8 Reasons Why You Need Two Instant Pots in Your Life
Well it sounds so obvious, like an unoriginal dad joke:
What’s better than one Instant Pot?
You got it.
Two Instant Pots (cue drum and cymbal).
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In our home we own two Instant Pots and use them quite a lot. We actually fantasize about getting a third one, but haven’t gone there yet. Since many of our recipes require an Instant Pot, it’s great to have at least one available and ready to go.
Before we get to the reasons to own two Instant Pots, I think it’s important to consider buying a second one only if you already own one and are using it to it’s potential.
Obviously, if you are new to Instant Pots, it’s best to start with one. Get used to cooking with it and then see if a second one would suit you and your family’s needs.
So if you love your Instant Pot and wonder if you should get a second one, here are some of the best reasons for investing in two .
Reason #1: Have an Instant Pot Available When you Need One
Since we cook Instant Pot recipes so often, we need them to be ready to go. We often make instant pot yogurt and it occupies our Instant Pot for 10 hours.
Although it’s one of our favorite recipes, it takes up an entire day that we could have used that Instant Pot for other meals. If we only had one we would need to use other cooking methods. That’s one of the main reasons we believe in owning multiple Instant Pots.
It is possible to set the Instant Pot to make yogurt through the night, but we prefer making it during the day.
Reason #2: Cook for Kids and Adults Simultaneously With Two Instant Pots
Our kids love a very basic lasagna, but us… not so much. We can make a relatively bland one for them in the first pot and add more flavor, specialty ingredients and low carb lasagna noodles to ours in the second pot. It doesn’t take that much more time to assemble two lasagnas as opposed to one, and everyone is happy. Not to mention, twice the amount of food is made in roughly the same amount of time.
Since our kids, like most, are not huge fans of hot spices yet, we make a kid friendly stew in one pot and our spicy curry in the other. We are ready to sit down and enjoy dinner at the same time, and the adults don’t need to sacrifice flavor. And, every now and then, our kids are a little adventurous and try some of our flavorful food!
Reason #3: Cook For Multiple Diets Simultaneously With Two Instant Pots
If some people in your household follow different diet than others, it can be difficult to accommodate everyone. It’s nice to have two instant pots so that you can make a vegan meal in one pot and use a second instant pot for a meat dish, for example.
To satisfy both regular carb and lower carb diets, you can at the same time, make spaghetti in one pot and cook spaghetti squash in the second pot. You will find there are endless easy options for any combination of diets!
Reason #4: Increase The Odds Of Dinner Coming Together On Time With Two Instant Pots
Back when we didn’t have Instant Pots, it was a lot more daunting to come up with dinner ideas, and get them accomplished in the required time.
When the kids need something quick, you can toss something in there in 5 minutes or less and it feels like a home cooked meal that took all day to make. You’ll find that you won’t need to rely on take-out as often, if at all.
Once you are comfortable with Instant Pot cooking, it’s a lot less intimidating to cook certain meals in comparison with the oven or stove. There’s much less prep involved in many meals. Plus, you don’t need to hover over the pots to make sure everything’s ok, just wait for the beep to tell you it’s done!
For example, back to the lasagna example – making lasagna the traditional way takes so much more time and effort than in the Instant Pot. Sometimes, I might not have the energy to begin a lasagna if it’s oven preparation, although, if it’s the Instant Pot, I can get it done.
Reason #5: Enjoy a Restaurant Experience at Home Easily With Two Instant Pots
When you’re out, isn’t it wonderful when all the dishes arrive to your table at the same time, still hot, and within a reasonable time frame?
With two Instant Pots, you can achieve similar menus at home, made efficiently while saving time and money.
For instance, for a favorite South Indian menu, we toss in ingredients for radish sambar in one pot, ingredients for potato masala with beets in the other. While the Instant Pots work away for us, we pan fry dosa on the stove top, thaw out or prepare quick chutneys and chop fresh cilantro. Before you know it, an utterly flavorful vegan meal awaits!
I still can’t believe it all comes together in about an hour. We love to go to restaurants when we can, don’t get us wrong, but it’s certainly not necessary any more.
Reason #6: Cook for a Large Family with Ease
For our family of seven, it is invaluable to be able to make more food in less time. Our kids agree on some dinners, but there are some foods some have not acquired the taste for.
With pot in pot cooking, even more food can be made in the same amount of time.
We are always planning for the next meal and the Instant Pots make dinners easier (and tastier) all around. When you have two Instant Pots, you can easily provide more options.
Not to mention, (and I think this is one of my favorite reasons), you can cook together with someone and accomplish two amazing and complementary dishes, simultaneously.
You can work together on both recipes or each person can take the lead on one Instant Pot dish.
You will save time, have fun together and you can turn it into a friendly competition!
Reason #7: With Two Instant Pots A Kitchen Renovation Won’t Shut You Down
If you find your kitchen is out of commission for some time due to renovation, you can always manage to keep your meals going with two Instant Pots.
Similarly, if something comes up and you find yourself too busy to cook, two Instant Pots can really help.
If you know ahead of time that you will be too busy in the near future, you can make several easy dinners at once and store them in the freezer for upcoming meals.
Soups, stews, pasta sauces, meatballs and sauce, kebab meat can all be made ahead and frozen for your convenience. Try these favorite Instant Pot recipes!
Reason #8: Two Instant Pots Help To Make Your Meals More Complete
When you have two Instant Pots, you can prepare a main dish and a side dish, dinner and dessert, appetizer and main, and so on. Of course this can be done with other methods, but when pressed for time, which happens often, the Instant Pots come nicely to the rescue.
Well there you have it. Some of the best reasons for owning two Instant Pots.
But wait, are there any drawbacks to consider?
Yes, there are some disadvantages to own two Instant Pots. Obviously, storage and counter space can be an issue in smaller kitchens. Fortunately, we have room for two Instant Pots on our kitchen counter, and we keep them out all the time (we often use both at least once or twice a day).
If you have a smaller kitchen you may need to prioritize storage of items, perhaps some rarely used appliances or kitchen items can be stored elsewhere (a cabinet can be freed up or in another storage area) and brought out when needed.
And of course, two Instant Pots will need to be cleaned instead of one. But they are easy to take care of if you rinse right away.
Taking those considerations into account, it’s definitely still worth owning two, in my opinion.
All in all, we use our two Instant Pots so often that it makes sense to keep them both on the counter and ready to go at any time.
If you have a busy lifestyle you will find that sacrificing some kitchen space is well worth having the ability to make great food fast every day! You’ll definitely find the benefits outweigh the downsides when you own two Instant Pots.
Check out our instant pot recipes for some dinner ideas!
