From a very early age I had fear of the pressure cooker steamed into me. Horror stories of screws blowing off like bullets, lids shooting up like rockets, 3rd degree burns and molten lava food painting kitchen walls. My mother was the primary source of this fear so you can imagine I had zero exposure to cooking with one. They are a lot different now than they were back then.
Thank God!
It would take me a week just to get that thing screwed down! What a royal pain in the arse!
I honestly had no idea how handy instant pots are and had no plans to acquire one. A family member had ordered one that was just to big for her needs so I bought it off her. It sat in the box for a while until I decided to give it a spin with pork for my carnitas. The angels sang and I was hooked. I use an older model of the Yedi 6 Quart Instant Programmable Pressure Cooker for tons of things. It does rice perfectly, steams artichokes in under a half hour, and even makes fall-off-the-bone babyback ribs. Don’t even get me started on soups and stews.
The new Yedi has a ton of fun toys and even an extra seal ring in case you need it. I was really impressed with how the sauté/sear function works. It actually sears! I mean with a real sizzle! How handy is that for browning without having the schlep out a frying pan? They also work as a good old slow cooker as well.
No matter what brand of “instant pot” you get, just go get it! It’s one of those appliances you never knew how much you needed until you have it. With preset programs that make cooking rice, soup or chili with a one button push, this baby is a game changer.
