Instant Pot

chrissjourney
chrissjourney Posts: 121 Member
in Health and Weight Loss
Do you have one? Is it life changing in preparing your food in a time crunch? I'm usually very busy during the week and wondering if it's worth it to buy one.

Replies

  • toxikon
    toxikon Posts: 2,383 Member
    edited March 2018
    I got one for Christmas and I've been using it at least a few times a week since then. I really love it.

    I get perfect hard-boiled eggs in under 10 minutes that literally fall out of their shells. Soups, stews, curries, braised meat dishes, etc. - they take an hour or less for fall-apart tender, flavourful dishes - comparable to 8 hours in a slow-cooker. Rice comes out perfect every time in 15 minutes or less. And I make 12 cups of delicious homemade Greek yogurt every week using the Yogurt incubation function.

    I could keep going, it's totally my new favourite kitchen appliance. Right up there with my Kitchenaide.
  • chrissjourney
    chrissjourney Posts: 121 Member
    toxikon wrote: »
    I got one for Christmas and I've been using it at least a few times a week since then. I really love it.

    I get perfect hard-boiled eggs in under 10 minutes that literally fall out of their shells. Soups, stews, curries, braised meat dishes, etc. - they take an hour or less for fall-apart tender, flavourful dishes - comparable to 8 hours in a slow-cooker. Rice comes out perfect every time. And I make 12 cups of delicious homemade Greek yogurt every week using the Yogurt incubation function.

    I could keep going, it's totally my new favourite kitchen appliance. Right up there with my Kitchenaide.

    Ahh, see. I think I do need one in my life. Thank you!
  • toxikon
    toxikon Posts: 2,383 Member
    chrissjourney wrote: »
    toxikon wrote: »
    I got one for Christmas and I've been using it at least a few times a week since then. I really love it.

    I get perfect hard-boiled eggs in under 10 minutes that literally fall out of their shells. Soups, stews, curries, braised meat dishes, etc. - they take an hour or less for fall-apart tender, flavourful dishes - comparable to 8 hours in a slow-cooker. Rice comes out perfect every time. And I make 12 cups of delicious homemade Greek yogurt every week using the Yogurt incubation function.

    I could keep going, it's totally my new favourite kitchen appliance. Right up there with my Kitchenaide.

    Ahh, see. I think I do need one in my life. Thank you!

    No problem! I have the 6qt Duo. It's a good size for my fiance and I, but if I could go back in time I'd probably get the 8qt instead just for my extra-large batches of foods when I'm meal-prepping. I believe they just released a new model with a lot of new features, including a sous-vide function, which might be an appealing upgrade for some.
  • chrissjourney
    chrissjourney Posts: 121 Member
    toxikon wrote: »
    chrissjourney wrote: »
    toxikon wrote: »
    I got one for Christmas and I've been using it at least a few times a week since then. I really love it.

    I get perfect hard-boiled eggs in under 10 minutes that literally fall out of their shells. Soups, stews, curries, braised meat dishes, etc. - they take an hour or less for fall-apart tender, flavourful dishes - comparable to 8 hours in a slow-cooker. Rice comes out perfect every time. And I make 12 cups of delicious homemade Greek yogurt every week using the Yogurt incubation function.

    I could keep going, it's totally my new favourite kitchen appliance. Right up there with my Kitchenaide.

    Ahh, see. I think I do need one in my life. Thank you!

    No problem! I have the 6qt Duo. It's a good size for my fiance and I, but if I could go back in time I'd probably get the 8qt instead just for my extra-large batches of foods when I'm meal-prepping. I believe they just released a new model with a lot of new features, including a sous-vide function, which might be an appealing upgrade for some.

    Good to know, thanks.
  • amgreenwell
    amgreenwell Posts: 1,267 Member
    I have TWO of them. I got them both for Christmas and almost took one back until a coworker mentioned I might enjoy having two. Boy, was she right. I use them at least once a week. I can make frozen chicken into fall apart chicken in less than 30 minutes...great for those days that I either forgot to prep food or just don't have time. I use mine for just about everything and LOVE them. Gives me more time with kids. Takes some getting used to at first but once you get the hang of it and how long it actually takes it to warm up, etc. you'll be loving it.
  • chrissjourney
    chrissjourney Posts: 121 Member
    amgreenwell wrote: »
    I have TWO of them. I got them both for Christmas and almost took one back until a coworker mentioned I might enjoy having two. Boy, was she right. I use them at least once a week. I can make frozen chicken into fall apart chicken in less than 30 minutes...great for those days that I either forgot to prep food or just don't have time. I use mine for just about everything and LOVE them. Gives me more time with kids. Takes some getting used to at first but once you get the hang of it and how long it actually takes it to warm up, etc. you'll be loving it.

    Sounds like my type of appliance! Thank you!
  • Fitnessmom82
    Fitnessmom82 Posts: 376 Member
    amgreenwell wrote: »
    I have TWO of them. I got them both for Christmas and almost took one back until a coworker mentioned I might enjoy having two. Boy, was she right. I use them at least once a week. I can make frozen chicken into fall apart chicken in less than 30 minutes...great for those days that I either forgot to prep food or just don't have time. I use mine for just about everything and LOVE them. Gives me more time with kids. Takes some getting used to at first but once you get the hang of it and how long it actually takes it to warm up, etc. you'll be loving it.

    How are cooking the chicken? Every time I try it in the instant pot it comes out like rubber? So frustrating because that's the main reason I bought one!
    I make rice and quinoa in it almost every day and it comes out perfectly. Also great for steaming large portions of veggies!
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  • toxikon
    toxikon Posts: 2,383 Member
    nutrofight wrote: »
    Like a slow cooker? I thought this would be a very different topic.

    Instant Pot is a pressure cooker with lots of different functions including slow-cooking.
  • af240
    af240 Posts: 37 Member
    I have to be honest, I was a bit disappointed in the time saving factor. The only thing I've found it saves me time on is for roasts or things I'd normally cook at a low heat for hours and hours all day, I can cook in 1.5 hours time and it does come out that same fall-a part consistency. However, with normal cooking the actually "cooking time" might be low, but it takes 10-15 min just for the pressure to build up, and then another 10-20 min (depending on the recipe/what you're cooking) for a natural pressure release, which is something you do want to do for most meats or else it can come out rubbery. (Fitnessmom this is probably where you're going wrong?).

    So all said and done it's really not any quicker than if I cooked in the oven for 30-40 min. Just my experience
  • mockchoc
    mockchoc Posts: 6,573 Member
    I do love mine too but it's no different to the stove top pressure cooker I had for decades. My plus is mine is non stick so I like that part. af240, guessing you haven't made dried beans from dried ones or dulche de leche then? It is a huge time saver for things like that. Hours less. Yesterday I did a test on duche de leche. I prefer the 20 minute one just a bit over the 15 minute version. It's a little more darker. On the stove or oven it would have taken a few hours. True though you still can't open it till cooled unless you cook it in glass jars. I'm fine with letting it sit. Less electricity at least.
  • Francl27
    Francl27 Posts: 26,371 Member
    af240 wrote: »
    I have to be honest, I was a bit disappointed in the time saving factor. The only thing I've found it saves me time on is for roasts or things I'd normally cook at a low heat for hours and hours all day, I can cook in 1.5 hours time and it does come out that same fall-a part consistency. However, with normal cooking the actually "cooking time" might be low, but it takes 10-15 min just for the pressure to build up, and then another 10-20 min (depending on the recipe/what you're cooking) for a natural pressure release, which is something you do want to do for most meats or else it can come out rubbery. (Fitnessmom this is probably where you're going wrong?).

    So all said and done it's really not any quicker than if I cooked in the oven for 30-40 min. Just my experience

    I agree, I was able to make pulled pork from a frozen roast in 2.5 hours, which is pretty amazing... and I can have a stew or corned beef ready in less than 2 hours. I like it for rice, hard boiled eggs, mashed potatoes... But other than that, I still use my oven the most.

    Fitnessmom - yes you need to let it release naturally or the meat will be tough, but frankly, I've tried chicken in the IP and I just don't like the consistency (I don't like it in the crockpot either).
  • jdwils14
    jdwils14 Posts: 154 Member
    Oh....
  • svel713
    svel713 Posts: 141 Member
    I make refried beans from dry in the Instant Pot. Its nice not having to worry wondering if I soaked beans the night before.
  • MyEvolvingJourney
    MyEvolvingJourney Posts: 369 Member
    Totally worth buying! I use mine all the time! Mine has both the pressure cooker and slow cooker functions so it's pretty much replaced my slow cooker. If I don't have time to put something in the pot in the morning, it cooks in under an hour (in most cases!) as a pressure cooker. I've never had any tough meat, it's usually really tender.
  • Nony_Mouse
    Nony_Mouse Posts: 5,646 Member
    nutrofight wrote: »
    Like a slow cooker? I thought this would be a very different topic.

    Disappointing, isn't it?
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  • Francl27
    Francl27 Posts: 26,371 Member
    svel713 wrote: »
    I make refried beans from dry in the Instant Pot. Its nice not having to worry wondering if I soaked beans the night before.

    My husband still argues that the point of soaking beans is to get rid of whatever causes gas, and that you still have to do it.

    I still have absolutely no clue.

    I admit I haven't tried the 'slow cook' option either, but I heard that it doesn't work as well as a crockpot. Has anyone tried it?

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