Prime Day is almost here and I want to help you make the right choice on your new multi-cooker! I get so many questions about what my favorite appliances are and I’m constantly asked about the difference between an Instant Pot and the Mealthy Multipot. To be fair and honest, I own both. The Instant Pot (IP) was the original trendsetter, but the Mealthy Multipot refined and improved what a multi-pressure cooker should be. Let’s look at the differences.
6 quart Mealthy Multipot at $99.95
9 “appliances” in 1
14 easy touch programs: Poultry, Meat/Stew, Bean/Chili, Soup, Sauté/Simmer, Cake, Rice, Multigrain, Porridge, Steam, Slow Cook, Keep Warm, Yogurt, and Pressure Cook.
Progress Indicator: Tells you where the machine is in the cooking process and if the machine is close to coming to pressure.
Accessories - It comes with an extra silicone gasket, silicone mitts, steamer basket, 4cm-raised steam rack/trivet, ladle, rice paddle, and a measuring cup!
Cheat Sheet and a visual guide on how to use the machine, recipe app, and excellent customer service.
They really thought of everything here and what I love most about the Mealthy Multipot is the progress indicator. SO many times when I’m cooking in the IP, it’s a huge guessing game and I’m never really sure where it’s at in the cooking process until the timer goes off. Sometimes, it could take up to 20 minutes to come up to pressure, and my family is hungry / cranky that they have to wait another so minute until it finishes cooking. For the Mealthy Multipot, it does take time to come to pressure as well, but I think it comes to pressure faster and I can give them a better sense of when to expect dinner. They’re an impatient bunch. :)
Now let’s talk about the Instant Pot -
Instant Pot has several models, but we’ll look at the 6 quart sold at 99.95 to compare apples to apples.
7-in-1 Multi-Functional Cooker--Pressure Cooker, Slow Cooker, Rice Cooker, Saute/Browning, Yogurt Maker, Steamer & Warmer
Include 3-ply bottom stainless steel cooking pot, stainless steel steam rack with handle & manual and recipes in English and French
I’ll point out the obvious difference - there’s only 7in1 functions vs. 9 in1 for the Mealthy MultiPot and it comes with fewer accessories.. We’ll get to that later. When I first got my Instant Pot, I had no idea how to use it. Having a sister who called herself an expert on it, I asked her for help. The button menu on the machine was not intuitive and I didn’t have a great cheat sheet to refer to when cooking with it. It did the job, but it was just another appliance that helped me cook things fast. It came with a steam rack that was always too short and my steamer would touch the water. I could only add about a cup and wondered if that was enough to steam everything. Finding a steamer that fit into the Instant Pot was another ordeal. I have one of those flowering steamers and since it had “feet”, it never fit onto the steam rack quite right. I had to re-measure the water to make sure my food didn’t touch the water at the bottom. That alone was frustrating enough! I did use it to make yogurt and enjoyed that function. But several things were missing like ALL the other accessories. If I cooked Carnitas in it yesterday and wanted to make yogurt today, my silicon ring always had the leftover smell of cumin. I didn’t have an extra silicon gasket ring to use specifically for yogurt or desserts.
Which brings me to why my point and why I wholeheartedly recommend the Mealthy Multipot. It’s easier to use, you get more bang for your buck, there was more thought into the design, and the progress indicator really makes your life easier! It’s those little details that makes all the difference. Mealthy also has top notch customer service, so if you ever have any issues or questions about the machine, they will answer immediately and know exactly how to help you!
Soups are one of my favorite things to cook in the Mealthy Multipot and here is my Chicken Tortilla Soup recipe for you to try!
Chicken Tortilla Soup
Serves 4-6
1 tbsp olive oil
1 cup onion, diced
3 cloves garlic
1 tbsp chili powder
1 tsp cumin
1 tsp smoked paprika
1/2 tsp dried mexican oregano
1 tsp kosher salt
2-3 large chicken breasts
1 can black bean, drained and rinsed
1 cup frozen corn
1 28 oz can fire roasted tomatoes
4 cups chicken broth (low sodium)
1 tbsp cilantro
In the Mealthy Multipot, hit the saute button and wait until it reads “hot”. Add olive oil and onions, and cook for 3-5 minutes until onions are translucent and golden brown.
Add garlic, chili powder, smoked paprika, mexican oregano, salt and mix well.
Add fire roasted tomatoes, mix, then place the chicken breasts directly on top.
Pour black beans, frozen corn, and cilantro over the chicken
Add Chicken broth (you can add another cup if you like your soup on the watery side).
Close the lid, press the soup button and change the timer to 5 minutes.
Once the timer goes off, let the machine naturally release pressure for 10 minutes. *If the pop up nozzle is still up, turn the dial to vent to fully release.
Ladle the soup and top with following ingredients. Enjoy!
Toppings (optional):
Tortilla strips
Sour Cream
Avocado
Cilantro
Lime wedge
