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Instant Pot. Multi-function cooker (Part 5)

Okanagancook

By Okanagancook
in Kitchen Consumer

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Anna N

Anna N

Posted
Posted
1 hour ago, Shelby said:

@Anna N  Waaaaaay back in 2015 you made a savory cheesecake that I swore I was going to make, and then, in my usual fashion, I forgot.   I am looking for some different make ahead appetizers to have on hand for when our hunter is here.  Do you think this would hold up if instead of using sun-dried tomatoes, I used fresh--if I made sure they were diced finely and paper towel dried?  Also, would this be good at room temp, sliced in say, bite sized squares?

 

 

 My inclination would be to roast the tomatoes to concentrate their flavor as well as to dry them. But otherwise I don't see why it wouldn't work and I'm fairly sure that I was eating it at room temperature. 

  • Like 1

Anna Nielsen aka "Anna N"

...I just let people know about something I made for supper that they might enjoy, too. That's all it is. (Nigel Slater)

"Cooking is about doing the best with what you have . . . and succeeding." John Thorne

Our 2012 (Kerry Beal and me) Blog

My 2004 eG Blog

Smithy

Smithy

Posted
Posted
On 8/11/2017 at 3:10 PM, ElsieD said:

Look what the cat brought home - the IP Mini!   

20170811_160558.jpg

 

ElsieD, and anyone else who has the IP mini, I'd like to know what you think of it now.  I find myself using our 6-quart IP routinely for yogurt and fairly often for other purposes as well.  It absolutely will not fit in our trailer, so I'm considering the purchase of a 3-quart IP to take the place of our 3-quart slow cooker.  I'd like to know whether it works as well as its bigger, older sibling.  Comments, please.

 

On another note:  my darling's daughter bought a Cuisinart version of the IP on impulse over a year ago but was afraid to use it without some guidance.  Last year when we visited I worked with her a bit to show its versatility.  She seemed to be past her fear of that newfangled machinery, but apparently put it away again until we visited last week.  She cooks for an army and favors the set-and-forget style of breakfast casserole.  The first day's breakfast burnt and stuck to the interior of her crockpot-style slow cooker.  I brought out the Cuisinart pot, pointed out its nonstick interior and programmability, and persuaded her to try it. No sticky messes the rest of the week, and that nonstick pot cleaned like a dream.  Two things resulted: (1) I may look into getting a nonstick pot interior for my IP, and (2) I think maybe, now, she's a convert. When they visit next month I'll make a point of using the IP so she can see it in action; her Cuisinart's display is already failing....

  • Like 3

Nancy Smith, aka "Smithy"
Host, eG Forums - nsmith@egstaff.org

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"Every day should be filled with something delicious, because life is too short not to spoil yourself. " -- Ling (with permission)
"There comes a time in every project when you have to shoot the engineer and start production." -- author unknown

lindag

lindag

Posted
Posted

I have the nonstick inner pot for my IP and love it.  Unless you need to pressure cook, the nonstick is the way to go...easy, easy cleanup.

ElsieD

ElsieD

Posted
Posted

@Smithy  I have only used the 6 qt. once since I got the mini and that was to cook pork ribs.  I absolutely love the mini.  It works as well as the larger one with the added bonus that it fits nicely in a corner of my counter which the bigger one didn't.  Right now it is cooking the spuds for dinner and two nights ago I used it to make yogurt.  I have also used it to cook rice and have cooked some meat dishes in it, such as a Korean chicken stew.  I highly recommend it.

  • Like 5
lindag

lindag

Posted
Posted
1 minute ago, ElsieD said:

@Smithy  I have only used the 6 qt. once since I got the mini and that was to cook pork ribs.  I absolutely love the mini.  It works as well as the larger one with the added bonus that it fits nicely in a corner of my counter which the bigger one didn't.  Right now it is cooking the spuds for dinner and two nights ago I used it to make yogurt.  I have also used it to cook rice and have cooked some meat dishes in it, such as a Korean chicken stew.  I highly recommend it.

 

ENABLER alert!!!!!

  • Haha 7
Smithy

Smithy

Posted
Posted

Yep...well, I did ask!  Thanks for the information, ElsieD.  It's on my list.  Maybe I'll be able to wait for a sale.

Nancy Smith, aka "Smithy"
Host, eG Forums - nsmith@egstaff.org

Follow us on social media! Facebook; instagram.com/egulletx

"Every day should be filled with something delicious, because life is too short not to spoil yourself. " -- Ling (with permission)
"There comes a time in every project when you have to shoot the engineer and start production." -- author unknown

Smithy

Smithy

Posted
Posted
11 minutes ago, ElsieD said:

@Smithy  tonight we had IP Mac and cheese, made in the mini. :)

 

I am almost certainly going to be buying one, thanks to informative enablers like you. It probably will be very useful in the trailer, and possibly in our house when we're home.

 

Meanwhile, alas, I'm seeing another feature that we've long sought in a slow cooker: actual temperature control beyond the 3-point Hi, Med, Low settings.  This Instant Pot Ultra 6-qt 10-in-1 version seems to do exactly that.  Has anyone played with this model? 

Nancy Smith, aka "Smithy"
Host, eG Forums - nsmith@egstaff.org

Follow us on social media! Facebook; instagram.com/egulletx

"Every day should be filled with something delicious, because life is too short not to spoil yourself. " -- Ling (with permission)
"There comes a time in every project when you have to shoot the engineer and start production." -- author unknown

JoNorvelleWalker

JoNorvelleWalker

Posted
Posted
1 hour ago, Smithy said:

 

I am almost certainly going to be buying one, thanks to informative enablers like you. It probably will be very useful in the trailer, and possibly in our house when we're home.

 

Meanwhile, alas, I'm seeing another feature that we've long sought in a slow cooker: actual temperature control beyond the 3-point Hi, Med, Low settings.  This Instant Pot Ultra 6-qt 10-in-1 version seems to do exactly that.  Has anyone played with this model? 

 

The Kitchenaid Precise Heat Mixing Bowl has offered this feature for a couple years.  It works standalone as a slow cooker, plus it is induction.

 

  • Like 1

Cooking is cool.  And kitchen gear is even cooler.  -- Chad Ward

Whatever you crave, there's a dumpling for you. -- Hsiao-Ching Chou

Smithy

Smithy

Posted
Posted
15 hours ago, JoNorvelleWalker said:

 

The Kitchenaid Precise Heat Mixing Bowl has offered this feature for a couple years.  It works standalone as a slow cooker, plus it is induction.

 

 

What is the working volume of yours, and which model do you have - for tilt mixer, or lift mixer?

Nancy Smith, aka "Smithy"
Host, eG Forums - nsmith@egstaff.org

Follow us on social media! Facebook; instagram.com/egulletx

"Every day should be filled with something delicious, because life is too short not to spoil yourself. " -- Ling (with permission)
"There comes a time in every project when you have to shoot the engineer and start production." -- author unknown

Anna N

Anna N

Posted
Posted

 To those of you who are addicted to your Instant Pot  and your smart phone there is now an app for the Instant Pot.   Don't know if it is available for an android but if you are an iPhone user then you can just search for Instant Pot in the App Store.  It is basically a database of recipes. 

  • Like 1

Anna Nielsen aka "Anna N"

...I just let people know about something I made for supper that they might enjoy, too. That's all it is. (Nigel Slater)

"Cooking is about doing the best with what you have . . . and succeeding." John Thorne

Our 2012 (Kerry Beal and me) Blog

My 2004 eG Blog

FauxPas

FauxPas

Posted
Posted
7 minutes ago, Anna N said:

 To those of you who are addicted to your Instant Pot  and your smart phone there is now an app for the Instant Pot.   Don't know if it is available for an android but if you are an iPhone user then you can just search for Instant Pot in the App Store.  It is basically a database of recipes. 

 

There is an Android version, but it's getting pretty mixed reviews. I don't think I'll bother installing it right now. The number of 1 and 2 star reviews are almost the same as the number of 5 star reviews. 

https://play.google.com/store/apps/details?id=com.instantpot.app&hl=en#details-reviews

 

@Anna N, have you used the Apple version? Would you recommend it? 

Anna N

Anna N

Posted
Posted
32 minutes ago, FauxPas said:

 

There is an Android version, but it's getting pretty mixed reviews. I don't think I'll bother installing it right now. The number of 1 and 2 star reviews are almost the same as the number of 5 star reviews. 

https://play.google.com/store/apps/details?id=com.instantpot.app&hl=en#details-reviews

 

@Anna N, have you used the Apple version? Would you recommend it? 

 No I haven't I only discovered it today but I did notice that it has some recipes from someone I trust: Barbara Schieving of the Pressure Cooking Today site. 

  • Like 2

Anna Nielsen aka "Anna N"

...I just let people know about something I made for supper that they might enjoy, too. That's all it is. (Nigel Slater)

"Cooking is about doing the best with what you have . . . and succeeding." John Thorne

Our 2012 (Kerry Beal and me) Blog

My 2004 eG Blog

Tropicalsenior

Tropicalsenior

Posted
Posted
4 hours ago, Anna N said:

No I haven't I only discovered it today but I did notice that it has some recipes from someone I trust: Barbara Schieving of the Pressure Cooking Today site. 

I installed it and was very disappointed. Not only did it not work well, it had a very limited selection of recipes. Yes it had some of Barbara Schieving's recipes, but they are all recipes that you can find on her website. All the rest are recipes that are just taken directly from the internet. And if you are like me, you have already been to all of these websites. They said that they added new recipes all the time but I had it for 3 weeks and nothing new appeared. I uninstalled it.

Anna N

Anna N

Posted
Posted
12 minutes ago, Tropicalsenior said:

I installed it and was very disappointed.

Thanks for the feedback. I was certainly not advocating for it. Just making others aware of its existence. 

 

 

 

  • Like 1

Anna Nielsen aka "Anna N"

...I just let people know about something I made for supper that they might enjoy, too. That's all it is. (Nigel Slater)

"Cooking is about doing the best with what you have . . . and succeeding." John Thorne

Our 2012 (Kerry Beal and me) Blog

My 2004 eG Blog

Tropicalsenior

Tropicalsenior

Posted
Posted
1 hour ago, Anna N said:

Just making others aware of its existence. 

If you hear of any others, please don't hesitate to let us know and I will be the first to try it. I'm always on the lookout for a good app.

JoNorvelleWalker

JoNorvelleWalker

Posted
Posted
10 hours ago, Smithy said:

 

What is the working volume of yours, and which model do you have - for tilt mixer, or lift mixer?

 

I have the lift model.  Capacity is rated at 3 quarts.

 

 

  • Like 1

Cooking is cool.  And kitchen gear is even cooler.  -- Chad Ward

Whatever you crave, there's a dumpling for you. -- Hsiao-Ching Chou

Beebs

Beebs

Posted
Posted

Hooray! Finally got around to using the IP for the first time, after sitting in its box for two months....

 

Did the initial test run with water, as recommended by the instruction manual. Couldn't figure out why it only spit out noisy steam and wouldn't come up to pressure...until I realized the steam valve was turned to the "venting" position. O.o>:(

 

Anyway, made the Boston "baked" beans from the Hip Pressure Cooking website, which turned out nicely, other than a few minor tweaks for seasoning and measurements next time. Sauteing in the IP didn't work too well for me, though. The only place I can put the IP when in use is on the counter which has a cupboard directly over it, maybe about 1.5 ft of clearance. So there was a fair bit of maneuvering around to get my arm and spatula in there and saute.

 

Also (maybe an operator error), I couldn't figure out how to adjust the temperature after the Saute function started, other than turning it off and starting it back up at a different temperature. Any solutions?

  • Like 2
Anna N

Anna N

Posted
Posted
22 minutes ago, Beebs said:

Also (maybe an operator error), I couldn't figure out how to adjust the temperature after the Saute function started, other than turning it off and starting it back up at a different temperature. Any solutions?

 I don't think you can do anything different. You need to turn it off and back on again in order to adjust the heat level as far as I have learned. 

  • Like 3

Anna Nielsen aka "Anna N"

...I just let people know about something I made for supper that they might enjoy, too. That's all it is. (Nigel Slater)

"Cooking is about doing the best with what you have . . . and succeeding." John Thorne

Our 2012 (Kerry Beal and me) Blog

My 2004 eG Blog

ElsieD

ElsieD

Posted
Posted

One of the things I like about the mini pot is that you can change the sautè levels while it is on simply by using the sautè button.  No need to shut it off.

  • Like 5
Beebs

Beebs

Posted
Posted

That's really too bad that an adjustable saute function isn't available on the large pot.  On the other hand, it worked great for simmering (my beans were a bit too liquidy).

 

I will likely end up browning and sauteing on the stove anyway, given my space constraints. Oh well.

 

I'd like to do some curries and beef rendang, but I think I should get a few more of those rubber rings. I'm pleased to discover Instant Pot's online store has free shipping - hooray!

  • Like 1
lindag

lindag

Posted
Posted
2 hours ago, ElsieD said:

One of the things I like about the mini pot is that you can change the sautè levels while it is on simply by using the sautè button.  No need to shut it off.

 

Even MORE enabling!!!

  • Like 2
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weedy

weedy

Posted
Posted (edited)

I think the IP works as a standalone electric pressure cooker.

 

all the rest of it, and it's 46 buttons, is silly. 

It feels to me like bending over backwards to do everything in one pot when it's easier and more efficient to do it in several. 

Sauteeing in the IP is a major PIA for no discernible upside.

 

 

Edited by weedy (log)
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