My ego has been bruised. Some will think it’s no big deal while others will understand my sorrow. I was one of few who stood with conviction for years. Against the Instant Pot I stood! It was scary, it was too popular, it was expensive, it was….like a crock pot (I thought). I was the warrior who would go against the grain and fight the trend. Until I wasn’t.
A LOOK BACK
In 2019, I was peer pressured by the potheads to, “just do the water test. Its not scary!” But then they continued with, “don’t burn yourself with the pressure release valve.” Don’t burn myself? Ohh with that little vent that blasts steam like the Anger emotion from Disney’s Inside Out? Yeah…ok…no problem. NOT. This is exactly why I didn’t want to use it! The thing looked like a beast because it was one! The pot sat for 3 years in its box until finally, I gave in and did the test. Nothing exploded, I didn’t lose any limbs, the contraption completed it’s test. Now what?
EGGS..HARDBOILED
I tried one thing. ONE. Eggs. My sister-in-law waned on me until I caved. She literally typed the entire instruction list in a text and said it was easy to make eggs. 1c water, add trivet, add eggs, 5 minutes high pressure, 5 minutes Natural Pressure Release, fully release remaining pressure (using the scary valve), 5 minutes in an ice water bath, eat eggs. Sounded like too many steps right? But in truth, it wasn’t actually so bad. And…dangggg–it worked. They came out perfect. Shells didn’t stick, yolks were yellow with zero gray, and it didn’t take much effort.
THE POTHEADS
Following the eggs, recipe after recipe started flooding in from my pothead pals. Love them dearly but really?!? Why?! Why were they trying to brainwash me?! I made eggs. That was more than enough! Lalalalala-I.Am.Not.Listening. Ok, maybe I was; just a little. Spaghetti, chili, bbq chicken wings, chicken pot pie, Mississippi pot roast, ribs, chicken noodle soup, beef stew, corn on the cob, Zuppa Toscana (Olive Garden copycat), broccoli cheese soup, Shrimp Boil, Tuscan chicken pasta, teriyaki chicken, Chinese fatty pork, Chinese rice porridge (jook). It was a treasure trove of recipes and you know how hard it is for me to ignore good food? Especially when it’s fairly easy to make?! Gahhhh. Down the rabbit hole I began to climb.
DEFEAT
Before I knew it, the baby steps that I had taken into the rabbit hole turned into a full-on free fall (imagine Alice plunging into the wonderous spiral of darkness – except there was no Mary Jane puffing going on in my world like there had to have been when Disney wrote Alice In Wonderland). Since the fateful hardboiled egg day, I’ve created a Pinterest folder to house all the new recipes I find. Instant Pot recipe adventures are hour-long wander-sessions to nowhere! I start looking for a recipe and end up saving 20! But guess what? I rarely even find the recipe I start out looking for because I can’t remember what it was! Nevertheless, I now raise the white flag, begrudgingly. To whom? To the many who said I’d thank them. If they’re reading right now, they should make note of this moment of admitted defeat. You…were…right. I like the IP. The food is good, the process of cooking is shockingly easy (even with having to prepare a few ingredients) and get this—the family has eaten EVERY SINGLE THING that has come out of the pot. Mmhmm, yup. If you knew them, your mind would be blown just as mine is. This thing must be magic.
THE INSTANT POT
I learned how to operate my pot from Amy & Jacky, the well-known team that works with the InstantPot company and many other pressure cook companies around the world. They explain how to use your pot in the most digestible way and since I don’t really like reading instruction manuals, this was perfect! Here’s a link to the water test I mentioned earlier. It’ll help you understand how to operate your pot, in addition to ensuring that the seals and levers work correctly. If I can do it, you can do it https://www.pressurecookrecipes.com/instant-pot-water-test/ .
STILL FRIENDS
If you’re on board the IP train, good for you! For those who are still holding out – I feel ya. Sorry for defecting, truly I am! Just try hardboiled eggs and I’ll be here for you when you see the light. I’ll console you as you sit in utter confusion, egg in one hand, a bite of that same egg in your mouth, and disbelief over what you’ve just done. It’s ok to become a pothead…
To those who are fist pumping the air and saying, “I told you so!” I congratulate you on the win. Good work my friends. And thank you.
