Foodie influencers the world over are raving about a new kitchen gadget.

The Instant Pot has been popping up on all our favourite food blogs and Instagram accounts, gaining a cult following of fans who can no longer live without it... but what exactly does it do? Well; we've done our research and we can confirm: it's pretty brilliant. Essentially it's seven gadgets in one: a multi-functional cooker, pressure cooker, slow cooker, rice cooker, yogurt maker, steamer and warmer. This means that you can use it make your overnight oats, your breakfast eggs, your lunchtime soup and your pulled pork dinner. You can even sauté and warm food in it, meaning you don't need to swap appliances to finish a recipe. A big stainless steel pot, the Instant Pot can be left on the counter top for everyday use and it's ideal if your busy schedule doesn't leave much time for faffing about in the kitchen; cooking with the high pressure reduces cooking time by up to 70% and the low pressure avoids overcooking delicate food. You can even pop the ingredients in an time them to cook an hour before you arrive home. While early adopters admit the instructions and control panel can be a little intimidating at first, they all promise it gets easier with continued use and there's a popular Facebook group (with more than 400,000 members), as well as various cookbooks (Paleo, low-carb, cheat meals...) to help you on your merry way. Fans recommend starting off with eggs (boiled or poached)...

A post shared by Alyssa M. Lindburg (@lyssalindburg) on Mar 20, 2017 at 1:53pm PDT

Then attempting veggie soups and stocks...

A post shared by My Chouchoux (@mychouchoux) on Mar 22, 2017 at 6:08pm PDT

Before trying a stew...

A post shared by Lindsay Ostrom (@pinchofyum) on Mar 20, 2017 at 6:49pm PDT

Baked sweet potatoes...

A post shared by Reese Nicole Brown (@themsantisocial) on Mar 22, 2017 at 8:17am PDT

Quick-cooked black beans...

A post shared by Si Foster • Abountifulkitchen (@abountifulkitchen) on Mar 22, 2017 at 9:26am PDT

And tasty curries and casseroles...

A post shared by Srividhya @ VidhyasVegKitchen (@srividhya17) on Mar 21, 2017 at 8:55pm PDT

It's also great for healthy salads; quick cook some beetroot to add to a feta salad with balsamic dressing...

A post shared by Cook with Chef Traci (@cookwithcheftraci) on Mar 22, 2017 at 4:50pm PDT

And even a Friday lasagne!

A post shared by NIN / Plant-based / Thai ? SG (@ninlacroix) on Mar 22, 2017 at 5:50am PDT

Intrigued? You can buy an Instant Pot for around the same price as a microwave (€133) on Amazon.