In December 2015, the Instant Pot DUO60 had already become a quiet workhorse in many paleo kitchens. The promise of a single appliance that could pressure cook, slow cook, sauté, and steam — all with a stainless steel inner pot — appealed to anyone trying to simplify meal prep while avoiding non-stick coatings and plastic components. For those following elimination diets like the autoimmune protocol, the Instant Pot offered something more: a way to turn tough cuts of meat, fibrous vegetables, and bones into tender, digestible meals in a fraction of the usual time. But what exactly did the early adoption of this device teach us about paleo cooking and digestive comfort? Let’s look back at the practical lessons that still hold up today.
Why the Instant Pot Fit the Paleo Philosophy
The core of a paleo template is whole, nutrient-dense foods prepared in ways that maximize bioavailability. Pressure cooking aligns with that goal by breaking down connective tissue in meat, softening fibrous stems and leaves, and reducing cooking time for legumes (for those who reintroduce them) while lowering certain anti-nutrients like lectins and phytates. The Instant Pot, specifically, gained traction because it replaced multiple gadgets — a slow cooker, a rice cooker, a steamer, and sometimes a yogurt maker — without introducing non-stick surfaces or plastic-lined lids. The stainless steel insert was easy to clean and didn’t leach chemicals into food, a concern many in the paleo community already had about older pressure cookers with aluminum pots.
Bone Broth in Two Hours: A Real Shift
Before the Instant Pot became common, making bone broth on a paleo diet meant simmering bones for 12 to 48 hours on the stovetop or in a slow cooker. That required planning, attention, and a lot of energy. The Instant Pot cut that time to about 2 hours for chicken bones and 3–4 hours for beef bones, while still extracting gelatin, collagen, and minerals. For someone on an elimination diet who needed broth as a base for soups, stews, and sipping, this was transformative. However, the speed also raised a question that later discussions — such as the one in our earlier post about bone broth and gelatin being a double-edged sword for digestion — highlighted: rapid pressure cooking can produce a broth that is very high in gelatin and free glutamates, which may trigger bloating or histamine reactions in sensitive individuals. The lesson was not to abandon the Instant Pot, but to adjust: use shorter cooking cycles, strain immediately, and freeze portions to control histamine buildup.
Batch Cooking for Elimination Diets
Anyone who has followed a strict elimination protocol like the AIP knows that the hardest part is not the food itself, but the constant cooking and cleaning. The Instant Pot made batch cooking far more manageable. A single afternoon could yield:
- Pressure-cooked sweet potatoes (15 minutes) for a quick side dish
- Shredded chicken breast (10 minutes, natural release) to use in salads or lettuce wraps
- A large batch of caramelized onions (sauté function, then pressure cook) to add flavor without nightshades or oil
- Steamed broccoli or cauliflower (0 minutes at pressure, quick release) for a gentle, easily digestible vegetable
This kind of workflow allowed people to stock the fridge with compliant ingredients and assemble meals in minutes — crucial when energy levels or digestive symptoms made elaborate cooking impossible.
Steaming and Digestive Comfort
Steaming is one of the most gut-friendly cooking methods. It preserves water-soluble vitamins, softens fiber without leaching it into cooking water, and avoids the formation of advanced glycation end products (AGEs) that come from high-heat dry cooking. The Instant Pot’s steam function was a revelation for those who needed to reintroduce vegetables after a period of strict elimination. For example, steamed carrots, zucchini, and green beans could be tested one at a time, in small portions, without the added variable of oil or seasoning. The consistent temperature and short cooking time also helped people with histamine intolerance, because there was less time for spoilage bacteria to grow compared to slow-cooked meals that sat at warm temperatures for hours.
Practical Tips from the 2015 Community
Looking back at forum threads and blog comments from late 2015, several recurring pieces of advice emerged that are still useful today:
- Always use the natural release for meat. Quick release can make tough cuts seize up again. Letting the pressure come down on its own (10–20 minutes) kept pork shoulder and beef chuck tender.
- Watch the liquid-to-food ratio. The Instant Pot needs at least one cup of liquid to come to pressure, but too much can dilute flavors and leach minerals. For bone broth, about 4 cups of water per pound of bones worked well.
- Cook grains and legumes separately if reintroducing. Even though the Instant Pot can cook rice and beans quickly, cross-contamination with meat juices is a concern during elimination. Use a separate stainless steel inner pot or clean thoroughly between batches.
- Don’t rely on the “porridge” setting for delicate vegetables. The high heat can turn broccoli into mush. Use the steam rack and set the timer to zero minutes for crisp-tender results.
The Instant Pot and the Reintroduction Phase
One of the most valuable uses of the Instant Pot during a structured elimination diet is in the reintroduction phase. When you are systematically adding foods back — following a protocol like the one described in Heal Clear: A Step-by-Step Food Sensitivity Protocol That Actually Works — you want to test each food in its simplest form. The Instant Pot makes it easy to prepare a single ingredient without oils, spices, or other variables. For example, testing white rice: pressure cook ½ cup of rice with 1 cup of water for 3 minutes, then let it rest. Testing lentils: cook with water and a pinch of salt, then observe symptoms. The appliance’s consistency removes guesswork from the process.
What the Instant Pot Does Not Solve
It is tempting to think that a gadget will fix all the challenges of a paleo or elimination diet, but the 2015 experience made it clear that the Instant Pot is a tool, not a cure. It cannot compensate for poor-quality ingredients — using bones from conventionally raised animals or vegetables sprayed with pesticides still introduces compounds that some people react to. It cannot override the need for proper meal spacing, mindful eating, or stress management. And it does not replace the guidance of a healthcare provider when digestive symptoms persist. The best results came from people who used the Instant Pot to support a whole-foods template, not to shortcut it.
One Last Detail from 2015
In a comment thread from early December 2015, a reader noted that she had been using her Instant Pot to make “AIP-friendly chicken soup” every Sunday for three months. She reported that her bloating decreased not because of the device itself, but because she was finally able to cook and eat consistently without resorting to takeout or processed snacks. That observation captures the real value: the Instant Pot lowered the barrier to home cooking, which in turn made it easier to stick with an elimination diet long enough to see results. When you set your own pot to cook tonight, consider keeping a simple log of what you made and how you felt afterward — that kind of data is far more useful than any appliance feature.
