The branded/boxed food is cheap and predictable. Your "simple as" process is three times as much work and five times as many ingredients and likely more expensive. After a long day assembling F150s or getting screamed at about how hot or cold some coffee is working class Americans just want to fill their stomachs and pass out. People don't want to figure out what kind of cheese to melt. They aren't delighted by a new kind of noodle. Modern electric pressure cookers are... modern, I didn't even know these things existed five years ago. People have their habits. These specialty appliances are also expensive. They also require a lot more cleanup than a single pot.
Electric pressure cookers require less cleanup and effort than 'traditional' cooking. Just clean the pot and wipe down the lid.
You don't need to monitor the progress of boiling, you just pre-set the timer. The food comes out perfectly cooked and ready to eat.
In the recipe I described above, you can cook everything in one pot - just add olive oil and the chicken in the bottom - it is not even necessary to cut up the chicken.
I am a bachelor and cook almost 100% of my meals using a pressure cooker now. I rarely order takeout, it is so convenient.
> Electric pressure cookers require less cleanup and effort than 'traditional' cooking.
I own one, I use it all the time. This is false. I have to remove the seal, disassemble a valve and remove some components. A pot for mac and cheese just gets tossed in the dishwasher.
This is especially false when you want to grate cheese (now I have to clean a cheese grater).
Electric pressure cookers do not reduce the cleanup or prep at all. It replaces one pot, everything else is the same.
Compare this to boil water, dump in a box contents, wait a few minutes. Clean ONE pot and ONE spoon.
I haven't had to clean the pressure cooker the way you describe (the seal and valve) until my wife used the cooker and didn't know that you can't fill it up too much or it will spew hot liquid through the vent when you turn it from "sealed" to "vent". I had used the cooker for over a year with only popping the pot in the washer (and because it doesn't have handles, it fits in the washer).
My oven and range do not have a timer. It's beautifully simple. Also, I buy grated cheese to avoid cleanup. That's one of my extragavances.
Instant Pot has been too much work in my opinion, but sous vide has been a lifesaver. Easy prep, easy cleanup, large margins of error on cooking time if you want to eat in 1-4 hours etc
I love my sous vide but if you want to get the Maillard reaction (the thing that causes your food to brown and gain umami) you need to still fry or grill your food. Ends up with extra dishes, albeit totally worth it.
YES! My kids do this themselves (our micro is mounted at waist height and easy for kids to access). They use microwave all the time to reheat leftover dinner for lunch too. Heh - my school-at-home kids are a lot like my coworkers in the office.
