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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

#241

Post by Angostura »

Dove wrote: post #219
huphtur wrote: post #216

Earlier quoted context omitted.

You can't just mention how it makes great oatmeal without providing us the recipe! Please?

Courtesy of my dad. This is good stuff, and makes 4 servings. 1 cup steel cut oats 4 cups water 1/2 teaspoon salt Cook in Instapot, 5 min at 'Manual' pressure Let cool in Instapot for 20 minutes or until pressure relief button pops (if you don't let it depressurize slowly it will foam up inside and mess the lid) Add the following: 2 Tablespoons of chunky peanut butter (heaping) 2-3 heaping tablespoons of sugar (brown…

Or place ingredients in bowl, microwave for 3 minutes.

Re: How the Instant Pot cooker developed a cult following

#242

Post by Angostura »

AlexB138 wrote: post #167
koolba wrote: post #22

Earlier quoted context omitted.

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

My wife has made hard boiled eggs, risotto (kinda) and yogurt in it. Didn't expect any of those. It advertised yogurt, but I didn't expect it to turn out as well as it did.

What's the benefit over boiling some eggs?

Re: How the Instant Pot cooker developed a cult following

#244

Post by paulrpotts »

I just got one of these a week ago and I've used it for brown rice, steel cut oats, rolled oats, and black beans. It did a great job on all these. It is especially nice on making a really quick oatmeal with dates and nuts thrown in. It does brown rice really well without burning it. You throw it in and start if. If you forget to come back to it, it just keeps the food warm without noticeably overcooking it.

I like the fact that the innards in contact with food are stainless steel and silicone instead of some non-stick or aluminum surface. I like the build quality. It is enameled steel inside, with a big heat sink that presumably smooths out the temperature changes as the heater cycles. It feels like it actually cost something to build as opposed to the flimsy feel of other rice cookers.

I have not tried anything too challenging yet... am curious about odder things to cook in a pressure cooker (cheesecake, really?)

My only complaint so far is that the user interface is a little bit opaque. Why does it play a jaunty little tune when you seal it up, but not when it is done cooking? Why does it just say "ON" while pre-heating? I'd like it more if it would more clearly differentiate between the various modes and states. It seems like the UX could be a little better. But I do like the fact that if you do the same thing over and over, it would be extremely quick to do that, just push one button, it recalls the last cooking time, and starts automatically.

Re: How the Instant Pot cooker developed a cult following

#245

Post by bryanlarsen »

chrissnell wrote: post #234
shostack wrote: post #115

Have had one since Black Friday. I feel generally competent in the kitchen to the point where assembling a nice meal (dare I say gourmet?) from scratch without a recipe is relatively easy for me. That said, I've found the Instant Pot to have a steep learning curve. For starters, you can't easily check on the food while it cooks, so if you are experimenting with large batch sizes and timing you are kind of gambling an…

The secret to the Instant Pot, I've found, is using it for things it does well. Beans and bean-based dishes are a home run every time. Chicken broth and beef bone broth are great, too. Slow cooker favorites like pot roast and pulled pork? Not so much, in my opinion. These dishes need more time to break down the collagen slowly without destroying the meat and veggies. I much prefer them in the slow cooker. Oatmeal is…

According to seriouseats, the only thing a slow cooker is best at is keeping food warm, carmelized onions and bread pudding. http://www.seriouseats.com/2016/10/why-pressure-cookers-are-...

I certainly getter results doing pot roast & pulled pork in a pressure cooker than a slow cooker.

Re: How the Instant Pot cooker developed a cult following

#246

Post by jm547ster »

fr0sty wrote: post #210
darkstar999 wrote: post #203

I already have a (great) rice cooker and a (not so great) slow cooker. Does the instant pot _actually_ replace those two appliances? Does it sous vide?

Does not do sous vide, but it certainly can replace your rice cooker and slow cooker. Only trouble is having only one appliance prevents you from cooking parallel (making curry _and_ the rice to serve it over, for instance, would be a problem).

Not purpose built for sous vide but the keep warm setting hovers ~70C which is nice for well cooked but still moist chicken. I believe the smart model has adjustable keep warm settings and is more fit to purpose for sous vide. Instant pot also sell an affordable immersion circulator.

Re: How the Instant Pot cooker developed a cult following

#248

Post by mafro »

droopyEyelids wrote: post #90
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.

That sounds like you're suggesting I just use a normal pressure cooker :p

Re: How the Instant Pot cooker developed a cult following

#249

Post by mbrameld »

Angostura wrote: post #241
Dove wrote: post #219

Earlier quoted context omitted.

Courtesy of my dad. This is good stuff, and makes 4 servings. 1 cup steel cut oats 4 cups water 1/2 teaspoon salt Cook in Instapot, 5 min at 'Manual' pressure Let cool in Instapot for 20 minutes or until pressure relief button pops (if you don't let it depressurize slowly it will foam up inside and mess the lid) Add the following: 2 Tablespoons of chunky peanut butter (heaping) 2-3 heaping tablespoons of sugar (brown…

Or place ingredients in bowl, microwave for 3 minutes.

3 minutes in the microwave isn't going to cook steel-cut oats...
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