Educate me on the Instant Pot

[4alpacas]

PTF. I have an IP story, but I'm tired... I'll write about it tomorrow. Preview: bought 2, loved them, they both died,  Mfr. replaced both of them.

@Dicey I look forward to your IP death stories.  I've been using my IP several times a week for a little over a year, and I don't know what I would do without it.  I'm so lazy when it comes to cooking, so the set it and forget it feature is my favorite!

[BuildingmyFIRE]

OP Update: I got the Instant Pot.  Made a few dishes from an Instant Pot approved cookbook by Coco Morante, all of which turned out great (including a recipe for a whole chicken with gravy).  Also made mac and cheese from an internet recipe which was a disaster (I should have checked the reviews, most of which were from people who liked the photo and the idea of the recipe but who had not actually tried it). 

I'm looking forward to making yogurt in it and getting more adventurous from there!

[GuitarStv]

My understanding is that it's a crock pot that costs more and cooks faster.  Based on the way that we use our crock pot, I don't see much benefit in our situation.

[BuildingmyFIRE]

GuitarStv:  I cooked a whole chicken in the Instant Pot -- and prepared gravy -- in less than an hour (pressurized cook time for the chicken was 20 minutes).  It is a weeknight dinner time game changer. 

[GuitarStv]

GuitarStv:  I cooked a whole chicken in the Instant Pot -- and prepared gravy -- in less than an hour (pressurized cook time for the chicken was 20 minutes).  It is a weeknight dinner time game changer.

I cooked a whole chicken in my crock pot (and prepared gravy) last week.  It took me about 20 minutes to put everything in the crock pot in the morning, and it was done when I got home in the evening.  Not much of a game changer if you have the habit of planning things in advance.  :P

[Dicey]

GuitarStv:  I cooked a whole chicken in the Instant Pot -- and prepared gravy -- in less than an hour (pressurized cook time for the chicken was 20 minutes).  It is a weeknight dinner time game changer.

I cooked a whole chicken in my crock pot (and prepared gravy) last week.  It took me about 20 minutes to put everything in the crock pot in the morning, and it was done when I got home in the evening.  Not much of a game changer if you have the habit of planning things in advance.  :P

I totally dig the brown/saute feature of the IP, plus the shorter elapsed time options. I'm a pantry principle cook. I appreciate the flexibility of the IP when I change my mind about what to prepare for dinner.

And thanks for reviving this thread. I owe y'all an IP update. Soon.

[mm1970]

My understanding is that it's a crock pot that costs more and cooks faster.  Based on the way that we use our crock pot, I don't see much benefit in our situation.

I've never used the crockpot function, I use the pressure cooker function, and it's awesome.

I generally use it for things that don't translate well to a crockpot.

[NextTime]

My understanding is that it's a crock pot that costs more and cooks faster.  Based on the way that we use our crock pot, I don't see much benefit in our situation.

Your understanding is incorrect. It's an electric pressure cooker that can also be used as a crockpot, rice cooker, and other things.

If you see no benefit then don't buy it. I see no reason why you feel the need to argue with other people when they are completely satisfied with it.

[4alpacas]

GuitarStv:  I cooked a whole chicken in the Instant Pot -- and prepared gravy -- in less than an hour (pressurized cook time for the chicken was 20 minutes).  It is a weeknight dinner time game changer.

I cooked a whole chicken in my crock pot (and prepared gravy) last week.  It took me about 20 minutes to put everything in the crock pot in the morning, and it was done when I got home in the evening. Not much of a game changer if you have the habit of planning things in advance.  :P

And you've summed up why I love mine! :)

[csprof]

My understanding is that it's a crock pot that costs more and cooks faster.  Based on the way that we use our crock pot, I don't see much benefit in our situation.

Your understanding is incorrect. It's an electric pressure cooker that can also be used as a crockpot, rice cooker, and other things.

If you see no benefit then don't buy it. I see no reason why you feel the need to argue with other people when they are completely satisfied with it.

+this.  Compared to my old (on-stove) pressure cooker, my instant pot:
  - Doesn't need me to be in the same room while I'm pressure cooking;
  - Doesn't need me to be around to turn it off at the right time;
  - Has a yogurt mode that's nice for ferment-y things.  This is particularly useful in the winter because someone keeps his house at a temperature too low for things to ferment well.

Using the IP instead of my old pressure cooker is a very nice time-saver.  I'm completely happy with it.  And I mostly use it for simple stuff for which the old pressure cooker and rice cookers that it replaced were good at -- rice, beans, etc.  The increased flexibility is great.

(I also like that it's electric and decently insulated -- I get extra gas stove space, but it remains energy-efficient.  And I don't have to run the hood vent, which is better for both heating and AC performance.)

I love to cook, cook a lot, and am very philosophically opposed to most kitchen gadgets ("unitaskers", as Alton Brown would put it).  But I'm very glad I got an IP.  I use it weekly.

[NextTime]

Well, hams are sold out all over town, so I’ll be making this for Easter dinner tomorrow.

https://www.lecremedelacrumb.com/instant-pot-pot-roast-potatoes/

Less than 2 hours.