If you’re a journalist working in food, odds are good that someone has asked you write a piece about the Instant Pot. Thanks to its efficiency, it’s enormously popular, but I felt compelled to find out whether it could make a few of my favorite dishes taste as good. So I did a side-by-side taste test and feature for a newspaper I’ve long admired, The Washington Post. The piece is here, a few of my other clips are here, and I’d be lying if I said I wasn’t excited to see it as the cover story for the food section this week.
Thanks for reading, and if you have questions, please come ask them in an online chat on Weds, January 24th, at noon, right here!
I loved your piece! As a single dude who has been contemplating owing an Instant Pot for a couple of months, you helped to answer a number of questions that I had. I think a purchase is in the works, and if anything, an IP has me thinking about managing plummeting blood sugar after a long day on the road… Chicken in 20 minutes!? wow!!!
Rob: Thanks for your comment! I’m so glad to hear it. Do remember that the Instant Pot takes a little bit to get up to high pressure; most good recipes accommodate the coming-to-pressure to time, though. Enjoy your gadget, if you get one!
I enjoyed your piece. Thank you. Can you explain why, in making Coq au Vin, you boil the bacon before cooking it. I’ve always skipped that step (because I’m lazy) & have wondered what I was missing out on by doing so.
Drew: Thanks for commenting! Glad you enjoyed the piece. I think you could easily skip that step. It’s a Julia Child recipe, and I imagine bacon itself was rather different back in the day. (This recipe sometimes calls for salted pork belly.) Child might have been trying to ameliorate any oversalting issues by boiling some of the salt out of the pork. That’s just a guess, though! Happy cooking! Best, Alex
Enjoyed your article! I got an Instant Pot a year ago and love it. We are whole food plant based and don’t eat meat. The IP makes perfect rice of all kinds – quickly! – and wonderful quinoa, the best beans without soaking, and fabulous potatoes. Those are my favorite things to use it for. I do whole squashes in it – butternut, acorn, kabocha, spaghetti – and they are amazing. I hardly ever use my oven any more. Thanks for your input!
Hi, Joni! Thanks for reaching out. Glad to hear you enjoyed the piece and that you’ve been enjoying your IP! I’m also a fan of pressure-cooking potatoes and beans, and squash is such a smart application. I think I’ll try that next! Best, Alex