A Non-Stick Insert Totally Changed My Instant Pot for the Better
See you never, stainless steel!
As an editor who covers multitudes of products all day long, I know the term "non-stick" can conjur some negative connotations. Think: inexperience. And while I swear by a solid stainless steel frying pan for searing chicken, the stainless steel interior insert of my 6-quart Instant Pot just had to go. Here's what happened.
About a year before my official Instant Pot purchase, I was gifted an electric pressure cooker from a different brand. It was love. The interface was user-friendly, it had a sleek aesthetic, and, to top it all off, the insert was non-stick. After mastering everything from pulled pork to chicken soup in that pressure cooker, I decided I was ready to invest in the real thing.
Two days later, a 6-quart Instant Pot DUO arrived at my door. I was pumped.
Then, disappointed.
After making Food Network Kitchen's pulled pork recipe (a staple in my home), the stainess steel insert was blotchy with stuck-on bits that proved difficult to remove completely. Thinking it might just be a lazy wash job, I perservered with saag paneer only to find the insert even worse and more blotchy than when I started. Needless to say, I missed my old pressure cooker.
Luckily, Instant Brands has a product for people like me: a ceramic non-stick insert.
For a mere $20, this insert has turned my Instant Pot into the pressure cooking dream. Food doesn't get stuck on the bottom and the insert doesn't stain — at least, not in a way that I've noticed yet. Clean-up is as much of a breeze as cooking, making the whole pulled pork process a lot more fun. (Whipping up shredded chicken from frozen is also one of my favorite Instant Pot tricks.)
Turns out, I'm not the only Instant Pot owner who prefers non-stick. This insert has a 4.5-star rating with more than 1,000 5-star reviews on Amazon. Fans complained about the stainless steel insert conducting too much heat leading to burnt chili and stuck-on rice, saying the non-stick coating helps combat both issues.
"This is a must-have. I kept hearing people say how well their Instant Pot makes rice and had terrible experiences with the stainless steel pot insert that comes with it. This non-stick is a game changer," says Amazon-user, Michele.
"Love, love, love the non-stick coating. If you have an IP you should have one of these," says reviewer, Carol K.
And honestly, Carol, I couldn't agree more.
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