Review: How to Instant Pot: Mastering All the Functions of the One Pot That Will Change the Way You Cook

How to Instant Pot: Mastering All the Functions of the One Pot That Will Change the Way You Cook by Daniel Shumski
My rating: 4 of 5 stars

I was approved for an Advance Reader Copy of this book in exchange for an honest review, but then they archived it a day later. I bought the book, not just to review it, but because I'm always eager for more Instant Pot recipes! LOL

The Instant Pot craze seized my household several months back. It hasn't let go. From beans to meats to cooking rice, and even making yogurt, Instant Pot can do it all. It's a pressure cooker, slow cooker, multipot. We had toyed with the conventional pressure cooker earlier this year and my husband, who loves lentils, was frustrated with problems gauging temperatures and cooking time. Our first electronic pressure cooker was a dud and we had to spend $25 sending it back to the manufacturer. Taking a leap of faith based on a recent series of articles and recipes in the NY Times cooking section, I ordered the Instant Pot and was an instant fan. It's so easy to use, so fast when you need fast (I've yet to use it as a slow cooker, actually) and the stuff that comes out of this pot is just delicious. But I'm always scouting for more recipes!

One of the benefits of How to Instant Pot is that this book actually teaches you how to use your Instant Pot in practical ways that both the manual and some other cookbooks don't do. There are a fair number of recipes for Pressure Cooker, Slow Cooker, Rice Cooker and Yogurt Maker modes. The ones I've tried (Pineapple Skirt Steak and Fragrant Lamb and Chickpeas) have been delicious. I do have to say that I wish there were more recipes. (For instance, there are only 31 recipes in the Pressure Cooker section, about the same for the slow cooker section, and then substantially fewer for the Rice and Yogurt sections) However, that's actually about the same or more than NY Times writer's Instant Pot cookbook, though that has a bit greater diversity in recipes, including seafood among other options. One of the best things about Shumski's book is that it is well-organized so you can easily choose a pressure cooker recipe over a slow cooker recipe, without having to read through all the recipe details to understand what you're getting into. (Important to note that some books do adapt recipes for either mode.)

This Instant Pot cookbook is the one that will live on my phone's Kindle Reader, because of how well-organized it is and for its clear listing of ingredients and steps. It's a sure bet for the spur of the moment grocery store recipe selection and purchasing.

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