In full disclosure, I am not in the market to get an Instant Pot. I don’t need it. However, many people were talking about it on Chowhound, and recently my friends also start talking about the it.
http://www.amazon.com/Instant-Pot-IP-DUO60-Programmable-Generation/dp/B00FLYWNYQ
What is your opinion? Just a fancy and more expensive electric pressure cooker and/or electric slow cooker? Or something much more powerful?
LOVE IT LOVE IT LOVE IT.
I have never pressure cooked and I bought my 6 in 1 for medical reasons last year when everything had to be super fresh and cooked fast.
I love that it has a saute setting that is the perfect temp for pre browning before a braise/cook and perfect for reducing the jus afterward. I always end up using the manual settings, have not used it for yogurt yet, will never use it for slow cooking due to the histamine accumulation issue that’s my concern leading to purchase, but it earns its keep for sure. Short ribs in an hour, too, great braised brisket, chili, stock…
Very easy to use, clean and maintain. I paid $134 for my earlier model. I don’t need blue tooth on my pressure cooker.
Only $99 http://www.amazon.com/Instant-Pot-IP-LUX60-Programmable-1000-Watt/dp/B0073GIN08
I should also mention that I had a glitsch and my lid got irretrievably stuck and could not be removed. I lost a grass fed sirloin in there. The company tried to help me get it open with suggestions, to no avail, so quickly sent me a new one and told me to just dispose of the deceased.
For a moment there I thought somebody had figured out a way to get around having to grow the stuff. 
Seriously. Me too. When my friend said instant pot, I thought about Chia Pet: 
That is a million dollar idea right there if someone can figure that out.
What is the different between slow cooking and braising? Are they both cooked in liquid for a long time?
Blue tooth?
Same thing, basically, but I cannot do either any more, though my tolerance is vastly improved. What would be a 3 hour braise is now about an hour using my InstantPot on high pressure.
Maybe I’m a fuddy duddy, but I just don’t feel the need to discuss anything with my pressure cooker once I set it and forget it.
I’ve had the Instant Pot for about 6 months. Having never used a pressure cooker of any kind before, it took some time to figure out how to use it. That said, after the learning curve, I have really enjoyed using it. My favorite things to make in it are pot roasts, stews, pork butt, farro risotto and arborio rice risotto. The fact that you can brown your food and toast the farro and rice right in the pot before adding the other ingredients is a great feature. Being able to throw some chuck roast for pork shoulder in and have it come out in an hour or so vs. 3 or 4 hours in the oven is a big time saver. Except for the lid, it is very easy to clean. The main cooking pot is dishwasher safe and It has a silicone seal for the lid that washes okay so far in the top rack of the dishwasher. I’m not sure how durable the silicone seal is, but it washes up great with no residual food odor. It also has a slow cooker function that I have not tried yet. I just find the pressure cooked foods I’ve made to be so far superior to the foods I have made in slow cookers in the past, that I have not had any reason so far to try that function on the pot.
Am I correct that most people here either neutral toward the Instant Pot or like it very much?
It seems like it has the saute/high heating function which is different from other electric pressure cooker. Correct? Thanks.
I’m considering one now that both my slow cooker and rice cooker have died (the rice cooker had a good long life- I got it for my 15th birthday and I’ll be turning 44 this year.) I’ve never really felt the need to get a pressure cooker but would try it if I alteady had a multipurpose appliance that did it.
I’ll be watching the holiday sales.
I don’t know how the saute function compares with other electronic pressure cookers, but I have found it to be a very useful feature on the Instant Pot. It does get hot enough to get a good sear on meats and poultry.
I find the lid really easy to clean; I just pop off the silicon seal, wash and dry with my little finger dragging a paper towel inside the indentation side. If the pot hasn’t been overfilled (past 1/2-2/3 full depending on how foamy), the lid has only steam on it; I wipe it dry, again using one finger along the narrower rim portions.
I read a lot of reviews prior to purchase and bought an extra seal; they do get flabby after use for a while, so it’s good to have a replacement handy. Because some folks said they retained food smells, I always leave it standing open with the lid resting on the handle holder overnight after cleaning and drying thoroughly.
I’m super enthusiastic. I never had used a pressure cooker, had no need for speed and I was pretty sure I’d end up on the news standing in front of the rubble that once was my home if I tried.
This is so easy, intuitive, safe and fast with great results. The saute setting gives a fast sear and a really speedy reduction of jus after braising. Short ribs, beef cheeks, stew, stock, brisket in one hour (though I usually make too large a brisket for this pot and freeze leftovers.
You got a rice cooker for your 15th. birthday?
Some people have all the luck.
Yep, it was what I asked for. One of my best friends was Korean and I loved their rice cooker. My family already knew I was serious about cooking by then and were happy to encourage it, I come from a long line of people who love to cook.
I have never heard of this, but now I want one!! I am a marketing dream!
So how would you all rate it as a rice cooker? I have a Breville Risotto Plus machine that I like a lot (rice cooker, sautés, slow cooker as well as decent risotto). I’m planning to send it off to college with my son, who only has a hot plate and microwave. If this functions well as a rice cooker, I would buy this as a replacement, sounds like it would add the pressure cooker functionality too.
I don’t eat rice so can’t help you there, but there are quite a few reviews online and also videos.
Use mine all the time. At least once a week. I love how it cooks tough greens in minutes. Made this recipe with collards instead of kale and it was delicious. http://nomnompaleo.com/post/18128850657/pressure-cooker-braised-kale-and-carrots
My dad used a stove-top pressure cooking when I was a kid, and I was always scared of that thing with its loud pressure regulator, ominously rocking back and forth. The Instant Pot is pretty much silent while the food is under pressure, and it’s totally safe to use.
Canners take note – this, along with all other electric pressure cookers, don’t get to a high enough PSI to can low-acid foods. You need a stove-top pressure canner for that.
Let me get this straight.
Since it can do pressure cooking and regular cooking, this must mean it has a good seal (to pressurize it when needed)
Since it can do anything from yogurt to saute, then it must mean it has a very wide range of temperature control and with timer.