131–140 of 206 posts
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Um, to seal the pot that's in the fridge?
The lid seals the entire Instant Pot, not the insert (which is the thing that would go in the fridge).
This article glosses over the real story which is how did Instant Pot win when their product is functional similar to ones that have existed for a long time? (And no, it's isn't sensors, they all regulate heat and have a valve that prevents explosion.) This is the same as when people write articles about AirBnB and act as if they invented the space when VRBO was there for years. I have no problem with stories about a…
I only skimmed, but I don't think it does. As an owner of an Instant Pot that gets regular use, and another pressure cooker that lives in storage now, I think I can take a stab at it: Compared to stove top pressure cookers, it's just easier. Stove top ones require constant attention and fiddling to manage the heat an pressure properly. With the Instant Pot, put food in, close lid, set time, go watch One Life to Live…
The main benefit of the stovetop units (I have both) is speed. The heating element on the cheaper electric is drastically underpowered and can't even get a good Mailliard. The higher end ones can but they're still much slower than a gas stove, especially when full of liquid. I pretty much go back and forth between the two based on what I am cooking.
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I think to OPs point, is not that articles in general aren't warranted. It's just that this one was useless. It doesn't tell me what instant pot did to make it beat out rivals other than some nonsense about sensors. And sending units to reviewers is paid advertising. I'd like to hear more about that. Was that his plan from the beginning? Make the same device everyone else does at the same price but get blog reviews?
The article does get into the viral marketing etc. but, like you, I would like to hear more. I'm honestly not sure why the Instant Pot took off when (admittedly mostly much more expensive) electric pressure cookers have been around for ages. Though, reading the article, it's also not clear to me if the founder really knows why it became so successful either.
> It is also a testament to the enormous power of Amazon, and its ability to turn small businesses into major empires nearly overnight. Lot of people say that Amazon tends to move in on a product which they think has been doing well and start selling Amazon branded stuff. Is there a reason why Amazon hasn't done the same to Instant Pot? > Sensing viral potential, Instant Pot sent test units to about 200 influential c…
Earlier quoted context omitted.
I only skimmed, but I don't think it does. As an owner of an Instant Pot that gets regular use, and another pressure cooker that lives in storage now, I think I can take a stab at it: Compared to stove top pressure cookers, it's just easier. Stove top ones require constant attention and fiddling to manage the heat an pressure properly. With the Instant Pot, put food in, close lid, set time, go watch One Life to Live…
Idk, my grandma has a similar unit she got a couple decades ago. It was cheap though I don't know how cheap. (I do know my grandma though.) Lots of competition that's similarly priced. The main benefit of the stovetop units (I have both) is speed. The heating element on the cheaper electric is drastically underpowered and can't even get a good Mailliard. The higher end ones can but they're still much slower than a ga…
There ya go right there! Electric stoves are "slow" to heat up and "slow" to change temperatures. You're used to the gold standard :)
Lots of people seem to be wondering why Instant Pot has become a hit while electronic pressure cookers have existed as a category for quite some time. I personally think it's a great case of tipping points, networking effects and branding all working together. The Instant Pot is a genuinely good product, so it didn't have a trouble finding early users. These people then produced recipes, books and videos not for pres…
I don't know how deliberate it was but de-emphasizing its pressure cookerness was a smart move. A lot of people still associate "pressure cooker" with "explosions" and, even if they know intellectually they're not really dangerous, they'll still move on to the next item.
As others have said, the price is also quite reasonable--in fact, a lot of stovetop pressure cookers cost more. $100-ish is around the point where a lot of people will take a flyer on something and won't be too put out if it starts gathering dust after a few months.
My only complaint about my Instant Pot is the plastic sealing ring's tendency to retain smells. At this point I gave up on trying to clean it and just bought a second sealing ring that I use only for Indian food.
I swear I can taste thai curry in the last batch of yogurt I made.
I use a Cuisinart pressure cooker like a chain smoker. I cook a vegetable stew that lasts 4 or 5 meals, then cook my next vegetable stew for the next 4 or 5 meals, and so on. No recipes. Basically what's fresh and in season from the farmers market with legumes (lentils, beans, peas, et), nutritional yeast, herbs or flavoring (usually ginger or jalepenos) and water. Then salt to taste, topped with nuts, and crispy veg…
I hope you change it up more often than that. Do you get sick of stew all day every day?
And it didn't really 'steam' the tamales. They came out pretty gummy and a little dry. So no fan here.
I'll stick to actually cooking my food thanks.
I thought this was going to be an article about the marijuana industry and the rise of e-cigs. In fairness, there's an interesting article to write there too.. EDIT: Great idea to write an article like this right before the holidays. Sometimes I wonder if the author owns stock in the companies they are basically promoting...