|
Post by anonrefugee on Aug 3, 2016 12:59:22 GMT
You are so right refugeepea!!! I was scared too,, but it's no more frightening than a crockpot. I'd hate to say my life was changed by an appliance, but it's made a difference. It's possible the difference is I'm interested in cooking again and trying new recipes. I wouldn't have needed an Insat Pot for that, but it's time saving method caused it to happen. Both my family and I have been been happy!
|
|
|
Post by Katie on Aug 3, 2016 13:18:31 GMT
You've all officially have me convinced I need one, but I can't drop $120 on it right now (because it's more of a want than a need). Hoping it goes on sale again for black Friday, but if not, I will buy it as a Christmas present to myself.
|
|
|
Post by monklady123 on Aug 3, 2016 13:33:59 GMT
What if I'm kind of afraid of pressure cookers? Is it like, huge and terrible and always in the way? If I say, never used my spiralizer, do you think that's a sign I shouldn't get one or does everybody kind of buy a spiralizer and forget about it? Does it really save a lot of time and do things like meat come out browned or is it just going to be a lot of gray meat and shit? I'm a teacher and when I get home I'm starving and exhausted. I need easy. I need quick. Is it really as instant as they say? I know there are experts about. Fill me in, yo. Omg, lol. I haven't read a single one of the replies yet, but YES you need an IP pressure cooker!! I was definitely afraid of them. Aren't we all? at least those of us of a certain age who remember our mothers scary looking stove-top ones. Well these electric ones have safety features built in, and the temperature stays constant since it's electric not sitting on a variable gas flame. It's not small, true. But it's not huge and terrible either. I bought a Raskog cart from Ikea, the pretty turquoise one, and got rid of some things that were in a corner and it lives there. And I have a TINY kitchen. But it was worth it to me to make room. One thing I got rid of was a large George Foreman grill. We use it maybe three or four times a year for only one thing. Out the door it went! I have a spiralizer and have used it twice in the two or so years I've had it. I've had my pressure cooker for maybe a month and have used it at least four times every week. It saves an INCREDIBLE amount of time. Dried beans, no soaking needed, from dry to your plate in under an hour. -- A 6-pound pork roast from raw to shredded bbq in an hour. -- Pasta/tomatoes/sausage three minutes. (or 4...I forget what the timing was for the particular type of pasta I used). -- FABULOUS cheesecake in 30 minutes plus some depressurizing time. I've never made a cheesecake in my life and this one was PERFECT. -- Perfect hard boiled eggs in 3 minutes cooking/3 minutes depressurizing, and they fall out of their shells. -- Beef with broccoli that my kids said tasted exactly like their favorite Chinese takeout place. 6 minutes I think it was. -- Meatloaf 17 minutes. -- Perfect sweet potatoes 4 minutes. -- Steel cut oats done in the time I'm walking my dog (instead of standing at the stove stirring forever). As a teacher I think it would be a lifesaver. Obviously you might not do the 1-hour pork bbq right after school. But you could do most of those other things I mentioned, except maybe the cheesecake. Do the cheesecake one evening, then refrigerate it so you can eat it for breakfast the next day. um... I mean, for dinner the next day. I'm thinking of building a shrine to mine actually.
|
|
|
Post by monklady123 on Aug 3, 2016 13:42:44 GMT
You guys all convinced me and I'm not even Sock! Mine will be here on Friday 😊 I have to admit that all this talk has me intrigued too, and I almost made yet another PIP (Pea Influenced Purchase). But here's the dealbreaker for me: I just know myself too well, that's not going to happen. It's bad enough I have to cook, I'm not reading any damn manual. Lol. You still need one. Just ignore the manual except for checking out the various buttons and what they do, and the safety info (which is really just the usual common sense stuff). I really only used it to run the water test, which is just putting water in and bringing it up to pressure so you can know if it works before you throw away all the packaging. Everything else you need to know is online.
|
|
|
Post by Bridget in MD on Aug 3, 2016 15:23:00 GMT
Totally different than the pressure cookers our mothers and grandmothers used. Tons of safety features take the fear right out of it. Not huge, takes up about the same amount of space as a Crock Pot. I took my Crock Pot out of the cabinet and put the Instant Pot right into the same space. It's not a fun quirky gadget. Once you find your groove with it, it won't be set aside. It does save some time. It has a saute feature that allows you to brown meat before the cooking process starts. No grey meat. No weird, boiled-all-day textures. I've only had mine since Prime Day and am still learning. But, I don't regret my purchase at all. I made a whole chicken last night. It was delicious and so fast. (Just over 30 minutes for a 5.25 pound chicken) Yep, you probably need one. I'm glad you wrote this. I got one on Prime Day but now can't decide what is good to start with!
|
|
|
Post by SockMonkey on Aug 3, 2016 16:15:28 GMT
Well, I just bought one, ya damn enablers. Really, I am looking forward to less mess and getting things cooked more quickly. Will be following the threads!
|
|
|
Post by elaine on Aug 3, 2016 16:18:22 GMT
Well, I just bought one, ya damn enablers. Really, I am looking forward to less mess and getting things cooked more quickly. Will be following the threads! Resistance is futile. New thread started today and the last one is still on page 1 or 2!
|
|
|
Post by mellowyellow on Aug 3, 2016 16:31:55 GMT
Well, I just bought one, ya damn enablers. Really, I am looking forward to less mess and getting things cooked more quickly. Will be following the threads! Me too! I've been reading about it for a little bit and this thread sent me over the edge. Should be here tomorrow! Woo hoo!
|
|
|
Post by elaine on Aug 3, 2016 16:34:29 GMT
Well, I just bought one, ya damn enablers. Really, I am looking forward to less mess and getting things cooked more quickly. Will be following the threads! Me too! I've been reading about it for a little bit and this thread sent me over the edge. Should be here tomorrow! Woo hoo! You both should take heart that over 100 people here bought one on Amazon Prime Day and there haven't been many (any?) serious complaints so far. Some meals that didn't turn out great - but, that's to be expected as you learn a new method of cooking that is in some ways the opposite of what you are used to.
|
|
|
Post by mellowyellow on Aug 3, 2016 16:36:26 GMT
Me too! I've been reading about it for a little bit and this thread sent me over the edge. Should be here tomorrow! Woo hoo! You both should take heart that over 100 people here bought one on Amazon Prime Day and there haven't been many (any?) serious complaints so far. Some meals that didn't turn out great - but, that's to be expected as you learn a new method of cooking that is in some ways the opposite of what you are used to. Yes, the reviews look amazing. My momma used to make this wonderful beef stew in her pressure cooker and I remember thinking...nuh uh...that thing scared me. Well, this morning after making my purchase, I called her and got her recipe. I'm making it this weekend! I hope it turns out good!
|
|
peppermintpatty
Pearl Clutcher
Refupea #1345
Posts: 3,854
Jun 26, 2014 17:47:08 GMT
|
Post by peppermintpatty on Aug 3, 2016 16:39:31 GMT
I thought I wouldn't use it much but OMG, I am using it several times a week. It saves so much time and honestly, it is easier to clean up than doing things on the stove! Yes, you need one.
|
|
|
Post by PenandInk on Aug 3, 2016 16:43:32 GMT
Well, I just bought one, ya damn enablers. Really, I am looking forward to less mess and getting things cooked more quickly. Will be following the threads! Ya, me too, I just caved. Couldn't stand reading all the recipes anymore. LOL. I think DH is more excited than me!
|
|
|
Post by gale w on Aug 3, 2016 16:54:02 GMT
I had it in my cart for months and when it went on sale I knew I had to get it. I've used it a lot. Disclaimer-I already had an electric PC but I wanted the stainless pot and yogurt capability of the instant pot. My old one works fine though, and I've had both of them going already.
|
|
IAmUnoriginal
Pearl Clutcher
Posts: 2,894
Jun 25, 2014 23:27:45 GMT
|
Post by IAmUnoriginal on Aug 3, 2016 17:14:18 GMT
Totally different than the pressure cookers our mothers and grandmothers used. Tons of safety features take the fear right out of it. Not huge, takes up about the same amount of space as a Crock Pot. I took my Crock Pot out of the cabinet and put the Instant Pot right into the same space. It's not a fun quirky gadget. Once you find your groove with it, it won't be set aside. It does save some time. It has a saute feature that allows you to brown meat before the cooking process starts. No grey meat. No weird, boiled-all-day textures. I've only had mine since Prime Day and am still learning. But, I don't regret my purchase at all. I made a whole chicken last night. It was delicious and so fast. (Just over 30 minutes for a 5.25 pound chicken) Yep, you probably need one. I'm glad you wrote this. I got one on Prime Day but now can't decide what is good to start with! I started with an Oreo cheesecake because it was something fun. No pressure if I screwed it up, unlike when everyone is hungry and waiting on dinner. Easy and tasty. We did Mac-n-cheese last night. My picky 5 year old had 2 helpings and then snuck some of his dad's when DH was up handling dog craziness. I love that I'm not heating up the kitchen but we are still getting good, hot dinners. I should probably use the grill soon before DH thinks I've abandoned that!
|
|
|
Post by ktdoesntscrap on Aug 3, 2016 20:54:16 GMT
I'm glad you wrote this. I got one on Prime Day but now can't decide what is good to start with! I started with an Oreo cheesecake because it was something fun. No pressure if I screwed it up, unlike when everyone is hungry and waiting on dinner. Easy and tasty. We did Mac-n-cheese last night. My picky 5 year old had 2 helpings and then snuck some of his dad's when DH was up handling dog craziness. I love that I'm not heating up the kitchen but we are still getting good, hot dinners. I should probably use the grill soon before DH thinks I've abandoned that! Do you need a special pan for Cheesecake? I have a cheesecake pan where the sides come off. Will that work? Also silly question as mine is still in the box... when I think of a pressure cooker I think of making jam.. I have always wanted to make and can jam.. can I do that in the IP?
|
|
|
Post by elaine on Aug 3, 2016 21:02:39 GMT
I started with an Oreo cheesecake because it was something fun. No pressure if I screwed it up, unlike when everyone is hungry and waiting on dinner. Easy and tasty. We did Mac-n-cheese last night. My picky 5 year old had 2 helpings and then snuck some of his dad's when DH was up handling dog craziness. I love that I'm not heating up the kitchen but we are still getting good, hot dinners. I should probably use the grill soon before DH thinks I've abandoned that! Do you need a special pan for Cheesecake? I have a cheesecake pan where the sides come off. Will that work? Also silly question as mine is still in the box... when I think of a pressure cooker I think of making jam.. I have always wanted to make and can jam.. can I do that in the IP? To answer your questions: your current cheesecake pan is probably too big to fit in the IP - most people have to buy a 7" pan. And sadly, no, you need a stovetop pressure canner to be able to can. There is only one electric pressure canner and it is around $400. Regular electric pressure cookers don't get up to 15 psi which you need to safely can. You can pressure cook in a pressure canner (but they tend to be huge), but you can't can in a pressure cooker.
|
|
|
Post by peajays on Aug 3, 2016 21:06:53 GMT
My story is the same as gale w w , I wanted the SS pot, yogurt feature, and the cycle indicators. I love my Instant Pot! Attachments:
|
|
oh yvonne
Prolific Pea
Posts: 8,009
Jun 26, 2014 0:45:23 GMT
|
Post by oh yvonne on Aug 3, 2016 21:25:23 GMT
and I keep repeating this but it's one of my favorite features..the clean up! The clean up is practically nothing!
All you have is that one pot, no splatters all over the counter/stove top. No multiple pots and pans..and in the case of pasta, draining the colander, boiling the water. Washing out the big pot.
So much love for none of that. It's all contained in that neat little pot. Toss it in, put the lid on, press a few buttons and you are FREE to leave the kitchen!!!!!!!!!
ahh. What's not to love!
|
|
|
Post by ktdoesntscrap on Aug 3, 2016 22:05:13 GMT
Do you need a special pan for Cheesecake? I have a cheesecake pan where the sides come off. Will that work? Also silly question as mine is still in the box... when I think of a pressure cooker I think of making jam.. I have always wanted to make and can jam.. can I do that in the IP? To answer your questions: your current cheesecake pan is probably too big to fit in the IP - most people have to buy a 7" pan. And sadly, no, you need a stovetop pressure canner to be able to can. There is only one electric pressure canner and it is around $400. Regular electric pressure cookers don't get up to 15 psi which you need to safely can. You can pressure cook in a pressure canner (but they tend to be huge), but you can't can in a pressure cooker. Thanks for the explanation!!
|
|
|
Post by peajays on Aug 3, 2016 22:14:24 GMT
just finished dinner, I grilled steaks, but I did my baked potatoes in the IP, and then did some frozen edemame (in the shells) on the trivet for 0 minutes on the steam setting. I've only had them a few times before (boiled-yuck) and these were perfect and delicious! I just popped 'em right into mouth.
|
|
~Lauren~
Pearl Clutcher
Posts: 3,876
Jun 26, 2014 3:33:18 GMT
|
Post by ~Lauren~ on Aug 3, 2016 22:20:37 GMT
Each time I use it, I'm amazed and can't wait to use it again.
|
|
|
Post by Bridget in MD on Aug 3, 2016 23:18:37 GMT
just finished dinner, I grilled steaks, but I did my baked potatoes in the IP, and then did some frozen edemame (in the shells) on the trivet for 0 minutes on the steam setting. I've only had them a few times before (boiled-yuck) and these were perfect and delicious! I just popped 'em right into mouth. oh baked potatoes! that's a great idea!
|
|
|
Post by anniefb on Aug 3, 2016 23:18:53 GMT
I would buy one in a heartbeat but I'm waiting for a local website for NZ/Australia. Unfortunately that seems to be on hold for now so I might end up ordering one from the UK.
|
|