Getting started with the Instant Pot
It’s no secret that I love my Instant Pot and Air Fryer. For easy meal prep and quick dinners, I think everyone needs these two appliances in their kitchen.
While the Air Fryer is easy to get started with, the Instant Pot can be more intimidating to get started cooking with. I hate when I hear that people have an Instant Pot still sitting in the box! Think of this appliance as one of your kitchen helpers! It can get to work while your hands are busy with other things in the kitchen.
Please read the directions that came with your IP before you start. Make sure young kids stay away from the Instant Pot at all times.
Let’s get started!
A great way to start cooking with your Instant Pot is with hard boiled eggs and sweet potatoes. These are two simple things to cook that you can’t mess up and it will get you used to cooking with this pressure cookin’ machine.
Hard Boiled eggs can be great for weekly meal prep and quick high protein snacks.
Sweet potatoes are so delicious in the Instant Pot, they are so moist and creamy. I prefer IP sweet potatoes to roasting them in the oven. I love cooking a few potatoes in the instant pot on Sundays and then they are easy to grab during the week when I am putting together a quick meal.
Hard boiled eggs:
Pour one cup of water into the Instant Pot, then the metal trivet on the bottom. The trivet keeps the eggs above the bottom of the pan and allows them to be steamed.
Secure the lid on your pot - read your directions from your Instant Pot on how to do this.
Select the Egg setting on the Instant Pot. This will automatically select the right time for hard boiled eggs.
When the cooking time is complete, do a quick release of the value (read your directions) and then immediately place in an ice bath of water to quickly cool.
Peel eggs and pack up in containers to grab and go.
Sweet potatoes:
The set up is very similar to hard boiled eggs, the cooking time is longer.
Pour one cup of water into the Instant Pot, then the metal trivet on the bottom. The trivet keeps the potatoes above the bottom of the pan and allows them to be steamed.
Scrub the potatoes clean and puncture them with a fork to create holes to release the steam from the skin.
Place the potatoes on the metal trivet to raise them above the water.
Cook for 30 minutes on manual, then do a quick release.
Your potatoes are ready!
Don’t have an instant pot? You can cook the sweet potatoes in a crock pot for 4-6 hours or put them in the oven at 400 degrees for 45 minutes.
But really, you need an Instant Pot in your kitchen!
I’d love to hear from you when you use your Instant Pot for the first time!