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Inside the Home of Instant Pot

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Re: Inside the Home of Instant Pot

#191

Post by dagw »

Zelphyr wrote: post #188
ghaff wrote: post #121

Earlier quoted context omitted.

The problem is that bread comes in different shapes and sizes and a lot of us like bread with a good crust. Not that I've used one in years but my recollection is that bread makers didn't handle any of that very well (nor did they really knead effectively). They were fairly popular at one point but they've pretty much fallen off the radar--I expect because they don't really make very good bread.

We used to have a bread maker and I would agree with your assessment. Not to mention; is it really that hard to make bread by hand? Genuine question since I've never made a loaf by hand. But I do make biscuits (American) fairly often and they're not that hard.

is it really that hard to make bread by hand?

It's easy, but time consuming. The idea behind the bread machine is that you chuck in the ingredients 5 minutes before going to bed, and have freshly baked bread waiting for you when you wake up.

Re: Inside the Home of Instant Pot

#192

Post by bluesroo »

EADGBE wrote: post #138
spodek wrote: post #28

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 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. I hope you change it up more often than that. Do you get sick of stew all day every day?

I'm fairly utilitarian about cooking and I see where OP is coming from... After working a full day I don't want to take more time to cook and clean. I want to relax or do something fun, and cooking isn't that for me. Being able to make a meal that lasts 2ish days is pretty excellent way of not having to spend time on cooking while still getting a good (if repetitive) set of meals.

On the other hand my wife enjoys cooking so she'll end up doing most of that and it's my job to clean up afterwards. Time-wise it works out to about what it would take for me to make something simple. When she leaves town for a few days I go back to my utilitarian ways.

Re: Inside the Home of Instant Pot

#193

Post by VyseofArcadia »

EADGBE wrote: post #138
spodek wrote: post #28

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 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. I hope you change it up more often than that. Do you get sick of stew all day every day?

I dunno, I think Soylent has shown there's a niche market of people who just want nutrition.

Re: Inside the Home of Instant Pot

#194

Post by mattmaroon »

saosebastiao wrote: post #184
mattmaroon wrote: post #176

Earlier quoted context omitted.

Not every way. Flat bottomed woks suck. Gas is much better for a wok, and a wok is a considerably better tool than most westerners realize. Induction also is easily breakable. That's why you don't see them in commercial kitchens much. Also I have several large cheap Aluminum stock pots that I love and would have to replace. Try finding a five gallon induction capable stock pot at your local restaurant supply store.

It's true that your standard induction cooktop isn't great for woks, but there are plenty of specialized induction wok burners on the market. And while induction isn't popular in commercial kitchens here in the US, they are very popular in Europe, without any severe problems. And I would assume that as a result there aren't any problems with induction capable cookware availability at local restaurant supply stores ei…

There are commercial induction Wok burners but I've never seen one for home. And I've heard the commercial ones still lag but I've never used one.

Commercial induction burners max out at about 5000 BTUs(and above 3500 is rare), and that's on the expensive models. A relatively cheap commercial gas range will have many 10,000 BTU burners. My $500 home gas oven that I recently bought has an 18,000 btu burner! I know gas is less efficient, but that burners going to put out more heat than any two induction burners.

On a wok or any large item (such as the 5 gallons of wort or tonkotsu broth I sometimes make) you couldn't get enough watts with induction to properly stir fry or to heat a large mass quickly. Some of the bigger gas units you can buy for home put out really high BTUs while taking up very little electricity.

My point wasn't that induction isn't great, it is. It's just not better in every way. It's got strengths and weaknesses.

Re: Inside the Home of Instant Pot

#195

Post by ghaff »

Zelphyr wrote: post #188
ghaff wrote: post #121

Earlier quoted context omitted.

The problem is that bread comes in different shapes and sizes and a lot of us like bread with a good crust. Not that I've used one in years but my recollection is that bread makers didn't handle any of that very well (nor did they really knead effectively). They were fairly popular at one point but they've pretty much fallen off the radar--I expect because they don't really make very good bread.

We used to have a bread maker and I would agree with your assessment. Not to mention; is it really that hard to make bread by hand? Genuine question since I've never made a loaf by hand. But I do make biscuits (American) fairly often and they're not that hard.

Quick breads (baking soda/powder) are pretty close to being as easy as a bread maker. Anything with yeast though (even no-knead recipes) require multiple steps, including appropriate temperatures for dough to rise. As the sibling post says, it's a lot more fussing around than dumping some ingredients in a device and closing the lid.

Re: Inside the Home of Instant Pot

#196

Post by SAI_Peregrinus »

leoedin wrote: post #63
gambiting wrote: post #60

Earlier quoted context omitted.

I just don't understand the point of a rice cooker, I really really don't. Cooking rice is the simplest thing in the world - throw rice in a pan with water and some salt, turn the gas on, wait 10-15 minutes. Done. Why would I buy a separate device taking precious space in my kitchen for what has to be the easiest cooking task imaginable? When you say "people [..] are rather unlikely to know how to cook rice in a pan"…

Your recipe only applies to certain types of robust rice. Basmati rice is not simple - if you just boil it for 15 minutes, you'll destroy it. At the very least, good basmati is steamed - you only add enough water to cook the rice (you don't drain it afterwards), then bring it to the boil before simmering it at a very low heat. It's pretty hard to reliably get right - every time I use a new stove or pan or try to cook…

I mostly cook a medium grain rice, but this works for other methods (though it takes attention):

    Measure and wash rice until the water runs clear. 
    Add twice as much water (by volume) as you have rice to a saucepan, and a bit of salt. 
    Boil the water. 
    Stir in the rice. 
    Cover with a glass lid (clear lid is important) and reduce to medium/low heat, the water should just barely be boiling. 
    Wait until the steam tapers off and you can't see the water layer anymore. 
    Carefully remove the lid, and start stirring the rice.
    Continue to stir until the last of the water is absorbed / boils off.
This results in fluffy rice that isn't wet and doesn't end up stuck to the bottom of the pan.

Re: Inside the Home of Instant Pot

#197

Post by sushid »

akvadrako wrote: post #86
teddythetwig wrote: post #74

Earlier quoted context omitted.

Any suggestion as to where to buy one? amazon.de?

Sure or any of the Chinese shops. The really basic ones work just as well as the expensive ones; they just might not last as long.

I've had basic Aroma ones currently have a nice Korean one. I'd say the quality is vastly different between those.

The high quality Japanese or Korean ones will be pressure cooked and cooked in a way that allows it to stay warm in the cooker for days. Not a single grain of rice will be stuck/inedible. If you get the cheap rice cooker, it'll burn, cook unevenly, go bad if left overnight in warm mode, etc.

If you eat rice 2-3 times a week, get a Zojirushi or a Cuckoo.

Re: Inside the Home of Instant Pot

#198

Post by lucaspiller »

dagw wrote: post #153
rbobby wrote: post #135

Earlier quoted context omitted.

> much slower than a gas stove There ya go right there! Electric stoves are "slow" to heat up and "slow" to change temperatures. You're used to the gold standard :)

Electric stoves are "slow" to heat up and "slow" to change temperatures. Unless you have an induction stove.

I have one and it’s pretty impressive how fast 3.7kW can heat things up (apparently you can even get 5kW models). I ditched my electric kettle as it was too slow in comparison.

Re: Inside the Home of Instant Pot

#199

Post by akvadrako »

sushid wrote: post #197
akvadrako wrote: post #86

Earlier quoted context omitted.

Sure or any of the Chinese shops. The really basic ones work just as well as the expensive ones; they just might not last as long.

I've had basic Aroma ones currently have a nice Korean one. I'd say the quality is vastly different between those. The high quality Japanese or Korean ones will be pressure cooked and cooked in a way that allows it to stay warm in the cooker for days. Not a single grain of rice will be stuck/inedible. If you get the cheap rice cooker, it'll burn, cook unevenly, go bad if left overnight in warm mode, etc. If you eat r…

I don't think you should leave your rice in a warm cooker overnight because it could develop bacteria.

Re: Inside the Home of Instant Pot

#200

Post by baldfat »

ghaff wrote: post #180
soundwave106 wrote: post #171

Earlier quoted context omitted.

There's not that much more detail, but a University of Waterloo article on them ( https://smbp.uwaterloo.ca/2017/03/instant-pot-climbs-the-soc... ) describes the name of the tactic described above: influencer marketing. It's interesting that they align the fact that cooking is often a social phenomenon, with the fact that influencer marketing seemed to work well for Instant Pot. I gather from some of the articles lin…

Modern stovetop pressure cookers are pretty safe these days but some people certainly worry and, as others have said, they can be a bit fiddly. You certainly don't fire them up and leave the house. Influencer marketing is a big deal in many product categories these days. The details vary by B2B or B2C, product/service area, etc. But reviews by people who may not be full-time writers and reviewers can be very importan…

I owned a stove top and my wife refused to use it. My wife uses the Instant Pot all the time and the dreaded slow cooker is gone for good.

I still like the stove top 8 qt model for when we have company for dinner and I am making a roast, (I always try to eat a roast all the time so good excuse).

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