I Hate Cooking, But I Hate It Less Now That I Have An Instant Pot

My mother would be so proud.

Hi! My name is Mariela and I love eating — but hate cooking.

Mariela Summerhays / BuzzFeed

Now, I know, I know — "But it's so relaxing! And you get so much satisfaction from feeding yourself".

To which I say, "No, it's not, why are you lying to me?" and "Sydney's glorious foodie scene and my culinary-gifted husband satisfies my belly plenty". I just find the process tedious.

However, with coronavirus and the ensuing lockdown of non-essential businesses, all but a few of my favourite eats and I have been kept apart.

Mariela Summerhays / BuzzFeed

So short of alternating between eating Maccas and my husband's steak for every dinner until lockdown ends, I decided to bury my hatred for cooking and give the much loved, much raved about Instant Pot a go.

Chances are, you've heard of this all-in-one kitchen device. If not, let me give you the run down.

Mariela Summerhays / BuzzFeed

The Instant Pot Duo Nova multicooker is a 7-in-1 kitchen appliance — yes, seven. The proposed benefit of this, of course, is that you are able to do many a task the one meal requires with a single appliance, saving storage space, washing up time and (as I was particularly curious to find out) master all the cooking techniques.

Getty Images / Mariela Summerhays

Not going to lie, I meant to try the Instant Pot like, two months ago. I just couldn't bring myself to do it, I hate cooking that much.

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As it turns out, the Instant Pot has legions of fans — and said fans love nothing more than to share their recipes. I was looking for something delicious that I'd been craving since lockdown and that would get me out of the kitchen pronto, so settled for this 15-minute ramen recipe, of which I already had most of the ingredients.

First, I gathered and prepared all the ingredients. I've seen enough cooking shows to know I'm supposed to season my meat — lest I be left with a hunk of blandness at the end that I would have to force down.

Mariela Summerhays / BuzzFeed

I'm sure I was supposed to get all in there, hands and all, but look, I'm unenthused about this exercise enough as is. Don't you worry though, I made sure to almost drown it in pepper and salt.

Next, it was time to cook my meat. Enter, after much hype: The Instant Pot. And guys, after selecting the "Sauté" cooking setting as instructed by the recipe — this is where I actually got kind of excited.

When you choose a setting — whether it be sauté, rice, stew, whatever — the appliance will heat for as long as necessary to get the temperature to perfection, then indicate on its screen when you're able to start chucking stuff in with an "On" display. Maybe not a big deal for the Anthony Bourdains among us, but for those who can never get the pot or pan perfect for searing, slow-cooking or otherwise, this is a godsend.

After my pork had browned, I threw in stock and water — had I not been using the Instant Pot, I would've had to transfer the meat from a pan to a pot, but here, I could add ingredients before simply changing the setting to "High Pressure".

Mariela Summerhays / BuzzFeed

The Instant Pot lets you know when it's done with its current setting with a beep, at which point I turned the valve on its lid to release the built-up steam within. The remaining ingredients — noodles, bok choy and soy sauce — don't require such an intense cooking method, so were added to the pot, set on "Sauté" mode while being stirred around.

Getty Images / Mariela Summerhays

Here, with the addition of a ramen egg (look, I was feeling ambitious, why not?), is my first Instant Pot meal!

Mariela Summerhays / BuzzFeed

I can't promise that the second restaurants are able to have diners eat-in again, I'm not going to rush out immediately — but I'm definitely happy to have this filling, tasty little meal in my arsenal now, beside smashed avo and spag bol. If the mood strikes, I might just look up more complex, involved ramen recipes — but let's not get ahead of ourselves.

Getty Images / Mariela Summerhays

I'm not sure how cooking hobbyists or professionals would find the Instant Pot. Some of the joy of cooking (or so I'm told), is in the experimentation, the organised chaos of an egg half-poached over there and a roast cooking in there.

ABC

Sounds like my idea of a headache, tbh.

I was fully prepared not to be impressed by the Instant Pot. I can not stress how tedious I find the act of cooking — but even with just this one experience, I can wholeheartedly advocate its use for the culinary-challenged or time-poor among us.

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As a full-time worker and mother of three, I can completely see the benefit of an appliance that does all the temperature-measuring for you. Plus, the internet is drowning in time-saving, affordable Instant Pot recipes.

Get the Instant Pot Duo Nova for $189+ from Amazon Australia and choose from three different sizes.

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The 3L model I have serves up to three people — perfect for me, my husband (and me again!).

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