Do I keep my INSTAPOT?
amfmmama
Posts: 1,420 Member
I got an Instapot for Chirstmas, and it is sitting in my kitchen, in the box. It was bought on sale for 70.00. Is it worth keeping? Tell me your Instapot story... good, bad, ugly. GO!
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Replies
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I use it for rice because for some reason I just can’t *kitten* do it on the stove. I had a pressure cooker forever for rice and when it broke I was devastated. It’s a glorified pressure cooker.1
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I really like my instapot, it's multifunction so I can get rid of my crockpot , ricecooker, and steamer. Which is nice because my goal this year is multifunction appliances for my kitchen to save space. It cooks very quickly and holds moisture in so meats are never dry. The only thing I don't love is sometimes you can overcook your veggies so you have to time when you want them to go in if you are cooking more than one thing at a time in the pot. It makes a great all in one go broccoli and cheese soup though. I cook pork loin in it. you can sear your meat first and then pressure cook it which is nice since it's all in one pot. No extra dishes to do. I say keep it, learn it, love it.3
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As someone who isn't a fan of food prepared via slow cooker, crockpot, etc. I don't understand the appeal. Numerous people have insisted to my wife and I how great they are and I just kinda shrug. I'd be more inclined to explore Sous Vide methods.6
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I use mine twice a week at the minimum. Once you get used to it, it will be one of your favorite kitchen tools. Food cooked in the instant pot doesn't turn out mushy like slow cooker food. Meat retains its texture while being very tender. I love that I can come home from work and have beef stew that tastes like it has been cooking all day an hour later. I can make fall apart tender shredded chicken for tacos and brown spanish rice in 45 minutes. I even have one that I use at my seasonal camper site.7
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As someone who isn't a fan of food prepared via slow cooker, crockpot, etc. I don't understand the appeal. Numerous people have insisted to my wife and I how great they are and I just kinda shrug. I'd be more inclined to explore Sous Vide methods.
Don’t mean to derail but I do not understand the Sous Vide craze. My husband and I got one for our wedding and it’s just chilling in the box. I’m kinda scared of it.3 -
I got mine for Christmas and use it minimum 3 times a week. I did frozen chicken breast the other day in literally 15 minutes...shredded it up, threw it and some veggies on riced cauliflower. The best part is only having 1 pot to clean up!4
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As someone who isn't a fan of food prepared via slow cooker, crockpot, etc. I don't understand the appeal. Numerous people have insisted to my wife and I how great they are and I just kinda shrug. I'd be more inclined to explore Sous Vide methods.
Don’t mean to derail but I do not understand the Sous Vide craze. My husband and I got one for our wedding and it’s just chilling in the box. I’m kinda scared of it.
Agreed, and it takes soooo long.2 -
debrakgoogins wrote: »As someone who isn't a fan of food prepared via slow cooker, crockpot, etc. I don't understand the appeal. Numerous people have insisted to my wife and I how great they are and I just kinda shrug. I'd be more inclined to explore Sous Vide methods.
Don’t mean to derail but I do not understand the Sous Vide craze. My husband and I got one for our wedding and it’s just chilling in the box. I’m kinda scared of it.
Agreed, and it takes soooo long.
Yea I think that's kinda one of the main points of the pressure cooker you can cook fast but it tastes like you cooked it slow even from frozen. As a person that works all day and has to come home and cook dinner, I'm looking for fast options with maximum flavor and texture.0 -
Love mine! Reasons include, but are not limited to:
-makes rice perfect every time
-hard-boiled eggs
-steel cut oats
-can cook one of my pre-made freezer meals (including raw meat) from frozen in about an hour or so
-unlike the slow cooker, I don’t have to plan first thing in the morning. I can decide what I want to make for dinner at 4:30 and have it ready in a jiffy3 -
I love mine. I do quinoa with spinach, sweet potatoes, carrots, baby potatoes, veggie and beans soups. I like that it makes for an easy, one-pot cleanup.1
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I like my instant pot (and my sous vide). They are both useful tools. The instant pot is great for mid week meals because you can crank them out in a short amount of time. I cooked dried pinto beans the other day - pantry to plate in an hour and a half. You can't do that without a pressure cooker. I love traditional cooking methods - I have a wood fired oven and two Big Green Eggs in my outdoor kitchen. I love cooking from scratch and doing things "the hard way." I love cooking things that are slow and tedious, but I also live in reality and sometimes need to just get food on the table. Like @witchaywoman81 I sometimes don't plan well and can't decide what to cook until after work. The instant pot can make a home cooked meal possible instead of take out food.
Edit: I made home made tamales recently - in two hours using the instant pot. That is REALLY quick for making tamales...5 -
garystrickland357 wrote: »I like my instant pot (and my sous vide). They are both useful tools. The instant pot is great for mid week meals because you can crank them out in a short amount of time. I cooked dried pinto beans the other day - pantry to plate in an hour and a half. You can't do that without a pressure cooker. I love traditional cooking methods - I have a wood fired oven and two Big Green Eggs in my outdoor kitchen. I love cooking from scratch and doing things "the hard way." I love cooking things that are slow and tedious, but I also live in reality and sometimes need to just get food on the table. Like @witchaywoman81 I sometimes don't plan well and can't decide what to cook until after work. The instant pot can make a home cooked meal possible instead of take out food.
Edit: I made home made tamales recently - in two hours using the instant pot. That is REALLY quick for making tamales...
Can you please share your instant pot tamale recipe!!!!!1 -
I am definitely very happy with mine, and I use it about 2-3 times per week.
I can get tender, fall-off-the-bone babyback ribs done in an hour. Same for pot roast and pork shoulder. It is great for things that typically take hours. Soup and stock are quick.
For things where it does not save you any time, it may save you with its convenience. For example, I like to use it to make hard boiled eggs because I can set it and walk away and not have to tend the stove. Some find that the eggs are easier to peel.
Mine has a yogurt function so I can make yogurt. And I make it very often - it is so much better than store bought.
I can heat up a side dish at the same time as a frozen block of chicken breasts by putting a pot of veggies on top of the chicken. Some people make 3 things at once. Dinner in about 30 minutes from frozen in one pot.
A lot of people like to try to cook everything in it, but IMO, it is not always worth the trouble. I have much better control and speed for sauteeing things on my stovetop. And I don't mind turning on my oven for baked goods.
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debrakgoogins wrote: »As someone who isn't a fan of food prepared via slow cooker, crockpot, etc. I don't understand the appeal. Numerous people have insisted to my wife and I how great they are and I just kinda shrug. I'd be more inclined to explore Sous Vide methods.
Don’t mean to derail but I do not understand the Sous Vide craze. My husband and I got one for our wedding and it’s just chilling in the box. I’m kinda scared of it.
Agreed, and it takes soooo long.
That's the whole point. It takes a long time, is pretty hands off, and the results are very good.3 -
I say give it a try. Find an electric pressure cooker cookbook that has recipes you are interested in and see how it does.0
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Keep it and use it. It's a very useful addition to any kitchen. Just Google Instant Pot and you'll find hundreds of recipes.
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We use ours all the time...it's basically an automated pressure cooker with some additional functions like saute and slow cook. We eat beans a lot and we make them in the Instantpot now in about 40 minutes rather than hours on the stove top. We also batch prepare meals for the week...just chop and prep all of the raw ingredients and freeze them...get home and dump the frozen lump of food into the Instantpot and voila...dinner is served in 30-40 minutes and mostly hands off so you're not sitting over the stove and cooking and can do other things like homework with your kids.
There are tons of recipes on line and on pinterest for Instantpot, both fresh and the frozen I spoke of...it's pretty awesome, especially for weeknights when we get home from work later and have other things to do like homework with the kids.3 -
I use mine several times a week. I especially like it for cooking dried beans, soups, and big batches of vegetables. It's so fast and I find it really easy to clean.1
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Grimmerick wrote: »garystrickland357 wrote: »I like my instant pot (and my sous vide). They are both useful tools. The instant pot is great for mid week meals because you can crank them out in a short amount of time. I cooked dried pinto beans the other day - pantry to plate in an hour and a half. You can't do that without a pressure cooker. I love traditional cooking methods - I have a wood fired oven and two Big Green Eggs in my outdoor kitchen. I love cooking from scratch and doing things "the hard way." I love cooking things that are slow and tedious, but I also live in reality and sometimes need to just get food on the table. Like @witchaywoman81 I sometimes don't plan well and can't decide what to cook until after work. The instant pot can make a home cooked meal possible instead of take out food.
Edit: I made home made tamales recently - in two hours using the instant pot. That is REALLY quick for making tamales...
Can you please share your instant pot tamale recipe!!!!!
I'll PM you when I get a chance to pull it together. Gimme a bit...
Mostly the instant pot just #1cooks the tamales faster and #2Makes is a "hands off" cook - you don't have to baby sit them while cooking. Other than that, it's tamale making as usual.0 -
Grimmerick wrote: »garystrickland357 wrote: »I like my instant pot (and my sous vide). They are both useful tools. The instant pot is great for mid week meals because you can crank them out in a short amount of time. I cooked dried pinto beans the other day - pantry to plate in an hour and a half. You can't do that without a pressure cooker. I love traditional cooking methods - I have a wood fired oven and two Big Green Eggs in my outdoor kitchen. I love cooking from scratch and doing things "the hard way." I love cooking things that are slow and tedious, but I also live in reality and sometimes need to just get food on the table. Like @witchaywoman81 I sometimes don't plan well and can't decide what to cook until after work. The instant pot can make a home cooked meal possible instead of take out food.
Edit: I made home made tamales recently - in two hours using the instant pot. That is REALLY quick for making tamales...
Can you please share your instant pot tamale recipe!!!!!
Here's a good link: https://tastesbetterfromscratch.com/mexican-tamales/
I usually keep some type of filling in the freezer - it can go well in enchiladas or empanadas as well. When I said tamales in 2 hours that was assuming I already had filling made.0 -
garystrickland357 wrote: »Grimmerick wrote: »garystrickland357 wrote: »I like my instant pot (and my sous vide). They are both useful tools. The instant pot is great for mid week meals because you can crank them out in a short amount of time. I cooked dried pinto beans the other day - pantry to plate in an hour and a half. You can't do that without a pressure cooker. I love traditional cooking methods - I have a wood fired oven and two Big Green Eggs in my outdoor kitchen. I love cooking from scratch and doing things "the hard way." I love cooking things that are slow and tedious, but I also live in reality and sometimes need to just get food on the table. Like @witchaywoman81 I sometimes don't plan well and can't decide what to cook until after work. The instant pot can make a home cooked meal possible instead of take out food.
Edit: I made home made tamales recently - in two hours using the instant pot. That is REALLY quick for making tamales...
Can you please share your instant pot tamale recipe!!!!!
Here's a good link: https://tastesbetterfromscratch.com/mexican-tamales/
I usually keep some type of filling in the freezer - it can go well in enchiladas or empanadas as well. When I said tamales in 2 hours that was assuming I already had filling made.
Thank you! This sounds good I didn't know you could make them in a pressure cooker0 -
If you enjoy doing washing of pots and pans and multi utensils......cook on the stove.
My IP cooks many different things 1 pot quickly! Look up recipes and research.
My fave appliance!0 -
Thank you for all of your responses!
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As someone who isn't a fan of food prepared via slow cooker, crockpot, etc. I don't understand the appeal. Numerous people have insisted to my wife and I how great they are and I just kinda shrug. I'd be more inclined to explore Sous Vide methods.
Don’t mean to derail but I do not understand the Sous Vide craze. My husband and I got one for our wedding and it’s just chilling in the box. I’m kinda scared of it.
googling sous vide... no idea what that is!0 -
We use ours quite often, at least a few times a week. It makes the absolute best mashed potatoes and baked potatoes!0
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As someone who isn't a fan of food prepared via slow cooker, crockpot, etc. I don't understand the appeal. Numerous people have insisted to my wife and I how great they are and I just kinda shrug. I'd be more inclined to explore Sous Vide methods.
Don’t mean to derail but I do not understand the Sous Vide craze. My husband and I got one for our wedding and it’s just chilling in the box. I’m kinda scared of it.
googling sous vide... no idea what that is!
Meh... just another cooking method.2 -
DrizztGirl82 wrote: »We use ours quite often, at least a few times a week. It makes the absolute best mashed potatoes and baked potatoes!
ohhhhhhh...... baked potatoes!!!!!0 -
Pressure vessels do bad things to food. Some folks don't notice or care. That is ok. Their choice. Everyone is entitled to a preference when it comes to food prep.
But, there is a reason that the only place one can find pressure vessels is in processed food factories (think Spam), pet food factories and prison or military mess halls. It is that the chemical changes in food caused by high temperature cooking under pressure are not desired by chefs.
For my part, I use my old school pressure cooker for two things. Dry bean soups and homemade cat food.23 -
It’s great for soups, stews and chili that would normally benefit from simmering for hours - you can get same flavor in 20 minutes or less in the IP.
Same for braised tough cuts of meat - tender and flavorful in a fraction of the time of a crockpot or even a slow oven braise.
I love it for being able to sauté in pot then add ingredients, seal it up and walk away.
I also love it for cooking meat from frozen (chicken breast and ground beef I use all the time).
Two of my family favorites that are definite time savers are penne and meatballs (plus all in one pot with no splatters) and baby back ribs.
I’ve also ventured into the cheesecake in the IP craze with really good results, and I wouldn’t normally bake a cheesecake!
There are lots of recipes to try, some are better than others just like any other website or blog. I really like PressureLuckCooking, This Old Gal, and Amy+Jacky
I say keep it and start using it!6 -
wilson10102018 wrote: »Pressure vessels do bad things to food. Some folks don't notice or care. That is ok. Their choice. Everyone is entitled to a preference when it comes to food prep.
But, there is a reason that the only place one can find pressure vessels is in processed food factories (think Spam), pet food factories and prison or military mess halls. It is that the chemical changes in food caused by high temperature cooking under pressure are not desired by chefs.
For my part, I use my old school pressure cooker for two things. Dry bean soups and homemade cat food.
That is such an odd thing to say. Maybe chefs prefer people don't use them because they'd be in less demand.
I can cook a frozen solid chicken breast to perfection in 25 minutes in my Foodi (granted, not all have the broil function). Better than I've EVER been served by a chef (although, I can't afford most professional chef's). The chicken is moist and delicious. I've read studies (okay, abstracts of studies) that state that the nutrient content in broccoli is most preserved in pressure cooking (as opposed to steaming or boiling). It was one abstract from one study, but if it's true of broccoli, why should I worry it is "destroying" other foods.6
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