I get recipes from a couple of foodie sites and they've shown a lot of recipes made using an instant pot. I'm not familiar with them although I believe I've seen some discussions on this august forum.

It seems to me that an instant pot is a new name for a "smart" pressure cooker, yes?

So those of you that have them and swear by them (or at them), what do you mostly prepare in it and what brand would you recommend?

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cooking via pressure cooker seems to become a fad every 20 years or so...

Great for soups (slow cooking), and pressure cooking apples, potatoes, etc. You can sauté things in the pot for recipes that need multiple steps, and keep food warm easily. We use ours pretty often - it's nice to be able to cook potatoes quickly, and fruits stew up beautifully with spices for making (fruit)sauces.

They are good decent slow cookers, but probably most useful for folks without a lot of kitchen devices who can conserve space with a multi-use electric cooker. I wouldn't use it to make rice, but technically it will do that. We don't eat meat, so I can't speak to its utility there...

Edit: the go-to brand is Instant Pot, and they go on sale pretty regularly. We got the fancy 8 quart one (Instant Pot Ultra 80) on a BF/CM deal for about $125 delivered.

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rj
AKA
Vreemac, Moth of the Future




Edited 1 time(s). Last edit at 04/15/2021 04:54PM by rjmacs.

We use ours pretty regularly to make soups, stews, mashed potatoes, roasts, rice, beans, hard-boiled eggs [it's great, the shells come right off], yogurt and I'm sure I'm missing something. It is not quite as fast as those twenty-minute recipes claim, you always should add ten minutes at least to get the pressure built up, and then it starts counting down.

Still, it is nice to have and you can make a full meal without heating up the house.

cleaning is easy as well - toss in a cup of water, set it for five minutes, dump it, wipe it, and you are done.

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We have the InstaPot 3qt "mini duo". Only way we prepare rice is in this thing, so easy.
Also very good for hard boiled eggs (as mentioned). Also easy for soups, mashed potato. Really nice thing about it I think is that you can do all the mixing in the bowl, so no need to dump out into something else. You can use a hand mixer, immersion mixer, masher, whatever, with the option to keep some heat on.
You can even do pasta, although I have not done much with that, like most cooking there is a learning curve to adapt what you know to the new device.

They make 8 Qt. smart models now, a little better for big families than the 6 Qt. Pulled/bbq pork, lima beans and ham (bone), Pot Roast (carrots and potatos), big fluffy pancake, Japanese Cheesecake, meat chili. It's nice to be able to set it and not worry about over-cooking.

I never thought to make baked apples, thanks for giving me the idea rjmacs!

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In tha 360. MRF User Map

....they legalized pot in NY but it won't be available......instantly.......

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I reject your reality and substitute my own!

My wife loves the 2-person Insta Pot I got her for Christmas. She really likes the time it saves. She works 2-3 some nights, so she can start it, do her work, and have food cooked when she's done. I took a chance that she might have equated it with buying her a vacuum cleaner, but thankfully, she didn't.

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lost in space
My wife loves the 2-person Insta Pot I got her for Christmas.

Is that the Hannibal Lechter special edition?

Ribs, chili, chicken and rice, cheesecake, .....

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Lux Interior

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lost in space
My wife loves the 2-person Insta Pot I got her for Christmas.

Is that the Hannibal Lechter special edition?

oh yeah. Also great for slow cooking fava beans and liver.

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been using a pressure cooker for 25 years. but don't know much about the insta-pot. sounds catchy.

Great for risotto! Also, I have an excellent Indian cookbook especially written for the thing.

I'd like a 1qt or smaller crock pot.

I've got a little 20oz 'warmer', but I'd like something that would actually cook food, in that small size.

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OK. Thx, all!

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A little break from the grief...






Disclaimer: This post is checked for correct spelling, punctuation, and grammar. Any attempts at humor are solely the responsibility of the author and bear no claim that any and all readers will approve or appreciate said attempt at humor.
My name is DP, and I approve this message.

I like mine so much that I bought three! 3 qt, 6 qt, and 8 qt.
Spaghetti, yogurt, hard and soft boiled eggs, casseroles, mashed potatoes...

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Central VA

Ha ha, I'm a little behind CJsNvrUrly, and have only two Instant Pots, 3 qt and 6 qt! I've always liked using a pressure cooker, but much prefer these electric ones — "set it and forget it" — especially for cooking dry beans. It's the only way I ever boil eggs now, since they peel perfectly every single time. Once you learn how it works, it's hard not to use it for almost everything!

My old stovetop pressure cooker is now just a regular pot. The electric ones seem safer for someone like me with an aging brain and short attention span!

My wife joined the Instant Pot Cult a couple of years ago. I swear if she could find a setting on that thing for salad, she'd use it for that, too.

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Will Collier
My wife joined the Instant Pot Cult a couple of years ago. I swear if she could find a setting on that thing for salad, she'd use it for that, too.

You can make quinoa in it for a warm kale salad!