Instapot, Is it a worthwhile purchase?

Leanbean65

I've been thinking about getting one any thoughts?

Ninkasi

I already own both a crock pot and a pressure cooker (it can do the job of both) so I wouldn't buy one, but if I didn't own those already I would consider it. In the kitchen, something that can do multiple tasks is better than unitaskers like a pressure cooker. I don't think it's a magic device as far as food prep or health/weight loss goes, though.

Francl27

I don't use mine that much but I would probably get a new one if it broke. Great for things like stew, mashed potatoes, rice, meatballs, hard boiled eggs, steamed veggies... I made pulled pork from frozen in less than 2 hours in mine too. I know that some people make EVERYTHING in it though, but I still prefer my oven for a lot of things (I never cared for crockpot cooking).

sgt1372

OP: There are numerous prior threads that wax poetic about the joys of instant pot cooking. So, if you are interested in hearing the "pros" of getting/using one just do a simple word search to find them.

I have a much different perspective.

I looked into instant pots after watching so many ads and hearing so many raves about them, but I don't need or want one. I've already got a rice cooker, slow cooker and pressure cooker. The only 1 of the 3 that I use w/any regularity is the rice cooker.

I prefer slow cooking food on the stove or in the oven and dred the idea of leaving any appliance on unsupervised for hours as you would w/a slow cooker or instant pot.

I also don't like "guessing" at how much time sonething needs to be cooked in a pressure cooker and being greatly disappointed by the results (over or under cooked) if the timing was wrong.

An instant pot is no better than a slow cooker or pressure cooker in these respects.

Also, I've read that people do not like the additional time it takes for an instant pot to pressurize b4 starting to cook and to depressurize b4 opening.

I'm an avid pot watcher. The wait time and inability to "see" what's going on the the pot drives me nuts w/my pressure cooker (which is one reason I almost never use it) and this would be no different for me w/an instant pot.

No such problems l when cooking on the stove top or in the oven or when using the rice or slow cooker.

The final reason that I didn't buy one is that I already have too many kitchen gadgets (way more that the 3 already mentioned) and don't want/need another, especially one that doesn't do anything different or better than the gadgets that I already have.

This is not to say that you might not need/love an instsnt pot. These are just my personal reasons for not buying one which may or may not be meaningful to you.

NovusDies

It would not be for me. With the exception of soup I rarely ever use a wet method to cook meat and I don't generally buy meat that benefits from that style of cooking. I use my crock pot for beans only. I use my pressure cooker for beans only when haven't pre-soaked them.

shushermfp

I love mine if only for baked potatoes. I just purchased an air fryer so I’m in the honeymoon phase with it. I will return the my instant pot when the novelty wears off

ljmorgi

I use my Instant Pot the most for homemade yogurt, chicken stock, and hard-boiled eggs, but I do make things like stuffed cabbage soup and chili in it as well for putting in the freezer. Being able to cook bone-in chicken breasts from frozen that quickly is pretty awesome for days when I forgot to thaw anything out. I also like being able to quickly cook a pound of beans. I made a fantastic cheesecake in it too!

Food pressure-cooked can sometimes take on the bland, mushy, overcooked taste and texture so common with slow-cooker food, but that's mostly a matter of experimentation. Remember that not every kind and cut of meat benefits from being cooked to "fall-apart tender" (often code for "cooked to death").

I haven't used the slow-cooker function (not much of a slow-cooker fan, can you tell) or the rice function since I just use my little rice cooker for that, but I consider mine a worthwhile purchase and worth the footprint in my poorly-designed kitchen.

flagrantavidity

I do enjoy my pressure cooker - InstantPot. Especially for beans, no need to pre-soak. I also find it good for ribs if the weather is bad - or even a pot roast. I don’t have a slow cooker and recently moved into a house with a glass top electric range so I don’t want to use my Dutch oven anymore... so my instant pot gets a lot more use.

Hungry_Shopgirl

Because of space constraints, I don't have room in my kitchen for a pressure cooker and a slow cooker. Instead, I have an instant pot, that does both of those jobs and more. My only regret is not buying it sooner!

zdyb23456

I got one earlier this year when my rice cooker broke. I figured I’d replace it with something more multi functional.

It does a great job with rice.

I can make a big batch of chicken breast in a short time that is perfect for shredding into other recipes (tacos, salads, etc.).

It makes amazing vegetable soup in about 30 minutes.

I made ribs twice, but they need to be finished in the oven/broiler.

I haven’t tried anything else. I still use my crockpot for my tried and true crockpot meals (why mess with something that’s been proven?).

kpsyche

I cook my rice on the stove in a saucepan with water & salt

I use my pressure cooker to cook corned beef and make stocks

Slow cooker I use for soups (e.g. pea & ham soup using ham or bacon hock; soups that use bones; etc). Although I've been known to use the pressure cooker for that as well. I occasionally use the slow cooker for casseroles but prefer to braise casseroles in the oven

Francl27

I keep hearing about people using it to cook beans because there's no need to presoak.. but I always thought the point of soaking was to get rid of the stuff that causes gas. Wouldn't that defeat the point then?

dsboohead

OP......heck yes....best purchase from a woman who hates to cook and hates clean up even more!

ljmorgi

Francl27 wrote: »

I keep hearing about people using it to cook beans because there's no need to presoak.. but I always thought the point of soaking was to get rid of the stuff that causes gas. Wouldn't that defeat the point then?

I always thought soaking beans was to rehydrate them enough to be able to cook them! I tried looking up soaking vs not soaking and how to reduce the gas and came up with a lot of conflicting info. I think gassiness comes down to one's personal biome and its response to beans.

banana2girl

I would gladly give up my stove and oven to have smaller appliances like an instant pot. I don't cook much, but Instant Pot allows me to cook a few things really well.
Once a week, I cook either a whole chicken or split breast with ribs in the Instant Pot. The meat is delicious and tender. I save everything that I don't eat (skin, bones, cartilage, anything icky) and put that in the freezer until I have enough bones to make bone broth. I also save vegetable scraps that would otherwise get discarded and freeze them for the stock too.

When I have enough bones (the equivalent of 2-3 carcasses), I make bone broth in the instant pot. Throw in the bones, Turn on the Saute function until they smell good, then cthrow in your vegetable scraps, throw in some peppercorns, cover with water, add a few tablespoons of Apple Cider Vinegar, then set the instant pot to pressure for 60-90 minutes. When done, strain and pour into mason jars for freezing.

This method makes 6 pints of very gelatinous broth and it's supposed to be great for arthritis and skin. I like to drink the broth as a snack in the winter or use it instead of water for other recipes.

Someone above stated how long it takes to get to pressure -- here's a hint. Always start with sauce and you can build up to pressure much faster.

_KitKat_

Yes...100% yes

I got the Ultra on Amazon for$109 which was almost $50 off and I love it.

TheRoadDog

My sister invited my wife and I over for dinner this past summer. Her husband had just got a new Instapot and he wanted to try it out on us. He made Chicken Marsala. It was good. My wife loved it. I don't understand what the advantage is, though. Took him about 90 minutes to prepare dinner. Don't get me wrong. It was delicious, but, I can make Chicken Marsala on the stove top using traditional pots and pans in 90 minutes.

Wife liked it. I told her when my Crock Pot wears out, I will replace it with an InstaPot, but, quite frankly, every month some new and innovative device for the kitchen comes out and replaces the last one. Most of the time they just take up counter space are not the innovation that the infomercials rave about.

Very few things that I cannot prepare on the stovetop or in the oven. I guess my advantage is that I enjoy everything about cooking. From planning to prepping to creating.

I guess if you don't want to make the time to cook, a microwave and a instapot would suit your lifestyle.

FireOpalCO

Francl27 wrote: »

I keep hearing about people using it to cook beans because there's no need to presoak.. but I always thought the point of soaking was to get rid of the stuff that causes gas. Wouldn't that defeat the point then?

If you cook the beans without soaking you will get some crunchy beans.

The only way to truly prevent gas it a product like beano that contains the enzyme the human body lacks (why we have gas).

Humans can adjust to beans. But what we seem to do instead is go "this chili is so good!" and eat 3 bowls of it and then not eat beans again for another couple of months and then wonder why we get bloated.

FireOpalCO

TheRoadDog wrote: »

Very few things that I cannot prepare on the stovetop or in the oven. I guess my advantage is that I enjoy everything about cooking. From planning to prepping to creating.

I guess if you don't want to make the time to cook, a microwave and a instapot would suit your lifestyle.

There are definitely things I would rather do with an oven/stove top. However hard-boiled eggs in the InstantPot is much easier and uses a lot less water than doing them on the stove.

janejellyroll

FireOpalCO wrote: »

Francl27 wrote: »

I keep hearing about people using it to cook beans because there's no need to presoak.. but I always thought the point of soaking was to get rid of the stuff that causes gas. Wouldn't that defeat the point then?

If you cook the beans without soaking you will get some crunchy beans.

The only way to truly prevent gas it a product like beano that contains the enzyme the human body lacks (why we have gas).

Humans can adjust to beans. But what we seem to do instead is go "this chili is so good!" and eat 3 bowls of it and then not eat beans again for another couple of months and then wonder why we get bloated.

I've used my Instant Pot to cook beans without soaking. No crunch.

avskk

FireOpalCO wrote: »

Francl27 wrote: »

I keep hearing about people using it to cook beans because there's no need to presoak.. but I always thought the point of soaking was to get rid of the stuff that causes gas. Wouldn't that defeat the point then?

If you cook the beans without soaking you will get some crunchy beans.

The only way to truly prevent gas it a product like beano that contains the enzyme the human body lacks (why we have gas).

Humans can adjust to beans. But what we seem to do instead is go "this chili is so good!" and eat 3 bowls of it and then not eat beans again for another couple of months and then wonder why we get bloated.

I cook beans in the IP without soaking first all the time. It takes approximately an hour and they come out perfect -- tender and flavorful.

Diatonic12

TheRoadDog wrote: »

.. got a new Instapot and he wanted to try it out on us. Most of the time they just take up counter space are not the innovation that the infomercials rave about.

lucys1225

I love my Instant Pot, Instant Pots actually. I have both the 6 and 8 quart and use them both constantly. The 8 qt is mostly used for chicken broth and soups that I can freeze. Everything else goes in the 6 qt.

madwells1

I use mine all the time. I love it. Would definitely buy another one immediately if mine broke.

I really like it for meal prep on the weekends. Beans (no soaking), bone broth, curries, soups, corned beef roasts, chicken for tacos, etc) and yogurt.

Yes, some things are better on the stove or oven (think pan fried salmon, etc), but I am a high protein person who cooks in bulk on the weekend so I don't have to cook that much during the week. I prepare the protein and add the sides.