Four Reasons Why We Love the Instant Pot!
… and Popular Recipes For You to Try
Here at Abma’s, we LOVE kitchen appliances that make healthy eating fast and accessible with minimal clean up. Easy is the name of the game! The Instant Pot (IP) does just that, be it a restaurant inspired weeknight dinner or multiple courses for a holiday meal.
“It’s really the hands-off pot” says Food Blogger and IP recipe developer, Nisha Vora. The Instant Pot, she says, has given her back free time she didn’t know she had, like taking a nap or going to the gym while dinner cooks itself. Read more to find out exactly why we love the Instant Pot and how it can become your best friend in the kitchen.
- Safety – While pressure cookers of the good old days may have gained a bad rep for having complicated operating mechanisms, the modern day Instant Pot is easy to use with a touch of a button and comes installed with 10 safety features that make cooking safe and enjoyable.
Recently, people are becoming more aware about the material in their cookware and its impact on health. With the IP, you can rest assured knowing the inner pot that makes contact with food is made from FDA approved standard stainless steel, which is much less reactive than most cookware including copper, aluminum and cast iron (those are also known for leaching chemicals during cooking).
- Versatility – The Instant Pot is an electric multi-cooker that can sear and brown just like a stove top skillet without the need for gas burners. While most people invest in it as an extension of a rice cooker, it can be used to cook elaborate 5-star worthy meals in under an hour. For meat lovers, this means you can take on beef brisket or shank of lamb like a champ. Vegetarians and Vegans, worry not! Cooking lentils and beans from scratch just became the easiest thing ever. Just add water and you can have dinner in under 15 minutes. No overnight soaking or time consuming cooking required for steel cut oats either.
For busy parents, “dump and go” recipes make morning routines hassle free. Or in the afternoon, while juggling after school activities, providing your family a home-cooked meal is a breeze.
- Health and Nutrition – Overcooking is one of the most common ways to deplete nutrients in your food, especially heat sensitive vitamins and enzymes critical for digestion and absorption. Spinach, a powerhouse of nutrients, is one such vegetable that authors Dave Lieberman and Anahad O’ Connor explain must be cooked optimally for maximum benefits. The Instant Pot solves this problem by one touch of the “steam” function that harnesses heat, otherwise lost through traditional cooking methods. Dr. Steven Gundry, MD, author of The Longevity Paradox, advises that pressure cooking superfoods like Quinoa is the best way to remove toxins.
The IP is also a perfect kitchen staple for parents eager to get their infants or toddlers eating fresh vegetable solids. High fibrous foods like broccoli, Gundry advises, benefit people with a sensitive stomach because food can be cooked down to a “mush” while still preserving rich immune boosting compounds. A win all around!
- Easy to Clean – Who doesn’t love cooking dinner when clean up involves just one single pot? Yep, you heard that right! This multi-cooker has so many functions like sauté, pressurize, steam, bake, and yogurt making that multi-step cooking can be tackled without the need to use extra pans. As a bonus, there are cost efficient add-ons available for “Pot-in-Pot” cooking that allow a main and a side to be prepared simultaneously. You can have meatloaf and potatoes or beans and rice (two popular favorites) in minutes!
We’ve searched the internet and picked a few of our favorite IP recipes to get you started:
https://www.jocooks.com/recipes/instant-pot-chicken-noodle-soup/
https://detoxinista.com/instant-pot-vegan-quinoa-burrito-bowls/
https://www.feastingathome.com/instant-pot-middle-eastern-lamb-stew/
https://www.pressurecookingtoday.com/smokey-beef-brisket-in-the-pressure-cooker/
Wishing you Happy Healthy Joyful Cooking!
With love and gratitude,
the Abma family