Are Instant Pots worth it? 5 reasons to buy and 5 reasons to skip

Are Instant Pots worth it? five reasons to buy and five reasons to skip

Instant Pot on kitchen counter (Image credit: Shutterstock)

The Instant Pot multi cooker has become the latest craze that has seemingly made pressure cookers trendy (who would have thought?). Considering they're designed to handle all your cooking needs in ane pot, you can encounter why everyone's excited. These apprehensive yet mighty appliances can pressure and slow cook, roast, bake, steam, air fry, dehydrate and so much more at just a printing of a button. It'southward also faster than conventional cooking and requires very little oil, so information technology is considered the more than 'healthier' option for cooking tasty meals. In fact, when it comes to convenience, what more do you need?

But, while the concept of the all-in-1 cooker seems similar a genius thought, are Instant Pots worth it? In improver, can they outperform their dedicated, private appliance counterparts?

After months of using Instant Pots (and eating copious amounts of stews), here are five pros and five cons of the Instant Pot, and things to consider before buying.

Instant Pot: Reasons to purchase

Casserole cooking in Instant Pot (Image credit: Shutterstock)

They are a real infinite saver — If you lot have a compact kitchen or cupboards already full of small appliances, the Instant Pot will certainly save you on space. Say goodbye to having a bunch of appliances on your countertop (that you'll probably never utilize), every bit the Instant Pot has it all. Another bonus is you can cook pretty much anywhere that has a ability supply, so can have it with you on trips (if you beloved information technology that much!).

You tin practise everything in it — As the Instant Pot is an all-in-one appliance, y'all can pretty much do all your cooking in one pot. While almost cookers crave you to sauté or brown in a separate pan, the Instant Pot gives you the option to sauté your onions or dark-brown your meat in the pot to salve y'all time. What's more, the Instant Pot comes with a handy recipe book with a ton of delicious meals you can endeavor or you can download their app. You can always try out our ten essential Instant Pot recipes for inspiration.

They're piece of cake to use — If you lead a busy lifestyle or run a hectic dwelling house, the Instant Pot's range of programs and presets can save the 24-hour interval. From 'rice' and 'porridge' to 'bean chili' y'all can set information technology to your preferred programme at but a touch of a button and leave to cook. No more than worrying about the right temperature to melt your dishes, or whether you'll have overcooked or undercooked meat for dinner. What's more than, the process is usually quicker for certain dishes than conventional cooking, so you won't accept to look too long for meals.

Better flavor for meat stews and soup — For me, the flavors for beefiness stews and meat tasted so much better than conventional cooking. This is because the high temperatures assist foods like stews, braises and goop develop their flavors rapidly. What'south more, the insulated pot keeps all the smells inside, so the whole house won't whiff of cooking.

Keeps nutrient warm all 24-hour interval — One of my pet gripes is to go along reheating food afterwards it'southward been cooked. But the Instant Pot can keep food warm for hours. Once the Instant Pot finishes cooking, it automatically sets to Keep Warm which stays on for upward to 10 hours. But you lot can likewise fix it for up to 99 hours and fifty minutes. Who needs a microwave?

Instant Pot: Reasons to skip

Woman setting program on Instant Pot control panel — Woman setting program on Instant Pot control console (Epitome credit: Shutterstock)

They're actually not and so 'instant' — Despite its catchy name, the Instant Pot does require a fair fleck of work before even starting the cooking procedure. For instance, it can take upward to 10 minutes for your Instant Pot to achieve cooking pressure level. And, you lot as well have to factor in the prep time it takes to sauté your onions or dark-brown meat, accommodate the pressure and permit for 'warm up' time between recipes. In addition, you'll need to release the force per unit area afterwards cooking, and expect for that to cease before you tin can open the chapeau and dish out dinner (some other v minutes). Even so, if yous're non famished and don't heed waiting, the tasty results are worth it!

Can be bulky and bad-mannered to clean — Depending on the size and capacity of your Instant Pot, information technology tin be quite heavy to elevator or clean properly. Some pots have soft, safe handles to make lifting easier, while others do not. It's worth noting that while most parts were dishwasher rubber (except the cooker base), the cooking pot didn't fit snugly in my dishwasher. Which meant I yet had to handwash in soapy water for a thorough clean. Also, it can pick upwardly odors quickly, especially around the silicone sealing ring. And then ensure this is cleaned properly after each use to avoid a evil-smelling inner pot!

Not as elementary to use at commencement — If you're a beginner to the world of multicookers, the Instant Pot may overwhelm y'all with buttons. Unlike other appliances, I had to refer to the manual a few times to find out what each setting does and timings. Just once you get the hang of it all, y'all'll get used to cooking in no fourth dimension.

They're never as good equally individual appliances — Instant Pots may be versatile, just they volition never be as skillful as the appliance designed for that cooking purpose. Cooking rice in the Instant Pot was never as fluffy equally my trusted rice cooker, while steaming broccoli often ended up an overcooked and soggy mess. And so while the Instant Pot may be dandy at pressure and tedious cooking meats or broths, information technology's non always the best for other foods. If yous're simply going to employ the air fryer option (and no others), then it's probably best to just buy one of the best air fryers that will perform but as well!

Not necessarily the cheapest — Instant Pots tin starting time from as picayune as $70 and become right upwards to $250, depending on the quart/chapters and number of features. However, there are other affordable, multi cookers on the market that tin offering everything you need for less. It's worthwhile knowing what specific programs you need or volition often use earlier spending money on an Instant Pot. You don't want to spend a fortune on a 14-in-1 Instant Pot but to apply a few programs.

Are Instant Pots worth it? Bottom line

Instant Pot with food around it (Image credit: Shutterstock)

You can't deny the convenience and practicality of an Instant Pot, but consider your needs before buying ane. If y'all're looking to save counter space or don't want to spend a lot of money on separate appliances, then an Instant Pot could be worth the expense. All the same, if you're only going to utilise one or two functions of the Instant Pot, information technology's worth considering if separate devices would be more toll-effective.

While Instant Pots are capable of cooking everything from stews to eggs to fifty-fifty cakes, it's not e'er every bit good at making those dishes compared to appliances specifically made for those tasks. And even though Instant Pots accept a lot of handy one-touch functions, there is a bit of a learning curve as you lot get the hang of your machine.

So, before you purchase an Instant Pot, be sure to have all these factors into consideration.

Cynthia Lawrence specialises in Homes ecommerce, covering all things homes and garden-related. She has a wealth of editorial feel testing the latest, 'must-take' habitation appliances, writing buying guides and the handy 'how to' features.

Her work has been published in various titles including, T3, Summit 10 Reviews, Ideal Home, Real Homes, Livingetc. and House Cute, amid many.

With a rather unhealthy obsession for all things homes and interiors, she also has an interior design blog for style inspiration and savvy storage solutions (get rid of that clutter!). When she's not testing cool products, she'll be searching online for more decor ideas to bandbox up her family habitation or looking for a peachy bargain!