Instant Pot - Worth the Hype?

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  • MaggieGirl135
    MaggieGirl135 Posts: 977 Member
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    I use mine all the time, at least every other day, more commonly, everyday. And many times, I use it for more than one item in a day (I frequently cook ahead). Soups, rice, searing and then slow cooking roasts, winter squashes, white and sweet potatoes.,. Not counting the coffee maker, it is the most used small appliance in my kitchen.
  • whoami67
    whoami67 Posts: 297 Member
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    I bought one on a Black Friday deal last year. I'm trying really hard to start using it, but really it was a waste of money for me. I don't like the texture of chicken cooked in it. I spent an hour cooking a spaghetti squash in it yesterday (I had to cook it twice as the first time it didn't get done at all). It would have been much faster in the oven and it tastes better made in the oven. I have enjoyed it for making bone broth and yogurt, and the sweet potatoes I "baked" came out perfectly.
  • sgt1372
    sgt1372 Posts: 3,979 Member
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    ChrysalisCove wrote: »
    Is an Instant Pot worth the counter space / price tag?

    Not IMO.

    I own a rice cooker, crockpot, pressure cooker and a stove/oven.

    NEVER use the crockpot or pressure cooker but ALWAYS use the rice cooker and the stove/oven.

    So, I'd never use an IP any more than a crockpot or pressure cooker, which is NEVER.

  • Katmary71
    Katmary71 Posts: 6,586 Member
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    It's great for beans, hard-boiled eggs, and soups and chili. I use it more in winter for sure. I do make an herbal tea with cinnamon sticks and ginger every couple of days and drink iced tea all the time now.
  • moonangel12
    moonangel12 Posts: 971 Member
    edited August 2020
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    whoami67 wrote: »
    I bought one on a Black Friday deal last year. I'm trying really hard to start using it, but really it was a waste of money for me. I don't like the texture of chicken cooked in it. I spent an hour cooking a spaghetti squash in it yesterday (I had to cook it twice as the first time it didn't get done at all). It would have been much faster in the oven and it tastes better made in the oven. I have enjoyed it for making bone broth and yogurt, and the sweet potatoes I "baked" came out perfectly.

    I wonder if it was the squash?? I have cooked spaghetti squash in 8 minutes in mine, which, in the summer beats heating up the house for an hour with the oven (we have one room AC unit and it can’t keep up).

    The lack of oven use is a big part of why I use it so often in the summer... saves a lot of heat in the house!
  • acpgee
    acpgee Posts: 7,627 Member
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    ritzvin wrote: »
    I still use my rice cooker if making rice. Mostly because the interior markings are convenient and I'm almost always using the instapot at the same time. Caramelizing sweet onions is probably about the only thing I still use the slow cooker for.

    How do you caramelize your onions?
  • ritzvin
    ritzvin Posts: 2,860 Member
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    acpgee wrote: »
    ritzvin wrote: »
    I still use my rice cooker if making rice. Mostly because the interior markings are convenient and I'm almost always using the instapot at the same time. Caramelizing sweet onions is probably about the only thing I still use the slow cooker for.

    How do you caramelize your onions?

    Many hours in slow cooker.. Usually for onion soup. Fairly half-arsed version, but gets the job done without taking valuable time from me.
  • ahoy_m8
    ahoy_m8 Posts: 3,053 Member
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    Katmary71 wrote: »
    It's great for beans, hard-boiled eggs, and soups and chili. I use it more in winter for sure. I do make an herbal tea with cinnamon sticks and ginger every couple of days and drink iced tea all the time now.

    Would you mind sharing your ginger tea recipe?
  • asthesoapturns
    asthesoapturns Posts: 313 Member
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    I use mine several times a week. 25mins under pressure makes fall of the bone ribs. I can do a pulled pork in 30 under pressure. Stews take no time at all. And I use it for rice because I have zero space for a rice cooker.
  • age_is_just_a_number
    age_is_just_a_number Posts: 630 Member
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    We use ours at least weekly.
    We use it for a variety of dishes, but it mainly gets used for cooking rice, which is does incredibly well.
  • whoami67
    whoami67 Posts: 297 Member
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    moonangel12 wrote: »
    whoami67 wrote: »
    I bought one on a Black Friday deal last year. I'm trying really hard to start using it, but really it was a waste of money for me. I don't like the texture of chicken cooked in it. I spent an hour cooking a spaghetti squash in it yesterday (I had to cook it twice as the first time it didn't get done at all). It would have been much faster in the oven and it tastes better made in the oven. I have enjoyed it for making bone broth and yogurt, and the sweet potatoes I "baked" came out perfectly.

    I wonder if it was the squash?? I have cooked spaghetti squash in 8 minutes in mine, which, in the summer beats heating up the house for an hour with the oven (we have one room AC unit and it can’t keep up).

    The lack of oven use is a big part of why I use it so often in the summer... saves a lot of heat in the house!

    Yes, pretty much all instructions I read were in agreement that it should be cooked 7-9 minutes. It was not a large squash. I cooked it for 8, did natural release for about 15 minutes. It was hard as if I hadn't cooked it at all. I even rechecked to verify I hadn't left the vent open. I repeated the process and it was cooked, but didn't, of course, have that nice flavor it gets from the oven where the edges of the cut squash start to caramelize just a tiny bit.

    Then the large volume of steam from the water in the pot when I opened it heated up the house anyway.
  • Diatonic12
    Diatonic12 Posts: 32,344 Member
    edited August 2020
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    I have a 10 qt pot. I still rinse/soak my beans/legumes overnight in a bowl of water before I throw them into the pot the next day. Shorter cooking time and they're spoon/fork tender. My family always rinses/soaks them overnight regardless of the pan/pot we use. Then we throw that water out and add fresh water for cooking.


  • moonangel12
    moonangel12 Posts: 971 Member
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    I also add a little baking soda so the bean soak, I read a while back it can help with the “side effects” of beans.
  • mockchoc
    mockchoc Posts: 6,573 Member
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    This recipe from Serious Eats is good. I've done it a couple of times in my pressure cooker. I have a stove top one and an electric one. They make amazing stock and soups too. https://www.seriouseats.com/recipes/2016/01/pressure-cooker-caramelized-onion-recipe.html
  • wilson10102018
    wilson10102018 Posts: 1,306 Member
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    Dried beans, peas and natural cat food are are well prepared in a pressure vessel.
  • StargazerB
    StargazerB Posts: 425 Member
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    I'll be the person to vote a "no" on the instant pot. I thought I would use it so much but I just don't care for it. I feel like my one pot meals taste better cooked stovetop or in the Crock-Pot. But, I know a ton of people love the IP.
  • dragon_girl26
    dragon_girl26 Posts: 2,187 Member
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    (Hmm...MFP ate my comment, it appears..Hopefully this one posts..)

    If you make a lot of curries, rice, or soups (and I make all of the above), the IP is a beautiful invention. I'm so happy with mine, and I rarely bust out my crockpot anymore. Just be forewarned if you're concerned about the counter space,though...once you start the IP obsession, it won't just be the IP taking up space, but also all of the pans/lids/inserts/extra special crap you'll want to go with it..LOL
  • sgt1372
    sgt1372 Posts: 3,979 Member
    edited September 2020
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    The answer is NO to all questions
  • acpgee
    acpgee Posts: 7,627 Member
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    I've never been tempted to get an Instapot because I hate that stringy pulled texture of most braised meats. The pulses I cook most often are lentils which don't take that long to cook conventionally.

    However, I am a huge fan of my Anova sous vide set up. It is a wand that is 12 inches long and 2 inches in diameter so takes as much room to store as an immersion blender in a drawer. You don't need a vacuum sealer these days as ziplock bags work well enough for cooking sous vide. Cheap cuts of meat are tender after a very long low cook (talking 24 hours or so) but retain a meaty steak-like texture. The hubby doesn't agree for all dishes because he insists curries should be braised because that stringy texture holds more sauce.

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