- Check your liquid levels: It’s important to have at least a cup of liquid in the pot before you cook, which allows the steam pressure to build up.
- Double up on sealing rings: The rubber sealing ring can absorb flavors from fragrant food, so it’s a good idea to have an extra on hand. If not, another trick: you can clean the ring with the "steam" function right inside the pot. Use water, vinegar and lemon to remove odors.
- Get a head start with sauté: Though the instant pot is fast, it still takes some time to come up to pressure before the clock starts. Giving a quick sauté before sealing the pot can save some time on the back end.
Easy One Pot Meal Recipe Ideas
Whether it's an air fryer, rice cooker or multicooker, your favorite kitchen gadget can be a game-changer for tackling party prep and dinner deadlines. Here are some amazing Ranch recipes that can turn your go-to cooking device into a sidekick savior in the kitchen.
Multicooker Recipes
Here’s the honest truth — if you can only have one of these appliances, the multicooker should be it. The multi-cooker essentially does the work of everything else. Pressure cooker, sauté pan, rice cooker, slow cooker — this kitchen workhorse is the best way to get a one-pot meal to the table easily and efficiently. The multicooker is first and foremost a pressure cooker but it can certainly clear space on your kitchen shelves by taking over other tasks, like slow-cooking an all-day chili, making perfect hard-boiled eggs or tenderizing a holiday roast.
Multicooker Tips
Rice Cooker Recipes
We know it will give you rice exactly as it should be — fluffy, slightly chewy or sushi-style sticky, depending on the setting. But did you know your rice cooker can also double as a vessel for creating full meals? Sure, the serving sizes aren’t huge, but anything from chicken and soup to other savory grains or oatmeal is possible with this trusty little cooker. One of our favorite ways to use it is to make a full protein and rice meal — like the Jambalaya-style smoked sausage and Ranch rice. Get creative!
Rice Cooker Tips
- Rinse your rice: Even if the recipe doesn’t call for it, rinse whatever rice you’re putting in the cooker, which removes some of the starch and makes for a fluffier finished product.
- Steam away: Don’t be afraid to nestle your metal steamer inside the rice cooker and add in vegetables on top – this is good for anything from broccoli or peppers to artichokes and sweet potatoes.
- Lean on leftovers: The rice cooker works well to warm up or reheat food – most have a keep warm function that works for holding or warming up slowly, especially if you add a little liquid. The keep warm button also works to extend the life of your dish – so you can prep early and hold it.
Pressure Cooker Recipes
Stovetop pressure cookers were one of the earliest small appliances in convenience cooking, and they worked by allowing steam to build up to high pressure in a sealed pot, which cooked food quickly. Now, most people prefer electric pressure cookers, but either way, these small appliances are still one of the best ways to get dinner on the table when you’re in a rush. Cooking times can be up to 75% faster than traditional stovetop cooking and the method keeps flavors and most essential nutrients sealed in. From beans or risotto to our famous crack chicken, the pressure cooker is the way to go.
Pressure Cooker Tips
- Don’t overfill: Not enough liquid is a no-no when it comes to the pressure cooker. But TOO much liquid is also a bad thing. When you’re working with mostly liquid recipes, like soups, make sure you don’t fill it up more than halfway…you might otherwise end up with a geyser.
- Stay safe: Follow instructions very carefully when releasing the pressure — there are different ways to do it depending on the recipe, but never force the lid open to release too quickly.
- Stock up: If you’re a fan of homemade stock or broth, the pressure cooker is the best way to make it. What would normally take hours and hours on the stove can be done in 45 minutes in the pressure cooker. The result is almost the same.
Slow Cooker Recipes
Slow cookers, the best of all-time “set it and forget it” appliance is best for the busy household that is out working, schooling or sporting all day and still wants a hot meal at dinner time. The appliance works by simmering food at a low temperature over many hours, and typically produces evenly cooked or tenderized dishes with lots of flavor. The slow cooker is what we reach for when we want to make our favorite Mississippi Roast or BBQ pulled pork, but we also love it for simpler soups, dips and taco night.
Slow Cooker Tips
- Sear before the slow cook: Obviously the dump and leave method is the easiest, but adding the quick extra step of searing/browning meat before throwing it in the pot will yield a better flavor.
- Wait a day: If you have time, slow cooker recipes often make for the best leftovers. Dishes like soups, stews and chilis — some of the slow cooker hits — benefit from some extra time in the fridge to let the flavors marry. So if you can plan a day in advance, you won’t be mad about the result.
- Keep the lid closed: As tempting as it is to peek at, stir or mess with the contents of your cooker, you let steam release every time you remove the lid. Keep lid lifting to a minimum to lock in the heat.
Air Fryer Recipe
Undoubtedly the most recent small-appliance darling of the kitchen, it’s hard not to fall for the air fryer. Though it basically does the same work as the convection oven by circulating hot air around the food, something about the small countertop appliance seems to produce even crispier french fries, more caramelized roasted vegetables and even juicier whole chickens and meat. Plus, it’s unbelievably fast, often cooking full meals in less time than it takes to preheat your regular oven.
Air Fryer Tips
- Don’t over oil: The best thing about air fryers is that they require very little oil or cooking spray. Adding too much won’t help the end result, but it will get messier.
- Love those liners: If you can find parchment or foil liners to fit your air fryer, they are well worth using. The thin sheets don’t affect the outcome, but they make the appliance so much easier to clean at the end.
- Use your eyes: Every air fryer is different, and so times and temperatures may not be totally accurate. Use presets and written recipes as guidelines when it comes to timing, but make sure you watch the food so it cooks to your liking.
