Last year, my sister bought me an Instant Pot for Christmas.  I read a few blogs and articles online about how great it was at saving time while cooking, so I wanted to give it a try.  It was definitely the best gift I have ever gotten!  Thanks, sis!

Reason #1: Set It and Forget It

One of my favorite things about the Instant Pot is that I can set it and forget it.  Usually that means that I’m throwing all of the ingredients in the Instant Pot, turning it on, and then leaving to pick up the kids from daycare.  When we get home, it smells delicious and dinner is ready!  Or, I can put all of the ingredients in and then give the kids a bath while it is cooking without having to stand in front of the stove or worry about turning off the oven.  I LOVE IT!

Reason #2: Assembling Ingredients vs Cooking

I would consider myself a “cook by necessity” not by preference.  I mainly cook dinner during the weekday because I’m usually working from home in the afternoon, while my husband is working at his office.  However, if guests are coming over, my husband is the one that cooks EVERYTIME.  I would not subject any of my friends or family to my cooking!

The Instant Pot allows me to pretty much throw in all the ingredients.  Sometimes I don’t even stir the ingredient together and it still comes out amazing!  Now, there are definitely some amazing Instant Pot cooks out there making cheesecakes and other amazing dishes, but as a busy mom, that’s just not me (right now, atleast).  I try to find recipes that have 5 ingredients or less and just throw it all in there.

Reason #3: It Cooks Faster (Most of the Time)

One of the main reasons I got the Instant Pot was because our family has a traditional rice cooker that just took FOREVER to make rice.  When I first got the Instant Pot, we were eating rice almost everyday and I could never get my act together to remember to make rice in the morning.  (Who has time to make rice when you are trying to get the kids out the door?!) So I originally found out about the Instant Pot in order to make rice faster.  It does and it is husband approved, so I’m happy!

The main thing to remember though is that most Instant Pot recipes don’t take into account the time it takes to make it come to pressure, so remember to add about 10-15 minutes on to the cooking time for any recipe.  Again, in most cases, it is still faster and less hassle than any other way of cooking, but sometimes it can take longer.

Reason #4: Virtually Unlimited Instant Pot Recipes

The Instant Pot community is alive and well with so many recipes to try.  Usually, if I’m interested in making a dish in the Instant Pot, someone has most likely already developed an InstantPot version of it already.  So, I just Google the dish I want to make and add “Instant Pot” to it (e.g., “Mac and Cheese Insant Pot”) and get the Instant Pot version!

So if you are a busy mom and/or a horrible cook, I’d definitely recommend trying out the Instant Pot!  I have a 5 Quart, which is fine for my family of 4, but there are various sizes that you can get. Do you have an InstantPot?  What are your favorite recipes to make for your family?

*This post contains affiliate links, which means I receive a small commission, at no extra cost to you, if you make a purchase using this link.