Cooking meals is quicker and simpler with an Instant Pot. From shredded chicken to dessert, you can quickly create recipes with little effort and time.
The best instant pot for college students include: Presto 6 Quart Pressure Cooker, Duo 8-quart, Crock-Pot Stainless Steel Slow Cooker, Ultra 6-quart, Duo Crisp 11, Instant Pot Multi-Use Pressure Cooker…
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Best Instant Pot For College Students
Presto 6 Quart Pressure Cooker
This pressure cooker was not made by your grandmother. The Presto 6 Quart Pressure Cooker vents easily, is reasonably priced, and is simple to clean. Compared to conventional cooking methods, pressure cookers cook food three to five times faster and with less oil. This makes preparing delicious and healthy meals simple. In one pot on the stove, you can prepare healthy favorites like chicken stew, corn on the cob, and other delectable treats. The vent feature prevents steam from reaching anyone, and the safety seal ensures that the lid won’t blow off. much easier to keep clean and safer than older models.
Duo 8-quart
The Duo is typically the model that comes to mind when people think of an Instant Pot. The 8-quart Instant Pot Duo stands out for its features and reasonable price. That’s not to say that other models aren’t reliable appliances; many other Instant Pots make great pressure cookers with multiple uses. The Duo, however, achieves the ideal balance between price and the features it offers.
The Instant Pot Duo is a convenient appliance that combines a rice cooker, pressure cooker, slow cooker, steamer, yogurt maker, and warmer. It has a number of user-friendly features, including handles on the steaming rack so you can remove it from the pot easily and a slot on the handle where you can put the lid.
The 8-quart Duo can accommodate a sizable amount of ingredients. This Instant Pot easily accommodates a whole chicken, 3 to 4 pounds of frozen ground beef, or a large roast. If you enjoy making stews, this pot can serve eight to twelve people. Dessert enthusiasts can easily fit an 8-inch springform pan and some 9-inch round pans in the 8-quart Duo.
Crock-pot Stainless Steel Slow Cooker
Everybody loves a Crock-Pot, and this 7-quart model is so easy to use and maintain that you’ll continue to use it long after you’ve graduated. Its numerous settings make it simple to prepare your favorite soups, stews, and dips. Turn it on and completely forget about it until you return in the evening. Whether you’ve agreed to cook for a tailgate or a fraternity social event, this model is ideal for the group that is constantly on the move. You don’t need to transfer the contents to another container because it has handy clamps on the lid to keep everything inside. This cooker lives up to the high standards and dependability that the Crock-Pot brand is known for. Even in the summer, you’ll find yourself using this one frequently.
Ultra 6-quart
Almost everything you might need to do in the kitchen is covered by the Instant Pot Ultra electric pressure cooker. It has ten primary uses, including pressure cooking, slow cooking, rice/porridge cooking, yogurt and cake making, egg cooking, sauteing/searing, steaming, warming, and sterilizing. Thus, a single appliance can replace a number of others. A central dial that makes it simple to select various programs, change the time, and more makes it intuitive.
The Instant Pot Ultra 6-quart also has an embedded microprocessor, which helps to monitor the pressure and temperature while adjusting the intensity accordingly, assisting in ensuring properly cooked food. In addition, the pressure cooker comes with 11 safety features, one of which is a new steam release reset button that makes it safer for users to use the device. For a family of four, six quarts is the ideal size, though you can also go with the 3- or 8-quart options.
Duo Crisp 11
The Duo Crisp 11 has 11 cooking presets that it can use to cook food in a variety of ways, including as a reliable pressure cooker, rice cooker, slow cooker, yogurt maker, steamer, sous vide, sauté, food warmer, cake maker, and air fryer with two fryer lids. This cooker is perfect for a large family with members who have different food preferences because it is so adaptable.
The Duo Crisp 11 makes cooking quicker and simpler thanks to its automatic pressure cooker lid seal and multilayered air fryer basket with a dehydrating and broiling tray for the best airflow to all those fried foods. A perfectly pressure-cooked and delectable dish is guaranteed by the embedded microprocessor, which continuously monitors the pressure, temperature, and intensity of the cooking process.
The patented Even Crisp Technology, another cool feature of the Instant Pot Duo Crisp 11, uses a combination of convection and sensors to give your food a crisp, golden exterior while retaining a moist, flavorful interior.
Instant Pot Multi-use Pressure Cooker
For good reason, the Instant Pot is popular. This versatile slow cooker and pressure cooker can be used to prepare virtually any dish for any number of people. You can prepare enough stew to feed a sizable group of your friends or breakfast for one. You can cook to your heart’s content while actually saving money, time, and energy thanks to the numerous settings, wipe-clean surfaces, and many great features. When you use this Instant Pot Multi-Use Pressure Cooker, your roommates’ friends will enjoy visiting and sharing a meal with you.
Cuisinart 3-in-1 Multi-cooker
You can prepare multiple foods at once with this 3-in-1 Cuisinart marvel, and you can adjust cooking temperatures and times with the touch of a button. Cuisinart has a long history in the food industry and has established a reputation for excellence. You can be confident that not only will you be getting something that will save you time and money, but that you are also getting something that has been prepared by culinary experts. With this multifunctional 3-in-1 Multi-Cooker, you can brown, saute, and steam your favorite dishes.
Hamilton Beach Extra-large Slow Cooker
To ensure that you won’t run out of soup or chili at the next gathering, this extra-large capacity slow cooker is ideal for those occasions when you need to make a lot of food. Even a 10-pound turkey or 12-pound roast can be cooked. 4 simple settings and an easy-to-lift pot make this cooker easy to use and to carry over to a friend’s potluck dinner. Both the glass lid and the stoneware pot are cleanable. This one will come in handy long after graduation, and you won’t have to stress about dinner preparation ever again.
College Student Breakfast Ideas
The most crucial meal of the day shouldn’t be overlooked. Of course there’s always cereal and milk but if you get bored of that you can mix it up with one of these options…
Single Serving Steel Cut Oats–enough for just one person! Make a big batch and spread the food out over the course of the week.
Egg Bites–They are excellent for freezing and warming in the microwave on a busy morning. you’ll need the egg bite mold* to make these. If you don’t have an egg bite mold you can make egg muffins in the oven.
Whole Wheat Pancake Mix–just add water and a bit of oil to make whole wheat pancakes. Add fruit, honey, peanut butter, or syrup as garnish.
Yogurt, frozen berries and granola–Use the Instant Pot to make your own yogurt. Use a half gallon of milk if you’re unsure that you need to make a full gallon. It follows the same procedure. Then keep the yogurt in your refrigerator for almost a month in an airtight container. Frozen berries and a sprinkle of granola should be added before serving.
College Student Dinner Ideas
4-6 servings are produced by many of my recipes. There’s a lot of food there for just one person! If you’re a big eater, you can prepare the entire recipe and then eat the leftovers for lunch or dinner the following few days. The recipe could also be cut in half.
Pasta Dishes
Pasta is affordable and easy to store. If you want to improve your nutrition, you can choose from a variety of whole grain pasta options. You’re set if you serve the pasta with a protein and a delectable sauce.
Instant Pot Dump and Go Meatball Lasagna–On those nights when you need dinner quickly, this is the ideal dish! Faster than picking up pizza, this 8-ingredient pasta dish will be devoured in no time. Makes 4-6 servings.
If you enjoy the flavors of lasagna but dislike the work involved, this recipe is for you. With only 6 ingredients and a short amount of time, you can make this Instant Pot lasagna pasta recipe.
The dish is called Instant Pot Broccoli Chicken Mac and Cheese and features florets of broccoli that aren’t crisp but aren’t mushy either, along with tender bites of chicken. This is a simple one-pot meal!
Rice Dishes
I remember living on rice when I used to cook white rice when I was in college, but now that I have an instant pot, it’s incredibly simple to make brown rice for a little extra nutrition.
Instant Pot Salsa Rice–A delicious dinner that your family will enjoy can be made with only 5 ingredients and a short amount of time. Browned sausage over cheesy, saucy rice.
The simplest and best rice recipe ever is Instant Pot Mexican Black Beans and Rice. It’s best to dump everything and leave. This recipe is extremely practical thanks to canned black beans.
Frozen Chicken
The ability to cook chicken from frozen is one of the Instant Pot’s coolest features. Try these simple frozen chicken recipes.
An easy 5-ingredient recipe for Instant Pot Ranch Chicken Taco Rice can be made in just a few minutes. Richly flavorful rice, chicken, and black beans.
Tender chicken bites with a delicious sauce made with only 3 ingredients: Instant Pot Salsa Chicken. Serve one night rolled up in a tortilla and the next night over rice.
An almost embarrassingly simple recipe for a traditional dinner, Instant Pot 3-Ingredient Chicken and Gravy. Over rice, noodles, toast, or biscuits, spoon the chicken and gravy.
A 5-ingredient, dump-and-go recipe for Instant Pot Hawaiian Chicken that features slightly sweet chicken and pineapples is available online. Serve the chicken with rice or on Hawaiian rolls.
Are Instant Pot Style Pressure Cookers A Better Way To Cook?
These things are useful. However, the output is no better in quality than what you could produce using a standard stovetop pressure cooker. And with a little more time and effort, you could accomplish the same task in a regular pot—possibly even better.
With a pressure cooker, you are unable to pause midway through the cooking process to check and make minor adjustments. Although it wouldn’t matter to me, I’ve read comments from competent cooks who claim that pressure cooker stew products aren’t quite as good because they can’t be adjusted in a way that enhances flavor and texture.
Why Do All College Students Need An Instant Pot?
A Huge Time Saver
If you forgot to make dinner or are just letting your stomach lead the way, don’t worry. With the Instant Pot, no meal preparation is necessary. With the pressure cook mode, all you have to do is toss in whatever ingredients you can find, close the lid, press a few buttons, and then run off to finish your homework while your Instant Pot comes to pressure and alerts you that your meal is ready a few minutes later.
The slow cook mode is an option if you’re a patient cook. Simply put the ingredients in the Instant Pot in the morning, set the timer, and presto! You’ll have freshly cooked food waiting for you when you get home at night.
Since almost all cooking processes can be finished inside the pot, using an Instant Pot also reduces the amount of dishes you need to clean. Think about making loaded baked potato soup. You can cook the bacon in the pot, remove it, and then add the remaining ingredients: onions, potatoes, salt, pepper, crushed red pepper flakes, and chicken broth. After five minutes of pressure cooking, release the pressure (caution: cats frequently mistake this noise for hissing and may run away from the area). Sour cream, chunks of cheese, and serving are the only remaining steps. Less than 25 minutes should be needed for both the preparation and cooking.
The following day, you might want to reheat the leftovers from your meal (or resort to ordering takeout). Let’s face it, zapping food in the microwave frequently results in the food becoming soggy and also zaps your appetite. Thank goodness, meals can be quickly and easily reheated in the Instant Pot using the same container they were originally stored in.
Delicious And Healthy
Ramen noodles, Pop Tarts, sandwiches, pizza, and whatever dubious food the dining hall is serving (it looks like chicken, but it could be tuna) are among the processed foods that students frequently eat.) These foods don’t exactly make you feel good in the stomach, and they lack the satisfaction of home-cooked meals. When you do choose to spend money on decent food at restaurants, your wallet often suffers as a result.
You can experience the joy of eating home-cooked food again and gain the health advantages of doing so with the help of an Instant Pot, which you’ve probably not done since your last visit.
Additionally, research demonstrates that pressure cooking helps vegetables retain up to 90% of their nutrients (compared to 40% to 75% when boiling) and eliminates bothersome lectins from beans, grains, and seeds, which can be harmful to digestion.
Utilizing an Instant Pot is not only good for your health, but also for the health of Mother Earth. In comparison to conventional cooking, the use of a pressure cooker can save up to 70% of energy.
Logistics
You must take the size and model into account when buying a pot. In 3-quart (mini), 6-quart, and 8-quart sizes, the Instant Pot is offered. The three most fundamental models, from the most basic to the most extravagant in terms of features, are Lux, Duo, and Ultra.
The cost of an Instant Pot ranges from $60 to $180, with the popular 6-quart Duo (the model I recently received) costing $100. It’s true that you’ll have to spend some money, but when you think about the time and health benefits, it’s a small price to pay.
Cooking in a 6-quart pot is a good size for you, your roommates, and any guests (or leftovers). A 3-quart will do just fine if cost and counter space are your main concerns. Remember that using an Instant Pot eliminates the need for additional kitchen appliances.
Frequently Asked Questions
How Does An Instant Pot Differ From A Pressure Cooker?
A pressure cooker can be either an electric appliance that you plug into the wall or a stovetop cooker that uses the heat from your cooktop. To cook food quickly, a pressure cooker creates steam pressure inside of an airtight pot. An Instant Pot is a multipurpose pressure cooker, which means that in addition to pressure cooking, it also performs other types of cooking. The Instant Pot is also a slow cooker, a skillet, a warmer, a steamer, and other things.
Why Opt For An Instant Pot Instead Of A Different Multicooker?
While other multicookers can carry out many of the same tasks as Instant Pots, you get a trusted and well-known brand when you buy an Instant Pot.
How Many Various Instant Pot Models Exist?
Taking into account the various capacity levels, there are 20 different Instant Pot models. Five families of Instant Pots are available: the Instant Pot Duo, Instant Pot, Instant Pot Duo Plus, Instant Pot Pro, Instant Pot Max, and Instant Pot Pro Plus. Additionally, there are still some older, discontinued models available for purchase.
How Safe Are Instant Pots?
You may have heard tales of pressure cookers that blew up in the past due to a broken appliance or a stroke of bad luck.
The built-in safety features of Instant Pots include lid locking and closing mechanisms, vents that prevent blockages, automatic temperature controls, burn and high temperature warnings, pressure regulation and excess pressure protection features, and features that protect against extreme temperatures and power. Because of these security measures, accidental fires and other hazardous situations are reduced, and risky Instant Pot situations are relatively uncommon.
Can You Get An Instant Pot And An Air Fryer Together?
The Instant Pot Duo Crisp and Air Fryer, which has all of the features of a regular Instant Pot and also air fries, was introduced by Instant Pot. A lid for air fryers was also released by Instant Pot, which you can add to compatible models of the appliance. The lid is an optional accessory that you can attach to your Instant Pot, effectively converting it into an air fryer. Duo 60, Duo Plus 60, Lux 60, Ultra 60, Viva 60, Nova Plus 60, and Duo Nova 60 Instant Pot models are compatible with the air frying lid.
Where Can I Find Recipes For The Instant Pot?
The popularity of Instant Pots and Instant Pot recipes have grown over the past few years. Numerous recipes have been shared online by inventive home chefs and chefs from all over the world. From desserts to appetizers to simple weeknight dinners, you can find recipes for just about anything. You can wirelessly transmit the recipe’s settings to your Instant Pot Pro Plus by using the mobile app to browse a carefully curated selection of recipes.
What Can I Not Cook In An Instant Pot?
Although you can cook almost anything in an Instant Pot, there are some things you shouldn’t pressure cook. Foods with a breading, like chicken tenders, probably won’t turn out very well unless you’re using an Instant Pot with a crisping function, as the Instant Pot moistens when pressure cooking. Because they have a tendency to sputter out of the top when the pressure is released, some berries, like strawberries and blueberries, can also be a nightmare.
Conclusion
The Instant Pot can sauté food, make rice under pressure, cook food slowly, and make pressure-cooked rice. All of those tasks are performed by a single device. To save money and counter/cabinet space, it makes sense in my opinion to purchase just one appliance.
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