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Post by beth on Jan 12, 2019 10:20:06 GMT -5
I found this article while looking at Instant Pots for my son. www.hippressurecooking.com/which-instant-pot-model-is-right-for-you/He was hearing how great they are from at least one of the women he works with, hinted for one for Christmas, but neither of us knew anything about them. This helped understand the different models -- not to help him start using it. I think it is still in the box. |
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Post by wallycat on Jan 13, 2019 11:29:28 GMT -5
Nice link. I wish they'd added the Fagor, which was America's Test kitchen favorite. I'm still undecided on whether I need one more appliance.
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Post by soupandstew on Jan 13, 2019 16:07:24 GMT -5
I really sat on the fence about getting an electric pressure cooker, and then whined a lot about the learning curve when I did get an Instant Pot. I don't use it often, but really like the results when I do. While many of the foods that users rave making in their cookers are not in our rotation, it does produce exceptional results for some foods that normally require a long cooking period and/or constant attention. Because of my tiny kitchen, storage is a huge issue and every appliance has to justify its existence. Overall, I'm glad I purchased it.
Even though the Instant Pot is widely acknowledged to be poor at slow cooking, I got rid of my slow cooker because it simply cooked too hot even on low and wasn't useful for the sort of "gone all day and come home to great food" I needed.
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Post by PattiA on Jan 13, 2019 17:28:44 GMT -5
I also got rid of my slow cooker. Well, my slow cooker broke a few years ago and instead of replacing the slow cooker, I got an InstantPot. I agree that the IP isn't a good slow cooker but slow cooker recipes easily translate to pressure cooker recipes and since the cooking time is short, the flavors aren't muddy like I find most slow cooker recipes.
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Post by beth on Jan 15, 2019 16:47:43 GMT -5
PattiA, are there guidelines for converting slow cooker recipes to pressure? I wasn't aware that IPs weren't good at slow cooking. I think that in terms of space it is one or the other for me. MY son has my old slow cooker, but like S&S's, it cooks too hot to not be monitored. With him teaching and being gone long hours, that isn't very helpful. I guess for now, I will have the slow cooker and he will have the IP.
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Post by PattiA on Jan 18, 2019 10:11:12 GMT -5
PattiA, are there guidelines for converting slow cooker recipes to pressure? I wasn't aware that IPs weren't good at slow cooking. I think that in terms of space it is one or the other for me. MY son has my old slow cooker, but like S&S's, it cooks too hot to not be monitored. With him teaching and being gone long hours, that isn't very helpful. I guess for now, I will have the slow cooker and he will have the IP. Beth, this has helpful guidelines for converting slow cooker recipes to the InstantPot. www.tasteofhome.com/article/how-to-convert-slow-cooker-recipes-for-instant-pot/ I started out my InstantPot jpurney with a lot of stovetop pressure cooker knowledge (and experimentation) under my belt. If you are going to use a pressure cooker, whether stovetop or electric, I think it is important to have basic knowledge of pressure cooking. Just about every library is going to have basic pressure cooker books. Lorna Sass' Cooking under Pressure and Pressure Perfect have good pressure cooker primers where you learn basic pressure cooking techniques and timing. Both books have lots of recipes, but I never really used them except for ideas and timing. It is better to err on too short of a cooking time because you can always bring the dish back up to pressure and cook a little longer if you need to. The downside of pressure cookers is that you no longer come home to a meal that is ready for you. But, you can have a meal like pot roast ready in about an hour. For people who work outside the home, I recommend that you prep everything for your instant pot meal the night before so when you get home from work, you can start it cooking without any prep work. (Back in the day when slow cookers were OK for 8-10 hour cooking, this is what I did for slow cooker meals.) |
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