Naturally, when it comes to cooking at home, you can’t go wrong with adding some kitchen tech like the critically acclaimed Instant Pot to your life. Tap or click here to buy it, along with 24 other must-have kitchen gadgets. As fun and flexible as the Instant Pot can be for any home kitchen, this top-selling item holds a little-known secret: It’s perfect for sanitizing the face masks you wear. Finally, there’s a proven way to keep your masks germ free using a handy kitchen tool that millions of Americans already have. Here’s how.
How to clean your masks using your Instant Pot
The Instant Pot is a pressure cooker that uses steam and pressure to give your meals heat without skimping on flavor. With one of these gadgets, it’s easy to make tasty veggie plates, fall-off-the-bone meats and mouthwatering stews in minutes. But the way that Instant Pot cooks is also perfect for eliminating germs on face masks like the N95, which is one of the safest and most popular masks you can buy. A team from the University of Illinois found that pressure cookers, which are capable of maintaining a high temperature for long periods of time, are able to decontaminate multiple N95 masks at once from the inside-out. This is especially important considering that UV-light has been the preferred option, with other methods usually destroying the masks. This video illustrates how it can be done from the comfort of your own home. Pretty cool right? Well, believe it or not, there’s quite a bit of science behind this unusual discovery. By maintaining a temperature of around 212 degrees Fahrenheit for 50 minutes, Instant Pot kills four different classes of virus (including the coronavirus that causes COVID-19). The fact that you can clean multiple masks at once also means that it’s more effective than UV-light treatment. What’s more, the respirators were able to keep their filtration capacity too! The masks are still good to filter out 95% of particles and keep their fit without warping even after 20 cycles in the pressure cooker. If you haven’t bought an Instant Pot yet, now’s the perfect time.
Bonus: Other uses for your Instant Pot that you’ll love
You might not have thought that Instant Pot was something you could “hack,” but leave it to the creative geniuses of the internet to come up with these awesome accessories you can pick up for your very own Instant Pot at home. This Instant Pot Air Fryer lid turns your favorite pressure cooker into an easy-to-use fryer that will deep fry your food in a much healthier way than traditional methods using oil. Pressure cookers don’t just cook food either. They can also dehydrate them too! This dehydrating rack from Goldlion fits perfectly in your Instant Pot and will let you create delicious dry treats like jerky, chips and more. And for the chef who wants it all, this accessory pack from Aiduy includes a range of kitchen gadgets that all work in-sync with your Instant Pot. In one package, you’ll get steamer baskets, an egg steamer, egg beaters and more. Using wood in cooking can help impart subtle flavors that really bring out the best in your dishes. These bamboo inserts from Yuho Asian Kitchen are perfect for crafting Asian-inspired meals, and won’t warp or wear out from use inside your Instant Pot. Looking for even more gadgets to compliment your Instant Pot? Tap or click here to see our favorites. By clicking our links, you’re supporting our research, as we may earn a very small commission. Recommendations are not part of any business incentives.
