Instant Pot

[LTS3]

I know there's a thread about Instant Pots (Anyone Own An Instant Pot?) but wanted to see if there are any updates / reviews / pros and cons / etc from current users. I know Instant Pot has come out with more models since that thread and there are plenty of knock-off brands that cost less.

Is the Instant Pot worth it? I already have a 6 quart slow cooker and a small rice cooker and don't need another gadget (and space is limited) but I can see how handy an Instant Pot can be when making a quick dinner. My concern is the round diameter of the Instant Pot. It just doesn't seem like you can fit much food on the bottom. Food would need to be placed vertically Or does it not matter? I've seen recipes where it calls for meat to be seared first in the Instant Pot but if you're doing a pound or more of meat, you'd have to do it in batches right?

What's the difference between the Instant Pot and the Instant Pot Multi Cooker? Apart from the shape, aren't the basically the same with all the same basic functions? I did see this article about Instant Pots but I'm still

 

[Willowy]

OK, I don't have an Instant Pot brand, but I do have a Cuisinart electric pressure cooker and I love it. Pressure cooking is a lot faster, and I'm not afraid of this thing exploding like my mom was afraid of her old pressure cooker. I can throw frozen chicken in and it's done in less than half an hour.

I have the 6-quart and it seems big enough for most things. Average pot size, in my estimation (not coming from a cooking family, I'm not sure what an average pot is, lol).

I guess I'm not sure about placing food vertically, since everything I've made has been stew-like, but I have seen pictures of people cooking a rack of ribs standing upright so I guess it works. The heat should be consistent anywhere inside the pot because of the pressure.

I haven't browned meat, but I think you can do it just like in a pan---stir it around so all of it gets browned. I guess if you had a lot of it you might want to do it in batches.

If you're on social media, look up an Instant Pot community. These people are insane! But because of that insanity, they've tested every possible recipe. So that's nice. And they'll have recommendations about which model to get for maximum usage.

I make rice in mine all the time, so you could get rid of the rice cooker and save on storage space. Some Instant Pots have a slow cook option, but the experts say it's not great so you'll probably want to keep the slow cooker.

 

[denice]

I don't use it a lot but I love having it for the occasional use. Being able to take something like a chuck roast out of the freezer after work and having a roast beef dinner completely done two hours later completely amazing me. The roast is falling apart tender as if it had cooked long and slow.

 

[LTS3]

How big of a roast can fit in an Instant Pot? I'm still trying to figure out how a whole chicken can fit in that cylindrical space I assume a chicken or roast would have to fit vertically and any veggies would have to be tightly tucked in whatever space there is between the meat and pot side. Does the food cook evenly if everything is stacked on top of each other?

I make rice in mine all the time, so you could get rid of the rice cooker and save on storage space.

I like my rice cooker. It's a basic one button model. Mine has a steamer basket that stacks on top of the pot which is great for reheating leftovers while the rice cooks.

 

[Willowy]

Yep, because of the pressure, everything cooks evenly.

I made a chicken chili (all canned ingredients except the chicken so nothing special) for lunch today, and just now put in a cheesecake. I hope it turns out; it's my first time.

I think the 6-quart is fine but they do sell 8-quart and 10-quart models if you want to cook a lot of large things.

Hard-cooked eggs in the IP are terrific. They peel so easily. A lot of IP egg directions say to put the eggs in an ice bath afterward, but I'm too lazy for that, so I put them in for 2 minutes on low pressure and 15 minutes natural release (basically, let sit under pressure). Perfect!

This says to cut a roast into chunks: Instant Pot Pot Roast with Carrots and Potatoes | Valerie's Kitchen
this one doesn't (but also doesn't have the potatoes cooked with it): Instant Pot Pot Roast

As for whole chicken, this one says she got a 5 1/2 pound chicken in her 6-quart! How to Make a Whole Chicken in the Instant Pot

 

[Kat0121]

I own an IP but really don't use it much. This is your guy if you have questions about using the IP or need easy to follow recipes. You'd think I'd use mine more considering how much I watch his videos.

Pressure Luck Cooking

 

[Willowy]

Well, the cheesecake looks good and smells good, it has to be chilled overnight so I won't know how the texture and taste turned out until tomorrow, but so far so good!

 

[denice]

I get the usual size chuck roast sold at the grocery that I go to, I think they are usually 3 to 4 pounds and it will lay flat in the Instant-Pot. I brown it first on the saute setting. If it's thawed I make a rub out of salt, pepper and some herbs before I brown it. I then pour in a carton of beef stock after it is browned. If it's frozen I whisk the seasonings into the stock before I pour it in. I set the timer for 70 minutes for a thawed roast of that size, 90 minutes if it is frozen. I let it 'natural release' for 10 minutes before I do the quick release.

 

[betsygee]

I never had a pressure cooker before so I can't compare the IP to other models or brands. I use mine mainly for beans, and hubby uses it a lot for soups. Last week I made pasta in it which turned out really well.

You know, I was wondering what to make for dinner tonight--this thread is making me think I'll put some black beans in the IP.

 

[pearl99]

I love my Instant Pot. I have a 3 quart and a 6 quart. It's just me, but the 3 qt. wasn't big enough so I got the 6 qt. also. I made a pork roast which I had to cut in half to make it fit better, and browned the halves in the pot on saute one at a time. Not sure of the pounds, but it was a good size one. I cooked the roast first, then do the instructed pressure release, put potatoes-carrots-onions in and cooked those for the recipe time with the roast. Was a recipe in the booklet that came with. The pork roast was wonderful.
I've also made beef stew, chili, beef roast, hard boiled eggs, butternut squash soup, mashed potatoes, rice plus other things and like the quickness.
I don't use the slow cooker option, I've read a crock pot is better because the pot is ceramic and does the slow cooking better than the metal instant pot pan.
I also still have a rice cooker (really small), and a crock pot that is oval.
I don't use the Instant Pot all that often, but love it. I need to experiment with it more.
So it didn't cut down on my cooking appliances .

 

[Winchester]

I don't have an IP, but I do have an electric pressure cooker. I've been thinking about taking advantage of Black Friday sales to buy an IP, but do I really need one? What does an IP do that a pressure cooker does not? I'm not being snarky at all; I'm totally serious. Do I need one?

My pressure cooker browns/sautes first (if I set it to do so) and then cooks the food. It does excellent chicken, beef, pork, and casserole-type dishes. I can get wonderful chicken broth in about an hour in the pressure cooker. My air fryer bakes small cakes.

Do I need (want) both?

pearl99 You're on to something with the metal insert. I have a crock pot with a metal insert.and it burns everything. Stuffing, chili, stew, chicken. The metal gets so hot that it burns everything that touches it. I don't use it anymore and stick to my crock pots with the ceramic liners. I wouldn't use my pressure cooker to slow cook either, for that reason.

 

[Kat0121]

I don't have an IP, but I do have an electric pressure cooker. I've been thinking about taking advantage of Black Friday sales to buy an IP, but do I really need one? What does an IP do that a pressure cooker does not? I'm not being snarky at all; I'm totally serious. Do I need one?

My pressure cooker browns/sautes first (if I set it to do so) and then cooks the food. It does excellent chicken, beef, pork, and casserole-type dishes. I can get wonderful chicken broth in about an hour in the pressure cooker. My air fryer bakes small cakes.

Do I need (want) both?

pearl99 You're on to something with the metal insert. I have a crock pot with a metal insert.and it burns everything. Stuffing, chili, stew, chicken. The metal gets so hot that it burns everything that touches it. I don't use it anymore and stick to my crock pots with the ceramic liners. I wouldn't use my pressure cooker to slow cook either, for that reason.

I'd say no you don't need one if you already have an electric pressure cooker. The IP has settings on it for yogurt, etc but who really uses those? Yours might have those already too depending on your model.

 

[AbbysMom]

Do I need (want) both?

No, probably not unless you want to make yogurt or something like that.

 

[Willowy]

An IP is just a particular brand of electric pressure cooker. Yeah, some models have the fancy buttons, but they all do the same things.

 

[LTS3]

I don't need a yogurt setting. Or most of the other settings. So I guess an Instant Pot or other similar device would be useless to me

What about regular pressure cookers? I like the idea of getting dinner made quickly and freeing up the stove for other things.

 

[Willowy]

Sure, I have a Cuisinart pressure cooker and use it just like an IP (except without the yogurt button ).

Or do you mean a stovetop pressure cooker? Honestly if you want a pressure cooker you might as well get an electric one. You can find them around $40 if you don't care what brand it is so that's not much more than the stovetop kind.

 

[Winchester]

LTS3 I agree with W Willowy in that, if you're going to get a pressure cooker, get an electric one. They're easy to use, come with all kinds of bells and whistles (if that's what you want), and they're not all that expensive at all. I got mine from Amazon. Did a ton of research, looked a bunch of stuff up, checked out QVC as they were big on QVC at that time, and went to the A.

And this is just an FYI because I don't know what kind of stove you have. I have a stovetop pressure canner (which is not the same as a pressure cooker). It has a rounded bottom and it won't come to proper pressure on my glass top stove. When I use it, I have to use it on our gas grill. It says that right on the box, but I didn't see it. And I don't know if a stovetop pressure cooker would have that same rounded bottom or not. Really, an electric pressure cooker is easier to worth with, IMO.

Thanks guys! No IP here. I don't think it's worth it for me. My pressure cooker doesn't make yogurt, which I wouldn't make anyway. But boy, I could use a rice button. I can saute/brown in my pressure cooker and then set the timer and such. That's good enough for me. I really do like it.

 

[Willowy]

You can make rice without a rice button . I do 3 minutes on high pressure and wait 7 minutes after it beeps before releasing the steam. Works great!

One cup rice to 1 1/4 cups water.

 

[Winchester]

Thanks!

 

[denice]

I don't make rice enough to have a rice cooker. I usually just make it on top of the stove. It takes 15 to 20 minutes but a sauce pan seems easier to clean to me anyway.