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I can't remember if it was at the end of UDBB, or here, but I think I sold a bunch of people Instant Pots. In case anyone hasn't pulled the trigger, but has been thinking about it, or discovered it's awesomeness and wants to share. $78 on Amazon today. It's normally $125 or so:

http://www.amazon.com/gp/product/B00FLY ... pldnSite=1

Have ya seen the blue tooth enabled pressure cooker. Umm.........nope, not for me.

I was just looking at these today!
My latest pet peeve is with my slow cooker--after an hour every setting just gets to and stays at a rolling boil--and I prefer much more sensitive settings if possible.
So how reliable are the temperature settings on this slow cooker, if you know?

Not sure, I mostly pressure cook with it, but it has 3 slow cooker settings, and I'd think it would cook cooler if you put a regular lid on it instead of the PC lid. It seems to be at a strong simmer when I use the medium setting. I do like that it can kick start the slow cook process by using the saute function to bring the temp up faster.

deal of the day is sold out so rolling at 129.00 now
there are times I would like a pressure cooker, but I just dont cook enough to justify the money and space taken

I bought a 6qt pressure cooker for ~$30 on amazon last year so I'd quit using the 23qt pressure canner for beans (talk about overkill). Presto makes decent basic stovetop pressure cookers and canners.

hoopoe wrote:deal of the day is sold out so rolling at 129.00 now
there are times I would like a pressure cooker, but I just dont cook enough to justify the money and space taken

Looks like WalMart is matching the price, perhaps through cyber Monday.

I already have mine. So far I have used it equally for steaming, pressure cooking and slow cooking. Honestly, I am not a cook and maybe steaming isn't really cooking but I was amazed at how good the broccoli and cauliflower I steamed tasted. The consistency/firmness was perfect. So nice to have one appliance that can do all.
I'm not throwing mine back .

I am reviving this thread from a year ago to report that I made a cheesecake in my Instant Pot. The results are amazing - smooth, creamy, delicious! It is easily the best cheesecake I have ever made. And because I had to use a 7" pan, we are not faced with eating cheesecake for the next month!

FWIW, I used this recipe, adjusting the time at high pressure for our altitude.

I've heard cheese cake is fantastic in the IP. A friend is experimenting with creme brûlée.

I've heard of this, but havent tried it because it sounds like a slippery slope.

I did buy a second IP on Black Friday. Very handy having two of the same size so there liners are interchangeable.

I am reviving this old thread because I came across a NYT article Why Do Cooks Love the Instant Pot, while I was looking for their recipe for short ribs with wine and chile that I am making tonight! The author outlines what she thinks works well (and not) in the Instant Pot.

Grrrrrr... wanted to read the recipe (short ribs with wine and chili) as it sounded intriguing as well as the comments about what works and what doesn't work as well in the IP.

No, I am not creating and account nor am I logging in via either Google or FB. I already get too many ads in FB and don't like proliferating my Google info either

Pressure Cooker Beef Short Ribs With Red Wine and Chile
Ingredients
2 teaspoons kosher salt, more as needed
1 teaspoon coriander powder
1 teaspoon ground black pepper
3 to 4 pounds bone-in beef short ribs
1 tablespoon olive oil or other fat (like bacon fat or duck fat), more as needed
3 leeks, whites only, chopped
2 large fennel bulbs, diced
4 garlic cloves, minced
1 tablespoon chipotle chile powder
1 tablespoon tomato paste
1 cup dry red wine
½ cup pitted prunes, diced
Fennel fronds or sliced scallions, or both, for serving

Step 1
If time permits, rub salt, coriander and pepper all over beef and let marinate in refrigerator for 1 hour, or, ideally, overnight.
Step 2
Set electric pressure cooker to sauté function and add oil (or use a large skillet on the stove over medium-high heat). Sear beef until evenly browned on all sides, about 2 minutes per side. You’ll probably have to do this in batches. Transfer to a plate as the pieces brown. Or if using a skillet, transfer them to pressure cooker.
Step 3
Add leeks, fennel and pinch of salt to hot pan and cook until soft, about 8 minutes, then add garlic, chile powder and tomato paste; cook until fragrant, 1 to 2 minutes. Pour in wine. Add prunes and beef (or add prunes and fennel-wine mixture to the meat in the pot).
Step 4
Cover, then cook for 35 minutes on high pressure. Manually release pressure. If sauce seems thin, pull out beef pieces and reduce sauce using sauté function. Serve with fennel fronds or scallions, or both, for garnish.

heddylamar wrote:I've heard cheese cake is fantastic in the IP. A friend is experimenting with creme brûlée.

It is!! It's so easy and therefore, sooooo dangerous I made a fabulous lemon blueberry cheesecake not too long ago.

Canyon, thank you !!!

I suspect I can adapt to a more conventional method of cooking if I don't break out the IP

I justified the cost alone on how perfectly I can hard-boil farm fresh eggs while doing something else (I use A LOT of eggs). SO loves it for steaming and making mashed cauliflower.

I can't say that it particularly saves time, but it's hands-off cooking, giving me time to clean the kitchen or do other things while food is cooking.

The time saving for me is in cooking dried beans, pulses, and anything like rice or potato-based stews. Basically, I get home around 7/7:30 and have dinner ready 30 minutes later.

The hard boiled egg precision is freaking fantastic. Perfect every single time.

I am waffling on whether to buy an instant pot. Would I be able to get rid of my crockpot (or at least store it for parties and such where I need to keep something warm)? I've used it a ton this past year.

The short rib recipe looks amazing! Would that work in a crockpot or would it just fall apart?

chantal wrote:I am waffling on whether to buy an instant pot. Would I be able to get rid of my crockpot (or at least store it for parties and such where I need to keep something warm)? I've used it a ton this past year.

The short rib recipe looks amazing! Would that work in a crockpot or would it just fall apart?

Yes. I slow-cooked Chile Colorado in the Instant Pot a couple days ago and it came out wonderfully. I also did pork and beans with soaked dry beans last weekend and used slow cook instead of pressure cook and it was perfect. I still have a crockpot, but I only keep it around for extra capacity during canning season. In fact, it needs to go live in the basement or the garage.

The hands-off aspect is what I really love; hit a button, then I can go ride, go for a run, or work in the garden and food is ready when I get back.

Things I use it for: yogurt, rice, hard-boiled eggs, soups and stews, BBQ ribs, beans, potatoes (somehow they come out fluffy), shredded chicken, steamed veggies and homemade stock. I'm probably forgetting things, but it gets used multiple times per week.

I agree with what SF said. I have not used a crockpot since we bought the Instant Pot.

I use it for stews, beans, rice. And cheesecake - it make excellent CHEESECAKE (with the right recipe). I'm not sure the latter is really a plus, 'cuz I don't need to be eating CHEESECAKE, given the current state of my waistline .

I'm still on the fence about my IP. It's still in the box it came in

I haven't used my crock pot since I discovered how wonderful things come out in my dutch oven.

I keep looking for "easy" recipes and still haven't found any IP recipes that are both easy and appealing. I'm not a huge veggie fan. I've see some interesting recipes but if it takes more than 4-5 ingredients (total) or 15 minutes to prepare, it looses my interest.

Any suggestions on good books or web sites for recipes?

I have not made it yet, but I hear that macaroni and cheese is the bomb in the IP.

WheresMyWhite wrote:I'm still on the fence about my IP. It's still in the box it came in

I haven't used my crock pot since I discovered how wonderful things come out in my dutch oven.

Yeh but the IP does cheesecake!!

Canyon wrote: it make excellent CHEESECAKE (with the right recipe). I'm not sure the latter is really a plus, 'cuz I don't need to be eating CHEESECAKE, given the current state of my waistline .

Lol but it's just a 7" cheesecake so not a huge one

chantal wrote:I am waffling on whether to buy an instant pot. Would I be able to get rid of my crockpot (or at least store it for parties and such where I need to keep something warm)? I've used it a ton this past year.

The short rib recipe looks amazing! Would that work in a crockpot or would it just fall apart?

Yes, you could put the CP away. A lot of CP recipes can be modified for the IP and the food TASTES better. Not so mushy and muddled flavor.

A lot of people do stacked steamer baskets, meat in one tray, veggies in another.

A good website to get started is the This Old Gal blog. Also, Adventures of a Nurse (I hear her "crack chicken" recipe is fantastic but I have yet to try it)

myleetlepony wrote:

chantal wrote:I am waffling on whether to buy an instant pot. Would I be able to get rid of my crockpot (or at least store it for parties and such where I need to keep something warm)? I've used it a ton this past year.

The short rib recipe looks amazing! Would that work in a crockpot or would it just fall apart?

Yes, you could put the CP away. A lot of CP recipes can be modified for the IP and the food TASTES better. Not so mushy and muddled flavor.

A lot of people do stacked steamer baskets, meat in one tray, veggies in another.

A good website to get started is the This Old Gal blog. Also, Adventures of a Nurse (I hear her "crack chicken" recipe is fantastic but I have yet to try it)

Ah, getting rid of the mushy and muddled flavor would be good. Hmmmm... I'm thinking about getting off the fence, or is it going over the fence?

Do it!

I forgot to mention a great advantage of IP over a slow cooker. If you're slow-cooking something, and want it sooner than expected, or it's not as done as you'd like at mealtime, just change to pressure cook for a few minutes and it's problem solved. On the front end of the slow-cooking process, I don't really use the saute function for actually searing, but I will use it to bring the temperature of my stew or whatever up quickly before changing to slow cook.

Yesterday I made a big batch of Greek yogurt for $3, then steamed a spaghetti squash for dinner.

I have the Cuisinart. LOVE it. I have made so many things.....