Instantpot?

missnic

DIS Veteran
Joined
Oct 13, 2004
Not exactly budget related, except that it's on sale for Prime day.. but can anyone tell me about the instant pot? I see recipes all the time that look good, but I don't really need another appliance unless its worth it. Can it replace my crock pot? It is actually quicker than stovetop/oven cooking?
 
Love, love, love mine. My sis got one last year on Prime day and raved about it. My daughter got one on Black Friday and has had nothing but good things to say about and bought me one for Christmas. we have a private FB group and my best friend bought one too. I have a 6 quart (Bella brand). I have made:

lasagna
burrito bowls
ribs - best I have ever had
cheese cake (need a push bottom pan for desserts + lasagna)
soups
chili

lots of other recipes too, and there are so many websites with healthy lower calorie meals.

Corn on the cob - 3 minutes in the IP, make corn once there and you will never cook it any other way.

such a time saver, much faster than the crock pot.
 
Not exactly budget related, except that it's on sale for Prime day.. but can anyone tell me about the instant pot? I see recipes all the time that look good, but I don't really need another appliance unless its worth it. Can it replace my crock pot? It is actually quicker than stovetop/oven cooking?

I don't own the pot, but my dd does. She likes it, but not sure how much she uses it - at first, a lot.

From reviews of others, the cook times are slightly misleading IMO. They'll say 15min (example), but don't say 15-20 to build pressure, then X min. to release pressure.

Also, boiling eggs - when I need 20 or more, I just put them in a stock pot, shake them when finished in a little water and the shells come right off. Nothing magic about the instant pots.

Some people love them and use them all the time. It's like a lot of appliances, some that I know are starting to collect dust, others can't do without them - I'm thinking bread makers! I have several appliances that I use occasionally, but none I use every day.

I love my crockpot but don't use it daily. Use my microwave for wrapped baked potatoes and steamed corn on the cob (in husks). Everyone cooks differently, so you would be the best judge of if you would use it, also look at all the reviews available.

Good luck! I don't hear as much about them as I did a couple years ago, probably another 'must have' will be invented!
 
It's actually pretty cool. I got one for my husband for Christmas because it was on sale (maybe for Black Friday or something). Also, our crockpot is on its last leg (it's starting to crack).

Anyway, we used it as a slowcooker for the first time this past weekend, and it worked great.

One thing that sets it apart from a slowcooker is that the pot inside it is light and stainless steel. So, it's super easy to clean. The pot inside my regular slowcooker is heavy (and porcelain maybe?), and it's harder to clean because it's heavy and crusts easily.

Also, of course, the main thing that sets it apart is that the instantpot can cook things faster than a slowcooker (obviously).

While I still enjoy oven-cooking (because it's also a "set and forget" cooking option), the instantpot is cool too. 30-40 minutes is about how long it'll take to cook something substantial. So, while pan-cooking is the fastest (aside from a microwave), it involves more "standing over the stove."

I, personally, think it's worth the price. If you think a slowcooker is worth the price, the instantpot is definitely worth the price. It's basically a slowcooker plus "all these other cool options."
 


It makes fall off the bone ribs in about 45 minutes (that includes prep and a few minuets in the oven to brown things up). It’s biggest asset is cooking quickly so if that appeals to you, get the larger sized one and keep an eye on deals with Kohl’s and Kohl’s cash. That’s what my wife did. Very happy with ours.
 
I used it a lot more when I first got it. I echo the comments above - time-wise, it's not super different for most things because of the wait time for building pressure and then releasing steam. Where it really comes in handy is clean-up, it's great for stuff you might normally use multiple pots for (I've made excellent pasta with sauce and sausage all in one pot, whereas it would take 3 different pots on the stove) and I find it especially brilliant for steel-cooked oatmeal, which tends to boil over and need constant watching on the stove, but is incredibly easy and hands-off with the Instantpot. Also, for something like congee (which I love - it's a kind of savory Chinese rice porridge) the cooking time really IS much much faster in the Instantpot.
 
Also, our crockpot is on its last leg (it's starting to crack).
Your crock pot sounds like mine. I am waiting for the day i set it before work and come home to raw meat. I have been interested in the instapot, but didn't want to spend the money on it, but I woke up this morning to see one on Amazon with 27K reviews that was originally $99 on sale for $58 and i had a $15 amazon GC laying around so for $47 - I now can venture into the world of instapot
 


boiling eggs - when I need 20 or more, I just put them in a stock pot, shake them when finished in a little water and the shells come right off.
Please tell me how you do this. I can never make this work. Every week, I boil 18 eggs for my breakfast during the week. But I always end up trying to peel, chipping off tiny pieces of shell.

Immediately after boil, I put them in an ice bath. I have tried the plastic container with water to shake it up, that doesn't work. I tried peeling under the water, nope. It's that damn membrane between the shell and the egg. If it separates from the egg, then it is easy. But 9 times out of ten, the membrane adheres to the egg and I have to chip away one little tiny piece at a time.
 
I found one at Walmart for $25 in the clearance section and thought I can't loose. Well we really haven't used it yet but I was interested in how it cooks beans without overnight soaking or cooking them for over an hour.

So I put some black beans in the pot with the right amount of water and I think 20 minutes later we had perfect beans. Much better than the non soak method.
 
I use mine all the time. I love it. It has almost completely replaced the crock pot since one of my kids hates the soupy texture that it seems to give everything.

I probably cook something in it twice a week - roasts, soups, rice (great for brown rice since it cuts down the cooking time), eggs (shells come right off), bulk cooking chicken for other meals, casseroles - it all comes out great.
 
You need it!

I love mine. I use it at least 4-5 times a week. You can just turn it on and leave it...don't have to worry about stirring or checking on it. It makes perfect rice. I make soups and chili.
 
Please tell me how you do this. I can never make this work. Every week, I boil 18 eggs for my breakfast during the week. But I always end up trying to peel, chipping off tiny pieces of shell.

Immediately after boil, I put them in an ice bath. I have tried the plastic container with water to shake it up, that doesn't work. I tried peeling under the water, nope. It's that damn membrane between the shell and the egg. If it separates from the egg, then it is easy. But 9 times out of ten, the membrane adheres to the egg and I have to chip away one little tiny piece at a time.

Used to have same problems - hated peeling eggs, but my sis told me about this years ago. It never fails for me. I 'don't' put it in an ice bath (can't say if that matters - ?)

I drain the water, rinse/drain with tap water so they aren't so hot, then put about 1/2" water in pot - with lid - then shake up and down, side to side. This breaks the membrane and allows water underneath, and the shells just slide off.
 
Thanks for the responses. The prime deal for $58 is sold out, but there is a crockpot branded one for $50. Going to jump on it!

I don't use my crockpot much, but it's old and has like 2 settings, no delay or anything. I figure if I can upgrade plus get the pressure settings, i might use it more often.
 
I found one at Walmart for $25 in the clearance section and thought I can't loose. Well we really haven't used it yet but I was interested in how it cooks beans without overnight soaking or cooking them for over an hour.

So I put some black beans in the pot with the right amount of water and I think 20 minutes later we had perfect beans. Much better than the non soak method.
be careful. there was a recall for some made exclusively for Walmart
https://boston.cbslocal.com/2018/03/02/instant-pot-recall-walmart-multicooker-fire-hazard/
 
I drain the water, rinse/drain with tap water so they aren't so hot, then put about 1/2" water in pot - with lid - then shake up and down, side to side. This breaks the membrane and allows water underneath, and the shells just slide off.
THat sounds the same as putting water in plastic container and shaking. Doesn't work for me.
 
I use mine a couple times a week and love it. I've had it since Black Friday, and I haven't used my slow cooker since I got it.
 
I love mine and use it all the time. It is huge, though. Biggest drawback in my opinion. Still worth it!!!
 
I belong to an Instant Pot group and some of those people can be a little...zealous about it. For them it’s the end all, be all. Then there are those that have hated it from the beginning. I’m smack in the middle. I like it well enough, would probably replace it if it died but wouldn’t be lost without it. I use it on average 2-3 times a week and rarely for the main meal.

Things I use it for:

Corn on the cob and whole artichokes. Takes the guesswork out of it, under 30 mins total (time to come up to pressure, cooking, pressure release) vs sometimes an hour plus and no giant pot of boiling water.

As a slow cooker. Many claim it’s terrible at it but I’ve had no issues with it. Just remember to use ‘normal’ or ‘high’ never ‘low’ and you’re gold.

Eggs. There’s always the argument that it’s just as easy on the stove top and for the most part that’s true but I’ve timed it and start to finish with the method I use it’s 12 mins. (1 cup water, 5 mins on high steam, quick release and running cold water to peel) The eggs are perfect every single time and the texture is creamier. Shells slide right off. If it’s only one or two eggs I don’t bother but if it’s more than that I bust out the IP because they really are better.

Homemade cold start yogurt.

I had resisted making my re fried beans in it because I have this huge, all day process that I felt couldn’t be replicated by a machine. Then one day I had planned to make tacos, went to pull some beans out of the freezer and was out. So I quick googled a method and threw a pound of pintos in the IP. Damned if they weren’t the best beans I’ve ever made. So no more making five pounds of beans at a time, trashing my kitchen and tying up the stove all day.

I’ll never be one to make a bunch of one pot dishes in it, that’s just not my style but it’s a handy tool in the kitchen and for me, worth having.
 
I just used mine this evening to make beans (dried) and sausage. Turned out well. I agree with the PP - you have remember to add pressure building and release time to the total cooking time. I don't use mine as much as I thought I would. Even with a recipe, I can't seem to understand what setting to use and if it is natural pressure release or quick release. Maybe if I played with is more, I'd appreciate it more. I don't hate it though. It is handy if you have forgotten to thaw something.
 

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