The Instant Pot is one of the most popular cooking gadgets on the market!
The convenience of preparing a full, healthy meal in just a few minutes sounds too good to be true!
But the Instant Pot comes through every single time.
It has the power to completely replace most of your kitchen appliances.
Check out these 13 awesome Instant Pot hacks that will help you become a better cook!
1.) Put Meat In the Bottom and Pasta/Veggies On Top
Source: Family Savvy
You can make soups, pot pies, casseroles, roasts, etc. all in your Instant Pot! AMAZING!
When making a soup or casserole, make sure to keep the meat on the bottom.
This way, it will get heated through quickly and won’t stick to the pot – like pastas and other starchy foods will.
If you want to try the Minestrone Soup pictured above, check out the recipe here.
Remember, when cooking pasta, you don’t need to fully submerge it in sauce. The steam from the Instant Pot will cook it perfectly!
2.) Steam Rice In Under 10 Minutes
Source: Hip 2 Save
Rice is the perfect side for any meal!
The problem is that it can take over a half hour to cook. Not with the Instant Pot!
If you are cooking white rice, just use a 1:1 liquid rice ratio.
In other words, for every 1 cup of rise that you use, also add 1 cup of liquid. (I also add a little olive oil, so the rice doesn’t stick)
Pro Tip: Use Chicken Stock instead of water, so the chicken is delicious and perfectly salted!
3.) Saute away!
Don’t ignore the saute feature of the Instant Pot!
Just another example of how it can replace your pots and pans as well.
Simply add some butter or oil to the bottom of the pot, fill it with veggies or meat, and saute away just like a frying pan!
4.) Replace Your Crock Pot Recipes With the Instant Pot
Source: Eat at Home Cooks
Did you know you could cook every single crock pot recipe in your Instant Pot? And cut off HOURS of cooking time!
Remember when it took 4-6 hours to cook meals in the slow cooker?
You can have the exact same results in 20-30 minutes with the Instant Pot!
Just make sure to check out the Instant Pot Cooking Times, so you can ensure that your food is cooked to perfection.
5.) Add 1/2 Cup of Liquid Every Time – Almost
Source: Flavorrd
Since your Instant Pot relies on steam and internal heat to cook your foods, it needs some sort of liquid to create the steam.
Most of your foods will need at least 1/2 cup of water, broth, or other liquid to properly cook your foods (without burning them to a crisp!)
Again, make sure to check out the the Instant Pot Cooking Times, so you know exactly how much liquid to use.
If you want the Salsa Chicken Recipe pictured above, check out the recipe here.
6.) Make the Easiest Hard Boiled Eggs
Are you sick and tired of how difficult it is to peel your hard boiled eggs?
The Instant Pot has come to the rescue.
You can find my favorite hard boiled egg recipe here.
Pro Tip: If you still cook them on the stovetop, just dunk them in cold water for 10- 20 sec. and the shells will peel away much easier.
7.) Freeze Meals In Round Containers, So They’ll Fit In Your Instant Pot
Source: Once a Month Meals
Do you like to meal prep with freezer meals?
Instead of laying them out flat in plastic bags, freeze them in large, round containers!
This way, you can easily pop them into your slow cooker without having to defrost them.
8.) Use It To Make Popcorn
Source: Temecula Blogs
Looking for a healthier popcorn alternative?
Once again, the Instant Pot is the answer!
You’ll just need some butter, oil, salt, and popcorn kernels.
Find the best Instant Pot Popcorn Recipe here.
9.) Make Your Own Healthy Yogurt
Have you ever considered making your own yogurt?
It sounds far more difficult than it actually is.
Check out dozens of recipes on Pinterest!
Pro Tip: YouTube has the best step-by-step yogurt making guides for anyone who is looking for a follow-along video recipe.
10.) Save Time and Buy Another Instant pot Insert
Source: Dad Cooks Dinner
Washing your instant pot insert every day can be a pain in the booty!
Make it easier on yourself and consider buying a backup insert.
11.) Cook A Delicious Turkey meal
Source: Hip 2 Save
Are preparing a dinner with friends or have a large get-together happening soon?
Consider making a turkey dinner? This is the hands-down easiest way to prepare a turkey!
Check out this delicious turkey and gravy Instant Pot Recipe.
12.) Make Quick & Easy Gravy
After you cook up some delicious meat, you can use the Sauté setting to reduce and simmer sauces to make gravy.
Simply add flour or a thickening agent to the left-over sauce, hit the Sauté button, and stir slowly to make a delicious gravy.
13.) Use It To Make Delicious Cheesecake
Source: Pressure Cook Recipes
Did you ever think you could make a perfect New York Cheesecake in an Instant Pot?!
Try out an amazing recipe here.
It gives you a LOT of details to make sure that you create the perfect cheesecake.
Bonus Tip:
Did you know that your microwave can be insanely unhealthy, releasing radiation into your home?
The instant pot is the perfect replacement to the microwave.
Although the microwave is incredibly convenient, once you start using the Instant Pot, you’ll never look back.
Just use the Keep Warm or Slow Cook functions to head your food.
If you don’t have an Instant Pot yet, you absolutely need to buy one!
It has revolutionized my meal prep and kitchen skills.
Happy Insta-potting!