Are you still loving your Instapot?

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:Used it once. Unneeded and annoying.

+1

[Anonymous]

I used to use mine more when I was still making baby food (it's phenomenal for that, especially big batches). Now I've tried it for a bunch of things and only pull it out for a handful where I think it does a better/quicker job than other appliances:

Stock
Dried beans
Stews (gets the beef so tender)
Mashed potatoes

That said, DH wants an air fryer lid for it so it might get a few more meals/apps added to the list when we pull that trigger.

[Anonymous]

I use mine to make perfect boiled eggs (sooo easy to peel --the shell slides right off). That alone earns its keep.

[Anonymous]

I use it for soups and various meat dishes. It is amazing for soups since you can just put the ingredients in, even if frozen, set it and have a really great soup with almost no effort. I use mine maybe 2-3 time a month, but way more in the fall and winter than in the summer.

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:I use it for soups and various meat dishes. It is amazing for soups since you can just put the ingredients in, even if frozen, set it and have a really great soup with almost no effort. I use mine maybe 2-3 time a month, but way more in the fall and winter than in the summer.

I wanted to add, I also have an air fryer and use that a lot more in the summer (eg, making french fries from frozen to go with grilled hamburgers), it's great for making frozen egg rolls that are cooked and crispy, or making chicken wings that aren't deep fried, plus it take 3 minutes to preheat, so it makes the kitchen much less hot than the regular oven in the summer.

[Anonymous]

I received mine as a gift about 3 years ago. I'll be honest, my first thought was 'oh great, another appliance I need to find storage room for', but I decided to give it a fair shot. It did take me a while to discover what things are really better/faster/easier in the IP, and which are just kind of gimmicky, but now I'm absolutely devoted and use it at least weekly, often 2-3 times a week.

I've tried a bunch of cookbooks and websites, and the two that I find consistently amazing are:
- Melissa Clark's Dinner in an Instant
https://www.amazon.com/Dinner-Instant-Recipes-Pressure-Multicooker/dp/1524762962/ref=sr_1_2?crid=W63IYCOTWOHS&dchild=1&keywords=dinner+in+an+instant+melissa+clark+book&qid=1620137065&sprefix=dinner+in+an+instant+mel%2Caps%2C143&sr=8-2
If you have a NY Times Cooking subscription, you can find some of the recipes there before you commit to buying the full book (but the book does have more than the website, so it's still worth getting!)

- Archana Mundhe's Essential Indian Instant Pot
https://www.amazon.com/Essential-Indian-Instant-Pot-Cookbook/dp/0399582630/ref=sr_1_1?dchild=1&keywords=essential+indian+instant+pot&qid=1620137116&sr=8-1
You can find some of the recipes on his Ministry of Curry website, but again, the book is slightly different and has things worth reading.

What I do find worth pulling out the IP for:
- Yogurt (super easy, I make a batch once every week or two)
- Stock / bone broth (no need to check on the stove periodically to adjust the heat level and skim foam, and it's much better - deeper, richer flavor)
- Hard boiled eggs (not much faster or easier to cook, but much easier to peel)
- Beans - Melissa Clark's black beans recipe is the best I've ever had
- Curry of any sort - lamb, chicken, beef, vegetarian, you name it. Everything comes out tender and fully infused with flavor, without getting dried out
- Biryani has become part of our regular weeknight rotation
- Soup and stew of any sort - chicken, lamb, beef, lentil, vegetable...
- Congee
- Braised meat for shredding - chicken for enchiladas, pork for tacos or BBQ sandwiches ... not as good as smoked, of course, but not bad for an easy fix-it-and-forget-it meal.
- Cheesecake - no more cracking!

Rice is pretty good. I don't pull out the IP for it - a pan on the stove is just as easy - but I do use Mundhe's method of adding a tall steamer stand and a small pan so that I can cook a separate pan of rice at the same time as some curry dishes (the timing needs to be right, but it works in a lot of cases). I would absolutely use it for rice if I were without a stove for a few weeks.

[Anonymous]

Yes! I've made so many things in it.

[Anonymous]

Yes, use it a few times a week (broth, hard boiled eggs, rice, soup/stew, yogurt, etc.) Also convenient for holding water baths when I'm cooking sous vide.

[Anonymous]

If I need to make something quick with minimal pots and pans, it’s great. I also make rice in it.

[Anonymous]

I use it several times a week. This is what Ive made most recently.

Steel cut oats set on a timer (mine has a 6 hour timer and we set it around 11pm)

Hard boiled eggs

Quinoa

Teriyaki chicken and brown rice (at the same time: rice on the bottom, then trivet, then bowl with chicken and sauce on top)

Chili (put on before sports practice)

Mashed potatoes

Whole chicken (finished under the broiler for a crispy skin)

Yes a lot of this can be done on the stove, but I like the way I can set the IP and not worry about an open flame or something boiling over. It’s not good for everything, but I know what I like in it.

[Anonymous]

I have such limited kitchen space. I never came around to getting one. Now I'm trying to decide on an air fryer. Seems silly to me, but people rave about them.

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:I received mine as a gift about 3 years ago. I'll be honest, my first thought was 'oh great, another appliance I need to find storage room for', but I decided to give it a fair shot. It did take me a while to discover what things are really better/faster/easier in the IP, and which are just kind of gimmicky, but now I'm absolutely devoted and use it at least weekly, often 2-3 times a week.

I've tried a bunch of cookbooks and websites, and the two that I find consistently amazing are:
- Melissa Clark's Dinner in an Instant
https://www.amazon.com/Dinner-Instant-Recipes-Pressure-Multicooker/dp/1524762962/ref=sr_1_2?crid=W63IYCOTWOHS&dchild=1&keywords=dinner+in+an+instant+melissa+clark+book&qid=1620137065&sprefix=dinner+in+an+instant+mel%2Caps%2C143&sr=8-2
If you have a NY Times Cooking subscription, you can find some of the recipes there before you commit to buying the full book (but the book does have more than the website, so it's still worth getting!)

- Archana Mundhe's Essential Indian Instant Pot
https://www.amazon.com/Essential-Indian-Instant-Pot-Cookbook/dp/0399582630/ref=sr_1_1?dchild=1&keywords=essential+indian+instant+pot&qid=1620137116&sr=8-1
You can find some of the recipes on his Ministry of Curry website, but again, the book is slightly different and has things worth reading.

What I do find worth pulling out the IP for:
- Yogurt (super easy, I make a batch once every week or two)
- Stock / bone broth (no need to check on the stove periodically to adjust the heat level and skim foam, and it's much better - deeper, richer flavor)
- Hard boiled eggs (not much faster or easier to cook, but much easier to peel)
- Beans - Melissa Clark's black beans recipe is the best I've ever had
- Curry of any sort - lamb, chicken, beef, vegetarian, you name it. Everything comes out tender and fully infused with flavor, without getting dried out
- Biryani has become part of our regular weeknight rotation
- Soup and stew of any sort - chicken, lamb, beef, lentil, vegetable...
- Congee
- Braised meat for shredding - chicken for enchiladas, pork for tacos or BBQ sandwiches ... not as good as smoked, of course, but not bad for an easy fix-it-and-forget-it meal.
- Cheesecake - no more cracking!

Rice is pretty good. I don't pull out the IP for it - a pan on the stove is just as easy - but I do use Mundhe's method of adding a tall steamer stand and a small pan so that I can cook a separate pan of rice at the same time as some curry dishes (the timing needs to be right, but it works in a lot of cases). I would absolutely use it for rice if I were without a stove for a few weeks.

Thanks for the recommendations!

[Anonymous]

Yes. The biggest surprise for me was using it for chicken. Seasoned chicken thighs come out juicy and tender — with a bonus of richly flavored chicken broth. I use it for salmon packets several times a month. It’s great for daal and other beans and greens and other vegetables. I’m a reluctant cook, and I love my Instant Pot.

[Anonymous]

It is worth it just to boil eggs.

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:I have such limited kitchen space. I never came around to getting one. Now I'm trying to decide on an air fryer. Seems silly to me, but people rave about them.

I have both and have a small galley kitchen. They are not always out. My airfryer is out in a spot it fits well in and I use it nearly every day.