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.

Statue, put rice into cold water, bring to boil (on hob, I mean, not IP) then cover and turn off and leave for about 10 minutes - never fails.

I bought one on black Friday, mostly due to the hype on here and fb. It's ok. Dh has ended up using it more than me, but his opinion is the same.

It's a pretty good pressure cooker and a decent slow cooker, but as we already had two slow cookers that's not a big selling point for us. We both thought rice was better cooked on the hob, and some meals actually end up taking a lot longer in the pressure cooker than using the hob/oven (due to time for pressure to build and release).
If you're planning to use for sweet and savoury you should plan to purchase a few extra bits, such as the rubber ring for the pressure cooker as it tends to pick up flavours/scents of foods cooked

I dithered for ages but bought mine about 6 months ago on an Amazon flash sale day. I use it everyday.

It's useful for me as I have a toddler so i like that I can just prep the meal, turn the IP on and pay no attention to it until it's done. I find it really stressful to entertain the toddler whilst cooking on the hob and oven.

Plus it's really quick. I make chicken risotto really frequently and including prep and sauté, it takes 10 minutes. And it's lovely!

I also wasn't much of a meal maker before. I'd only cook full meals if I had friends round for dinner or had hours free on a Sunday and fancied a beef stew or something. Pre-baby I was out for dinner a lot or just grazed or just cooked stir fry type meals. Therefore, I'm expanding my repertoire based on good IP recipes rather than trying to use the IP to make meals that I already enjoy making through other means.

If I had lots of distraction-free time available to cook and if I already had an established roster of meals I'd perfected through conventional cooking, I might be less enamoured with it.

I also do things like poach underripe fruit or batch cook porridge, which i would probably just not bother doing without the IP.

Sheep-like I open another page to look at IPs on Amazon. 🐏

@Liiinoo I’ve been researching on amazon for days now! Still confused tho!

I’m also looking at the crock pot which looks interesting as u can sauté in the actual pot on the hob then leave to slow cook.
But it looks to be smaller!

My husband thinks I’m being crazy!!! How did I go from being cool and having a social life to being obsessed with a cooking utensil???

I need therapy!!!!

@SelmaAndJubjub agree! I’m not a fan of rice cooker. We have one but onlyOH uses it. I find my rice taste fluffier on hob. 10 mins then strain n cover with tea towel.

Ten seconds after logging off, I realised I hadn't attached the photo! See my post above...

@FrayedHem that’s exactly the question I’m pondering as my needs are mostly to make big batches of bolognese sauce, beef stews and maybe curries. I am not interested in yoghurts.

I love that once it’s cooked it keeps stuff warm, so I don’t have to juggle getting everything ready at the same time. Often I do meat in the grill or oven and put on potatoes in the IP at same time, and greens in the microwave to steam, then it’s all just ready to serve when the meat is done.

Also I can leave it unattended in a way I’d never leave a stove top pan. (Not to go out or anything, but to go and get in with something else.)

You say you’re not interested in yoghurts... ;)

And yes £120 is far too much. Around £80.

So from me it's a resounding NO!

I don't think you are talking about the same machine. What has a blender, processor or microwave got to do with the IP? There are no smells, its all sealed inside. Nobody ever pretended it was worth 400 euro, and I doubt you'd get 100 for one since you can buy new for almost that.
I think you're thinking of something else altogether.

I've just bought the Heston Blumenthal one it's brilliant were using it all the time

Anyone know how it compares cost wise to using a conventional oven on low?

For instance I often roast duck for 4 hrs or slow cook in oven for 6-8 hrs. Would the IP be cheaper to run?

@2014newme and off I go back to amazon to research one more pot!!!!

Exciting morning!

Have you been on the IP facebook group? I only really see posts on there saying the slow cook function isn't the greatest.

I have one in my Amazon basket, it's been there since last night

I have a 6 litre Crockpot which I use a lot but having read about the Instant Pot some people say that the 6 litre one only has a 5 litre capacity so I'm wondering if the 8 litre may work out better for us. I often use the Crockpot to batch cook and it's filled to the brim when I do a stew. The 6 litre Instant Pot seems to have disappeared from Amazon in the last week anyway.

If batch cooking is your thing go with a bigger size. I’ve got the 6l and it feeds 4 with leftovers, but probably not enough to feed us twice.

@FrayedHem i just joined the IP Facebook last night. This has taken over my life!

@MadisonAvenue I have both the IP(8L) and the crockpot (6L) in the basket. Hopefully I make up my mind before Black Friday!

Oh boy! It’s gonna be 2 long weeks!!!

I've got one. We bought it for about £80 after I had read the thread On here. I use it all the time. Last night was chicken fajita meat, tonight is beef stew, tomorrow will be risotto. At the moment there is a minestrone soup cooking.

I ADORE mine, I've had it for 2 years and use it pretty much daily. I prefer it to my beautiful KitchenAid mixer which cost far more. I cook soups, stews, rice (ditched my rice cooker), stews, casseroles, bolognaises, chillis, and beans or grains from scratch. I also binned my slow cooker as just didn't need it with a pressure cooker.

Also it is great for lentils, risottos, stock and mashed potato. Sorry!

Which size do people have?

If you really want to push the boat out you need the one by Heston, The Sage, which is about £160. The best.

If you really want to push the boat out you need the one by Heston, The Sage, which is about £160. The best

that's not an Instant Pot though.