Last year I bought an Instapot. I was successfully convinced that these kitchen appliances were worth every penny and would save me a ton of time. However, after trying it out, I wasn’t really sold on the “save me a ton of time” angle. As it turns out, the prep time for meals is the same whether you are using an Instapot or a Slow Cooker. So I decided to try an experiment using both appliances side-by-side with the same recipe. The intent of this experiment was to determine if one appliance really was better than the other – and ultimately – should I get rid of one? After all, I’m always looking for ways to simplify.
I found a recipe for pork carnitas at allrecipes.com that looked like a great basis for my experiment – mainly because I love tacos and that seemed like a great excuse to enjoy them! In fact, I invited my adult children over and we had a side-by-side taste-off to decide which version of the tacos were best.
The end result – the carnitas from the Instapot was slightly better than the crockpot. When comparing them directly side-by-side, the meat from the Instapot version held onto the juices a bit more, providing more flavor in each bite. I also noted that the Instapot created a bit of the crispy texture on the ends of the meat which added to a better overall result. However, these differences were not significant by any means and for this reason, I would recommend this recipe using either technique.
Another important ingredient to pay attention to is the toppings. These make a huge difference in the end result of your tacos. I tend to love adding just a few simple but flavorful additions such as pico de gallo and cilantro. My kids, however, don’t feel a taco is complete unless it has been smothered with salsa and cilantro lime crema. Both options are good – go with your passion!
So back to my initial question…is one appliance really was better than the other – and ultimately – should I get rid of one?
I decided to keep both, simply because I like the flexibility they deliver. If I want to come home to a completed meal I can use the slow cooker – on the other hand – if I want to sleep in and fix a quick meal after I get home from work then I use the Instapot. Seems like a win-win to me!
