Why Carla Hall Loves Cooking With An Instant Pot

An Instant Pot is one of those revolutionary kitchen tools that can do it all — and fast. This 7-in-1 unit is perfect for those busy nights when you want something easy and quick to make. This game-chancing appliance can pressure-cook your food, warm it up, and even works as a crockpot for dishes like tender pork tenderloin, which cooks much quicker than traditional devices can. The Instant Pot is also perfect for cooking fluffy rice and making creamy yogurt.

The electrical appliance creates steam inside the pot, generating built-up pressure that becomes the perfect vessel for cooking entrees like white chicken chili. This is probably part of why so many people, including celebrity chef Carla Hall, love using this clever tool when cooking. The "Top Chef" alum is known for whipping up soul food like tomato pie with garlic bread crust and decadent sweet potato pudding with clementines. But sometimes, these flavorful dishes can take hours to create, which is where Hall's Instant Pot comes into play.

Hall tells Refinery 29 she enjoys using an Instant Pot because of its speed and that it takes up less space than other kitchen appliances, which especially comes in handy when the cookbook author needs additional space for prepping and cooking large holiday meals. Hall shares that the Instant Pot works like a pressure cooker but is electric: While the two devices are similar, a pressure cooker is less user-friendly and even runs the risk of explosion if overfilled or misused. On the other hand, an Instant Pot has more safety features that make it easier to use and less likely you'll get in a serious accident.

She also likes using it to sauté her meat and vegetables and using the quick-release method for steaming food. The quick-release is perfect for when you're worried about over-cooking meals because it lets out the steam in a slow and controlled way that's ideal for more delicate items like carrots or cauliflower. The famous chef also likes that the Instant Pot produces robust flavor in less time, like when she's cooking her mouthwatering gumbo stew that typically takes hours to make versus under an hour with the appliance (via Good Morning America). You can check out our Instant Pot gumbo recipe to try your hand at the dish.