To want to spend 120 quid on an instant pot?

[etzy]

Everyone seems to be raving about it so I am terribly tempted! Mind u, I already have a traditional pressure cooker.

I am fascinated by trying different recipes and buying different cuts of meat and cooking them in the oven for hours and hours! The longer it cooks, the better it taste imo.

So should I bite the bullet? Dump my 1-yr old pressure cooker and buy the instant pot? Or shall I opt for a cheaper slow cooker instead.

[etzy]

Great idea!

How easy is it to use? Do u use the slow cook or pressure cooker option mostly?

Was just wondering also what’s the longest u can slow cook something for?

[steff13]

Not unreasonable at all. It'll change your life.

[pisacake]

they aren't £120, that would be insane. they are £80. If you are paying £120 you are getting ripped off royally.

[OvO]

I paid £70 for mine in the Black Friday sale last year. I'd wait until then. Or Costco often have good deals on them if you have (or know someone with) a membership.

I've never used the slow cooker function on mine. My poor slow cooker hasn't had a look in since I bought the instant pot! You can have amazingly tender joints of meat in a fraction of the time it takes you to slow cook it.

[DarthMaiden]

So why are they so much better than a regular pressure cooker?

I use my PC 2/3 times a week and I’ve seen people raving about the IP but I’m not sure why it’s better.

The fact you can set on a timer? Good but not really a big deal for me. Is there anything else I’m missing?

I’m interested as I use my PC so much but confused why it’s an upgrade. Any info gratefully received (especially as I’m being asked what I want for Christmas ).

[ZaphodBeeblerox]

I love it - got it in feb and it gets used all the time.

I think it’s better than a stovetop pc because it’s quite hands free. I can sauté, add in the rest of ingredients, set it up and then walk away to tidy up or do something else. It doesn’t take up a space on the gas and I don’t have to wait for whistles or guesstimate timing based on gas and which burner I popped the cooker on etc etc. Loads of safety features mean less stress about burning / running out of water etc. It just stops if those things happen, and safely releases pressure.

My favourite feature is the yoghurt mode since I ferment a lot of batters and it’s perfect for overnight fermenting. I make batters for dosa and idli and hoppers etc at least once a week, and in the Uk that usually involves keeping the oven pilot light on overnight etc.

[Cazz81]

I'm also tempted to get one. How about cooking rice in it? Any good?

[LiquoricePickle]

I'm also interested in getting one.

[MadForlt]

I also came on here to say wait for black Friday. I do love mine.

[EmmaGrundyForPM]

DarthMaiden the OP is a preassure cooker snd a slow cooker. It's got other functions as well such as a rice cooker and yoghurt maker.

It is stand-alone so just plugs in, you don't need a hob.

I was very sceptical about it but then succumbed to a thread on MN and bought one and it's great.

[imip]

Ha ha, my MIL has been visiting us in the UK from Australia, where it's unavailable. She picked up one from Amazon and took it back. She made yoghurt here and my 4 dc weren't fans (they live Yeo valley natural yoghurt)

[Lanaa]

I adore mine, I’ve had it since Black Friday last year and I rarely use the stove now. It can cook a whole chicken in half an hour, oxtail in less than an hour and makes meat amazingly tender without that stewed slow cooker taste.

It has a rice cooker function, but I just tend to do rice on manual. 1:1 ratio of rice to water and high for 8 minutes. You can make perfect biryani using this and the sauté function.

[CottonEyeJosephine]

It’s brillinat, absolutely love mine!

[ZaphodBeeblerox]

I think the funny thing is if you ask 5 different people you’ll get 5 different ways in which they use the IP. Even within my family where we all tend to cook similar south Asian dishes most of the time. But it’s so so versatile!

I cook rice in it using the pressure cook method (although wondering about that given I recently learned about arsenic in rice on another MN thread and the way to avoid it apparently soak overnight and then boil in loads of water).

[Sgtmajormummy]

I was " given" one of these in a superstore promotion as an add-on when I bought a larger purchase. They were just about to bring out a replacement model. Supposedly worth €400.

It came out of the box and went straight back in again! I sold it for €100 on a local site which effectively reduced the price of what I DID buy.

Why?
My kitchen is tiny with no counter space for a machine like that.
Having experimented with slow cooking I absolutely hate it. Death by stew and a smelly house.
I pressure cook a lot and have it down to a fine art (!). My induction hob means I can walk away and it will switch off when I want it to.
I make pasta 4/5 times a week and IMO it should be made on the hob to avoid the unappetising mulch i saw in the manual.
I already have a good food processor, stick blender, hand mixer for the occasional times I need them.
I have a microwave to heat things up when I get home.
That particular machine was clunky and uncomfortable to put together (I love a gadget most days). The bowl would also have taken up a lot of space in the dishwasher.

So from me it's a resounding NO!

[inappropriateraspberry]

I made the best risotto in ours! Even DH loved it, and he usually moans when I make it. I’m pregnant, and have used it for batch cooking meals for the freezer, ready for when baby arrives. It’s great because it doesn’t need watching and stirring etc.

[etzy]

That’s what I’m wondering as I already have a pressure cooker which I use multiple times a week (altho need to check if it’s stainless steel) and a rice cooker. So I guess I’m just trying to justify buying one more gadget.

It’s the slow cooker element that is attractive to me. It would save time when I make a big bolognese or a stew which usually I spend hrs cooking in the oven. So I guess I could just sauté everything and leave it to slow cook for hrs even if I’m not home.

To anyone that had an IP, is the lid plastic?

[ZaphodBeeblerox]

Apparently the lid is dishwasher safe - although I’ve only ever done a quick hand wash. I use two separate rubber rings for savoury cooking and for dessert/yoghurt - the ring is the only bit that really holds food smells sometimes. They’re £4-5 on amazon.

I haven’t done much slow cooking in mine - have been just pressure cooking most meat joints etc.

[ASDismynormality]

I have one and love it, I pressure cook, sauté and cook rice in it. I will however say that I think the slow cooker is too hot so I don't use that function.

[StatueInTheSky]

I got mine to replace a very large slowcooker, and didn;t imagine I'd use the other options that much tbh but I use mine loads, and love the slowcook function....it is a hot slowcooker if you use the standard setting, so similar to a low oven...lovely stuff in 3 hours, but you can reduce the heat and then it really is slow...6-8++ hours.

I often combine pressure/slow, start off something like shin of beef, or a chili with beans on pressure and then let it plink away until we are ready

I have made yogurt, but only in jars, I don't seem to get such good results doing it in the pan

Rice....I do not get on with rice normally...very unpredictable results, don't ask me why, I can cook anything, but rice in a pan is my nemesis. However in the IP it is always lovely.

[FrayedHem]

I have one and I only use it to cook chicken from frozen. I had so many fails with everything else I tried, it ended causing far more work the just normal cooking. The lid on/off noise is brilliant.

Wouldn't buying a stand alone slow cooker be a lot cheaper?