Instant Pot

I looked at those but haven't gone there at this point. If I do get one, I'm leaning towards the Duo Plus. My one complaint is the same I had with my old Crock Pot - that it's too tall and cylindrical. I ended up getting an oval Crock Pot and am happy with it. Not sure if it's possible to make a pressure-cooker in an oval shape, though. But I am interested in getting into canning and making yogurt, so may get an IP pretty soon, anyway. I'll be watching this thread in the meantime.
 
How did I miss this thread? 
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Hell to the yes on Instant pot.  Does everything a crock pot can do, and more, AND... fraction of the time.
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Now, I'm ecstatic, and confused all at the same time.  This is basically an automated pressure cooker.  That's progress.  But at the same time, a pressure cooker is easily the most dangerous tool you can put in a kitchen.  I still question if making the available to every home in America was a great idea.  There is no IQ test required to purchase one!  I feel that it's only a matter of time before a frivolous lawsuit puts this company out of business!  But what a great product!
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I got the 8 quart DUO80 last year.
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Sometimes, I find myself talking to the instant pot, when it makes its cheery little noises, when you plug it in, or put the lid on.  I have a myriad of phrases that go into my IP discourse.  Here are a few:
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"Hello Instant Pot"
"I love you, too"
"No, YOU'RE the best'
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and my personal favorite...
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"Instant Pot armed!"
 
LOL, in the many decades Ive used a PC the fear came up only once, chick peas pluged up the hole, forgot to add oil to the water.
OIL is MUST to prevent starchy stuff from bubbling up.
The Stove Hood caught the bulk of the mess squirting out the safety plug. Mine is Stainless steel, the ones nowadays are aluminum and that scares me.
 
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It really is the cult of instant pot. There's an Indian food instant pot forum that I have been gleaning ideas from for future meals.

Sent from my SAMSUNG-SM-G935A using Tapatalk
 
dragonsfire said:
Mine is Stainless steel, the ones nowadays are aluminum and that scares me.
 
As long as the aluminum is of sufficient thickness, it's no problem.  Pound for pound, aluminum is stronger/stiffer than steel. (of course, it all comes down to specifics when applying that knowledge)
 
That being said, Instant Pots are very well made.  The sleeve is stainless, as is the lid.  And it's better grade steel than I remember even in the older pressure cookers.  
 
I'm an engineer by trade, and I have no problem whatsoever with the construction of Instant Pot.  Best I can tell, it's pretty damn well made.  And the pressure valve is way better than those old style.  Those things are scary, just during normal operation.  I remember being freaked out AF by them, when I was a kid...
 
Mine is from early seventies, back when things were made to last, most stuff nowadays last 6 months if your lucky, always buy from a store with good return/service policies.
 
sicsempertyrannis said:
do instant pots offer any advantage when making hot sauce? apart from saving time i mean, because that isn't much of an issue for me.
 
 
Not really, unless you're in a hurry (which you aren't).  I adore my instant pot though and it's an incredibly versatile addition to our kitchen.  Especially great when cooking dry beans.  It's perfect for getting a good "slow food" type meal like ropa vieja or pot roast on the table for the family in record time after a long day at work.  
 
I just bought one of these gadget online it should be here in a few days. I got the Instant Pot DUO Plus 60, 6 Qt 9-in-1 b/c Amazon told me it was the deal of the day for $89.99. I want it to cook dry beans mostly, but would love recipes or sites, especially Indian, and anything veg friendly! 
 
Rawkstah said:
I just bought one of these gadget online it should be here in a few days. I got the Instant Pot DUO Plus 60, 6 Qt 9-in-1 b/c Amazon told me it was the deal of the day for $89.99. I want it to cook dry beans mostly, but would love recipes or sites, especially Indian, and anything veg friendly! 
 
A lot of Indian food is traditionally cooked in a pressure cooker, anyway, so you'll have no trouble finding those recipes.  Adjust your cooking time by the most limiting factor.  Most of the time, that's going to be beans. (chickpeas)  If you know how to cook the most intensive portion of the dish, you know how to cook the whole dish in the Instant Pot.
 
I do a lot of mashed cauliflower.  Put a head of cauliflower in the instant pot on the supplied trivet, high pressure for 3 minutes, with a cup of stock or broth in the bottom. (I prefer bone broth, but you can use veggie)  Then, when it's done, put the whole cauli into a food processor, add 2 Tbsp butter, some salt and pepper, a clove of garlic (or 2, because garlic) and process.  When the cauliflower is blended, add just a splash or two of heavy whipping cream.  Bam.  It's delicious.
 
I find that if you're gonna do beans or legumes, it's really hard to beat them when they're dried, reconstituted, and pressure cooked.  It's a world of difference from canned.
 
Chana Masala or Chhole is a staple in our house.  Even better with some good homegrown hot peppers in there...
 
It's been about two years since the instant pot craze hit the market.  For those of you who have had one for a while, are they worth it?  What do you like? What don't you like? Is it worth the hype?  
 
My crockpot recently bit the dust and I'm looking to replace it.  
 
sobelri said:
It's been about two years since the instant pot craze hit the market.  For those of you who have had one for a while, are they worth it?  What do you like? What don't you like? Is it worth the hype?  
 
My crockpot recently bit the dust and I'm looking to replace it.  
 
Still no complaints here.  If anything, there's a ton more knowledge and recipes out there.
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The smaller ones cook faster than the big ones - because they come up to temp/pressure quicker, obviously - but on the whole, it's a great tool.  As mentioned previously, it's just an automated pressure cooker, so if you know the differences between slow cook and pressure cook, you're already 90% knowledgeable.
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I wouldn't throw down any premium money for the ones with stupid gimmicks. (like Bluetooth - seriously?)  But a good manual cooker will cost you just as much as an on-sale IP, so why not?
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My top preferences for IP are perfect hard boiled eggs, and soup broths.  It will make pho like a champ.  I'm not so enamored with pressure cooked meat, but it works in a pinch.  If you want shredded chicken, you've got it in an hour or less.  I'd still take the crock pot for roasts or corned beef/pastrami, but you've got a slow cook setting for that.  The drawback is the stainless steel vs the crockware.  I dunno, a crock for slow cooking is still hard to beat. 
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Also, you can make perfect dulce de leche in an instant pot, just by putting a fully sealed can of condensed milk in there.  So there's nifty little things like that...
 
I still like the crock for slow stewed meats n chili, but there are some things that an instapot excels at. But most instapots can double as a slow cooker also.
Great rice every time - I always go a sticky sweet calrose. 7 minute cook.
Perfect hard boiled eggs - or poached.
Innards for a chicken pot pie ( I just made a elk tenderloin pot pie).
Best one - poached garlic in butter. I grow some spicy garlic, you just poach it for 5-7 min in a little dish of butter, and then go to town with a fresh loaf and a knife. This garlic without butter can be added to hot sauces for those that do not like fermented garlic (I love garlic, just not fermented).
But, to be honest, the dog eats more lbs out of here than me. I use it to make protein supplement with wild game or fish trim. Toss in meat with a little cheap rice to soak up the juices, and you have a week worth of dog heaven. Oh, and I cook it on the back patio to appease the wife.
 
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