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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

#71

Post by JoeAltmaier »

koolba wrote: post #22
AlexB138 wrote: post #2

This is pretty funny for me to read. As the article mentions many people apparently did, I picked up an Instant Pot on Prime Day last year. I had no idea there was such a following around it until reading this, I just wanted a pressure cooker. I received it, and stuck it in my closet expecting to pull it out when I needed to pressure cook something. My wife discovered it pretty soon after and began using it for sever…

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

Squash in a few minutes - pretty much just up-to-pressure then back down and done!

Re: How the Instant Pot cooker developed a cult following

#72

Post by ska »

imglorp wrote: post #15
mynegation wrote: post #12

I am part of the cult. We bought after the recommendation of a friend. What I liked: nice set of presets, comes with a cookbook with quite a few recipes, very easy to operate. Some time ago, when Apple bailed out of self-driving car business, my friend and I discussed what would be the good category for Apple to try next and I suggested advanced kitchen devices. Seriously though: instant pot with Nespresso machine ar…

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…

Food processors (proper ones, not hand "choppers" and the like - those are nearly pointless) are a terrible replacement for basic knife skills.

What they are mostly great at is a few things that are so labor intensive (ever made hummus by hand?) you otherwise might not bother. Also a good time saver for things like pasta dough.

Re: How the Instant Pot cooker developed a cult following

#73

Post by literallycancer »

masklinn wrote: post #30
bryanlarsen wrote: post #16

The Instant Pot came on the market with perfect timing, just as the pressure cooker started to go from "geek" to "mainstream" in its adoption curve. The fawning press articles claim that it was Instant Pot that took pressure cooking from niche to mainstream, but I don't buy that -- I think it would have happened anyways. It's a good pressure cooker. A good stovetop one will be faster, but it's only significant if you…

> just as the pressure cooker started to go from "geek" to "mainstream" in its adoption curve. It's really really weird to read that, in europe pressure cookers have been mainstays of most every kitchen for decades, especially after SEB's "super cocotte" (released in '53, they'd sold 10 million by '69).

Exactly.

"Most people have some concept of urban legends of exploding pressure cookers in their grandmother's kitchens," says Mr Qin.

Am in Europe, literally everyone has a pressure cooker, never heard about them actually exploding.

Re: How the Instant Pot cooker developed a cult following

#74

Post by JoeAltmaier »

literallycancer wrote: post #73
masklinn wrote: post #30

Earlier quoted context omitted.

> just as the pressure cooker started to go from "geek" to "mainstream" in its adoption curve. It's really really weird to read that, in europe pressure cookers have been mainstays of most every kitchen for decades, especially after SEB's "super cocotte" (released in '53, they'd sold 10 million by '69).

Exactly. "Most people have some concept of urban legends of exploding pressure cookers in their grandmother's kitchens," says Mr Qin. Am in Europe, literally everyone has a pressure cooker, never heard about them actually exploding.

Water heaters have many times the risk of exploding, and nobody blinks. Its strange how cookers got that reputation.

Re: How the Instant Pot cooker developed a cult following

#75

Post by alphakappa »

rnernento wrote: post #65

It's great to see the Instant Pot on Hacker News. A couple of key takeaways: - There's no marketing magic here, this is just a great product. - It's ugly, and the interface is weird. Doesn't matter, it gets the job done. - Pressure cookers have been around for a long time, they're a really great cooking technology marred by some serious safety and inconvenience issues. There are a bunch of companies competing in Sous…

Use the Breville version, and you will not complain about the user interface. The whole thing is gorgeous.

Re: How the Instant Pot cooker developed a cult following

#76

Post by jasonellis »

I bought an Instant Pot about 5 years ago because I saw some good recipes and a suggestion on a Paleo blog. The price on Amazon seemed reasonable at the time, so I figured "why not." It turned out to be an incredible purchase. I've grown to hate single use devices that take up space in my kitchen (ugh, blenders, crock pots), but the Instant Pot is so versatile that it earns its keep.

I've long since abandoned that whole Paleo thing, but the Instant Pot still makes great meals. I don't need a crock pot in addition to this. It makes amazing pulled pork and carnitas. I can throw a whole chicken in there and have it falling off of the bone in less than an hour. I can brown beef in it before adding other ingredients for a good stew or chili. It makes really good hard-boiled eggs (though I've recently discovered eggs in my sous-vide and will never cook them another way). I don't know how the Instant Pot brand compares to other electric pressure cookers, but I'm 100% satisfied with mine.

I liked it so much that I bought my parents one for Christmas two years ago and upgraded mine from the previous model to the newer model on last year's Prime Day mentioned in the article. The newer model solved my one gripe with the previous model (setting the lid on the counter was awkward when taking it off).

I recommend these things to everybody. Whether you enjoy cooking or not, the Instant Pot makes cooking meals easier.

Re: How the Instant Pot cooker developed a cult following

#77

Post by neonnoodle »

mrob wrote: post #44

I bought an Instant Pot after reading a recommendation on obesity researcher Stephan Guyenet's blog: http://wholehealthsource.blogspot.co.uk/2014/07/instant-pot-... I've been using it regularly since then and I highly recommend it. I had a manual pressure cooker many years ago but I rarely used it because it was too much hassle. The automation and easy cleaning of the Instant Pot makes a big difference. I rate it sec…

Same here! I'd never considered buying one until I saw Guyenet's endorsement. He's loath to recommend specific products so I knew it was a genuine endorsement.

Re: How the Instant Pot cooker developed a cult following

#78

Post by mcguire »

SideburnsOfDoom wrote: post #21
bryanlarsen wrote: post #16

The Instant Pot came on the market with perfect timing, just as the pressure cooker started to go from "geek" to "mainstream" in its adoption curve. The fawning press articles claim that it was Instant Pot that took pressure cooking from niche to mainstream, but I don't buy that -- I think it would have happened anyways. It's a good pressure cooker. A good stovetop one will be faster, but it's only significant if you…

> just as the pressure cooker started to go from "geek" to "mainstream" in its adoption curve. Pressure cookers have been around for a long time: first manufactured in 1864 according to wikipedia (1). It's just that they have been out of fashion for few decades - possibly supplanted by the microwave oven in the 1970s and 80s. So maybe the time was right for a better design to come back. The older designs had a reputa…

The lids on older models like my mother's were physically capable[1] of being removed while under pressure, which would be entertaining. Still use it, though.

[1] The amount of force required is large, though. I'm not sure I could do it without tools.

Re: How the Instant Pot cooker developed a cult following

#79

Post by soylentcola »

throwaway9475 wrote: post #47
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…

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.

I am aware of this and I follow the official guidelines for adding citric acid if needed. Also I was using a pressure canner and not a pressure cooker so my question was more whether this device was similar in function (as I know nothing about them). Looks like you answered my question and it's not the same thing/comparable, so thanks!

Re: How the Instant Pot cooker developed a cult following

#80

Post by canes123456 »

jasonellis wrote: post #76

I bought an Instant Pot about 5 years ago because I saw some good recipes and a suggestion on a Paleo blog. The price on Amazon seemed reasonable at the time, so I figured "why not." It turned out to be an incredible purchase. I've grown to hate single use devices that take up space in my kitchen (ugh, blenders, crock pots), but the Instant Pot is so versatile that it earns its keep. I've long since abandoned that wh…

Ahh blenders are not single use. I make mayo, soups, sauces, ice, hummus
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