Convince me I need an Instant Pot!

[Moresaltedcaramel]

Just that, please.
I have a slow cooker (use lots) and a pressure cooker (not so much)
Would having an instant pot save space and transform my life?? Is it worth the cost?

[lilywillywoo]

I just bought one at the weekend after seeing another post on here talking about it. So far have made mince, potatoes (which seemed to turn out very well) and am currently making yogurt. I'm also spending an inordinate amount of time searching for recipes...

[everythingstaken123]

Instant Pots are BIG. They take up a lot of space but obviously you won't then need your slow cooker or your hob top pressure cooker. I have had my instant pot for a year now and was quite intimidated by it at the start. However, I could not be without mine now. It is a totally different beast to your hob top pressure cooker. This you can turn on and leave the house. It doesn't make any noise and until you open it, you can't really smell anything either. I love my slow cooker but I am never organised to get it all going in time. This is the best piece of kit if you're disorganised because you can bung stuff in and produce amazing stews etc in a very short space of time. As I write this I am about to get my children's sausage casserole out of it. I actually love mine so much I'm thinking of getting another one (so I can cook potatoes/rice/sides in it)- the only thing stopping me is where the hell do i put it! A bit like the slow cooker though - if you think it's going to save you loads of time, it might not. The thing has to get up to pressure and then cook which can take more time than you're expecting. The beauty of it is that you can shove everything in (including frozen chicken) and have it all ready without really doing a thing.

[realhousewifeoffitzrovia]

I got mine on Monday and I'm obsessed. I never got on with the slow cooker. I found it made most things watery and a little funny-tasting. This article helped me to understand why:
However, you may like your slow cooker, and you already have a pressure cooker . . . but I still think you should get the Instant Pot. It's AMAZING! The fact that you can saute in it, that the pot is stainless steel, that there is a timer function . . . it really is pretty much the perfect gadget. Yesterday I got home after work and prepped dinner in 15 minutes. Programmed the Instant Pot to 20 minutes, and went upstairs to change into my civvies and faff around. In 20 minutes, came downstairs to a really flavourful one-pot meal. If I had been more organised, I could have prepped everything in the morning and set the timer so that the meal was ready when I got home. As a result of the Instant Pot, I'm giving away my slow cooker.

I love it.

[Mamagin]

I've already got one - it's been out of the cupboard once. Could you convince me, too!?

[imayhavelostmymarbles]

You can make amazing lemon curd in 15. Mins and sterilise the jars too!

[smileyreiley]

Oohh I'm in same need!! Currently slow cooker, spiraliser, mini chopper and blender all sitting in my way!!!
But it sounds pretty cool! When doing a stew Does the potatoes and veg remain hard, as mine does from slow cooker
How long from scratch to do steak pieces/ potato / carrot /onion stew??
Could you do it from frozen meat?

[Moresaltedcaramel]

The lemon curd might sway it for me!!

[smileyreiley]

What size one would folks recommend

[TondelayaDellaVentamiglia]

OF COURSE you MUST have one!

I love mine!

Mash is so much nicer
Beans...we are having a pork and bean effort this evening, the beans are STILL in the cupboard, am I worried, NOT a jot, i shall shove them in on the bean setting and they will be wondrous beany things of wonder in no time at all!
Cheesecakes...ohemmmmmgeeeeeee...just do it!
Big joints of ham in a snip!
Slow cooker function is also fab, you can adjust it so it's like a low or high setting
I have the one that does yogurt, which is also amazing!

[haggisaggis]

I use mine 2- 3 times a week. It's great for risotto, soups, stews & curries. I've also cooked pulled pork and a pot roast brisket in it. Pulled pork was great the first time but not so good the next. Brisket was good. I'm not obsessed with mine. If you look at the various facebook groups some people use them for everything. I'm not going to bother cooking eggs in mine and I have a really cheap rice cooker that I will continue to use for rice.
Yes you can cook meat from frozen - although I've not done this. It will take longer for it to come up to pressure but then it should be fine.
It is faster for some things - goulash in the instant pot takes approx 1.5 hours total (that's from putting the lid on and pressing the timer - so time to get up to pressure, cook then pressure release). In oven takes 2.5 hours. Recipes using chicken pieces are probably no faster but because you can walk off and leave it, it does save time. You have to watch converting recipes as you need enough liquid for it to pressurise but because no liquid escapes some things can get really watery. You also have to take into account that some veg release a lot of liquid on cooking. You can use the sauté feature to reduce the liquid after cooking though. I got mine to replace my broken slow cooker but have never sued the slow cooker feature as I just convert everything to pressure cook. Mine sits out on the work top as it is big!

[Moresaltedcaramel]

Is that the 7 in 1 6 litre pot?
Cheesecake...yum

[ScrambledSmegs]

I use mine loads - braised red cabbage takes 10 minutes instead of over an hour. Cooks brown rice perfectly, not much time saving with the natural pressure release but so easy. I never buy canned beans anymore because the bean function is so handy.

Also you can make tomato sauce that tastes like it's been simmered on the hob for ages, in about 25 minutes in total (chopping, frying, cooking and NPR). I make it in big batches and use it for loads of different dishes.

I also make entire meals in it but these ^^ are the small things that have made a big difference.

[Just2MoreSeasons]

Bumping for you.
I need a new slow cooker, but already have a rice cooker and old fashioned pressure cooker. I'm a bit out off that everyone says it's big as would have to store it in a cupboard, but my thoughts are I could get rid of two other appliances...
The reviews on Amazon are mostly really good.
I'm definitely interested!

[Applepieandcheese]

I love my instant pot. I use it mostly for mash, cooking joints of silverside, gammon, pulled pork and ribs. Must try cheesecake. Lots of recipes on facebook but some of the savoury dishes on offer can be quite high in sugar. Quite big to store (too big to keep out all the time in my small kitchen). Very easy to clean.

[TondelayaDellaVentamiglia]

i think it is the 6l 7 in one.

so i did my beans...1 cup beans, 2 cups water gave them 20 mins

drained and rinsed.

onions, apples, garlic, fresh ginger, chili in on saute

added beans, pork, ham stock (left over from giant ham I did last week)

30 minutes on manual

just left it to de pressure

tipped it into a pan and popped it into the warming oven, and made mash

...dd was here, but eating earlier than the rest of us.

so for virtually no effort we all got fed, and I used the pork from the freezer so one less thing in there.

[CSLewis]

They're amazing. I have two (and three inner pots).

I use the timer to soak oats and water overnight (in a bowl on the trivet inside the main pot) and my daughters wake up to hot porridge the next morning.

Chicken thighs cook in 10-15 mins max.

Stewing beef/lamb/pork cooks in less than 45 mins.

Huge joins of pork shoulder/gammon/lamb cooked to melting apart in 1.5/2 hours rather than 4 or 5.

Beans/lentils are super-speedy. Veggie curries quick and easy.

My favourite function, though, is that it automatically switches to Keep Warm mode when cooking is finished, so it's sitting there ready for you whenever you want to eat. (I love my rice cooker for the same reason).

Haven't got around to making yoghurt/cheesecake in it yet (probably a good thing), but it also steams Xmas Pudding in a fraction of the usual time.

After seeing mine in action, my mother and three of my sisters have bought one too, and my last remaining sister wants one for her wedding present! They're fab.

[lilywillywoo]

I've now made a lovely parsnip soup, ratatouille, and the yogurt turned out really well. Still spending a lot of time looking at recipes!

[smileyreiley]

About to purchase on Amazon!!
What's the best cookbook to accompany it?? (Preferably without cup measurements)

[Moresaltedcaramel]

So I have to do it...

[MistressMolecules]

I've got one and I do like it , I have used a few times and made risotto, creme brulee, a gammon and a couple of stews (with frozen cubed beef) which were really tender even though they only cooked for about 30 minutes. I got rid of my slow cooker to make room for it but am a little anxious about leaving it on sc setting whilst we are sleeping or out of the house - so haven't used that bit yet!

[HughJarss]

I've had mine over a year and wouldn't be without it. I use it pretty much every day. Soup, bolognese, a whole chicken in 20 mins. Even hard boiled eggs. It's fab.

[HughJarss]

Oh it makes great curries, too.

[smileyreiley]

Do they come with full instructions
Boiling eggs under steam pressure is slightly scary

[lilywillywoo]

There's a ton of stuff on Facebook with groups you can join, they are very active and you can ask lots of questions. I didn't find the instruction manual very helpful, but there's loads of help online

[Icouldbeknitting]

I happily leave mine slow cooking while I am out but I was a bit wary of leaving it pressure cooking. It's silly because the reason I bought it is because I know it's packed full of safety features. I left it on its own for half an hour, nothing bad happened and I'm more likely to do it again now.

I thought I would use it mostly as a slow cooker seeing as I used my old one once or twice a week but I've been surprised how much I'm using it as a pressure cooker.