I am passionate about helping families gather around the table. Whether it’s sharing a recipe, selling Pampered Chef products, planning freezer meal workshops, teaching workshops about meal planning – I strive to share practical advice and encouragement to help provide tools to make family dinners more feasible for busy families.
Multiple studies have shown measurable benefits to regular family dinners, including:
- Better academic performance
- Higher self-esteem
- Greater sense of resilience
- Lower risk of substance abuse
- Lower risk of teen pregnancy
- Lower risk of depression
- Lower likelihood of developing eating disorders
- Lower rates of obesity
(The Family Dinner Project is just one resource that highlights the benefits of regular family dinners. )
But how do you routinely get dinner on the table between kids in multiple activities and sports, plus church activities and busy work schedules?
One tool that I have found to be indispensable in this process is my Instant Pot. (I have the Duo 7-1, 6 quart.) With just a little research, you will find that there is almost a cult following to the Instant Pot – recipes, Pinterest boards, Facebook groups, etc…
The Instant Pot is basically an electric pressure cooker, sauté pan and slower cooker in one. Most models include other settings to make rice, yogurt, grains and beans. It has a timer to allow you to program a delay start, a cooking time and it automatically goes to a warm setting once cooking is complete.
The huge advantage to an Instant Pot over a slow cooker is the time it takes to cook. I can pull a bag of frozen soup I have prepped in my freezer, throw it in the Instant Pot with a piece of frozen chicken and it is done in less than 30 minutes. I can cook 2 lbs of dry beans in 25 minutes with no soaking required and make perfectly cooked boiled eggs in 2 minutes!
The quality of cooking in a pressure cooker vs. a slow cooker is remarkable, especially when cooking meat. I can cook a pot roast in about an hour instead of all day in the oven. Plus it can cook while we are aren’t home!
Another feature that I love is the sauté feature. I can brown meat for tacos, chili or spaghetti sauce right in the Instant Pot, throw in the remaining ingredients, set it to cook (to cook/warm the other ingredients) while we are at volleyball or soccer practice and dinner is waiting when we come home! Best of all, there are no additional dishes to wash.
The company also firmly stands behind their products. Two weeks ago I had a fatal error on my Instant Pot. I contacted the company and they sent me a brand new unit, even though mine was outside the 1 year warranty!
I could go on and on, but it truly is a one pot wonder and worth the investment! Amazon Prime Day or Black Friday normally feature the best prices, but occasionally sales can be found during other times of the year.
What are your favorite Instant Pot recipes or tips?