Not too long ago, I got tired of hearing about all of the instant pot articles, pins, and books. I thought it was just another trendy, gigantic kitchen appliance that I didn’t need. Something that I was sure I could live without. I cringed at the thought of having another gadget that would be used two times and then occupy a sleepy corner of my already cramped counter space in my tiny kitchen for the rest of eternity.
It turns out, that this was something I NEEDED in my chaotic life. I just never knew it.
But then I heard a co-worker talking about some of the recipes and the way she used her multi- cooker, that she had received as a gift. She raved about her multi-cooker. This got me thinking. And researching.
I wanted to try my hand at pressure canning, and I thought I could just use the pressure canner to cook instant pot/multi-cooker pressure cooking recipes in, and get more bang for my buck out of the GIANT pressure canner. I convinced my husband we needed one, and he bought a plain jane pressure canner for me for Christmas. It was the kind that hasn’t changed design in probably 60 years. Needless to say, I’d hoped this monstrosity would help me get dinner on the table, and meal prep in batches on the weekends.
The first couple of months I had it, I did use it. I got some pressure canning done, and I made a few family meals in it, but it was so HUGE and clumsy, that it made it hard to wash. It ended up sitting unused, in a dark corner of the kitchen.
I kept hearing about and seeing articles, books, and pins on Pinterest about multi-cookers and Insta-Pots, so I started looking around, just casually, here and there. But ultimately I couldn’t justify spending that much money on something I didn’t think would solve my cooking dilemmas.
The find
Then, one day a co-worker told me about a local store that was going out of business. I figured the next time I was in the neighborhood, I’d go check it out.
I went in, wandered around the store, not knowing what I would find or if I even really needed anything. Soon after entering the store, I found myself in the kitchen aisles, and then I spotted them. A half an aisle worth of multi-cookers, Insta-Pots, Express Cookers, digital pressure cookers, programmable cooking devices and more. I was curious to find out how much they were. The original store price was $99.99. I grabbed one and took it up to the register. I wasn’t ready to purchase, but when the cashier told me it was only thirty bucks, I couldn’t say no. This one I had picked had been marked down to a mere 30 bucks. I could live with myself if it didn’t meet my expectations, and at that price it wasn’t a devastating hit to my wallet. It was coming home with me.
The multi-cooker I purchased that day last year, was a Crock-Pot 4-Quart Express Crock MINI Pressure Cooker. I had done some research on the Insta-Pot brands and its features, but I never went in depth to compare different brands of multi-cookers and the features the other brands offered. I accidentally ended up with one that’s just the right size for our family’s needs. And bonus! It has a non-stick coating on the inner cooking pot, which makes it super fast & easy to clean. Winner!
Is it worth it?
It eliminates dirtying multiple pans and dishes, by the ability to sauté and then go right in to pressure cooking or slow cooking the . And because the pan is already hot, it takes hardly any time at all to get pressure built up.
When it’s done, you don’t have to drop what you’re doing and run to take something out of the oven, or off of the stove. Instead, you can leave it sit until you are ready. After the cooking timer ends, it chimes, and then it switches over to a keep warm function. It also switches to a stopwatch function to let you know how long it’s been on the keep warm setting.
If you’re like me, shiny objects distract me. Squirrel! I am bad about remembering that I’m cooking sometimes when I’m using the stovetop. I have found it handy to keep whatever spoon or spatula I’m using to cook with in my hand so I don’t forget that I’m cooking, and I am less likely to get distracted. I’ve ruined many meals in my time from brain fog.
I haven’t used the delay cooking timer much, but it may be my new favorite feature. I can throw everything in it either the night before, or in the morning, go on about my day and it’ll start on it’s own, and be done when I need it to be. It’s like having a kitchen assistant. It saves me from having to stand for long periods over a hot stove, which are not activities that play well with chronic illness.
If you can find one of these multi-cookers on sale, or receive one as a gift (wink, wink), I would say it’s totally worth it. I hope you find it as helpful in the kitchen as I do.
A multi-cooker would be a great gift to someone you care about that has been diagnosed with chronic illness.
I am sure it would be a very useful and much appreciated gift.
A great gadget for saving spoons
(pun intended)
I’m still learning how to use my multi-cooker, and I love it.
Please make sure to read the instructions and follow the safety precautions before you use it.
This culinary time machine that is the multi-cooker is SURE to be your new best friend in the kitchen.
