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Thread Number: 73342
/ Tag: Small Appliances
The Instant Pot: Who Has One/What Do You Think Of It? |
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Post# 968730 11/18/2017 at 14:50 (2,344 days old) by Frigilux  (The Minnesota Prairie) |
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I'd been hearing about something called the Instant Pot being all the rage in small kitchen appliances. I figured it was something that would come and go with the holiday gift season. Little did I know it has a widespread and passionate following. Finally saw one used in a cooking video by Phyllis Stokes (of southernfrugal.com). She pressure-cooked collard greens, but noted that it doesn't achieve the same pressure as a dedicated cooker.
A quick Google search uncovered at least a couple dozen Instant Pot cookbooks for everything from American comfort food to Indian cuisine. They appear to come in 3-, 6-, and 8-quart sizes. Does anyone in the AW family own one of these? If so, is it all it's cracked up to be? I no longer have so much as a slow cooker and started to wonder if the Instant Pot might be a good small appliance choice for multiple applications.
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Post# 968751 , Reply# 2 11/18/2017 at 15:40 (2,344 days old) by rp2813 (Sannazay) |
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| Post# 968765 , Reply# 4 11/18/2017 at 16:32 (2,344 days old) by Whatsername (Denver, CO) | ||
I love mine, especially at altitude here where some foods seem to take forever to cook. Any recipe I already have, there is a copycat recipe adapted for the instant pot by others online and I've never had one turn out badly.
Another plus is it blows rice cookers I've used out of the water. I consider myself a capable cook but for some reason stovetop rice just defies me. Rice cookers I have used always make the rice overdone on the bottom, leave puddles on the countertop, and have a larger minimum water requirement than I like. In the instant pot, perfect rice every time and no puddles on the counter, and I can make just one cup, so no leftovers. | ||
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Post# 968775 , Reply# 5 11/18/2017 at 16:49 (2,344 days old) by petek (Ontari ari ari O ) |
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 Yes, I have the Duo 80 8 qt and I'm very happy with it. I agree with everything John says above.. The stainless pot is great. I have a much older Bravetti automatic one as well that I've used for years but it has the nonstick pot which I don't like. It's starting to wear .
Now that being said.. I wished I had just bought the 6 qt model instead of the 8 qt. . You really have to be making a big batch of stuff with the 8 qt , which can be convenient at times I guess. I find it's just a bit too big for what I need. oh well. I may actually go out and get a 6qt and give this one to my niece.
I've never tried the slow cook function yet.
Don't be fooled by the so called quick cooking times all the time.. Remember those times don't count the time to reach pressure and the time to release pressure.. It can take a good 20 minutes to reach pressure and with the 8qt another near 15 minutes to quick realease the pressure. All that on top of the cooking time. Generally though, most everything cooks in 60 minutes or less start to finish.
Funny, I was in Best Buy today and they had em stacked up down the aisles. It could be a big seller this Xmas. As well CR rated the IP pretty good. Definitely don't buy another brand with the teflon coating. The stainless pot in the Instant Pot is actually very nice, seems well built.
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| Post# 968780 , Reply# 7 11/18/2017 at 17:02 (2,344 days old) by LordKenmore (The Laundry Room) | ||
 Frigilux, Frigilux, Frigilux...
This AW.org. We all know there is no such thing as too many appliances. So why ask if this is worth buying?
LOL
Seriously...I've been kind of wondering about these, too. I'm even hearing them discussed favorably elsewhere.
I think I might have had something cooked in one probably a year ago, but I can't be sure. All I know is that it was a new-to-me gadget at the time, and it apparently had a pressure cooker feature. Not long after, I started hearing about the Instant Pot everywhere. (It was probably...er...hot in some circles already, but I live so far out of the modern world when it comes to cooking it takes a while for information about new products to reach me.) | ||
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Post# 968781 , Reply# 8 11/18/2017 at 17:02 (2,344 days old) by petek (Ontari ari ari O ) |
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Post# 968782 , Reply# 9 11/18/2017 at 17:07 (2,344 days old) by petek (Ontari ari ari O ) |
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Some Lentil soup I made soon after I bought it.. sorry for the crappy photos | ||
| Post# 968788 , Reply# 10 11/18/2017 at 17:17 (2,344 days old) by johnrk (BP TX) | ||
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petek I have a Tiger and, like yours, the fuzzy logic means perfect rice of every type. I use that instead of the I-Pot. | ||
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Post# 968789 , Reply# 11 11/18/2017 at 17:18 (2,344 days old) by appnut (TX) |
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Post# 968799 , Reply# 12 11/18/2017 at 18:42 (2,344 days old) by petek (Ontari ari ari O ) |
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Post# 968807 , Reply# 13 11/18/2017 at 19:18 (2,344 days old) by appnut (TX) |
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| Post# 968875 , Reply# 14 11/19/2017 at 06:46 (2,343 days old) by toploader55 (Massachusetts Sand Bar, Cape Cod) | ||
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Post# 968885 , Reply# 15 11/19/2017 at 07:36 (2,343 days old) by appnut (TX) |
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Eddie, that's exactly my sentiments. But with moving to induction last May, I no longer have a pressure cooker. Although I'm now thoroughly enjoying surface cooking with the induction. But my CT appliances consist of one crock pot (used to have 2 but gave one to my partner after his died), 2 mixers, and two food processors. Also my new stove has a slow cook function for each oven. | ||
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Post# 968897 , Reply# 16 11/19/2017 at 08:49 (2,343 days old) by foraloysius (Leeuwarden, Friesland, the Netherlands) |
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Bob | ||
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Post# 968899 , Reply# 17 11/19/2017 at 09:10 (2,343 days old) by DADoES (TX, U.S. of A.) |
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 Friend I visited last weekend has an I-Pot. He made batch of chili in it. Was too salty but that's not fault of the I-Pot, LOL. He had it on keep-warm while we were out for the afternoon and I was surprised to note the keep-warm is much more a "warm" temp than hot. Seems a little questionable for food safety. | ||
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Post# 968908 , Reply# 18 11/19/2017 at 10:18 (2,343 days old) by appnut (TX) |
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Luigi, my slow cook function has a temperature range of 170 to 300 degrees F. I think slow cook actually allows for very extended cooking (beyond the 12 hour limit that's programmed into the controller board (unless you change one of the system settings). I think the convection fan doesn't come on at all either. I've noticed that convection will cycle on & off to help maintain temperatures in the big oven even when convection isn't selected. The instruction guide gives a range of times for cooking at various temperatures. The feature is overtly intended for slow roasting of various types of meats. I keep forgetting to email KitchenAid and ask them if the function can also be used as a typical slow cooker could be sued. thus far I've used it to cook about 4 different roasts. the results are extremely tender and flavorful but not to the point whereby the meat just completely falls apart like my experience is with a slow cooker. I've raved about the results to my partner and he's looking forward to experiencing a meal with one of these roasts. I love I can brown the meat in the same pot I'll be cooking the roast in the oven with. Both ovens have the function. | ||
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Post# 968911 , Reply# 19 11/19/2017 at 10:36 (2,343 days old) by foraloysius (Leeuwarden, Friesland, the Netherlands) |
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Thanks Bob, I was considering using my oven for slow cooking with a roast. Temperatures in Celcius are then between 75 and 150. Sounds good. I too would love to brown the meat and cook the roast in the same pot too, hence my question.
I downloaded the manual of your range to get more details, I see a scheme with time and temperature. Great reading anyway! Hugz! | ||
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Post# 968921 , Reply# 20 11/19/2017 at 13:16 (2,343 days old) by sudsmaster (SF Bay Area, California) |
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I've an Instant Pot competitor: the 8 qt Power Pressure Cooker XL. I'm not all that enthused with it, mainly because the menus are too restrictive. For example, when I want to make brown rice, the rice option doesn't cook long enough to get the rice properly cooked. And you can't change the maximum time under that option. Instead I've had to select the "Beans and Lentils" option because that allows for longer cook times. I have used to to cook a pot roast or two. Those came out OK but I got tired of trying to figure out if the preset times needed more tweaking, so it went on the shelf. The "cookbook" that comes with the PPCXL is a joke. The recipes on the web site are full of typos and other errors.
For brown rice I got out the Cuisinart 6 qt pressure cooker I've had for a years now, and it does a very good job, plus you can set the time to whatever you want. I also have a Zojirushi rice cooker, which makes excellent white, brown, sushi, etc rice. Its main drawback is it takes a very long time to cook brown rice. But that is partly because it incorporates a pre-soak period. I think it takes about 90 minutes to cook brown rice, vs. 40 minutes (including warm up time) in the Cuisinart. For white rice I still use the Zojirushi, though. | ||
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Post# 969000 , Reply# 22 11/19/2017 at 21:42 (2,343 days old) by sudsmaster (SF Bay Area, California) |
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Post# 969010 , Reply# 24 11/19/2017 at 23:17 (2,342 days old) by petek (Ontari ari ari O ) |
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I've seen but am not familiar with the Power XL models. But my Bravetti may have been similar. It had the teflon coated pot and there was no way to adjust anything.. it has about 6 pre programmed buttons and that's it. It worked well , in fact it's still working, but after seeing the Ipot and how more convenient it is is, with the high grade ss pot.. well being the gadget freak I am.. how could I not. | ||
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Post# 969014 , Reply# 25 11/20/2017 at 00:28 (2,342 days old) by sudsmaster (SF Bay Area, California) |
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The Instant Pot is about 50% higher priced than the PPCXL. But that's not exactly why I bought it. It was at Costco and the price had been dropped a bit. I wanted something larger than the 6 qt Cuisnart so I took a chance on the PPCXL. It does have a canning setting, which I'd only use at sea level, but that has more adjustable settings, and might work for most pressure cooking apps.
As for the inner pot... I have plenty of stove top cookware, I surely do not need to use a handle-less stainless pot on the stove where it will be difficult if not impossible to grab until it's cooled, and then it has no lid either. And if push came to shove, I could always take a wire brush to the PPCXL inner pot and take off that non-stick coating. Then polish it up nice and shiny and put it on the shelf with all the other extra cookware I never use. LOL. That said, I do think the Instant Pot looks like a better design. But it really isn't something I think I need, anyway. These things are gimmicks. Useful gimmicks, but nothing a competent cook can't do with simpler, older designs. Some gimmicks are better than others, but they are still gimmicks. | ||
| Post# 969051 , Reply# 27 11/20/2017 at 07:23 (2,342 days old) by toploader55 (Massachusetts Sand Bar, Cape Cod) | ||
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I think what I will do is just wait until the Spring and see how many of these Instant Pots are on Craig's List NIB after the holidays and no one wants them.
Just like the Show Time Rotisserie and the George Forman Grills. I can just see the ads now... "Used Once, Original Box, Manual included...$40.00 LOL This post was last edited 11/20/2017 at 07:40 | ||
| Post# 969057 , Reply# 28 11/20/2017 at 07:38 (2,342 days old) by johnrk (BP TX) | ||
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Who's 'Manuel'? The lady's unwanted husband? LOL--you made my morning... | ||
| Post# 969058 , Reply# 29 11/20/2017 at 07:42 (2,342 days old) by toploader55 (Massachusetts Sand Bar, Cape Cod) | ||
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Post# 969062 , Reply# 30 11/20/2017 at 08:18 (2,342 days old) by sudsmaster (SF Bay Area, California) |
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Yup, alumunum
Sorry, I was going on the weight of the inner pot on the Cuisinart, which I've been using in lieu of the PPCXL for the past couple of months. It's a relatively heavy gauge, which led me to think it's stainless, but when I held a magnet to it just now, there wasn't even a slight attraction, so it must be aluminum. I also got the XL out of its box and saw that It has to be aluminum as well. Makes sense, since few stainless pots and pans come with non-stick coating. Probably some difficulty in getting the coating to adhere to stainless.
However I'm not sure how much of a difference the inner pot material makes to me. To me the drawback of the PPCXL is the restrictive nature of the menu buttons. The Cuisinart is much more flexible ... for brown rice, for example, I just choose the "HIGH" setting and then input any number of minutes I want, using the suggested times in the owner's manual as a guide. With the PPCXL the rice option doesn't cook long enough, so I have to select the BEANS option instead. That annoys me. Under normal use, the inner pot in any of these appliances should never get to the temperature that would degrade a non-stick coating. On the stove top, yes, it's possible. If you put an empty pot on the burner, set it to high, and walk away for 30 minutes. So don't do that. And no, I'm not particularly happy with the PPCXL. Which is why I've been using the Cuisinart instead. Smaller (6qt) but I find it easier to use. If I had to do it over again, I would not have purchased the PPCXL. But one can't know such a gimmick's drawbacks until one tries it. I could probably still return it to Costco, with some grumbling. I doubt I'd get an Instant Pot as its replacement, however. Don't need another gimmick, no matter how high quality part of it is. And to be honest, we have a number of members who look down upon any of these electric pressure cookers, because in their opinions they don't achieve a high enough pressure and temp to do true pressure cooking. They have a point. Which is why I have collection of range-top pressure cookers should I need to get something sterilized or pressure canned. | ||
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Post# 969100 , Reply# 32 11/20/2017 at 13:27 (2,342 days old) by sudsmaster (SF Bay Area, California) |
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I have a big still new in box (16 qt, I think) Presto pressure cooker specifically for canning. I've never run it, and I want to supplement the rocker valve with a pressure gauge. I've been too busy to get into canning for the past few years, although I did some boiling water canning of jams about 10 years ago. It's a LOT of work! LOL. But to preserve special back yard produce it's the way to go. Besides freezing, of course. The Presto is aluminum, but I don't see anything wrong with that for canning, since the food itself won't be in contact with the metal (unless something goes wrong).
I used to work in a public heath school lab, and got familiar with what is needed to produce sterile glassware and media. They had huge autoclaves that could do many racks at once. I'd probably want to get some of that temperature indicator tape we used, as well. | ||
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Post# 969107 , Reply# 34 11/20/2017 at 13:51 (2,342 days old) by sudsmaster (SF Bay Area, California) |
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On a local cooking show the other day I saw a bit about a chef who cans... bread... it was some sort of rum bread, and it was canned in a glass jar. As soon as the jar opened, the bread ball puffed up to about twice its canned size. The TV host said it was very good. The chef said the bread would last in the can about nine months.
I probably won't be making chili or other foods in the big Presto. Way too much food for this house. But for canning produce, it will be nice. I'm thinking tomatoes and such. When all I had was the boiling water canner, I started freezing garden produce. That worked fine until the chest freezer acted up and I had to toss a lot of stuff. Cést la vie... | ||
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Post# 969120 , Reply# 36 11/20/2017 at 15:32 (2,342 days old) by sudsmaster (SF Bay Area, California) |
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Yeah, I'm not too fond of slow cooked chicken; too much like boiled. I can't imagine PC chicken is any better. The best is rotisserie or fried. Brining is my latest fad for chicken of any persuasion. It really helps with the tenderness and flavor.
I've made pulled pork in the HB slow cooker. It might also work OK in the PC, but most PC's are not big enough for a pork butt. These days I don't have time to do big batches, and I'm tired of the extras going to waste, but when I retire bringing mass quantities to a church or homeless shelter sounds like a plan. | ||
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Post# 969139 , Reply# 37 11/20/2017 at 18:33 (2,342 days old) by DADoES (TX, U.S. of A.) |
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Rice | ||
| Post# 969146 , Reply# 38 11/20/2017 at 19:32 (2,342 days old) by johnrk (BP TX) | ||
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Rice What kind of rice are you using? That's interesting! And of course, with most of my extended family being from South LA, jambalaya always gets my attention. | ||
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Post# 969226 , Reply# 39 11/21/2017 at 07:01 (2,341 days old) by Frigilux (The Minnesota Prairie) |
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Thanks for the advice, input and ideas, everyone. I've had time to watch a few Instant Pot videos on YouTube. John, you've convinced me not to bother purchasing a cheaper 'wannabe' product. Instant Pot seems to have the best quality and array of features.
We'll see. I, like Bob (appnut), use my small, upper oven as a slow cooker. I've never been fond of pressure cookers, but this one appears to be safe and fairly idiot-proof. Maybe if Frigilux slips his MasterCard to Santa one will appear under the tree this year.⛄️ | ||
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Post# 969270 , Reply# 40 11/21/2017 at 15:24 (2,341 days old) by petek (Ontari ari ari O ) |
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Post# 969274 , Reply# 41 11/21/2017 at 15:50 (2,341 days old) by sudsmaster (SF Bay Area, California) |
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Post# 969275 , Reply# 42 11/21/2017 at 15:54 (2,341 days old) by petek (Ontari ari ari O ) |
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Post# 969318 , Reply# 44 11/21/2017 at 21:59 (2,341 days old) by petek (Ontari ari ari O ) |
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So if you do a pot roast do you put the potatoes and carrots in right away or add them later? Twice I've added them right at the beginning but they got way too mushy. Some people on the IP page say it works for them , others say they add them them after about 45 minutes or pressure cooking (depending on the meat size) and then let it go to pressure a 2nd time for another 5-8 minutes.. | ||
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Post# 969477 , Reply# 49 11/22/2017 at 23:38 (2,339 days old) by petek (Ontari ari ari O ) |
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T'was me getting confused.. I forgot this thing slow cooks which I haven't tried yet either.. Tonight I need some mashed potatoes for meatloaf. I put about 4 cups of water in it. and a steamer basket, and a bunch of quartered potatoes and carrots. While I was peeling I turned it on saute to heat up and poured in the 4 cups of "hot water" from the tap to help speed things up.. All in.. set for 7 minutes.. it took 20 minutes to reach pressure,, about 8 minutes of pressure because the timer doesn't always start as soon as the pin pops up,, then about 12 minutes to quick release the pressure , so about 40 minutes total. That's not really any faster than had you boiled them on the stove. Not complaining but there are some things that this one won't do as fast. Now I know for sure that when I use my smaller stove top pc.. it doesn't take near that long to come to pressure or release.. so those do have a benefit of being faster than boiling. | ||
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Post# 969765 , Reply# 52 11/24/2017 at 23:55 (2,337 days old) by sudsmaster (SF Bay Area, California) |
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I've seen the 6 qt iPot on sale locally for $80 this weekend.
I'm still not inclined to bite. It's one more kitchen gadget I don't think I need, no matter how wonderful it may be. Who knows, though. I may donate my PPCXL to Goodwill and then think about the iPot again later. OTOH, donating the PPCXL and not getting an iPot means one less item of clutter in the house, as well as $80 plus tax not leaving my checking account. | ||
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Post# 969838 , Reply# 54 11/25/2017 at 09:23 (2,337 days old) by kimball455 (Cape May, NJ) |
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Great product ...
Hi ... Got the Instant Pot when the aluminum insert of the first electric pressure cooker I purchased fell on the floor and was bent just enough that the lid would not seal. The Instant Pot insert is well made of stainless steel with a very solid base place for heat distribution. It gets used almost every week for something.
Harry | ||
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