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So I gave in and bought an "Instant Pot"(1) to see what the fuss is about
makattak:
(1) Competitor- Power QuickPot- but same thing. It was on sale at BJs.
So far I've had it two days and I am pleased.
I first tried a crockpot recipe that is my go-to for a quick and easy meal, Mexican chicken. It took more active attention than the crock pot (It is literally just dump the ingredients in) BUT was done in less than an hour, while the crockpot takes at least 4. (And at 4, the chicken is tougher than I would prefer. I usually do 6-8)
Additionally, the flavors were more distinct and the beans and corn more crisp. Overall, nice trade-off for speed and better flavor. The family was pleased.
Last night was chicken pot pie. Another favorite, but takes a good amount of time. Again, the quickpot worked very well. I could saute the onions and celery beforehand, toss in potatoes and carrots and chicken and cook with the pressure feature and then heat the cream and frozen peas with the saute feature after the cooking.
VERY tasty. Possible the best I've made. I may have cooked the potatoes too long (and didn't need all the time I used for the chicken) because they were softer than I would prefer, but my favorite part of this one was I was able to look at two different instant pot recipes and the go with my own ideas and it turned out very well. As I get a handle on the cooking of meat I should get better results. And since this was one clearly one of my best chicken pot pies, that's impressive. (My children all said this was the best chicken ever. But they say that every other week, so it just means it was really good.)
I'm looking forward to trying instant pot ribs. I found a recipe online for them and that was what actually made me break down and buy one.
It has several other features (yogurt maker, slow cooker- not sure if I'll use either of these), but the one I'm interested in trying still is the Sous Vide function. I've never gotten into that, but now I have a means to do so.
MillCreek:
We are still happy with our Instant Pot and use it several times a month. I plan on using it to make pork adobo this weekend. I prefer the chicken adobo and my wife prefers pork, so we are making pork.
zxcvbob:
Patty bought one a couple of months ago. She mainly uses it to hardboil (pressure cook) eggs. I've used it a few times to cook dried beans, and a spaghetti squash. It works very well. But so does a stovetop pressure cooker and I have several of those already in various sizes. The Instant Pot doesn't hiss like the old pressure cookers, and I don't have to watch it to keep adjusting the fire, so I like it.
I will keep using the old pressure cookers for canning. The IP should be able to can pint jars but they say not to, probably because its pressure settings are not certified. (but if you only need to maintain 11 PSI to kill botulinum and you set the IP for 15 lbs it should be good enough.) Not that botulism is something you wanna mess around with.
I was going to try using the IP to make some Beef Bourguignon last weekend with an old package of stew meat in the freezer -- not sure if it's beef or lamb -- but I couldn't find the meat so I must have used it already. I did find a few steaks that I didn't know were in there, so it was still a win :)
TechMan:
We use it regularly. These are some of my favorite recipes:
https://www.recipethis.com/101-instant-pot-recipes-for-the-complete-beginner/
https://www.pressurecookrecipes.com/pressure-release-natural-quick-release/
https://twosleevers.com/instant-pot-butter-chicken/
https://www.simplyhappyfoodie.com/instant-pot-mississippi-pot-roast/
https://www.pressurecookrecipes.com/instant-pot-cheesecake-new-york/
https://www.pressurecookingtoday.com/pressure-cooker-peanut-butter-cup-cheesecake/
https://www.gimmesomeoven.com/instant-pot-crispy-carnitas/
https://cookingwithkarli.com/dump-and-start-instant-pot-alfredo/
T.O.M.:
Instead of one of those, I bought a Ninja Foodi.
https://www.amazon.com/Ninja-FD401-Fryer-Stainless-Pressure-8-Quart/dp/B07S85TPLG/ref=sr_1_5?crid=SPNWYATDUGST&keywords=ninja+foodi&qid=1573000762&sprefix=ninja+%2Caps%2C185&sr=8-5
Didn't pay that much. Wife had Kohl's Cash and coupons. Ended up paying around $170. It's a pressure cooker/slow cooker/air frier. Damned if it doesn't do a good job of all of those. Pressure cooking is super easy to do. The air frier works really well, to the point where I was surprised. Easy wings and very well cooked. Recommend if you are in the market for one.
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