Instant Pot for Indian Cooking - In this post I hope to convince you why and how instant pot is PERFECT for Indian households whether geographically in India or Abroad.
This is part 1 of India IP series
Part 1: Instant Pot for Indian Cooking
Part 2: Which Instant Pot Model to buy
Part 3: Making Indian Food in Instant Pot
Part 4: Instant Pot Frequently Asked Questions
Also, if you are in India and are wondering about it's usage here- do read my post on it.
What is Instant Pot
Instant Pot is a Multi cooker where you can pressure cook, slow cook, saute, steam food in a very precise and safe manner.
This device is a ONE in ALL sort of a device.It can replace your stove top pressure cooker and your pan. In fact, you can make almost anything from curries to biryani in it.
Instant Pot in Indian Home
Indian kitchens rely heavily on pressure cooking.That's why Instant Pot is ideal for indian cooking.
In an instant pot, you can pressure cook dal, rice, make biryanis, ferment dosa idly batter, make yogurt, steam veggies, pasteurise milk, make chai, make desserts.
The good news is that there are a lot of Instant pot Indian Recipes available and they are super easy to make!Did you know you could make butter chicken in instant pot in 25 minutes?
On an average, a house of 4, in india, uses their pressure cooker atleast 6 times a day.And that's without even counting stuff like boiling milk or fermenting dosa batter. So a versatile product like Instant pot will not only be used but i think overused!
In reality, Electrical pressure cookers like instant pot and mealthy are MADE for INDIAN COOKING!
Instant Pot vs Traditional Pressure Cooker
So let's first address the ELEPHANT in the room.Why should you replace your old trusty pressure cooker with instant pot?
Is instant pot better than my pressure cooker?Why should you buy an instant pot thats 3 times more costly than a stove top pressure cooker?
So let's get to it.
1. Safety
This is obviously the biggest plus.It's 100 % safe and hazard free.Unlike the traditional pressure cooker, which are prone to accidents like bursting(yes for real!), leaking etc- Instant Pot is Super Safe.
2. No noise
Instant Pot makes no noise and leaks no steam.There is a bit of nostalgia associated with cooker whistle but I am SO happy to be rid of that noise from my house!
My child used to bawl every single time my pressure cooker let out a whistle! Making Rajma and Chole was a biggg pain!
3. No Babysitting
You can dump stuff in, set the timer and walk away.You don't have to hover around the kitchen scared of mishaps.If the food is burning, the instant pot will stop automatically.it's that simple and intuitive.
4. Timer or delay function
This is my favourite function! I can soak the beans and set the timer for their cooking 6 hours hence.Or I could keep the rice or dal in the pot and go work, set the timer for evening and have hot food on the table in no time!
5. Keep Warm Function
Ah this is my second fav setting! My son and husband have different meal times.The keep warm function helps keep the food warm for long.Though be cautioned that the food cooks slowly in this function too.
6. Reliability & Repeatability
It is precise and extremely repeatable.There is no need of counting whistles, which frankly varies from cooker to cooker.You can rely on the digital timer instead which is a better way of measuring.
Here are the only set backs
- Cost- my instant pot costed me 3 times more than a traditional pressure cooker or similar size.
- Availability- Instant Pot is not easily available everywhere.Especially if you are in India, you need to get one from abroad and then invest in a convertor or you have to buy other brands like Mealthy and wonderchef. Here is a whole post on review of instant pot in india and how to use one.
- Learning Curve- Sometimes all those buttons and technology can be daunting but once you get past that, it's easy peasy.
- Counter Space- Unlike traditional pressure cookers that can be just shoved in the cabinet, Instant pot needs to be kept on the counter.
Here are some starter Instant pot Indian Recipes for you!
Instant Pot Toor Dal
Instant Pot Jeera Rice
Instant Pot Vegetable Biryani
Instant Pot Chicken Biryani
Instant Pot Kheer
Part 2: Which Instant Pot Model to buy
Part 3: Making Indian Food in Instant Pot
Part 4: Instant Pot Frequently Asked Questions
