Talk to me about the instant pot...

[Hallomother]

There are a few different ones by the same brand what's the difference?! Do they all cook from frozen?

Are they worth it? Are they a faff to learn how to use ( have a six month old so not much time)

What do you use yours for?

More importantly, do I need one? 😆

Use mine everyday to make porridge in though porridge you have to make pot in pot (basically stick some hot water in the pot then oats and milk in another bowl and put that in the instant pot on top of the rack).

Risotto is fabulous in it cooking a beetroot and feta one tomorrow.

Get 2 silicon rings so you can have a savoury and sweet one (otherwise in can contaminate dishes). Curry flavoured yoghurt?

Hippywannabe did you sauté the mince then add tomatoes etc? There’s some “golden rules” for an instant pot and one is that you have to “deglaze” after sautéing so you don’t get a burn notice. There’s YouTube tutorials on it.

I have been thinking of getting one but the slow cooker function confuses me, what temperature would be equivalent to low in a slow cooker and what woyldbe a high setting equivalent(I don't have room for both so would get rid of the slow cooker)

I wouldn't slow cook but then I didn't like my slow cooker. Everything turned out bland
Instead I would pressure cook for say 12 mins then leave on keep warm for however long I needed

We sometimes use the instant pot as a slow cooker. I would think it’s the equivalent of high? It’ll slow cook a joint of beef perfectly in about 4 hours.

Out of interest, how quickly does it make curry?

Love mine, I have the 8l version as I do a lot of soups in mine, they are miles tastier cooked in it with the soup setting. Turnip is great done in it and boiled potatoes for mashing come out lovely. I have not done a risotto in mine yet so any tips or recipes would be great. Someone asked about curry, I make a massive pot, 25 mins though toss the chicken in a bit of flour first if you are using tinned toms and coconut milk as it turns out watery compared to stove top cooking without flour. I made spag bol once but not keen on the taste of peppers from it, I am the same with slow cooker peppers.

I love mine. Made chicken, leek and chorizo risotto last night in 10 minutes (including 2 mins chopping). Left to release naturally for 20 mins but you can release the pressure quickly if you want. Lovely.