Robert Wang has a simple goal: "an Instant Pot in every kitchen." And CBC reports the Canadian inventor is poised to make significant strides toward that goal this Black Friday. Wang invented the Instant Pot in 2008 after getting laid off from his software engineering job, according to NBC News. The device is essentially an electric pressure cooker that also serves as a rice cooker, steamer, slow cooker, and more. It has sensors to prevent burning and make sure everything's cooking properly and Bluetooth for remote monitoring. Now, seven years after the Instant Pot hit the market, Wang has a legitimate phenomenon on his hands, selling nearly 250,000 units on Amazon's Prime Day. "To sell 250,000 units in 24 hours is close to a miracle," Wang tells CBC. "It's like that saying about when the time for an idea has arrived, nothing can stop it."
And the Instant Pot's popularity is still growing. It's predicted it will be Amazon's biggest seller during the company's Black Friday sales event in the US and Canada this week. Wang thinks he'll move 500,000 units on Amazon alone. He chalks the Instant Pot's popularity up to people's growing desire to make healthy, home-cooked food while avoiding fast food—and because "everything is better with Bluetooth." The Inquirer states the Instant Pot's biggest innovation is "taking the fear out of pressure-cooking." Whatever the reason for its popularity, Instant Pot owners are fanatical. The Instant Pot community on Facebook has 750,000 members, and a chef who teaches an Instant Pot cooking class describes some fans as "cult-like worshippers." But they probably said the same thing about all those people buying Tickle-Me Elmos. (More Black Friday stories.)
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