I am not a cook. It is only rarely that I enjoy putting together a meal, and that’s when I get inspired by a new recipe or stumbled upon an old favorite while leafing through a cookbook. That being said, I’m not a total flop in the kitchen – I can throw together a pretty good holiday dinner. It’s just the everyday of cooking that I find a little tedious.
That being said, I have recently acquired an appliance that has made my cooking life that much easier. It’s not a new recipe book, nor is it a live-in cook, or a meal delivery service.
It’s an electric pressure cooker. Somehow these magical appliances have flown below my radar for the past few years. If you had asked me about a pressure cooker, I would immediately recall a scary, hissing pot sitting on the back of my mother’s stove, with a little hat dancing on top. On occasion, my mom would tip the little hat and a plume of angry steam would stream out. When I asked her why she did that, she said it was to keep the pressure fron building up. From then on, I was REALLY scared of that durn pot, thinking if my mom didn’t keep an eye on it, it would explode all ovr the place, spattering the kitchen with ham hocks and collard greens.
Thus was my childhood experience with pressure cookers. I wanted nothing to do with them.
One day, I spied either an article or a little ad popped up about something called an Instant Pot. With this miracle pot, one could cook rice in 3 minutes, cook ribs/meat in a hour and most importantly, cook grits in 2 minutes.
I.Was.Floored. What was this magic pot and how could I get my hot little hands on one? I must have this!! No more watching the stove, making sure the rice doesn’t burn. No more long hours of waiting for roasts to get done. I don’t even have to wait until the meat defrosts! And weekend breakfasts were a cinch without standing over the stove stirring grits.
I say all that to say, if you haven’t yet experienced the lovely efficiency and ease of an electric pressure cooker, borrow one or buy one and see for yourself. Take it from me, a woman who hates to cook, it will change your kitchen life for the better. I truly love my electric pressure cooker!
What’s the one appliance that makes your cooking life easier?
Highly recommended!