Instant Pot Review

Years ago when Instant Pots were blowing up (not literally) in the home food scene, my mom jumped on the bandwagon and bought my brother and me one each for Christmas. I remember unwrapping the big box (and probably hoping it was the expensive winter jacket I desperately wanted) and feeling a bit of a letdown. Snob that I was, I loved the rituals and slowness of cooking, and the Instant Pot, just in its name, seemed the opposite.

But one fateful day, months later, the busyness of life got to me. I was having a friend over and wanted to make mashed chickpeas with seared chouriço, a playful Portuguese-esque take on bangers and mash. Except it was five o’clock, she’d be here at 6:15, and all I had was a bag of dried chickpeas. I then remembered the forlorn Instant Pot multi-cooker, still in its packaging, and swiftly unboxed it and got cooking. Forty or so minutes later, the chickpeas were cooked, my mash was on its way, and dinner was saved. After that, the Instant Pot earned a place within ready reach in my cupboard and my respect.

Why the Instant Pot Is Great 

Electric multi-cookers like the Instant Pot are versatile gadgets that can slow cook, make rice, and even sear if you need to brown meat or sauté a mirepoix. And, as illustrated by my humble pie moment above, the pressure cooking function of the Instant Pot can make dinner dreams come true—fast. It also comes in clutch when late-night cravings hit and all I really want is a bowl of braised beef poutine: I can just throw the braised beef gravy ingredients in the Instant Pot on high pressure for an hour, press start, and it’s off to the races. 

While the Instant Pot doesn’t reach the high pressures of stovetop pressure cookers, I’ve never had subpar results. If, say, a pot of black beans is still a lil crunchy, I just screw the lid back on, set the pressure and time, and cook them a little longer. This leads me to another reason why I love my Instant Pot: It’s incredibly easy to use. While a stovetop pressure cooker requires monitoring and some light skill to ensure nothing goes haywire, the Instant Pot self-monitors the pressure and releases it if needed via the built-in valve. It has a no-frills button interface (or digital control panel, depending on the model) that lets me select the function and set the time, as well as a countdown timer. And, once it’s done cooking, it beeps heartily, and newer models have a button you can push to start releasing the pressure. (No need to poke the valve with a wooden spoon and risk a spurt of hot steam to the face.) Like a rice cooker, you can keep food warm in it, too. 

While I still like to take it slow in the kitchen, my Instant Pot pressure cooker has enabled me to make my wildest, most spur-of-the-moment food dreams come true. I’ll never snub it again. 

Why We’re the Experts 

• Grace Kelly is a commerce editor at Serious Eats, where she’s been testing gear for over two years. 
• She’s had her Instant Pot Duo Plus for more than five years, and it’s still chugging along just fine. She loves using it to cook dried beans in a flash. 
• We’ve reviewed a variety of electric pressure cookers from Instant Pot, as well as stovetop pressure cookers.