As an avid home cook, you might be a sucker for appliances and gadgets. There is nothing wrong with looking for useful new kitchen appliances that can speed things up in the kitchen or help you to learn different cooking techniques and skills. The problem lies when you end up with gadgets sitting at the back of the draw or in cupboards just gathering dust, alone and unloved.
Many kitchen helpers can be really useful. The most simple ones like potato peelers and garlic crushers might get used regularly and you might be unable to do without them. Many others seemed like a good idea but turned out to be at best gimmicks, and at worst, useless.
The Instant Pot is another kitchen appliance promising a lot, but how is it different from other gadgets and what functions does it have that can actually help you?
What is an Instant Pot exactly?
Your first question is likely to be just this, what is an Instant Pot anyway? Basically, it is a modern style pressure cooker.
Pressure cookers initially became popular during the Second World War although they have been around for a surprising amount of time. As the war continued, materials became scarce and their sales slowed down. Around the 1950s they had a resurgence and probably reached their peak during this time.
What is a pressure cooker?
After describing an Instant Pot as a pressure cooker it leads to the obvious question of what is that? Pressure cookers were developed as a way to cook very fast but at the same time not dry out the food being prepared. These types of cookers use high temperatures behind boiling point to increase the pressure so that the ingredients are ready much quicker than normal. Because water or other liquids are used to make steam the food won’t dry out, unlike baking. The pot is sealed so vitamins and minerals are retained more than other techniques where they can escape.
What functionality do these cookers have?
Traditionally you might have owned both types of the cooker and used them accordingly. This obviously takes up space on the worktops and in cupboards when being stored. Modern Instant Pots and other pressure cookers can do both. They are equipped with many functions.
Instant Pots can saute and have a sous-vide function. They can be pre-programmed and set to come on at a time to suit you and when you want to eat.
Why would you want an Instant Pot to slow cook?
Another function is that they can slow cook and Corrie Cooks can tell you in detail about cooking this way. There are times when you want to make a certain recipe that requires a long cooking time and that can put you off unless you have an Instant Pot. This makes many recipes more practical and is exactly what it was designed for but some dishes do actually require slow cooking.
Slow cooking brings out a lot of flavor in food and is desirable for casseroles, stews, and soups. It can be used to make cheap cuts of meat much more palatable and tender. One issue is the time it takes to cook. Leaving a pan on the stove for hours on end is not ideal and possibly impractical. Slow cookers are designed specifically to cook this way. If your Instant Pot has this function then you can turn it into a slow cooker.
Can you just set the function to slow cook and that’s it?
Yes and no. Firstly you need a multi-function pot with this ability. There are 3 settings for less, normal, and more. These will control the temperature in the same way that a slow cooker has low, medium, and high but there are some differences and it may take time to adjust.
Slow cookers are purpose-built for just this. Instant Pots are built for pressure cooking but have extra functionality. Strangely for such a quick cooker, they will actually take longer to slow cook than a dedicated slow cooker. There is also the amount of liquid to put in and the lid of the pot to discuss.
Do you need to make changes to slow cook?
Pressure cooking requires an amount of liquid to turn to steam and build up pressure. This liquid can be water, broth, or another form but the cooker needs to work properly. In slow cooking, you may want less as the food could come out runny when you wanted a thick stew.
Start with the normal amount of liquid and if it doesn’t come out to your liking then next time reduce the liquid. Practice will be needed to adjust to slow cooking but the results are very tasty.
Lastly, you may also need to purchase a slow cooker lid. The Instant Pot has a few attachments and ways to modify it including an Air Fryer lid. For slow cooking, the proper lid will make a difference to your recipes.
Summary
Although the Instant Pot was designed to cook fast and save time it can also function very well as a slow cooker and produce food rich in flavour with little effort, just a bit of time.