In parenting we have lots of debates. Formula vs. breast fed, cloth vs. disposable diapers, vax vs. non-vax, but I have never come across a more heated debate than that running through the “mommy” community of Crock-Pot vs. Instant Pot. These moms are passionate about their sides too, so which one are you on?
note: this post contains affiliate links.
Crock-Pot
Personally, I’m firmly in Team Crock-Pot. I’m old school. What can I say? I’ll break down the pros and cons for you in a sec, but my own personal pro? I can get dinner prepped and ready before lunch and my evening is free to binge Netflix shows instead of chop onions… So that’s what wins it for me!
Crock-Pot Pros:
- Prep the night before or morning of when you will be cooking your meal.
- Easy – literally drop your food in, cover and hit one or two buttons to tell it high or low and how long.
- Timeless – my grandmother swore by her crock-pot and so do I. You don’t cross granny. You just don’t.
- Set and forget. Set the time on the crock-pot and your evening is free to make playdough with the kids or something for yourself!
- Clean up is a breeze with these easy to use crock-pot liners.
Crock-Pot Cons:
- If you don’t use the liners, it’s not fun to clean.
- Cooking takes all day, or at least 4 hours.
- Sometimes food can dry out while cooking if the heat is too high or time is too long.
Recipes
Here are a few of our favorite Crock-Pot recipes!
- Just is a Four Letter Word – From My Kitchen To Yours
- ColoradoMoms – Mommy Crack – Carolina Pulled Pork
- Home Ec 101 – Sticky Chicken
- Sippy Cup Mom – Overnight Breakfast Casserole
- Clarissa Explains it All – Italian Sausage Creamy Tortellini Soup
- Nerd Mom – Crock Pot Ribs
To purchase a crock-pot, we recommend the 6-Quart Programmable Cook and Carry Oval Slow Cooker by Crock-Pot on Amazon, with prime shipping! If you are looking for a fancier one, try the Cadillac of Crock-Pots – Crock-Pot Wemo Wifi Enabled Slow Cooker. And don’t forget your liners!
Now… It’s the Instant Pot’s turn.
Instant Pot
Our writer Laura has moved over to the dark side and is Team Instant Pot. She recently purchased one and already has been coming up with some pretty amazing recipes.
Instant Pot Pros:
- FAST. You can cook full meals in lightning quick times. This is great if you have lots of evening activities and not much time to cook.
- Cooks from frozen. Yup, you read that right. You can put your frozen chicken in, push a few buttons and presto chango, cooks perfectly well done in record time.
- Tender meat. Because of the quick cooking time, meat doesn’t have the time to dry out and is moist and tender.
- Lots of functions. The Instant Pot cooks rice, makes yogurt, cooks full meals and more.
Instant Pot Cons:
- You can’t set and forget. It’s a pressure cooker, so it should be monitored to make sure everything is working properly.
- Too many functions – some users have reported that it’s too confusing to cook beyond basic meals.
- Old School – While some argue slow cookers are old school, others say pressure cookers are and remind them of the stove top cookers of the past.
Recipes
Here are a few of our favorite Instant Pot recipes!
- ColoradoMoms – 19 Instant Pot Recipes
- Peace but not Quiet – Chocolate Oatmeal
- Dude That’s Dope – Instant Pot Carnitas (she, and all my friends, RAVE about this recipe!!)
- More Than Thursdays – Instant Pot Sausage & Peppers Pasta
- The Typical Mom – 5 Minute Chili Mac Recipe
- Honestly & Truly – Instant Pot Spanish Rice
To purchase an Instant Pot we recommend the Instant Pot 7-in-1 Multi-Functional 6 Quart Pressure Cooker from Amazon. It has free prime shipping!
So there you have it. Which one does your family love? Do you have slow cooker or pressure cooker recipes you love? Link us in the comments!
disclosure: this post contains affiliate links.
