New Gadget- Instant Pot

I've been thinking about getting anInstant Pot for years, but I was always intimidated by the idea of a pressure cooker.  My mom used a pressure cooker once when I was a kid (and probably had no idea what she was doing) and it was the classic explosion.  The lid hit the ceiling and left a dent and spaghetti sauce on the ceiling.  I was scared.  

Years of friends with IP's telling me how great, easy, and safe they were finally wore me down, though.  I also going anInstant Pot group just for vegan recipes, and started following some IP using bloggers like JL Fields (who also makes amazing things with air fryers).

​I finally decided it was time and placed my order.  I ordered the 7 in 1 Instant Pot and two cookbooks to get me started, since I've never done any pressure cooking (the IP came with a small recipe book that was not entirely vegan but had basics like rice, and Pinterest is full of recipes, so it's okay to get started without investing in a library).  

Brown Rice

Full disclosure, the way I made my rice is NOT what all the experts say, however I posted in the Instant Pot group and someone else used my method and had success too, so I think it might be good.  From what I've read, different grains of rice have different cooking times, and can vary quite a bit.

I decided to christen my Instant Pot with some of the speedy brown rice I'd heard so many friends brag about.  I used the measurements from Vegan Pressure Cooking, which said for brown rice use 1 cup rice and 1.5 cups water.  I didn't see the part that said to set it for 22 minutes, though, and I just pressed the "RICE" button on the Instant Pot.  It cooked for 12 minutes and then did a natural release for about 10 minutes, and in 22 minutes I had fully cooked, fluffy brown rice!  

Already, I knew I had made a good investment.  After enjoying a bowl of brown rice and veggie tofu curry, I decided to take her for another spin.

Sweet Potatoes

Sometimes, on Mondays, I like to bake a bunch of sweet potatoes or yams, and then throughout the week I add them to wraps, salads, or even smoothies.  It's a great meal prep to make the rest of the week smoother.  
I had a bag of these beautiful small purple sweet potatoes from Trader Joes that I have been meaning to bake, and I figured I might as well try the IP.  I washed them all in their bag, then set the steamer insert (that came with the IP) in and topped with the sweet potatoes.  I added about 1/2 cup of water that sat under the steamer, and set the IP to 10 minutes on "STEAM."  I did a natural release again, and the sweet potatoes were perfectly soft and sticky and moist.

I'm so excited to experiment more and share my findings!  This is definitely one of those pricey gadgets that are worth the money when you can afford one!