The Best Kitchen Appliance To Use When You Need Hot Appetizers Quickly

Sometimes you're just short on time. Maybe your guests dropped by last minute, or maybe you got caught up cooking the mains, but no matter the reason, don't let forgetting the appetizers be one of the dinner party mistakes that ruins the evening. It's really just a case of putting out something quick and warm for everyone to pick at while they have a drink, and it turns out, your Instant Pot can actually be a pretty useful fallback when you're in a pinch. It doesn't necessarily do anything especially clever, but because it skips a few of the usual slower steps (you don't need to preheat the oven or hover over a pan), it's particularly handy for getting smaller dishes out fast.

The ways in which it will be especially useful are for making the kind of appetizers where temperature matters more than texture — think dips, melted cheese dishes, and soft snacks as opposed to anything crispy and crunchy. The Instant Pot actually does these kinds of dishes very well because with its pressure cooking function, the steam stays in. That way, there's no risk of them getting dried out. Your Instant Pot also kind of simplifies the cooking process by keeping the whole process in one place — which, when you're making multiple things at once, is a convenience that is everything.

As mentioned, to really save the most time when using your Instant Pot, you want to make things that are melty, saucy, and cheesy. Dips are the most clear fit here. Think cheesy spinach and artichoke or Buffalo chicken, the kinds of dips where you can actually shred and cook all the ingredients directly in the same pot so the flavors meld together, too. Not only will it taste amazing, but you're going to save yourself a lot of time in terms of prep and cleaning up later. Plus, there's no risk of burning or overcooking your dip by trying to reheat it on the stovetop.

You can even make burgers in an Instant Pot, so mini sliders could be an excellent appetizer idea for your next dinner party. Simply pop some foil-wrapped patties onto the steamer rack and within 10 minutes they'll be ready to get loaded into mini burger buns with whatever toppings you prefer. 

The only tradeoff when it comes to Instant Pot apps is texture, because pressure cooking is just not able to give you a good crunch or flaky layers. So for any appetizers that rely on those qualities (like puff pastry bites, jalapeño poppers, or pepperoni pizza-inspired mozzarella sticks) they would still do better in an oven or air fryer. But overall, this Instant Pot hack is one you'll be glad to have on hand when time is of the essence.