speaking of the Instant Pot......

[hsmamato2]

I am *this* close to buying one...... I keep reading how wonderful they are..... I have friends who can't live without it..... for years I've used my crock pots/rice cookers etc etc..... but I am almost ready to buy the 8 qt. duo model....... any advice? is it as perfect as it sounds? I have a hard time convincing myself to spend 100+ on a cooking pot.....

 

[aprilchem]

I think YMMV. I own an Instant Pot and use it nearly every day. I'm also on the main Instant Pot board on Facebook (30,000 members), and there are some people who love it, some people who buy one and then never use it, and some people who hate it. It really depends on what your situation is and how comfortable you are trying new things.

For me, the main thing I like about it is that I am a working mom of three kids, but I like to cook a hot, from-scratch dinner every day. The Instant Pot allows me to have a hot dinner on the table in about 1/2 to 1/3 the time it would take if I were to cook from scratch. Plus, I can set it and walk away from it and do other things (help with homework, clean, etc) while dinner is cooking. For example, one of my go-to meals when we're having a hectic evening is a bag of frozen meatballs (I make them on the weekends in huge batches and freeze them), a box of pasta, a jar of sauce, and a jar of water thrown into the pot - no stirring. Set it for 5 minutes and walk away, and when it's done you have pasta and meatballs hot and completely ready to go. Sure, I could do that without the pot fairly easily, but I would need to be in the kitchen for 30-35 minutes for that. This way I set it up in 3 minutes and walk away.

I also find that pressure cooking is great for tough cuts of meat- we get grassfed beef from a local farm, and it tends to be tougher than the meat you buy in the store. It comes out wonderfully tender in my Instant Pot.

Finally, you have to keep in mind that the super-quick cooking times you'll see posted aren't exactly correct, since it takes time for the pot to come up to pressure. Lots of people on the Facebook board get upset when 5 minute pasta takes more than 5 minutes to cook.

 

[Shmily1]

DH bought me one about a year ago after someone at work was raving about it. She told me about the awesome chicken wings she cooked in it and they were super fast to cook. Only a few minutes and they were amazing. We got it home, I washed it, read the book, put the ingredients in it and we waited. Waited for it to pressure up (that no one told us about), then the time to cook. I was disappointed at that time since it was longer to pressure up than to cook. Then it was time to eat these awesome chicken wings. I took them out of the insta-pot and they were really tender, but the skin was awful! It was not crunchy like normal on chicken wings. They were soft and worse than on boiled chicken. I washed that thing and took it right back to the store. I already have a rice cooker and 3 crock pots so I didn't need it for all that other stuff. I also didn't want to brown meat or whatever and then put it in there for the 8 minute lie. That 8 minute meal would take almost an hour to fix. Nah, I passed.

 

[mmbrad02]

I got mine for Christmas and I love it. It was a gift from my mother in law so cost wasn't really a factor for me. I am a busy working mom also and make the same spaghetti and meatball dinner that is mentioned above, for a quick meal. My whole family loves it. I love that the Instant Pot leaves just ONE dirty dish to clean after dinner, making clean up so much faster.

The downside to me is that I do still feel a bit of anxiety when using it - but that may just be me. I haven't felt like I can figure things out on my own and I need a recipe - but that also works well for me. I don't have any issues following a recipe verses being creative on my own. By the end of a busy day I would rather the piece of paper to tell me what to do anyway

 

[QueenIsabella]

An 8 quart model is really big--you might do better with a smaller and cheaper model to start out with.

I'm a big crockpot fan, so I thought I'd use the Instant Pot more than I do. Smily1 is right about coming to pressure--they say "cooks in 3 minutes" or whatever, but they don't mention the time it takes to get up to pressure, or the time to release pressure. Also, they say you can just throw ingredients in--well, you can, but I strongly recommend you stir them together! When I made mac and cheese the first time, it was very gloppy because the water/sauce wasn't distributed well. Again, hardly a deal-breaker, but not quite how it was advertised, you know?

On the good side, I have a 4 quart model. It can brown meats, which is nice if you make chili or stew--brown the meat, then use the same pan to cook the meal in. It can also be a slow cooker and a rice steamer--this is nice for me, since my regular crockpot is 6 quarts, so just a smaller option.

Another good point is, people absolutely love them--they're not your grandmother's pressure cooker, a lot of the danger and guesswork have been eliminated. And you'll be able to find tons of recipes here, on Pinterest, and other places, so you have no real excuse not to try different things if you get one.

 

[hsmamato2]

hmmmm how long does it take to get the pressure up to where it starts cooking? I need the 8 qt- my DH and DS are big eaters,and dinner is the main meal around here,plus DS eats leftovers for breakfast the next day....if I don't make enough for leftovers it ain't enough lol--- how does it do with a whole chicken? do you need lots of liquid to cook in this,like a crockpot?

 

[hoffman1]

I used mine a lot when I first got it. I think it was the novelty of it--I was cooking everything in there.
What I like best about it is that I can throw something in and leave it while I do other things.
The downside to it is it isn't as fast as I thought it would be after you factor in the time it takes to for the pressure to build and the time it takes for the natural release (which you will want to do on meats).

 

[Hikergirl]

hmmmm how long does it take to get the pressure up to where it starts cooking? I need the 8 qt- my DH and DS are big eaters,and dinner is the main meal around here,plus DS eats leftovers for breakfast the next day....if I don't make enough for leftovers it ain't enough lol--- how does it do with a whole chicken? do you need lots of liquid to cook in this,like a crockpot?

I would say on average it takes 15 minutes to build pressure, and then another 15 to release naturally. That is for meats, like chickens, ribs, roasts. It has to do with the amount of liquid used, so those times could vary.
I use mine the most for ribs, and corned beef but have done whole chickens before. They come out so juicy and tender, but the skin won't be crisp.
I have discovered it is my favorite way to make hard boiled eggs too.

I like it so much I am getting a second one for my camper.

 

[wendow]

I am one of those who got an IP based on the raving reviews. I got it when it was a 'deal of the day' on Amazon a year ago or so. I think it must be the 4qt size which is way, way too small for my family. I tend to double or even triple recipes so we have enough to feed six plus have leftovers for another night. The size I have only makes enough for one meal.

I love to use a crockpot (own three of them) and I have not really been able to make the transition to the IP. Everything I make in the IP seems not quite as good to me as if it slow-cooked. I have a friend though who uses her IP everyday and hardly ever touches her crockpot anymore. So, YMMV is definitely applicable here.

 

[OhhBother]

I use mine four to five times a week -- there's just me and my husband. I cook everything from beef and chicken to soups and pasta in it. I've made cheesecake too -- very easy and tasty. I can't imagine not having it. My favorite things to cook are french dip sandwiches, pork carnitas, honey sesame chicken, beef and broccoli, tuscan garlic chicken and soup beans (pinto beans if you're not from the South!). I get most of my recipes from pressurecookingtoday and thisoldgal. I'm also an active member of the Facebook group, which is awesome. I got my mom and my sister each an Instant Pot for Christmas, and they both love theirs too.

 

[abcboys]

I've had mine for just over a year and for me it is "just okay". I really really tried to get all the rave over it but I still don't see it. Sometimes it is a pain in the butt. Like when you cook, let it sit to natural pressure realease only to open it and find out its not done. Have to wait for it to come back to pressure and repeat, and then have problems when it won't seal up right the 2nd time etc. Hard boiled eggs really do seem easier to peel most of the time, but its really not any faster than cooking on the stove and I wouldn't buy it just for that. I know people have said "oh set it and walk away" but that's not really true, you can't just walk away as soon as you set it because I have had problems with it sealing and have to press on the lid and keep an eye on it. I do still use mine but I bought mine with swagbucks and also when it was on sale.

Also I'm on the instant pot facebook page and as you will see there are sooo many different variations on how long people cook things. Someone might cook a 5lb whole chicken for 30 minutes and another might say 45. Baked potatoes? People would say 12 minutes so I would cook mine for 12 minutes and still hard in the middle so I would have to put on for 10 more. It really is trial and error and if you get one be sure to write down when you have a success on what the times were.

 

[Alesia]

For example, one of my go-to meals when we're having a hectic evening is a bag of frozen meatballs (I make them on the weekends in huge batches and freeze them), a box of pasta, a jar of sauce, and a jar of water thrown into the pot - no stirring. Set it for 5 minutes and walk away, and when it's done you have pasta and meatballs hot and completely ready to go. Sure, I could do that without the pot fairly easily, but I would need to be in the kitchen for 30-35 minutes for that. This way I set it up in 3 minutes and walk away.

You can do the same thing without an instant pot. If I have frozen meatballs, I can have a spaghetti dinner on the table in less than 30 minutes.

1. Put salt, cold water, and pasta in a covered pot over high heat.
2. Put sauce and meat balls in another covered pot over medium heat.
3. Walk away and come back 25 minutes later. Dinner is ready.

 

[limace]

We use ours four to five times a week. Family of five here and the 6qt had been plenty big-in fact, my husband's only objection to it is that we have too many leftovers filling up the fridge. Highly recommend! Just be smart about it-do some research when you get it about how to start out, don't try to wing it at the beginning, pick things that it's naturally good at-slow cooked pork or dried beans, for instance. I love making easy peel hard boiled eggs and being able to do unsoaked dry beans on a work night. And I love being able to sauté onions and meat in the pot rather than having to transfer like with my crock pot.

 

[hsmamato2]

Thanks for all the replies! I went for it,and ordered the 6 qt, mainly b/c I'm concerned about where to store the larger one...... this is going to be fun to try.... I think my first thing will be the dried beans...since I'm always spending too much time cooking those for various recipes it seems like...... can't wait to try some recipes, I'll go on those recommended sites and find some more....

 

[hsmamato2]

Im thinking it might be helpful for busy days when I forget to start the crockpot in the morning before I leave for the day! But I'm thinking my trusty rice cooker will still be used a lot since a lot of the recipes I'm seeing say serve over rice....

 

[QueenIsabella]

I think the 6 quart will suit your needs. We're a family of 6, and my 6 quart crockpot gets a lot of use--and makes enough for leftovers for us. It does take a few tries to get the hang of it, don't get frustrated.

 

[hsmamato2]

well.... I got it and tried it..... been a couple of days, and I need to find some recipe ideas to try... my first try was pork loin, and it was too dry, b/c I thought it needed 60 mins,but the lighter meat roast only needs about 15 sooo.... tried again with a 5 pound pot roast at 30 minutes....it was pretty good,the potatoes and carrots were great, but a question- how do i get the meat to fall apart,like it's been in a crockpot for 8-10 hours? Am I cooking too long,or too short for that? I do like the one pot and done aspect of all this,including browning the meat first-

 

[lost*in*cyberspace]

You can do the same thing without an instant pot. If I have frozen meatballs, I can have a spaghetti dinner on the table in less than 30 minutes.

1. Put salt, cold water, and pasta in a covered pot over high heat.
2. Put sauce and meat balls in another covered pot over medium heat.
3. Walk away and come back 25 minutes later. Dinner is ready.

Come back to find pasta water boiling out of the pan all over the stovetop and the sauce and meatballs burned on the bottom of the pan!

 

[Alesia]

Come back to find pasta water boiling out of the pan all over the stovetop and the sauce and meatballs burned on the bottom of the pan!

Not if you use a decent sized pot for the pasta and a good, heavy bottomed pan for the sauce. I do it all the time.


Or if you don't have a big enough pot for the pasta to boil without boiling over, you can leave it uncovered and put a wooden spoon across the top. It'll take a few minutes longer, though.

 

[wendow]

Or if you don't have a big enough pot for the pasta to boil without boiling over, you can leave it uncovered and put a wooden spoon across the top. It'll take a few minutes longer, though.

This is what I do also. Never boils over