The Instant Pot really is all that. It’s so much more than a pressure cooker. My mother used her pressure cooker all of the time and no one marveled at the technology like they do with the Instant Pot. The Instant Pot is safer that the old pressure cookers with the pressure gauge jiggling away, threatening to blow, and it’s also more versatile. My mother used her pressure cooker for cooking tough cuts of meat into submission. The IP can do that, but it can also deliver perfect hard-boiled eggs, rice that’s reliably fluffy and toothsome (yes, we did get rid of our trusty rice cooker), steel cut oats, and beans without an overnight soak. How did we ever live without it?
| FOOD ITEM | COOK TIME | Natural Pressure Release | Quick Pressure Release |
| beans | Add the beans and water to the Instant Pot – 1 part dried beans; 3 parts water: Great Northern – 38 minutes Navy – 35 minutes Note: 1 cup of dried beans yields approximately 3 cups of cooked beans. | X | |
| chicken breasts (frozen) | 10 min high pressure | 5 min | |
| chicken leg quarters (frozen) | 30 minutes high pressure Note: only 1 cup of water is needed, but you can add 2 or 3 cups of water if you’re planning to use the broth. | 12 min | |
| eggs (hard-boiled) | 10 minutes high pressure | X | |
| macaroni and cheese | see recipe – Mac and Cheese with Veg | ||
| rice | Add equal parts rice and water to Instant Pot, and pressure cook for the indicated amount of time: Brown rice – 18 minutes White rice – 8 minutes Wild rice – 18 minutes Basmati rice – 8 minutes Jasmine rice – 6 minutes | no less than 15 minutes |
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