I have one of the big Instant Pots and I think it's a total game changer over stovetop models because you can leave the house, set it on a timer, etc. You have to monitor the stovetop ones because you have a live heating element underneath that isn't controlled by the programming of the device.
One caveat: as delicious as some of the meat-based meals I've made in the Instant Pot have been, they suffer vs. a slow cooker--and the slow cooker setting on the IP isn't as good as a heavy crockpot. Carnitas and boeuf bourguignon are both far better in a crockpot or stovetop dutch oven. If you're cooking things with dried beans, etc., the Instant Pot is great--I made a ham and bean stew a week ago that I have been eating with pleasure every day for a week.
Oh--Indian food becomes much faster and easier to make with an Instant Pot. Worth it for that alone.
Chopper speaks truth on all three points here. If you have the space, get an instant pot. You can to some extent work around the shortcomings of the slow setting by giving it multiple shorter bursts, though as said, a proper slow crock is always going to be better.
I also like the instant pot, and have liked what I've cooked it it more than anything I ever made in my slow cooker, which is now in desuetude. I haven't made dishes that are very meat driven though.
Echo on bean dishes: it can fully cook dry beans without any soak time.
Maybe you could rig up extension cord so that it can cook on the stovetop, and be put away at other times?
We have an Instant Pot and have so far used it reasonably often to make Ven Pongal, and never to make anything else. Definitely worth it though.
thank you everyone - i think we are going for the breville. i feel badly because i sent heebie this post request before all the horrible news, but on the other hand maybe we should all just post our favorite recipes for a nourishing dinner that sets one up for the next day's fight for the good.
speaking of lentil & rice deliciousness, heebie would your crew be enticed by red lentils and basmati rice, cooked in double the amount of water just like for steamed rice, for seasoning i just use a very small amount of hing and a slight less small amount of cumin, toasted in the butter-ghee-oil before putting in the lentils and rice, then just cook as for steamed rice. it only takes 25 minutes or so, and is wonderful with yogurt and some simple veggies, and pickle for those who want a bit more excitement. toss some fruit at 'em for after and you are done.
on a more elaborate front, we have teenager guests joining use for homemade-pizza-and-a-movie and my better half has made the most crazily divine smelling apple pie ...
What they said. The electrics are game-changers because of the fire-and-forget nature, which conventional/stovetop ones totally lack. Control loops are good!
No opinions on the merits of one electric versus another, but it's worth knowing that most of the extraneous buttons are just shortcuts for something you could enter in manually - "high for 20 minutes" is probably all the "bean" button does, for example.
I will dissent a bit on the bean advice in 3: I find that unsoaked beans are still a crapshoot; sometimes they work and sometimes not, even with a lot more pressure-cooking time. Soaking might not do much for relatively fresh dried beans, but for old ones (how long have they been in the cabinet?) soaking makes the difference between failure and success.
In what way are instapot-cooked meat dishes inferior?
IMHO, the meat doesn't get as tender and the flavors don't meld as well. Still good. Just not as good.
6.last seems plausible, as I buy beans in bulk only in the quantities I plan to use.
We too have an Instant Pot. In addition to a bunch of chicken and chili dishes, we've found it quite helpful for doing hardboiled eggs. Nothing you can't do stovetop, but the fire and forget aspect makes it easier to get the timing right, and you don't have the issue of too-vigorous boiling water cracking the shells.
11: What's your method? I'm happy with mine, but I do sometimes get cracked shells, so I'm curious.
I put 1/2c-1c water in the pot, eggs on top in the steamer basket, cook on high pressure for 6 minutes, quick-release, ice-bath.
the breville seems to have a non-stick cooking insert, so that's off the table now. maybe an instant pot, bc the cooking inserts seems to be stainless steel. aargh am not thrilled with the intricacies of this, and very much bummed re move away from open flame BUT know that all pales in light of climate emergency.
Can confirm that the Instant Pot is stainless steel.
I am getting so much traction out of the latest internet-socialist mantra, "There is no ethical consumption under capitalism".
can people confirm that you can manually set the temperature in the instant pot? it seems clear you can manually select the pressure setting and the timer of course, but is it true you can set the temperature manually within a 5 degree swing or so?
15: are they trying to talk people out of the Fox advertiser boycott or what?
Not in my Duo. There are plus and minus buttons, but they only let you adjust cooking temperature between three presets, "less", "normal", and "more", if you're cooking without pressure. For under pressure, there are only settings, low and high.
17: I've never heard that concept being used to counter boycotts. More that everything you do is in some way connected to a destructive web, so we can't look to individual virtuousness re: water use, recycling, etc. as a means of fixing things.
Oh I know; it just struck me as ironic. There may be an operative political/ethical distinction here, of course. Tactical consumption! Operational consumption!
Speaking of food, you used to be able to buy half a chicken with potatoes and vegetables for less than $15 on the A concourse at Midway, but not anymore. It's a burger place.