The Instant Pot: Who Has One/What Do You Think Of It?

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Yup, alumunum

Sorry, I was going on the weight of the inner pot on the Cuisinart, which I've been using in lieu of the PPCXL for the past couple of months. It's a relatively heavy gauge, which led me to think it's stainless, but when I held a magnet to it just now, there wasn't even a slight attraction, so it must be aluminum. I also got the XL out of its box and saw that It has to be aluminum as well. Makes sense, since few stainless pots and pans come with non-stick coating. Probably some difficulty in getting the coating to adhere to stainless.

However I'm not sure how much of a difference the inner pot material makes to me. To me the drawback of the PPCXL is the restrictive nature of the menu buttons. The Cuisinart is much more flexible ... for brown rice, for example, I just choose the "HIGH" setting and then input any number of minutes I want, using the suggested times in the owner's manual as a guide. With the PPCXL the rice option doesn't cook long enough, so I have to select the BEANS option instead. That annoys me.

Under normal use, the inner pot in any of these appliances should never get to the temperature that would degrade a non-stick coating. On the stove top, yes, it's possible. If you put an empty pot on the burner, set it to high, and walk away for 30 minutes. So don't do that.

And no, I'm not particularly happy with the PPCXL. Which is why I've been using the Cuisinart instead. Smaller (6qt) but I find it easier to use.

If I had to do it over again, I would not have purchased the PPCXL. But one can't know such a gimmick's drawbacks until one tries it. I could probably still return it to Costco, with some grumbling. I doubt I'd get an Instant Pot as its replacement, however. Don't need another gimmick, no matter how high quality part of it is.

And to be honest, we have a number of members who look down upon any of these electric pressure cookers, because in their opinions they don't achieve a high enough pressure and temp to do true pressure cooking. They have a point. Which is why I have collection of range-top pressure cookers should I need to get something sterilized or pressure canned.
 
Pressure Cookers

Sudsmaster, don't let anyone BS you about some particular level of steam pressure being needed for it to be 'true' pressure cooking. That's pure nonsense. Now, pressure canning is a whole 'nother thing entirely. But, the main function of pressure cooking is, and always has been, speed. True, it can break down some tough cuts of meat, but it can also make some meats really funky, too. Plus, tests have shown that many if not most of the top-level (Fissler, Kuhn-Rikon, etc) pc's aren't running at 15 lb but instead more like 12.

I've been canning since the 80's and I'll never use one of these pots for canning because I do want 15 lb, which translates to about 264F. Less pressure than that doesn't assure that botulism, for one, is prevented. No reason to take chances.

But I still own 4 regular stovetop pc's and love them too. My 22 litre Hawkins Big Boy is large enough inside to pressure cook two whole chickens, which I'll do to harvest the meat for a big soup or chicken chili. Can't do that in one of these little pots!
 
I have a big still new in box (16 qt, I think) Presto pressure cooker specifically for canning. I've never run it, and I want to supplement the rocker valve with a pressure gauge. I've been too busy to get into canning for the past few years, although I did some boiling water canning of jams about 10 years ago. It's a LOT of work! LOL. But to preserve special back yard produce it's the way to go. Besides freezing, of course. The Presto is aluminum, but I don't see anything wrong with that for canning, since the food itself won't be in contact with the metal (unless something goes wrong).

I used to work in a public heath school lab, and got familiar with what is needed to produce sterile glassware and media. They had huge autoclaves that could do many racks at once. I'd probably want to get some of that temperature indicator tape we used, as well.
 
Your Presto

is a fine canner. But don't bother with the stupid gauge. I own 3 All American canners, the least expensive of which was over $200. They still come with a gauge as they have for a century. However--they now come with the 'jiggler' also. As they state in the owner's manual, pressure gauges can easily go out of adjustment, even if you get them calibrated annually by your county agent. On the other hand, the 'jiggler' is always accurate. So trust it, and there's no need to waste money on the gauge. I can quite often and yes, the gauges on mine show around 15-17 pounds. However, the 'jiggler' is made for 15 pounds, so that's what I trust.

Keep in mind also that that nice Presto is also a fantastic pressure cooker! After all, a canner is just a much heavier-duty pressure cooker. I've made chili many times in my largest pressure canner. Of course, when full of chili it's way too heavy to even lift but that's no problem. I've canned up 18 quarts of chili in another of my canners after cooking it up in the largest one.

Aluminum is the norm for canners. Why? First, it is a great conductor of heat. Second, and more importantly, it holds down the weight. Still amazes me how few people can any more. I've canned a lot of hamburger, I've canned bacon, I've canned summer sausage, I've canned a whole lot of chicken, and so on. People somehow think they've got to have a farm or something to can. Not so. It's so cheap and when you can in that Presto, it'll keep for easily 5 years. Get it out and use it! And don't waste your money on the gauge...
 
On a local cooking show the other day I saw a bit about a chef who cans... bread... it was some sort of rum bread, and it was canned in a glass jar. As soon as the jar opened, the bread ball puffed up to about twice its canned size. The TV host said it was very good. The chef said the bread would last in the can about nine months.

I probably won't be making chili or other foods in the big Presto. Way too much food for this house. But for canning produce, it will be nice. I'm thinking tomatoes and such. When all I had was the boiling water canner, I started freezing garden produce. That worked fine until the chest freezer acted up and I had to toss a lot of stuff. Cést la vie...
 
I Give Away

a lot of chili; I'm Catholic and we have St. Vincent de Paul and there are always people needing food. I get my jars back and of course lids are very cheap. I also have a pantry that stays stocked with chili. Though I can pc beans in an hour in the I-Pot if I'm in a hurry, I also keep some canned w/o seasoning. I also can a generic vegetable soup made from just frozen mixed vegetables of different types, in 1/2 pint jars. I can pull a jar of those out and use as an ingredient with other dishes.

I live in hurricane country and I lost a side-by-side in Hurricane Ike full of food back in 2008. I was on a business trip and had no time to prep, not that there's much to start with. My pantry stays much more full than my freezer these days.

I've canned butter before but I quit doing that as it's a weird texture when it's opened. Just not worth it.

You can pressure cook an entire chicken in your Presto easily. In less than an hour you can have a fully cooked chicken. I do that to save the chicken for use in recipes.
 
Yeah, I'm not too fond of slow cooked chicken; too much like boiled. I can't imagine PC chicken is any better. The best is rotisserie or fried. Brining is my latest fad for chicken of any persuasion. It really helps with the tenderness and flavor.

I've made pulled pork in the HB slow cooker. It might also work OK in the PC, but most PC's are not big enough for a pork butt.

These days I don't have time to do big batches, and I'm tired of the extras going to waste, but when I retire bringing mass quantities to a church or homeless shelter sounds like a plan.
 
Rice

 
My microwave oven has an auto-sensor function for rice.  Works nicely.  Making a packaged jambalaya mix with sausage added this evening.  Set the rice cycle and a separate minute timer for the maximum suggested time for comparison.  The microwave is running 4 mins less than the minute timer.
 
Rice

What kind of rice are you using? That's interesting! And of course, with most of my extended family being from South LA, jambalaya always gets my attention.
 
Thanks for the advice, input and ideas, everyone. I've had time to watch a few Instant Pot videos on YouTube. John, you've convinced me not to bother purchasing a cheaper 'wannabe' product. Instant Pot seems to have the best quality and array of features.

We'll see. I, like Bob (appnut), use my small, upper oven as a slow cooker. I've never been fond of pressure cookers, but this one appears to be safe and fairly idiot-proof.

Maybe if Frigilux slips his MasterCard to Santa one will appear under the tree this year.⛄️
 
petek

I'm so susceptible to buying small electrics in particular, not using them and then giving them away. I just gave away a Crock Pot this last week to a buddy and his wife at church. It's one of those they call the 'casserole' model because it's 9 x 13 and shallow. I used it exactly once in two years. It's perfect for stuff like enchiladas or King Ranch chicken or stuff like that. Trouble is, I just don't make casseroles.

I have a Cuisinart panini grill that I was just sure I'd love. I've used it twice over the past year, and have never used the accessory waffle griddles.

However, I truly use this I-Pot. I use it as much on slow cooker as I do pressure cooker 'cause I love beans of all types and cook some at least weekly. I keep pintos, kidneys, navies, red beans, lentils both red and green, mayacobas, all in half-gallon Mason jars. I keep 5 different rices the same. They've been staples for me for 40 years and will stay so. I've done dozens of pot roasts over the past couple of years in here. This cooker does indeed work as well as the traditional Crock Pot for me, I'm certain because of the heavy s.s. pot. And it makes superb overnight oatmeal if you're into that.

The convenience of it for pressure cooking over stovetop is just that you don't have to monitor it as closely, since it'll just switch over to 'keep warm' after the cooking is done for the set amount. Obviously you have to be there with stovetop 'cause it'll burn your cooker dry and ruin it.
 
So if you do a pot roast do you put the potatoes and carrots in right away or add them later?   Twice I've added them right at the beginning but they got way too mushy.  Some people on the IP page say it works for them , others say they add them them after about 45 minutes or pressure cooking (depending on the meat size)  and then let it go to pressure a 2nd time for another 5-8 minutes.. 
 
I Don't PC Pot Roast

because it always came out mooshy in stovetop PC's. If I don't have the time to slow cook it, I do something else. I use the I-Pot on saute/high to sear the roast, then slow cooker it. Orrington Farms makes a superb dry pot roast mix that makes the seasoning easy; it's the only one I've ever tried that I liked. I add the veggies later, except for the carrots. For me, the others are usually new potatoes and celery, and sometimes even a quartered onion in the last hour.

After the pot roast is through, I do the standard procedure recommended for a good slow cooker pot roast: I reduce the liquid. However, since it's in the I-Pot, I don't have to reduce it in a separate pot on the stove. I pull out the meat, switch back to saute/high and reduce to the level I want.

Again, I've only dirtied the I-Pot and no skillet for browning and no pot or skillet for reducing.

I have done beef brisket under pressure, but it's not my favorite. I like doing 'Jewish style' brisket on the stove but have also done it in the I-Pot.
 
petek

I just went looking on YouTube for slow cooker pot roast recipes I've used and know to work.

I think the one you might like the best is the one by Food Wishes. His is a superb and easy-to-make recipe without any weird ingredients. His, however, only uses sliced mushrooms, sliced celery and carrots, but no potatoes in it. His 'gravy' is also not as liquid-y as some of the others.

Go looking on YouTube under 'slow cooker pot roast'. You're gonna find a bunch of excellent recipes, just pick out one that works for you.

And BTW you don't necessarily have to use a slow cooker for these. I've certainly made excellent pot roasts like this on the stove with a heavy Magnalite roaster and I know people who always do the same thing in their oven. I just don't like heating up the whole kitchen if I don't have to.

I'd be interested in hearing some followup if you try one. I think I stated before here, I'm gonna make a pot roast for my sister and me for Thanksgiving because we like it better than turkey. And fresh pecan pie with pecans picked from my yard...
 
petek

Another recipe that looks amazing was just released on 11/17 on the Food Wishes channel--Tuscan Black Pepper Beef. Apparently this recipe dates to before the time of Columbus in Italy, as a way to make some really tough beef to delicious. This looks easy but also awesome, cooked for about 3 1/2 hours on the stove top.

I'm gonna try this after Thanksgiving, it just looks like something I'd like, and friends would like. And John says it reheats great, too. Says great on polenta, rice or pasta.
 
Another Channel

that you guys might want to check out is Rick Mammana on YouTube. Very popular cooking channel by fat middle aged guy who can be quite funny. He tests a lot of interesting electrics and recipes. However, keep in mind that he also gets most if not all of his electrics as comps from the manufacturers, and I believe it definitely slants his preferences. But it's fun watching anyway.

Another fun man-cooking website is The Vegan Zombie. The guy's a musician and he's also a terrific cook. I can vouch for his seitan making and also for his meat-less loaf and a couple of other things.
 
T'was me getting confused.. I forgot this thing slow cooks which I haven't tried yet either..  Tonight I need some mashed potatoes for meatloaf. I put about 4 cups of water in it. and a steamer basket, and a bunch of quartered potatoes and carrots.  While I was peeling I turned it on saute to heat up and poured in the 4 cups of "hot water" from the tap to help speed things up..   All in.. set for 7 minutes.. it took 20 minutes to reach pressure,, about 8 minutes of pressure because the timer doesn't always start as soon as the pin pops up,, then about 12 minutes to quick release the pressure , so about 40 minutes total.  That's not really any faster than had you boiled them on the stove.  Not complaining but there are some things that this one won't do as fast. Now I know for sure that when I use my smaller stove top pc.. it doesn't take near that long to come to pressure or release.. so those do have a benefit of being faster than boiling.   
 
petek

Making mashed potatoes, I certainly don't use either the I-Pot or any other pc. I prefer making mine from whole potatoes, just call me a purist, because they tend to be less watery than when cut up raw. But--when I'm in a hurry I do what I need to.

I can tell you now that I haven't pc's any greens or any of that type of veggie in a pc in thirty years. It's always seemed stupid to me to bring something up to pressure, only to keep it at pressure for a few minutes and then quick release. Not worth the trouble! Some pc fanatics will try to find ways to use theirs for everything but scratching their butts, but I'm not like that.

I have an aluminum steamer that I bought back in the 70's, horribly discolored because it's been through a dozen dishwashers thousands of times--and still works perfectly. It's one of those with a bottom pot, a steamer pot the same size that sits on the top, and the lid. That's what I use to steam greens of all types, which are a major part of my diet along with daily juicing of them for 40 years. I'm sure I didn't pay much for it in college, I think I bought it at an Asian restaurant supply in Houston, and Lord knows it ain't pretty--but it gets the job done.

In a very short time you'll figure out what you need the I-Pot for and what you don't. I'm cooking a pot roast for us at Thanksgiving tomorrow because no one wanted the damn turkey, and I agree. I'll be searing and slow cooking it in the I-Pot with carrots, celery, and small new potatoes. No dressing for us this year, either. No one wanted it.

BTW I just ordered, the other day on Amazon, one of those I-Pot brand sous vide cookers. I've been curious to try it on fresh fish in particular.
 
Frigilux-

I bought an Instant Pot Duo Mini mainly because Amazon has had them on Black Friday sale all week. It's a 3-quart that has the same basic control panel as its big brothers. I've already used it twice, once to pressure cook pinto beans and once as a slow cooker to make a small pot roast.

I've had a 1.5 quart Proctor-Silex slow cooker for several years and now am going to give it away. I've used it countless times to make just enough beans, or just enough roast or soup for me--but so I don't have to eat leftovers for days. I've bought a lot of chuck roasts, have Foodsaver'd most of it after cutting 1 day's worth chunks. With one chunk the right size for one meal for me, I could put in a couple of small red potatoes, a few baby carrots, one stalk of celery, and it was just right for a pot roast for me, or for me and a friend.

This little 3 quart I-Pot will do the same thing. It's basically only a little larger than my 3-cup Aroma rice cooker and it'll do small amounts of rice, so that cooker is getting given away to a college kid to be determined.

It's on Black Friday special at Amazon, I guess through the weekend, for $49.95. I see no difference in the high quality of my 6 quart pot. In fact, I bought an extra that I'm setting aside to give my sister for Christmas, as she always admires my original pot when she comes over and she cooks for one also.

Just thought you might want to take a look at this smaller edition if it'd suit you.

johnrk-2017112423061105850_1.jpg

johnrk-2017112423061105850_2.jpg

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johnrk-2017112423061105850_4.jpg
 
I've seen the 6 qt iPot on sale locally for $80 this weekend.

I'm still not inclined to bite. It's one more kitchen gadget I don't think I need, no matter how wonderful it may be.

Who knows, though. I may donate my PPCXL to Goodwill and then think about the iPot again later.

OTOH, donating the PPCXL and not getting an iPot means one less item of clutter in the house, as well as $80 plus tax not leaving my checking account.
 
I Couldn't Agree More--

You'd be amazed, probably, at the number of kitchen appliances and gadgets that I've gotten rid of in the past five years. As I said earlier, I've given away three slow cookers, four stand mixers and, I think, four pressure cookers. I've given away several large pieces of Magnalite, several s.s. pots and skillets, simply because I haven't been using them.

You reach the point where just keeping everything clean, whether in cabinets or on the counter, is a pain.

I make all my appliances earn their living these days. If not--out!
 
Great product ...

Hi ... Got the Instant Pot when the aluminum insert of the first electric pressure cooker I purchased fell on the floor and was bent just enough that the lid would not seal. The Instant Pot insert is well made of stainless steel with a very solid base place for heat distribution. It gets used almost every week for something.
Harry
 
kimball455

I just used that 6 quart s.s. pot to boil pasta yesterday evening. The lack of a handle is no problem, and with silicone gloves the large, heavy rounded lip around the top of the pot is easy to grasp if I wish. And I got rid of my 6 quart s.s. pot with a handle because it was no longer needed.
 
When I cook potatoes in a pressure cooker for mashing later, I cut them in 4 or 6 pieces each and put them on top of the steam rack.

Then a cup or so of water (whatever the minimum amount is to produce steam) and just steam them. They are ready in 10-15 minutes of pressure at the most, usually 8 minutes is enough, depending on how big the wedges are.

When you steam them, they cook nicely and it takes way less time to reach pressure because you are not heating a large amount of water.

Have fun!
 

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