Is an instantpot worth getting? why or why not?

miami85

Wed, Jan 12 2022, 2:11 pm

We find it useful for certain things like making a frozen-solid broiler chicken to table ready in just a few hours for a one-pot meal. It's helpful for making chicken soup for Friday night and it stays warm in the pot until ready to be served.

We have a milchig one also for making mac n' cheese. But I've also made fish in it--a one pot meal with broccoli and potatoes.

It doesn't replace ALL cooking devices, but it is certainly helpful for minimizing pots/pans for like sauteeing which can be done right in the pot. If my kids liked spaghetti and meatballs we'd use it more often.

I've made soup on fast days in about 1/2 hour--especially French onion soup which tastes better when it's been cooking longer. I like making "overnight oatmeal" in shorter than "overnight". I've made yogurt in mine also--it's a time hassle, and was more helpful when we were getting tons of milk from our food program during covid.

devorah1231

Wed, Jan 12 2022, 2:14 pm

I have one and keep it pareve.

The ideas on this post tempt me to fleishigs... if I ever get a bigger kitchen would love to get a second one, but right now I appreciate being able to make big batch pareve soups, eggs, dips, too much to change what I have.

amother

Olive

Wed, Jan 12 2022, 2:54 pm

amother [ Olive ] wrote:

I love and use my instant pot multiple times per week for over a year now.

I really hesitated on this purchase. One, I remembered the dangers of old school pressure cookers and I was a bit terrified. (This pot is super safe idiot proof though - so no worries there). Two, it's big and bulky and I worried I might regret giving space over to this monster. (It's still big and bulky and I can't see the point of buying a smaller, lower capacity one - but it more than earns it's space).

When I first got this it was mainly a chicken soup maker. I then branched into other soups. Eventually I figured out the timing to make many more things. Fall off the bone ribs and chicken, steamed veggies, stews, even pasta.

Everyone raves about the reduced cooking time but honestly I don't know how reduced it really is. For me it's more not having to stand around watching a pot scared it will boil over and make a mess. That's the great big plus for me.

This was my post from over a year ago. Still stand by it. I use this pot for so many things. Again, it's not mainly about saving time. It's about setting it and walking away and not having to babysit a pot on the stove, worrying it will boil over when making soup or pasta, or use up all the water when steaming veggies and burn.