Print

Please login or register.
1 Hour 1 Day 1 Week 1 Month Forever
Login with username, password and session length

[Bar-B-Lew]

I don't have an Instant Pot but see lots of good prices on several this time of year.  What brand and model do you have?  Would you recommend it?  What do you cook in it frequently?  I am going to use the information gathered here to determine whether I need one.

[hughver]

I have an 8 qt. Insta Pot Duo and so far have only used it for tough meat like chuck roast and dried beans.  However it works well as a crock pot and a keep warm device.

[Finn]

We have Instant Pot Ultra and have used it over a year. It's been great. I have used it for stew, chicken breasts, chili, brown rice, eggs, yogurt etc. Even for ribs (although you cannot compare them for ribs done in my Mak 2*).

[Brushpopper]

We have the 8 quart Ninja Foodie.  It's great for really crispy fries that aren't greasy.  The girls heat up chicken frozen strips and cheese sticks all the time.  It's great for reheating fried fish too.  The foodie is a pressure cooker, slow cooker, dehydrator and something else.  I forget what all it does.  My wife was very skeptical of it until she used it.  Now we use it two or three times a week.  I think it's bigger than an Insta Pot but worth the extra size in my opinion.  My brother has the 6 quart and wishes he had gotten the 8 now.

[okie smokie]

I have the Instant Pot. Several good recipes on the web for most things we like. Have made best chicken soup and try tip and pot roasts. Beef stew, etc all good. Only advice is that it is a good idea to thoroughly clean the lid and its parts after cook.  That means taking out the silicone gasket and washing thoroughly, or else it takes up odors from the food. The "stainless" pot will get some stains that don't come out but is of no consequence. 

[BigDave83]

I have had electric pressure cookers for a long time. my first was a wolfgang puck 5qt Bistro. i still use it but not as much. I have an 8qt instant pot duo and then bought a 3 qt IP Duo. It gets most of the use.


 I use it for simple quick evening meals. Mostly stuff the GF will eat. I cu up chuck roast and country style ribs season and about 2 T of water a bit of BBQ sauce and sometimes I do some hot sauce, I get looks when she eats the hot sauce ones, about 45 minutes then it just goes into the warm mode. Brown rice chunked up chicken breast my water or broth and about 18 to 20 minutes, then when done stir in some salsa op with some cheese when eaten. I will make halushki for picnics using the 8qt quarter cabbage a bit of water and 8 minutes it is ready to cut up to the size i want and then mix the rest of it all up and into the slow cooker. Hard boiled eggs, 3 to 4 minutes usually use jumbo eggs.

 I like to do chicken legs in it take the skin off first then hot sauce and seasoning a bit of water, they turn out great, I have done wings then put under the broiler to finish. Makes great easy rice. Kraft mac and cheese, 1.5C water stir in the noodles set for 3 minute let pressure release for 5 then stir in the cheese powder and milk. Sausages, with some peppers and onions, but they are made better in ways to really brown the sausages.

these are some of the more frequently made things.

[urnmor]

I had one and gave it away.  I never could get to like it as it is not my style of cooking

[Bentley]

So an insta pot is like a pressurized crock pot?

[Darwin]

Instant Pot is the brand name for an electric pressure cooker.  I love mine for red beans, stews or anything that requires a long wet cook time.

[BigDave83]

So an insta pot is like a pressurized crock pot?

Pretty much. instead of needing to toss something in the crock pot for 8 hours you can do it in the pressure cooker for an hour or less. Mine have slow cooker functions but I don't like the way they heat, so I use a slow cooker if I want that.

 You can smoke your chuck roast for a few hours to flavor then finish in the PC in less than an hour and have it done. I have done that and country style ribs. I know it is wrong but I have even done racks of ribs in mine for 25 minutes then put on sheet pan under the broiler for a few minutes.

They also make a good baked potato in 10 to 15 minutes.

 You just need to understand that the times are for actual cooking. It may take 6 to 8 minutes to heat up depending on what is in there, and then you have another 5 to 10 minutes until it cools down for the natural pressure release. Some things it is okay to just flip the valve and let the pressure out some things not. Example my 3 minute kraft mac and cheese is probably closer to 10 to 12 minutes to finish.

[slaga]

We have the Instant Pot 6qt Ultra and we are very pleased with it. We cook soups, pasta, potatoes for mashed potatoes, rice and roasts. We also use it to thaw ground meat for things like tacos or spaghetti where we do not intend to patty the meat out. We found when you thaw the meat, it cooks a little and just about all of the fat falls out in the instant pot. When we brown meat after it has been thawed in the instant pot, we almost never have to drain the meat.

From the web site, the Ultra is supposed to be able to Sauté/Searing pan, Pressure Cooker, Slow Cooker, Rice/Porridge Cooker, Cake Maker, Yogurt Maker, Sauté/Searing, Steamer, Warmer, and Sterilizer. Oddly enough, my Ultra has a sous vide setting and the newer ones do not. I am guessing it is not very good for sous vide.