Instant Pot?

[War Eagle]

Originally Posted by Glenn Baglo

What's the difference between the food from these Insta-pots, or thermal cookers and opening a can of Campbell's Chunky soup and dumping it into a saucepan?

Glenn, I think you're just pulling people's chains, but seriously, it's pretty amazing all the things you can do in an Instant Pot - pressure cook, fry bacon and sear other meats, saute veggies, boil whatever, slow cook, culture yogurt, warm bread dough, and yes, warm your canned soup - and various combinations of the above in one meal, and have only one stainless steel pot to clean when you're done. As one who is frequently assigned to "KP" duty, I especially appreciate the one-pot-does-all concept.

[Glenn Baglo]

I only know they were selling like hot cakes over Xmas. Crisp bacon? Sear? How does that work?

[War Eagle]

Originally Posted by Glenn Baglo

I only know they were selling like hot cakes over Xmas. Crisp bacon? Sear? How does that work?

I think Amazon reported that Instant Pots and drones were their top two sellers over the holidays. As for the Instant Pot, it has a serious heating element in the bottom. My wife will saute onions and garlic in it, then throw in various meats to brown, then throw in dried beans and close it up to pressure cook whole kit and caboodle. The photo shows the control panel on a meal she's pressure-cooking right now that she stared by sauteing onions then throwing in a ham bone from the freezer and pinto beans. The whole thing only takes 30 minutes to cook (the display has counted down to 15 minutes remaining; sorry it's out of focus, I thought it was just my aging eyes!). To be fair, my wife says I should include the onion saute time (5 min ?), pressure-up time (8 min?) and pressure release time (10 min?). But still less than an hour for a yummy pot of beans.

[CindyL]

Cooked no-noodle lasagna for supper tonight. Absolutely delicious! I am not someone who experiments. I just use someone else's recipe.

Think I will begin packing it for camping. Yes, we camp differently than many. We prefer water and electricity.

CindyL

[Mike Magee]

My wife wanted an Instant Pot for Christmas about 3-4 years ago. She used it about a dozen times the first year, since then it just takes up counter space. Meats pressure cooked turned out tender but did not taste as good somehow... not caramelized the way they are in the oven, I guess.

But mainly it is just how my wfe is. She wanted the dehydrator, used it twice, and put it away. She wanted the foot soaker, used it once... you get the picture.

[Tom 72]

I gave a 6 quart one to a friend for Christmas, and she loves it. I think the 6 quart size would more easily roast a whole chicken. Note, not all models have the yogurt setting.

They clearly fit the bill for combining multiple functions into one tool, and they also contain grease splatters when used inside. I hear cleanup is easy.

This couple use theirs for everything but coffee & tea.

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=ME2qXAVUOY8

[thrifty bill]

They are really big with the "eat to perform" crowd. Check them out.

[War Eagle]

Ours 6 qt duo is basically a 7" diameter 1000W electric hot plate inside a pot with a lid that seals to provide up to 80kPa pressure along with a front-mounted key pad that allows some manual control and/or directs an on-board computer that controls how hot to cook what's inside for how long. Simple concept, actually. The beauty is in how nicely and intuitively the company put it all together. We opted for the accessory glass lid so we can see inside while using it as a slow cooker or to contain splatter while frying. Another thoughtful idea the company had.

[BatDude]

Great replies all.

We may actually start shopping for one

Looks like the 6 qt is only 1,000 watt so the Honda 2K watt generator would handle it especially if cook times were only a few hours.

Does anyone use theirs with a generator?

Bat Dude

[War Eagle]

Originally Posted by BatDude

Great replies all. We may actually start shopping for one Looks like the 6 qt is only 1,000 watt so the Honda 2K watt generator would handle it especially if cook times were only a few hours. Does anyone use theirs with a generator? Bat Dude

Look for the "Duo" model if you anticipate wanting the option to cook at low temp, too, and make things like yogurt. We also have a Honda 2K generator, and haven't used it to power the Instant Pot yet, but we wouldn't hesitate to if needed.

[Deb & Chuck]

Mike Magee....Gosh, too bad you are so far away in Oklahoma. I'll bet you have some great garage sales!


Deb

[Mike Magee]

Originally Posted by Deb & Chuck

Mike Magee....Gosh, too bad you are so far away in Oklahoma. I'll bet you have some great garage sales!


Deb

Nope, she's also a pack rat... never gets rid of anything.

[Deb & Chuck]

Mike Magee....sounds like I "might" be related to your wife .

Deb

[FishingBob]

Originally Posted by Deb & Chuck

I have 3- instant pots (6-6-8 sizes), and carry one of the 6 quart Instant pots in our trailer. I also have a Saratoga Jacks thermal cooker. I carry a professional food thermometer to test the temperatures of my food in the thermal cooker when using it. I don't think it is a good idea if you are going to be gone 10-12+ hours. I am a kitchen gadget nut because we like to eat good food and know what is in it and where it came from. None of these appliances sit on a shelf and go unused- they are used on a weekly basis.


Deb

Thanks for the real world experience. What is your normal max length of time on the thermal cooker? 4-5 hours? 6-8?

[Deb & Chuck]

The most I have left the thermal pot cooking and then checked the temperature is about 6 hours before eating.

Deb

[Dave and Kathie]

I agree with Deb on the Instant Pot. It's great and so versatile! I talked to Donna about the thermal cooker. We have the Saratoga Jack, so does Deb. I have the 5.5L. It is foam insulated. The company does not recommend going longer than 8 hours and I would be hesitant to go that long without a good thermometer or reheating. If you had a long day on the road you could, in theory, reheat it at lunch and be good until dinner. You can get a more expensive vacuum insulated model and I have seen tests that go 8 hrs on those but I have not found one with the double pots which are very handy. It's nice not having to use power. There are loads of reviews on the IP - here's a great one for the thermal cookers: https://theboatgalley.com/thermal-cooker/

Kathie

[FishingBob]

Thanks for the responses on my thermal pot questions. And sorry for the hijack from Instant Pot.

[Rumline]

Originally Posted by Mike Magee

Meats pressure cooked turned out tender but did not taste as good somehow... not caramelized the way they are in the oven, I guess.

Yep, it's the same issue that people who cook sous vide run into. I would recommend cooking meats to within 10-15 degrees of done and then searing them on a grill of some sort or a cast iron pan.

Brown is Beautiful, or, Why we love bark, crust, caramelization and the Maillard reaction

[Hazel in Sk]

I haven't yet purchased an Instant Pot, still thinking! However I spotted this earlier today and thought I'd give you a heads up. No idea who uses what model but I'd hate to hear about campers and homes going up in flames.

https://www.cpsc.gov/Recalls/2015/in...double-insight

[Donna D.]

Originally Posted by Hazel in Sk

I haven't yet purchased an Instant Pot, still thinking! However I spotted this earlier today and thought I'd give you a heads up. No idea who uses what model but I'd hate to hear about campers and homes going up in flames.

https://www.cpsc.gov/Recalls/2015/in...double-insight

Any Instant Pot purchased in the last year and half is past the recall for this brand. Only 1,140 were affected. The recall was for a shock hazard, not a fire hazard.