Why You Don’t Need an Instapot to Make Dinner

If you already own an Instapot and love it, this article is not for you. However, if you’re considering buying one, this might be a worthwhile read. 

Advertising Works

We see 5,000 ads per day and are deeply affected by them. Even I have to catch myself. I try to acknowledge it by saying, “Advertising Works.”Image by coffeebeanworks on Pixabay”>

The Instapot is one of the most heavily advertised items I have ever seen. Facebook groups, cookbooks, websites, store displays EVERYWHERE…all dedicated to a gadget promising to make you a great cook and save family dinners. I am here to tell you that this is a lie.

With back-to-school sales in every store, retailers are upping their game to sell you an Instapot. But you don’t need gadgets to make a healthy meal.

You already ARE a Good Cook

Up until about 6 years ago, I could barely boil water. I spent the first 15 years of marriage relying on my husband. He has mad cooking skills and makes dinner out of 5 random ingredients in the fridge. Suffice to say, the bar is high.

To make matters worse, I set our stove on fire. For real. Firetrucks, sirens, neighbors coming to check on me. All ended well but it was a scary moment. My husband’s response, “You could have just told me you didn’t want to cook dinner.” Funny guy. 🙂

Fast-forward to today, I do 90% of the cooking. My son’s favorite meal is Butter Chicken, and it’s my recipe. I adapted it from this crockpot version but prepare on the stove in about 30-minutes. I have a small 3-quart crockpot I use sparingly and mostly for homemade chicken stock. We find the flavor of food less appealing in a crockpot. 

When I first started cooking, I kept it simple. I relied on childhood recipes, whole foods and short ingredient lists. In addition, I watched my neighbor cook elaborate meals from scratch. I was in awe. What was her secret? A meal plan.

Meal Planning

An entire month’s plan written on a board in the kitchen. It is a thing of beauty but predictable too. Soup/Pasta Monday, Taco Tuesday, Wacky Wednesday, Chicken/Fish Thursday, new recipes on Saturday only and my favorite….Doctored-Up Frozen Pizza Friday. They use leftover items from the fridge and create a beautiful gourmet pizza and pepperoni for the kids. Additionally, recipes repeat several times in one month to simplify shopping.

I know. You don’t have time to meal plan. Well, then you don’t have time to use an Instapot either because they require planning. Yes, you can put frozen chicken straight in it, or so I’m told. But you can also pull it out of the freezer in the morning or defrost it in the microwave. Here’s how I bake chicken in the oven in about 30 minutes without an Instapot.

Keep in mind, an Instapot takes 20 minutes just to preheat. Most recipes are multi-step in the pot. It’s not quite as “set it and forget it” as advertised. So far, I’m not seeing any timesavings.

Even Instapot owners agree, meal planning is the real secret to saving money, not the Instant Pot itself.

Meal Planning is Not As Hard As You Think

I do not plan an entire month. I wish our life was that predictable, but it is not. Plan just 3-4 meals at a time. This is a good place to start if you’re new to meal planning.

After 4 meals, I fill in with leftovers, breakfast for dinner or one evening out. Check out one of my tried and true meal plans HERE.

So if you’re still considering the Instapot, here’s what I’ve read and heard first-hand from Instapot owners.

Cons:

• After cooking beans, it sprayed bean juice all over my cabinets
• The beans were complete mush.
• It doesn’t cook things as quickly as it seems.
• It was supposed to replace my slow cooker but I like the flavor in slow cookers better.
• The silicon ring is difficult to clean. As is the rest of it.
• It’s really big and takes up a lot of storage/counter space. (I prefer clean counters and designate cabinet space for an appliance before buying.)
• It requires planning and practice to learn how to use it.
• It has many options I will never use.

Pros:

• I can cook frozen chicken in 20 minutes…after 20 minutes of preheating. – So can I.
• I can make perfect hard-boiled eggs. – So can I.
• It takes the place of many appliances. – Yes, if you actually get rid of those items.
• It makes mac ‘n cheese in 6 minutes. – I can’t beat this. But here’s my favorite recipe that gets a gorgeous browned crust in the oven.

I am sure there are many wonderful qualities of the Instapot, but I’m ok not knowing them. New gadgets didn’t make me a better cook. Meal planning, google and a desire to make healthy meals for my family did. To my fellow moms, please know that I believe in you! You already are a good cook! And you don’t need the latest gadget to prove it!

This week, give meal planning a try. Maybe just 2-3 dinners. Check out the fridge, freezer and pantry and build a meal plan around what you have. Purchase only necessary ingredients and write out your plan. There’s something about writing it down that helps.

I’d love to hear your results.

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