I Have an Instant Pot - Now What?

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I remember when I first got my Instant Pot three years ago. It took me over a week to get up the courage to try it! I kept thinking back to the days of the “old-fashioned” stovetop pressure cookers and the problems people hit while using them. My mom had cooked in a pressure cooker for years with success. Like anything else, it seems the key to being safe with it is using it properly. Plus there are many safety features that are built-in.

I watched YouTube videos to become familiar with my Instant Pot before I ever tried cooking with it. It was a big help!Photo byCindy Rybaczyk / Lake County Florida - Here's What's Happening

The way I managed to get myself comfortable with trying my Instant Pot for the first time was to watch YouTube videos of others using them. Here are a few of the videos I watched that helped me feel comfortable with cooking in my Instant Pot.

The video above is from Six Sisters Stuff and it's called "How to Use an Instant Pot: Instant Pot 101, Beginner? Start Here!" I watched this video before I got my Instant Pot when I was trying to decide if I wanted one for sure. This video really is for beginners, and it shows you how easy it is to cook in an Instant Pot. She talks about two different types of Instant Pots, the 7-in-1 Duo and the 6-in-1 Lux (an older model), but regardless of the pot you have, this will make you feel comfortable with cooking in yours. She discusses the lid and what matters with the seal, plus she explains how to close the lid properly. She also talks about making sure the inner pot is placed in your pot before you attempt to cook in it. Her video walks you through how to cook frozen mixed vegetables in your Instant Pot, and she talks about the importance of including liquid when you cook. Their videos are great because they make you feel like you can be successful with cooking - I needed that!

Six Sisters Stuff has a huge collection of videos. Not all are specific to Instant Pot but many of them are perfect for new Instant Pot users. Here's another one of my favorites, because it helps new Instant Pot users feel comfortable with cooking with one. I also love that it teaches how to cook the "First 5 Things You MUST Make in Your Instant Pot" including chicken, chicken tacos, pasta, Mac and cheese, and open-faced roast beef sandwiches.

Next, take a look at this video. She teaches you how to make "7 BASIC Instant Pot Recipes - Perfect for Beginners." This video includes how to make Instant Pot baked potatoes, frozen chicken, green beans, steamed vegetables, ground beef, rice, and a whole chicken.

Here's a great idea - I'm sure you've hit days when you came home and wished you didn't have to prepare a complex meal. With some advance preparation and freezing uncooked meals in a bag, dinner preparation can be a breeze in your Instant Pot with "5 HEALTHY Freezer Meals for the Instant Pot or Crockpot." You'll learn how to freeze ingredients together and then place them in your Instant Pot when you need a ready-to-go easy dinner - chicken cacciatore, Indian butter chicken, sweet potato quinoa stew, Asian lettuce wraps, and cauliflower curry.

Hopefully, once you've read this article and watched the videos, you'll feel comfortable in trying your Instant Pot. If you don't have one, Amazon is offering some great sales on them! Here's a suggestion if you're still shopping for one - I have the Instant Pot Duo Crisp 11-in-1 that not only pressure cooks, sautes, slow cooks, and steams, but also air fries, sous vide, and dehydrates. I've replaced multiple appliances on my countertop with just this one. It comes in a 6 quart or an 8 quart - when I looked, the 8 quart was on sale for a better price. I use mine for making soups and roasts and the 8 quart is the perfect size for making dinner for tonight and meals for later in the week or freezing.

There are plenty of available accessories for your Instant Pot, but the one I like best hangs on my refrigerator - it's the Cheat Sheet Magnet Set that tells you how much liquid you need and how long to cook all sorts of items in your Instant Pot, including vegetables, meats, seafood, pasta, and grains. I also like the decorative wraps that were shown in the first video for changing the standard appearance of your Instant Pot into something creative!

I use my Instant Pot Cheat Sheet Magnets all the time!Photo byCindy Rybaczyk / Lake County Florida - Here's What's Happening

Many of my articles to date have dealt specifically with Lake County, Florida, but I'm expanding and covering recipes and restaurants I enjoy. I've shared two excellent Instant Pot recipes that I love including Beef & Guinness Stew and Chicken Marsala, both perfect for when it's cold outside. If you're interested in following along, here's what you need to do - download the Newsbreak app, create a User Account, and follow me at Lake County Florida - Here's What's Happening! If this sounds like a good recipe to you and you think others may enjoy it as well, please share it with them. Enjoy!