Instant Pot - Questions, Techiniques & Results

https://www.thekitchn.com/i-tried-the-instant-pot-and-heres-what-i-really-think-about-it-8-months-later-226178

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Let me ask. Time is NO issue for me. We’re retired. I have a slow cooker which I use a few times a year. Sounds like the instant pot wouldn’t give me anything in particular. ???

The Instant Pot does much more than a slow cooker, even if time was not an issue.

That said, unless you’re dead, time is always an issue for everyone.

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So, no, time is rarely an issue. I use my slow cooker for the results. I use it a few times a year. I’m not dead. Far from it.

My friend cooked for me tonight . She said she could not cook at all. Cooked her mom’s recipe , chicken thighs in a oven bag. Way better than my braised chicken. I am moving on to a instant pot. I believe, my cooking world has been rocked.

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Alright, E. Talk to me more about this. I can make room for something. You’re one of my heroes!

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That’s how I felt after using it the first couple of times. Short ribs and soups that I would usually spend all day on…are now ready and perfect in less than an hour. It’s like magic!

Do your research and make your own decisions. What anyone says here is to be taken with a grain of salt. @robert was kind enough to suggest it to me when I was on the market for a new tool. After some notes from him and independent research, I made the decision to purchase one for myself. It’s no one’s job on this forum to convince you in any manner whatsoever.

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Edit

Because of all the recommendation on the board we bought an Instant Pot. Got rid of our high priced Japanese rice cooker and haven’t used our slow cooker since. Besides the time convenience, which is not trivial to most people, this thing actually makes great flavorful food. The only down side is that you cannot get a good crust or brown any meats but that is not different than a slow cooker. I don’t think I’m brave enough to use the yogurt maker function.

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Well, golly gee, who put you in charge of what’s right or wrong to discuss? Back in the glory days of CH no subject was too small to discuss in great detail. And when one was tired of the discussion you simply stopped reading. I value Emglow’s input so when he speaks up I pay attention.

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We are simply talking about a product we’ve discovered and sharing techniques and ideas. You can clearly see previous posts and the things that some folks have said. @ipsedixit even posted an article. There are currently tons of articles about Instant Pot’s current popularity.
I’m not the one hemming and hawing over the fact that I’m not convinced that Instant Pot is good enough for me. None of us need to convince you of anything. It’s not our job to do so. That’s the impression you give.

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@js76wisco I’m not entirely sure what you mean by browning…I’ve been able to sear short ribs and beef for soups using the sauté function with much success. I reserve the meat while I toss in the vegetables and wine so I can scrape up all the bits on the bottom of the pan before tossing the meat and juices back in and putting the lid back on and setting it to high pressure to finish cooking.

Well, when ipse says that of course time matters to everyone it gives me pause. I honestly don’t believe that. When I have plenty of time, my menu sometimes shows that. When I don’t, the same. But that means I may do more complicated dishes/menus not ones that take longer to cook. Also there are only two of us, so the ability to make a batch of something is less than for some. I’ve probably used my slow cooker once in the last year and that was for a Rick Bayless recipe. My rice cooker gets lots of use but only takes 20 minutes. My pressure cooker hasn’t been used in eons. So that’s some of my background.

i think everyone has been impressed with the Instant Pot mostly due to the pressure cooker function. If you already have a pressure cooker, then i don’t really think you need an Instant Pot.

I’m still getting familiar with instant pot and didn’t know about the saute function. Still been searing on a pan and transferring over to finish the cooking process. My wife thanks you, one less pan to clean.

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Thanks. I love all my toys but already have the PC and slow cooker that I rarely use so adding something similar, even if better, seems somehow wasteful.

My pleasure…glad to pay it forward for all of the IP help I’ve gotten here. I will note that the super old versions do not have Sauté as an option. Might want to double check your model just to be sure.
I picked up the Ultra, so it’s got plenty of options and settings that I’m still learning. I want to try yogurt, too…but that feels daunting to me.

This is not CH.

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I bought one during cyber Monday and love it! I’ve done a few things in it, and they’ve alll come out great. I make homemade wet dog food for my chocolate lab, and it’s gone from taking 4-5 hours on the stove to 1 hours in the IP.

I’ve done chicken breasts and dal and kidney beans (all indian style). This weekend I’m doing more dog food, and also trying out the popular Kalua Pork and Cabbage recipe from online, and a beef stew.

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