Instant Pot Electronic Pressure Cooker: Two Years Later

I've had several people tell me that the Whole Health Source post that changed their lives the most was one I published in 2012-- about a pressure cooker.

In 2012, I first reviewed the Instant Pot-- a "pressure cooker for the 21st century" that also doubles as a slow cooker and rice cooker (1).  Since then, we've used it more than 400 times, and it has saved us countless hours of kitchen drudgery.  It's indispensable for my current cooking style, and a major time saver for anyone who leads a busy life but still wants to cook wholesome food at home.  It's extremely satisfying to be able to put your ingredients into the Instant Pot, push a couple of buttons, do something else until it beeps, and then eat a healthy, inexpensive, and delicious meal.

Pressure cookers are one of the most time- and energy-efficient cooking tools, but electronic versions are even more efficient than traditional stovetop pressure cookers.  They're more time-efficient because you don't have to fiddle with them-- for example, adjusting the heat.  They're more energy-efficient because 1) they stop heating when the interior has reached the appropriate pressure, meaning that they're only using energy for part of the cooking process and they hardly vent any energy-wasting steam, and 2) they're insulated well enough that the sides never get hot.

I've used my Instant Pot for a wide variety of cooking tasks, and this is what it does best:

• Bone/fish/veg stock.  Two hours in the Instant Pot gives you a rich bone stock while you do something else.  Four hours (two cycles) is even better for poultry bones and larger.  I often make stock while I sleep.
• Beans/lentils/spit peas.  Beans cook fast (10-15 minutes at pressure) and come out with a smooth, tender texture.  Lentils disintegrate in 15 minutes, making a great lentil soup or stew.  I can't seem to make a decent split pea soup on the stovetop because they never soften up, but the Instant Pot makes short work of them.
• Rice.  It doubles as a high-capacity rice cooker.  It has an automatic rice setting that makes great white rice in 10 minutes, or brown rice in 40 minutes (at pressure).  The rice comes out better than it did in my conventional rice cooker.
• Stews.  The Instant Pot lets you brown vegetables and/or meat in the bottom before adding liquid ingredients, simplifying the cooking and cleanup process.  I don't usually perform this step, but it does help develop a richer flavor.
• Pot roast.  Comes out best when you use the slow cooker function.
• Whole chickens.  The Instant Pot is large enough to fit a whole medium-sized chicken, and it makes the bird fall-apart tender in 45 minutes at pressure.  You have to place the chicken on the (provided) wire stand insert so it doesn't touch the bottom.
• Beets.  How else do people cook these things?  They take forever to boil.  18 minutes in the Instant Pot.
• Artichokes.  Same as beets.  It takes forever to steam a globe artichoke.  I can prepare two huge globe artichokes at a time in 19 minutes at pressure.

At the time of my first review, I predicted that the (uncoated) stainless steel insert and silicone gaskets would result in high durability.  After using it more than 400 times, I can confirm that the Instant Pot performs as well today as the day I bought it, and it looks almost new, aside from discoloration of the gaskets.  It has already performed beyond its modest price, but I expect it to last for many more years of heavy use.

It seems I'm not the only one who likes it-- the reviews on Amazon.com average 4.6 out of 5 stars.  The following links are via my Amazon affiliate account.  If you purchase the Instant Pot using one of the two links below, you'll be supporting Whole Health Source at no additional cost to yourself.  

Instant Pot LUX60
This is the version I have.  Europeans can buy a 220V version here (this link is not through my affiliate account).

Instant Pot DUO60
This is the latest version.  It's very similar except it also has a yogurt maker function.  It's a bit more expensive.