We love the Instant Pot for pressure cooking, but what about that saute button? Does it work as well as stovetop sauteing?
The Instant Pot is one of our favorite kitchen gadgets. It feels like it combines the powers of a slow cooker and pressure cooker in one appliance—absolute genius! But I have to admit, I wonder about how to use the Instant Pot’s many functions, especially the saute option since it seems to be so useful (no offense to the porridge button!). To find out if the Instant Pot can hold its own when it comes to sauteing, I checked in with our Test Kitchen to get the skinny.
How the Instant Pot Saute Function Works
Looking at the Instant Pot, I understand that it’s built perfectly for pressure cooking, making rice and even making yogurt. But how could a deep pot like that possibly work that well for sauteing veggies and meats?
Well, it turns out that getting the most out of your Instant Pot involves sauteing your ingredients. Test Kitchen food stylist Shannon Roum showed me that all there is to getting this multitasking appliance ready to saute is to select that button on the machine as well as your desired temperature (low, medium or high). After coming to a temperature, Shannon placed a few chicken thighs skin side down in the bottom of the pot, and after a few minutes, the chicken had a great sear and nice crispy skin. I was a believer.
But to really put me over the edge, she walked me through the rest of the pressure-cooker chicken thighs in wine sauce recipe, and demonstrated how well the Instant Pot worked for sauteing its mushrooms as well. They looked just as they would if you made them on the cooktop. After this tasty experiment, it’s safe to say that yes, the Instant Pot saute function works.
The Advantages of Sauteing in an Instant Pot
I was skeptical of how useful sauteing in the appliance would be. Was it that much better than just working on the stove? Well, Shannon explained that there are some reasons you might want to use the Instant Pot instead of sauteing on the stove.
First and foremost, the Instant Pot helps to avoid creating extra kitchen mess. If you’re only using the Instant Pot, you won’t have to dirty up a frying pan. And you’ll be saved from having to clean grease off common kitchen surfaces, as Shannon noted that the pot’s high sides help to keep any oil splatter contained. Finally, when you cook in a single pan, you’re able to maintain a lot of flavor. “You get to keep all those crispy brown bits from the bottom of the pan,” she said. Those bits are called fond, and they’re absolutely packed with flavor.
The Drawbacks to the Instant Pot Saute Function
Of course, there are a few cons to using this appliance for all your cooking needs. Shannon immediately pointed out that the Instant Pot cooking surface is much smaller than most cast-iron skillets or other pans. That means that you’ll likely have to work in batches, as Shannon reminded me that crowding a pan prevents you from getting proper browning.
Another drawback to sauteing in the Instant Pot is that the heat isn’t quite as variable as your traditional stovetop. With the Instant Pot, you get a choice between low, medium and high. This likely won’t cause any problems in your favorite pressure cooker recipes, but it’s a notable difference between sauteing in a pan and in the Instant Pot.
In the end, I’m just happy to learn that the Instant Pot has yet another super useful function! Now, I’m going to embrace this multitasking appliance to make the best Instant Pot recipes.
