Has a COVID made this kitchen appliance obsolete?

This kitchen appliance might have been a kitchen essential, but have home cooks recently ditched it?

What is your hardest working kitchen appliance? For many home cooks, they might have a routine. But, given the uncertain COVID world, that routine has been changing. One food trend might have become obsolete.

Many home cooks have favorite kitchen gadgets and recipes. It isn’t necessarily that home cooking becomes routine, but some recipes are easy. Other dishes are family favorites. Often, those favorite foods are a result of cooking in a particular kitchen appliance. But, one super popular kitchen gadget seems to be collecting dust recently.

Like many people, the Instapot has become the go-to kitchen appliance. People loved the convenience, ease of cooking and quick method of getting dinner on the table. In a way, it was the modern one pot meal.

While the slow cooker was a kitchen essential, some people didn’t like the idea of setting it and forgetting it. The idea of leaving a kitchen appliance on all day long, no longer held an appeal. Additionally, some people felt that that cooking method reduced the recipes available.

The rise of the Instapot replaced the slow cooker. From recipe sites to cookbooks, everyone had their favorite, must have Instapot recipes. It became a cooking and food trend. Who wasn’t talking about the Instapot?

Like all the ebb and flow of all food trends, it seems that the Instapot is now collecting dust on the kitchen counter. According to Chicory’s shoppable recipe network, the recipe searches for Instapot recipes have dramatically decreased in the past six months. After surging for two years, it seems that the idea of set it and forget just might be over.

Reviewing the data, it seems that home cooks are looking beyond the quick fix in the kitchen. Whether it is the extra time from being home, a desire to embrace cooking or something else, it seems that the Instapot recipes have been replaced with other food recipe alternatives.

Even as more and more people explore cooking, flavors and food in general, there is a desire for recipes, just not these types of recipes. It seems that home cooks are looking to recreate that chef meal, bake some bread or recreate a favorite restaurant dish. Unfortunately, those dishes are not often made in a set it and forget it method.

Could the Instapot make a big comeback? Most likely the answer is yes. As people return to a busier lifestyle, they may not have the time to cook those complicated dishes. The Instapot will be dusted off and the food trend will return. It is best not to donate that kitchen appliance anytime soon. Home cooks will want that quick fix, convenient meal yet again.

Are you still using your Instapot? Has your cooking habits changed because of COVID?