Instant Pot - Buyers Remorse

[LadyFlumpalot]

I've been lusting after an Instant a Pot for months now, just had a look on Amazon and as they are on sale I caved and bought one. It's still A Lot Of Money for something though and now I'm worried I'll never use it and it'll be one of those things that gathers dust in the corner of my kitchen.

Please can all you lovely people regale me with reassuring tales of Instagram/Pinterest worthy kitchens and cooking now that an Instant Pot has arrived in your lives to help persuade DH me that I've not just spaced away £100?

Thanks!

I don’t use many kitchen gadgets but the Instant Pot is so good. I don’t roast whole chicken any more, I cook it in the pot. Great for stock, curry, yoghurt and soup too. I felt my range was a bit limited so I just bought a cookbook for inspiration (The Modern Multi-cooker Cookbook) and it’s brilliant, just made chicken and bacon risotto. I prepped all the ingredients this morning so dinner took about 10 minutes of my time tonight.

Here's my lasagne... meat sauce cooked in the IP, no browning or stirring. Layered up while still warm, then 20mins in the oven. Delicious. So fast.

I've also made lovely cheesecake, and curries with rice in at the same time. Stews obviously. A whole butternut squash. Poached or boiled eggs are easy, for six or 8 people.

I have one and i love it. I use it everyday! Ive made stew, bolognese, chicken breasts from frozen, joints of meat, chicken Alfredo, yoghurt, Dr Pepper pulled pork, potatoes.

You only need a cup of thin liquid for it to work @Spongeface

Greatest thing I've ever bought for the kitchen - have zero remorse OP ZERO

@Spongeface that's the don't-fill-above-this -line line!

Do you reckon £100 is a good price, or will it go even cheaper?

I had a Ninja one-pot thing as a product test but I had to send it back when I was done testing and dh is forever lamenting the loss. Toying with the idea of getting one of these.

I hate both cooking and gadgets but these things are great. You won't regret it.

I don't do anything clever in mine - I just use it to make pasta sauces and curries and soups, to steam vegetables, and to make yoghurt. I use it almost every day.

This is a 5l one

www.amazon.co.uk/dp/B01FW8CFAM/ref=asc_df_B01FW8CFAM58388404/?hvlocphy=1006886&linkCode=df0&hvptwo&psc=1&hvnetw=g&hvadid=256011645564&creative=22110&hvpone&hvlocint&creativeASIN=B01FW8CFAM&th=1&hvpos=1o1&hvdev=m&hvdvcmdl&hvqmt&tag=mumsnetforum-21&hvtargid=pla-420003712462&hvrand=9574653886060787507

Just remember it has to come up to temperature which isn't included in your cooking time, so I always stick it on saute first to warm the pot so to speak. Also if it needs natural release. Quick release can be done as soon as it finishes.

Risotto is saute leeks, add butternut squash, stock and risotto rice and put the lid on. So easy.

The thing we just love it for is pulled pork. Cut up into massive chunks, make my own BBQ sauce. Cooked to perfection.

Whole chicken in no time. Always use the trivet as it just falls apart when you take it out, straight onto a baking tray and grill to crisp up the skin.

Loads of people on YouTube using it including Flo Lum who has had one for years. Pinterest and Facebook have lots of recipes.

Clean up is ridiculously easy.

I used mine every day...at first.

Its now a tad dusty, I am glad to see this thread. Must get it out of the cupboard.

Starling, they’ve been £70 on a couple of occasions. These occasions were years apart though so I wouldn’t hang around for that price! £100 is still good.

I've just informed DH that 37 posts in and the consensus is that it's awesome and he is slightly mollified!

Mine lives on the worktop. I use it a lot.

Thanks OvO - very tempted!

I love my pressure cooker too, I've a pressure king pro. I use it mire than any other appliance and haven't u see my steamer or slow cooker since I bought my prp. Have a look on Facebook, there's a few recipe groups well worth following.

This is my go-to recipe for butter chicken. Made it countless times and never get fed up with it:
twosleevers.com/instant-pot-butter-chicken/

This is best mac cheese recipe I've tried:
www.dadcooksdinner.com/pressure-cooker-macaroni-and-cheese/

I do my porridge in it every day, it's lovely in there. I do it pot in pot with a cup of hot water underneath and can just leave it to cook go and have a cup of tea come back, stir it and leave for a minute and then dish up. Perfect.

It also does gorgeous steamed puddings.... I tried made chocolate steamed pudding which was lovely today.

Agree with earlier poster too risotto is fabulous no more stirring required. That's tomorrow nights dinner. I've got 2 seals to avoid the flavour contamination aka pudding or yoghurt tasting of onions, curry etc.

I have one of the cheap Chinese versions (Cosori). They all work the same.

I don't follow recipes but I used to have an old fashioned stove-top pressure cooker and it works the same way except that you literally just press a button and walk away.

@thecatisboss can you tell me the recipe you use for porridge? I want to master that, it would make mornings so much easier!

I love mine and I'm not a gadget person, had it for xmas but was bought on Black Friday for £79. I don't like clutter on the worktop but I leave my instant pot out permanently and use it most days.

Everything is quicker, tidier ie a lot less washing up etc. I've done porridge, rice puddings, Bolognese sauce (with frozen mince, love that you can just chuck it all in, i tend to break it up at the end and use the saute function to thicken it. So tasty we all agree it makes a tastier bolognese than when i used to simmer it for hours!) Also curry, risotto, soups, stock, whole chicken, poached eggs.

Potatoes and carrots at the same time (bought a separate steamer basket).

Honestly it's a game changer. Also being able to turn it on and go and do something else, no hovering to stir, no splatter or boiling over. I think it's probably savings money too as I find I'm using the oven and hob a lot less.

The instant pot app is useful and also the feisty tapas blog and FB group.

Now, porridge is a fail for me. Took 20+ minutes and was identical to porridge made in the microwave in 2 minutes.

I agree the two sleevers butter chicken is amazing. Risotto is unbelievably easy, we now have it most weeks.

This mac and cheese recipe is amazing:

www.feistytapas.com/2015/12/jaysons-pressure-cooked-mac-and-cheese-with-instant-pot-instructions.html?m=1

The nasi goreng on the same page is also great.

I defrosted and cooked lasagne in it the other day that is forgotten to take out of the freezer - on a trivet, cup of water, 15 mins. I went for a run and when I came back popped it under the grill to brown.

The instant pot isn’t always quicker - but the ability to walk away and leave it to do its thing is great.

@TheCag all I do is get my metal pot (lidl were selling some recently) put in 40g oats, 200ml milk and sit on trivet, then pour in a about 250ml hot water in the inner pot. Put on pressure Cook for 2 minutes and then leave till it naturally releases about 10 or 15 minutes then stir, leave for a minute then serve up. I sometimes do it for 3 people tripling up recipe and cooking in a bigger Pyrex bowl but need to increase cooking time then by a minute or so as Pyrex takes longer (ignore the porridge button it's not for UK porridge!)

Thank you all, I'm now VERY excited to try it out!