Instant Pot

cooking under pressure

You’ve heard me say it before: pressure cooking is a gamechanger—especially for home cooks with hectic schedules like mine. When I’m pressed for time but craving foods that usually take forever to prepare (like bone broth, tough cuts of meat, braised winter vegetables), I turn to my Instant Pot.

Plus, there’s the added bonus of saving money because I can turn cheaper braising cuts like brisket and shanks into simple weeknight meals. In fact, even when I do have enough time to use a slow cooker, I’ll whip out my Instant Pot ’cause when it’s done cooking, this smart little appliance naturally depressurizes and keeps my food warm until I’m ready to eat. No fuss, no muss!

time saving tips with the instant pot

• When our family is about to sit down to dinner, I start cooking another meal—usually a stew—in the Instant Pot. By the time we’re done eating, the stew is finished cooking, which means I can store it in the fridge for later—and do the dishes just once.
• Tired of waiting for bone broth to cook? Throw the ingredients for bone broth into your Instant Pot before heading off to bed. By the time you wake up, you can strain and store the broth for later. Bonus: no stink!
• Before tossing it into your Instant Pot, make sure to cut your meat into uniform pieces to ensure even cooking. Also, it goes without saying that smaller cubes cook faster than bigger chunks (so I’m totally not going to say it).