I-Pot
I bought mine about a year and a half ago. I'd owned a Farberware electric pc in the late 80's and it sucked eggs, just awful. I've been pc-ing since the late 70's because I was vegetarian and I liked getting brown rice and beans, etc., so fast. I own stovetop pc's ranging from 1.5 litres to 22 litres, still.
But I've given away all my medium-sized ones because the I-Pot is so much easier. Please, Frigilux, don't go buy one of those crappy imitations with a flimsy aluminum pot covered in nonstick. You'll learn to hate it when that crap starts flaking off--which it will under pressure. Don't be deceived by all those silly buttons on the front of any of these pots; they only do a few things and you only need to use a few of the buttons. For example, the Duo that I have (the 6 qt) has 'chili', 'stew', 'beans', 'rice', 'porridge', and I think a few more. I've never used any of them. The only buttons you need are the slow cook, the saute, and the manual (pressure cook).
The slow cook works perfectly; I've also given away 3 Crock-Pots because I simply don't need them any more. The problem with those slow cookers like West Bend that are just a thin nonstick pot on a hot plate is that food doesn't cook evenly. Believe me, with the very heavy stainless steel pot in the I-Pot it'll cook perfectly. The other great advantage with the I-Pot on slow cooker is that it has three ACCURATE heat settings. So many people have found that with modern slow cookers, that even the low setting will cause liquids to boil. The listed heat settings on my Duo are exactly what the specs say they will be, and you can indeed cook a pot roast at 170F if that's what you want. And, of course, you can set the timer easily for whatever cook time you want and then it'll shift to keep warm for 8 hours or until you turn it off. I've got blackeyed peas in the icebox now that I slow cooked overnight last night; I like the 'soup' they make on slow cook better than pressure cooked. If I'm using them for a cold salad, then I pressure cook them.
I use saute for stuff like roasts; I don't have to dirty a skillet to sear it because there are 3 saute heats and the hot one gets very hot. Again, it's s.s. so you don't have to worry about any coatings or finishes. Then, you can slow cook your roast or whatever in the same pot. I also use the saute function to make fresh iced tea. I dump the cold water in the pot, punch saute at high heat, and it'll beep to let me know the water is boiling. I don't have to watch the pot like on the stove.
Compared to stove top pressure cookers, this pc is much more efficient in its use of the steam that cooks. You only have to put a cup or so in the bottom for most things. I had a rack of St. Louis style pork ribs I wanted to fix for friends coming over last week. I could pick them up at the H-E-B, gave them my favorite pork rub, placed them in a bowl on the included trivet with foil loosely around them. I added about a cup of water, hit 'manual' and adjusted for 40 minutes. It makes no noise while cooking. At the end I did a quick steam release, took out the cooked ribs, gave them a little BBQ sauce, popped them under the broiler for about 5 minutes. I don't nuke or bake potatoes with this I-Pot; I do the same basic technique for about 45 minutes and they're beautifully steamed, whether white potatoes or sweet potatoes. You don't need all those silly 'smart' buttons; you'll remember how much to pc things and just use the manual button and adjust the time accordingly. You can cook pinto/kidney/navy beans in about 45 minutes from dry in the bag. You can cook brown rice in about 15 minutes.
I've got a friend who's been using hers for canning for her family, 45min for pints and 90min for quarts, same as I do in my AA canners.
If you do a lot of slow cooking, it's worth buying the glass accessory lid because you can look inside while stuff if cooking. They also sell a silicone fitted lid for the pot so you can put it in the icebox if you want.
The pot itself is very substantial. Think of it as an excellent heavy-duty stainless steel pot for the stove, only without handles. I've used mine many times for deep frying because the high sides keep splattering to a minimum. In fact, I bought a second pot for mine because I've run more than one thing at a time.
I bought the regular Duo but they make one that you can control from your 'smart' phone if you're so inclined. These posts cost more than some other brands, but you won't regret spending the extra when you see the difference in quality.
There are tons of great videos on YouTube re the I-Pot and their website is also great.
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