So on my advice, several family members have bought Instapots. However, I frequently see that they do not feel comfortable using them frequently and do not understand the benefits of the Instapot. Here are the biggest benefits I have found.
Speed of Cooking
The Instapot cooks some things that take a long time much faster. Examples are beans, rice, potatoes and larger pieces of meat. Making your own beans is the best example. If you soak them, then what used to take an hour will take 15 minutes more or less.
Tenderness of Meats
You can cook most meats in the Instapot and have it come out very tender in under a half-hour. Roasting in the oven would take much longer to achieve the same thing. And then you can shred the meat and pan-fry it later to make it more crispy and add it to dishes. We make Mexican Street Tacos this way all the time.
Soups and Broths
It is much easier to make soups and broths as well. Simply buy chicken thighs when they are on sale and make your own chicken broth with a couple of thighs, garlic, onion, and salt. You can then freeze containers of broth for later use in soups that are very simple to make in the Instapot.
Soaked lentils and vegetables will make a great soup with this stock in a very short period of time. Add rice if you want it thicker.
Easy Cleanup
As long as you use enough liquid in the pot of the Instapot, it is always an easy thing to clean. The lid is usually clean other than some steam or water and can be quickly washed and the pot rarely has anything stuck to it.
Rice
Making rice in the Instapot is easy and it comes out very nicely. You can use water or that chicken stock we made earlier and if you have the right measurement and the right time, it comes out perfectly. Faster and easier than the stovetop. I frequently get the rice going in the Instapot while I use the wok to saute the vegetables for a veggie fried rice. It is better to do it earlier to have the rice cold, but it works fine at the last minute as well.
Squash and Sweet Potatoes
Those hard vegetables like potatoes, sweet potatoes, and squash can be cooked much faster as well. Cube them up and add them with some liquid and they will be soft and ready to eat in much less time.
You do not have to do everything in the Instapot when you get one. Cakes, no. Hard-boiled eggs? Not our favorite in the Instapot. But the list above alone makes it a great purchase.