models to choose from, many are pretty similar. Each one includes a stainless steel inner pot and steam rack, heat-resistant silicone sealing ring, safety mechanisms, delay start time option, a number of smart built-in programs, and functions that replace a pressure cooker, slow cooker, and rice cooker, in addition to steam, sauté, and warmer modes.
The differences mainly come down to size, the number of settings (think: some have a “yogurt” button), and the display appearance.
For a full breakdown on Women's Health tested and approved faves, check out our list of the best Instant Pots:
If you’re going to invest in an Instant Pot, it’s worth spending just a little bit extra for the 6-Quart Instant Pot Ultra, which has all the original Instant Pot features, plus a sterilizer (to really get your kitchen tools clean!). If you’re pressed for space, both the Instant Pot Ultra and the Instant Pot Duo come in a smaller 3-quart version; if you’re always feeding a large crowd, both also come in a larger 8-quart version.
What to make with your Instant Pot:
Not sure where to begin? There are a number of Instant Pot recipes to make meal prep or just daily cooking tasks a whole lot easier. Give these four a try:
Why are nutritionists big fans of the Instant Pot?
In addition to all the flashy features, when it comes to getting healthy meals on the table, nutritionists are all for the convenient appliance. “An Instant Pot is easy to use, and cuts cooking time down by so much that it lowers the barrier to cooking a healthy (and tasty) dinner,” says Laura Ligos, RDN.
“The reason I use my Instant Pot so much is that it's versatile and decreases the number of dishes I do,” says Kelli Shallal, RD. “For instance, I can batch cook brown rice using the rice cooker setting, and then turn around and pressure cook a batch of chicken for the week or sauté up some ground meat on the sauté setting.” As for meal prep, the steamer is a great tool for cooking big batches of vegetables.
The majority of Instant Pot reviews are positive, but are there any cons?
Some food writers and other food experts are a bit skeptical of the Instant Pot.
In a review for Digital Trends, writer Jenny McGrath notes that the Instant Pot isn't a great idea for someone who has a zillion appliances already—but if you're in the market for a rice cooker, slow cooker, and so on, it's a great investment.
Amazon customer Jean Turicik warns that the high-end Instant Pot Ultra is a little bit harder to figure out. “I love my Ultra IP but the company did not do a good job of explaining the differences in the buttons—I had to search by googling and reading lots of blogs.” (But hey, that's what this Women's Health Instant Pot guide is for!)
Is the Instant Pot safe?
Believe it or not, the first pressure cooker was actually invented by physicist Denis Papin in 1679 (!), but the appliance wasn’t really popular until World War II. These early pressure cookers used heat from the stovetop, and although they had a steam regulator, a safety valve, and an airtight seal to prevent them from overheating and exploding, they still carried a little bit of risk.
The electric pressure cooker (aka the technology used in an Instant Pot) was invented in 1991 by Chinese scientist Yong-Guang Wang, and is considered a much safer alternative to the original stovetop version. Since the current Instant Pot uses this updated this technology, you can rest assured it's a very safe appliance.
Is there anything you should NOT cook in an Instant Pot?
It’s easy to assume this magical appliance can do it all. But, please, give your kitchen pal the night off if you want to make:
Fried Chicken: Getting food to come out crispy is not the IP’s forte.
Seafood: Fillets bake faster than it takes the IP to come up to pressure.
Cake: You invested in those cake and cupcake pans for a reason.
Pasta: There’s no guarantee you’ll wind up with al dente noodles.
TL;DR: It can take a while to figure out how to use the machine, and while it’s great at cooking some things, it’s not perfect for every kind of food. But, overall, it’s fair to say that an Instant Pot can make everyday cooking both faster and easier.
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