Instant Pot

[Fat Cat]

We were given one this Christmas. Both my wife and I like to cook and have high expectations for what we eat. I'm kinda leaning towards re-gifting this to a bachelor friend, but I thought I would ask you oldfags if you have any experience with the device and whether or not you like it.

[Turdacious]

I have one. It does almost everything but doesn't necessarily do it well. It's more for 'have to cook' than 'like to cook.'

For slow cooking, it’s not close to as good as a traditional slow cooker. It works pretty well as a pressure cooker. I don’t do a lot of pressure cooking, so I mostly use mine for cooking beans and it’s great for that.

East Asians I know don't really use it; Indians and Pakis I know use the hell out of it-- so it might be pretty cuisine dependent.

[newguy]

Depending on what you want to do and when you want to do it, it can be great.

Like Turd said, it does not do roasts and such nearly as well as a crock pot/slow cooker.

It is fantastic for soups and stews. You can get excellent flavor relatively quickly and easily. It also cuts down the time for beans and chili tremendously and you don't lose anything in the way of flavor.

That is essentially what I use it for...soups/stews and beans. And for those two things I've found it well worth the money.

[Alfred_E._Neuman]

We have one. Same as newguy, it's main use is getting dried beans done in record time and it flavors them up with whatever spices you're using really well. You actually have to be careful with it or you'll end up with bean mush.

[Fat Cat]

Eh, I have a housewife so I don't need it I guess. Thanks guys, will give it away.

[Grandpa's Spells]

Just saw this. In case you still have it, things it would be good for if you like cooking:

Beef/Chicken/Vegetable stocks. Stocks upgrade a lot of other dishes but are a pain to cook for a long time. Not so with pressure cooker.
Indian cooking like chana masala or the like. Underrated IMO.
Stews. I'm having difficulty imagining that in HI but sure.
Easy but time-consuming one-pot meals like arroz con pollo or red beans and rice get very simple.
If you are interested in cooking whole grains that would otherwise be impractical to slow cook for 40 minutes. Faro, barley, etc.
Speeding up meal prep if you do that.

[Fat Cat]

Thanks Spells!

[seeahill]

I agree with all above. It's a slow cooker, but not a good one. it's a rice maker, but I hate the way it makes rice. It's best a pressure cooker. Great for winter comfort foods: soups, stews, beans. Probably not an issue in Hawaii. But there are some things it does great and they are things you might like. Indian food, for instance. Restaurant quality butter chicken in half an hour. Get the butter chicken lady's cookbook. https://www.newyorker.com/culture/annal ... nstant-pot

[Fat Cat]

I already gave it away.

[lasalle]

I agree with all above. It's a slow cooker, but not a good one. it's a rice maker, but I hate the way it makes rice. It's best a pressure cooker. Great for winter comfort foods: soups, stews, beans. Probably not an issue in Hawaii. But there are some things it does great and they are things you might like. Indian food, for instance. Restaurant quality butter chicken in half an hour. Get the butter chicken lady's cookbook. https://www.newyorker.com/culture/annal ... nstant-pot

I tried this New Yorker recipe last night. Super easy, very fast and very good-it will go into the regular rotation. Thanks for posting. If you're going to try it, don't follow their advice to save 1/2 the sauce for later use. Just keep it all together.

Of course the downside of the Insta Pot and Indian food is that the scent seems to permanently adhere to the pot, and my house smells like a curry palace for 2-3 days.

[seeahill]

Of course the downside of the Insta Pot and Indian food is that the scent seems to permanently adhere to the pot, and my house smells like a curry palace for 2-3 days.

I remove the rubber gasket in the lid and wash in soap and water. That seems to help.