What do you think of the InstaPot?

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gladius
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Re: What do you think of the InstaPot?

Post by gladius »

jbart65 wrote: Thu Mar 15, 2018 9:46 pm The Fissler and Rikon are what I have been looking at, but I don't really want to have to fiddle with the heat. Wish they'd come up with a way to eliminate that.

Sounds like I should get an electric. Now to figure out what model ...
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Generally the stove top models allow for more pressure and are easy to figure out, no fiddling - use a few times and you will know where to set the flame on your range to maintain pressure. Size matters too, the smaller capacity pots come up to pressure faster and maintain it easier, the opposite with the larger pots. The food you cook matters too: size, age variety, etc. are all variables to amount of pressure required and time.
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Re: What do you think of the InstaPot?

Post by Jeff B »

RickR wrote: Thu Mar 15, 2018 6:31 pm
Nmiller21k wrote: Thu Mar 15, 2018 6:06 pm It was in an episode of ATK
While it seals and pressurizes it doesn't do it as well as other models in the price range
Ah, yes, the people who put sugar in southern style cornbread.
This made me chuckle as it brought back memories of days past standing over someone claiming to be making cornbread while watching them make "corncake". :roll:
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Re: What do you think of the InstaPot?

Post by timos »

coool thread. I am gonna get a 6qt instapot....i think the wife and i will love it. It should save on the electric bill too,
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Re: What do you think of the InstaPot?

Post by Nmiller21k »

Go for the 8qt if they offer
You don't get a full 6qt capacity closer to 4
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Re: What do you think of the InstaPot?

Post by Bensbites »

Nmiller21k wrote: Fri Mar 16, 2018 12:07 pm Go for the 8qt if they offer
You don't get a full 6qt capacity closer to 4
1) you are totally correct

2) I have tried one pot meals, and it is ok for that. The vast majority of uses I only use the pressure button, not the other 7 modes.
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Re: What do you think of the InstaPot?

Post by gladius »

True for all pressure cookers, not just the InstaPot - room in the pot is required for food expansion.
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Re: What do you think of the InstaPot?

Post by Jeff B »

The wife seems to be onboard with this electric pressure cooker idea. Guess I'll do a little more comparison research on some different cookers and go from there. I think I'm going to like one of these!
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Re: What do you think of the InstaPot?

Post by gladius »

Make sure you read here: viewtopic.php?p=43637#p43637
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Re: What do you think of the InstaPot?

Post by Jeff B »

gladius wrote: Fri Mar 16, 2018 5:12 pm Make sure you read here: viewtopic.php?p=43637#p43637
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Re: What do you think of the InstaPot?

Post by jbart65 »

Finally got one of these - a 3 qt Instant Pot Ultra. Just wanted something for beans and long-cooking grains.

First impression: Wow. Getting the timing right is tricky, but damn does this thing cook beans fast. A lot faster than most IP users suggest.

I did Salvadoran red beans yesterday. Eight minutes made then tender. Pinto beans were slightly more tender than I wanted after 10 minutes. Chickpeas took less than 20 minutes. Got to tinker more with times.

In all cases I presoaked.

I might get a larger one eventually if the price is right, but I am happy I picked one of these up. I'll make hummus more often, at the very least. Always prefer to cook my own beans.
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Re: What do you think of the InstaPot?

Post by jacko9 »

I just gave my youngest son the Ultra InstaPot for Christmas (along with a cookbook for that pot). I should get feedback soon since he does a lot of one pot cooking and working construction along with a long commute we think he'll use his a lot.
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Re: What do you think of the InstaPot?

Post by J david »

Worth it just to hard boil eggs. The freshest eggs from my backyard chickens fall out of the shell.

My top 2 kitchen gadget purchases in the last 5 years:

1. Sous vide
2. Instapot
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Re: What do you think of the InstaPot?

Post by rayl1234 »

I held out for the longest time and finally picked up an ultra in September. Every recipe I’ve tried for which I’ve had Dutch oven variant as well... about the same quality product on the IP- just 30-40% faster. So that’s a win in my book. Only downside is, creating new recipes on my own proved difficult bec you can’t check in on progress and make mid course corrections.

I would rank induction hobs 1, sous vide 2 and IP 3 for my past 5 years....
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Re: What do you think of the InstaPot?

Post by lsboogy »

Nephew and two of my neices have and use them religiously - I've never thought about it till this thread - soaking beans at the moment for chili tomorrow. I might get a new appliance this year, always slow to adopt new things and rarely us a pressure cooker. But adobo might need something like that - love it in the summer but hate the day long cooking cycle.
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Re: What do you think of the InstaPot?

Post by Bensbites »

rayl1234 wrote: Wed Dec 26, 2018 8:46 pm I held out for the longest time and finally picked up an ultra in September. Every recipe I’ve tried for which I’ve had Dutch oven variant as well... about the same quality product on the IP- just 30-40% faster. So that’s a win in my book. Only downside is, creating new recipes on my own proved difficult bec you can’t check in on progress and make mid course corrections.

I would rank induction hobs 1, sous vide 2 and IP 3 for my past 5 years....

I found instant pot cheat sheets like this one to be a pretty good guide when starting out.

https://s3-us-west-2.amazonaws.com/byji ... ll-NEW.jpg

I tend to avoid lean proteins like chicken breast, pork chops, or steak in the instant pot. I reserve those for SV.
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Re: What do you think of the InstaPot?

Post by jbart65 »

I can already tell that adjusting recipes will take time and effort, but as with any tool, I only plan to use it for what it does best. Beans, stews, chilis, certain soups.

Reading a few books to figure out exactly what I would do with a larger IP. Got an Indian book that has what seems like a much better way to make paneer cheese than my current method. I'll try some dals and curries too.
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Re: What do you think of the InstaPot?

Post by Lufty13 »

I love mine so far. I’ve made a handful of dishes in it and it did well on each. No complaints.

Bensbites wrote: Wed Oct 25, 2017 12:14 pm I am tempted to pick one up. I am not sure I need it, but I keep hearing rave reviews. This is my first round of research...
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Re: What do you think of the InstaPot?

Post by Bensbites »

Lufty13 wrote: Fri Dec 28, 2018 11:03 am I love mine so far. I’ve made a handful of dishes in it and it did well on each. No complaints.

Bensbites wrote: Wed Oct 25, 2017 12:14 pm I am tempted to pick one up. I am not sure I need it, but I keep hearing rave reviews. This is my first round of research...
I am long converted. I prefer to use it for grains or protiens with a lot of connective tissue.
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Re: What do you think of the InstaPot?

Post by chrissy »

Instapots get the job done, and that's all that matters!
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Re: What do you think of the InstaPot?

Post by ken123 »

My review might be a bit dated as my Instapot is actually a Cook's Essentials unit - both a 6 qt and 9 qt unit. The 6 qt unit ultimately failed (internal electronics). I also have several Kuhn Rikon units which I use mostly these days. I need to get out my 9 qt unit again (gathering dust). I'm a fan of pressure cookers. These are pretty safe units, with redundant safety features which I highly recommend over the earlier jiggle top type units which I have seen explode.

Lately I have been using the Kuhn Rikon pressure cooker frying pan along with a benchtop induction unit. I'll admit to being a bit sloppy with it. I set it up to heat quickly and then step down the power level to a lower setting and periodically watch the unit so the pressure doesn't get too high (2nd level or 15 psi). I say I'm a bit sloppy because the unit will blow off pressure if it gets too hot using its redundant safety features. That and a timer keeps it well within a safe range. After a couple of tries, you can set the induction cooker up and and forget it until it is done, much like using an Instapot. I prefer using the Kuhn Rikon pots a bit more because you can sear the food in the pot vs searing on a teflon lined pot surface. I use a 6 qt unit for rice and the larger hotel type units for larger dishes - rib racks, etc. The fry pan size is great for doing whole cut up chicken (chicken caccitore, etc) lamb legs (/trotters) etc.

I use a pressure cooker for cooking rice. About 3 minutes at 15 psi does the trick. Actually a bit longer to get the unit up to 15 psi. I'll add cardamon, saffron and a bit of butter or ghee to the mix. I also cook dal (a type of Indian beans) often with lamb and a custom masala (dhansak masala), presoaking the dal to give a more even cooking. For larger meals I'll do a pork butt and make my own spice mix for it. Takes a bit longer (~45 minutes) for the meat to fall off the bone.

For several Indian dishes, the spice level drops off a bit compared to conventional cooking, so add a bit more garlic and chilies. Grind and roast your own masala and make a paste of it all on a sil patta for a best taste compared to doing it all in a blender (aka mixie).

Highly recommend Instapots and pressure cookers for all kinds of dishes - even cheese cake :)
I think of it like coarse stone grits - gets things done quickly :)

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Ken
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