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How the Instant Pot cooker developed a cult following

bbc.co.uk

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Re: How the Instant Pot cooker developed a cult following

#81

Post by soylentcola »

ncarroll wrote: post #49
soylentcola wrote: post #28

Earlier quoted context omitted.

I bought an old-school pressure cooker last year when my rooftop garden unexpectedly produced way more tomatoes and hot peppers than I had expected. Started to get into canning and pickling as a result. Sadly, I no longer live there thanks to a breakup but I'm looking forward to buying my next place with gardening space so I can pick up where I left off. Do these things work for canning or is it mostly just a matter…

As I understand it, the electronic ones are not recommended for pressure canning because you can't be absolutely, positively sure they reach a certain pressure. Best stick with your old-school model for pressure canning.

Great, thanks for the info. I'd have surely looked into this at some point before attempting such a thing but figured I'd ask since it was on topic.

Re: How the Instant Pot cooker developed a cult following

#82

Post by mafro »

I must be the only person unconvinced by the Instant Pot!

I don't like having to braise/sear meat and caramelise onions directing in the IP on "Saute" mode - it's always either too hot or too cool. This process is much easier on the hob with a frying pan.. Which is fine, but then I have two things to clean.

If I want the benefits of a pressure cooker, I'll just buy one of those.

Oh and the UX on the IP is horrific! I needed the manual every time I used it (about five times).

Re: How the Instant Pot cooker developed a cult following

#83

Post by neonnoodle »

The thing is terrific and I too have recommended it to anyone who will listen. I just hope they keep their quality control standards high as the popularity increases.

It's a huge money/time saver. I think it's already paid for itself for me as a yogurt maker.

Re: How the Instant Pot cooker developed a cult following

#84

Post by pjc50 »

turnip123942 wrote: post #68
imglorp wrote: post #15

Earlier quoted context omitted.

I find some basic knife skills to be a huge labor saver. I've had the same decent (ie, not serrated) $25 chef's knife for decades and can plow through basic veg prep in a few minutes. I don't like all the extra gadgets except a peeler. When I factor in setting up and washing some chopping or slicing machine, I'm way faster with just a knife and board. Two things to wash. And the board is also used to hold stuff on it…

Agreed! One thing to add: Learn to keep your knives sharp. A sharp knife is a safe knife and makes the whole prep process go faster.

Any tips on this?

Re: How the Instant Pot cooker developed a cult following

#85

Post by canes123456 »

freehunter wrote: post #46
tonyarkles wrote: post #17

Earlier quoted context omitted.

As a fellow lazy kitchen-er, I've got a decent recommendation: - small food processor to significantly reduce the chopping time. I picked one up cheap on a whim (I think for making hummus) and now most of the time I just coarsely chop veggies and throw it in with a slicer blade or grater, depending on what I'm making. (By coarse, I mean, I'll quarter the onion so that it fits down the chute) - Quit peeling! I've got…

I always find that dismantling, washing, and rebuilding the food processor takes more time than just chopping on a board and then washing the board.

Yep, serious eats has a few videos on cutting that are useful. It only takes a couple minutes to dice an onion or shallot. Much less time than cleaning a food processor.

Re: How the Instant Pot cooker developed a cult following

#86

Post by rajadigopula »

iambateman wrote: post #8
rajadigopula wrote: post #7

I have been using one for more than a year. It makes cooking so easy and quick and the flavor stays inside and food turns out really delicious. Best part is it doesn't even make slightest of the sound or smoke.One of my best buys.

I'm having dinner tonight from an instant pot but it hasn't lived up to the hype for me. What do you cook in there that you've really enjoyed?

I make indian dishes mostly, Dal comes out perfect. I cook veg, like green beans - only takes 3 min (5 if you add warm-up time) which otherwise will take 20-30 min. I also cook pasta - low pressure for 6 min gives perfect la dante!

Re: How the Instant Pot cooker developed a cult following

#87

Post by wyldfire »

miguelrochefort wrote: post #9

I got one for Christmas. I've been cooking more than half of my meals with it. It's great. Here's a few things I tried: - Mississippi pot roast - Carnitas - Pulled pork - Cilantro lime basmati rice - Butter chicken - Chili - Chicken breast - Crack slaw - Pulled chicken - Chinese hot pot - Hard boiled eggs - Soft boiled eggs - Steamed broccoli - Steamed cauliflower - Kale and bacon - Mussels - Cheese cake - Meatloaf -…

My wife has prepared a lot of these dishes in the past, but without a pressure cooker. So, what's different with the pressure cooker is that the cooking time for these dishes is much lower?

Re: How the Instant Pot cooker developed a cult following

#88

Post by miguelrochefort »

pbnjay wrote: post #66
koolba wrote: post #22

Earlier quoted context omitted.

What's an example of a task you didn't think it was capable of?

Hard boiled eggs are a lot easier - you barely even have to think about it.

And the pressure makes them very easy to peel.

Re: How the Instant Pot cooker developed a cult following

#89

Post by maxerickson »

douche wrote: post #63
throwaway9475 wrote: post #47

Earlier quoted context omitted.

I don't usually post, but please don't use a pressure cooker for canning as it can cause botulism if the food isn't sufficiently acidic. The only safe way to can non-acidic foods is with a pressure canner, not a pressure cooker.

Having now looked up the difference between the two (I've only ever seen pressure canners, with the locking lids and real pressure gauges, but which everyone I know calls a pressure cooker ), I'm now curious what in the world you would use a plain pressure cooker for? It seems like a strictly worse piece of equipment.

To cook things faster.

Takes an hour or two off of a pot roast.

Re: How the Instant Pot cooker developed a cult following

#90

Post by droopyEyelids »

mafro wrote: post #82

I must be the only person unconvinced by the Instant Pot! I don't like having to braise/sear meat and caramelise onions directing in the IP on "Saute" mode - it's always either too hot or too cool. This process is much easier on the hob with a frying pan.. Which is fine, but then I have two things to clean. If I want the benefits of a pressure cooker, I'll just buy one of those. Oh and the UX on the IP is horrific! I…

My tip for the UX is to ignore all the special buttons, and just use high and low pressure for a specific amount of time.

The cheaper pots don't even bother with all the magic setting buttons.

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