Instant Pot Duo 7-in-1 Electric Pressure Cooker, Slow Cooker, Rice Cooker, Steamer, Sauté, Yogurt Maker, Warmer & Sterilizer, Includes App With Over 800 Recipes, Stainless Steel, 6 Quart

I love my instant pot! But i will be the first to admit that it can be a little intimidating at first, and it can feel like it has a steep learning curve (and i’m a tech reviewer and tech lawyer, and one of those people who generally just jumps in and figures things out without reading the manuals (‘manuals? We don’t need no stinkin’ manuals!’), so for me to feel like i’m not ‘getting’ something ..well, yeah. So if you are feeling a little bewildered by your new instant pot, *you’re not alone*!) plus, the manual does *not* include certain information that i, at least, was looking for. Such as, how long is each pre-programmed cooking cycle? Exactly what temperature do the various sauté settings heat to? Things like that.

So, here are a few tips that have really helped me to finally ‘get’ it, plus instructions for two things that you can make in your instant pot that will change your life: incredibly easy perfectly poached eggs in 2-3 minutes, and baked potatoes in 12 minutes.

First, it is almost impossible to mess up with this thing to a point of being dangerous, so if you’re concerned about the exploding pressure cookers of yore, you needn’t be (i said ‘almost’, don’t go overriding your pot’s safety features and then blame me when you poke an eye out). The lid audibly tells you when its sealed (when you turn it clockwise), and the pot won’t even build up much pressure if you haven’t properly closed the steam release handle by turning it, too, clockwise. The most likely point at which a problem could arise would be if you try to open the lid (by turning it counter-clockwise) before all of the pressure has been released and normalized (so don’t do that). The pot visually lets you know when it’s safe to open the pot, by the float valve (the little silver post that pops up when the pot is pressurized) dropping back down flush with the lid instead of being popped up. Think of the float valve as the reverse of a turkey pop-up button, in the case of the float valve it’s done when the button pops *in*, instead of out.

The sauté function has three temperature settings: ‘normal’ heats to 320 degrees, ‘more’ heats to 338 degrees, and ‘less’ heats to 221 degrees (all in fahrenheit)

for pressure cooking, you will probably use ‘manual’ nearly all the time (nearly every instant pot cookbook i’ve read relies on the manual setting almost exclusively). So *don’t* feel badly for not using all of those other buttons very much, if at all (i’ve never used any of the preprogrammed buttons).

The preprogrammed settings each have their own timing, and *variable* pressure, which the pot manipulates by manipulating the temperature of the contents (the higher the temperature, the higher the pressure). That is primarily what makes them different from manual, which provides one consistent pressure (either high or low). However they *generally* bring the contents to high pressure, fluctuating the temperature a little so that the pressure fluctuates a little too, for a set period of time (the main exceptions to this are the rice button, and the multigrain button). Personally i just find it easier to use ‘manual’ and set the time that i want.

After you hit ‘manual’ to start cooking, you then set the amount of time you want it to cook at pressure, after which you will have a 10-second grace period (for example to add more time, etc.), after which the display will switch to displaying the word ‘on’. Then it will be a while before the display switches to the timer countdown. This is *normal*. The amount of time you enter is for how long it will cook *after it reaches full pressure* (either high or low pressure, depending on what you selected), and so the timer will switch on when it reaches full pressure.

The cooking time in any recipe is the time *at full pressure*, not in total. So you need to take into account the time it will take to reach full pressure (which depends on many variables, including what is in the contents of the pot, what temperature they started at, and your altitude), *and* how long it will take for the pressure to be released and normalized (i.e. For the float valve to pop in, which of course is really ‘dropping in’, but you get the point). And this brings us to the two different types of pressure release.

All instant pot recipes will include (or *should* include) either one of these terms: natural pressure release (also known as npr), or quick pressure release (qpr or qr). What these mean is simply either ‘let the pressure dissipate on its own’ (natural pressure release), or ‘force the pressure to escape immediately by turning the steam release handle counter-clockwise to the open position (quick release). The reason for using quick release (qr) is not because you are too impatient to wait for natural release, but because your food will be over cooked if you don’t get it the heck out of dodge once it’s done cooking at pressure. A really good example of a food needing quick release is poached eggs (which come out *perfectly* in the instant pot (see how to poach eggs in the instant pot below)). On the other hand, lots of (if not most) foods need the natural release – it’s part of their cooking process and processing time.

Natural pressure release generally takes between 15 and 20 minutes.

Quick pressure release takes about a minute, plus the hours spent in the er if you forget to keep your hands, face, and all other body parts away from the steam valve when you do it!! Many people put a towel over the valve before they turn it, to help suppress the steam, which you may want to do (i don’t because then i just end up with a scalding hot towel – but i also rarely need to do qr, and those times that i do, i’m sufficiently respectful of the power and heat of that steam to keep my distance).

Finally, in my experience, unless you are doing a ‘dump everything in at once and turn it on’ recipe, you will definitely want to have all of your ingredients ready to go before you start cooking. For example, for any recipe that includes sautéing in the pot first, then adding ingredients and then starting pressure cooking, you definitely want to have everything lined up before you start.

Oh, wait, *this* is actually the final note: the stainless steel inner pot can take a real beating, and cleans up just fine..but…after the first use or so (it was after my first use) you will see little ‘stains’ (not sure what else to call them) and, if you are anything like me, you will think ‘oh no! I have ruined the beauty of this pot! How can i fix it?’ it turns out that this is *very* normal (at least the ‘staining’, not sure about my reaction being normal 🙂 ). In my case i had made beans, and my pot now still bears the ‘imprints’ of beans, even though it is completely clean..it’s sort of like the chalk outlines from a little bean murder scene. 😉 i’m in an instant pot forum on facebook where many ip cookbook authors are members (including jl fields and jill nussinow) and they have all said that this is perfectly normal and just what happens (in fact they said it in response to my ‘oh no, i’ve ruined my beautiful pot’ post).

Ok, i think that those are about all of the things that i had wished that i had fully understood on my first day with my instant pot.

Oh, actually there’s one more thing. I didn’t fully appreciate, until several days in, just how amazing this aspect of the instant pot is: you can start something cooking in it, and then *walk away* – even leave the house, and it will finish cooking just like you instructed, and be *perfectly done*, and then it will *keep it warm for up to 10 hours*! Not keep cooking it, just *keep it warm*. For up to 10 hours! You can put something in there in the morning, leave for the day, and come back to a perfectly cooked whatever, just waiting for you! Booyah! (i think this is the thing that pressure cooker purists who try to talk people out of getting an instant pot, rather than a stovetop pressure cooker, fail to understand. You can’t just walk away from a stovetop pressure cooker after the stuff starts cooking.)

now, here are the *the best* accessories (in my opinion) that you will want for your instant pot.

You definitely will want this steamer basket for your instant pot (the instant pot comes with a little steaming trivet, but this steamer basket is *way* more useful – in fact it’s how you make both poached eggs and baked potatoes). Actually you will want *a* steamer basket, but trust me, this is the one you want, both because of the big handle, the fact that the handle telescopes, and, most importantly, you can use it with or without the little legs flipped down, and when you flip the little legs down, they give you plenty of space for as much water for steaming as you could ever need without worrying about the water touching the food that’s in the basket.

Or, instead of, or in addition to, the above steamer, you can get this steamer basket and steaming rack / trivet set . The legs on this trivet are an inch and a half high (the rack that comes with your instant pot only gives 3/4 of an inch of clearance). And the flat-bottomed steamer is very versatile.

Personally, i have both, as they each serve their own purpose, and the trivet that comes with the set is really useful for pot-in-pot cooking, at which you may also want to try your hand. Pot-in-pot (or ‘pip’) is where you put a second, smaller vessel inside your instant pot’s main internal pot. There are different reasons for doing this, ranging from ‘i only want to cook a small amount of something like oatmeal’ to ‘i want to cook a cheesecake in my instant pot’ to ‘i want to cook two different things at the same time in my instant pot (like cooking beans, and having a bowl of rice on a trivet (see why you want a good trivet?) above the beans, steam cooking at the same time).

For pot-in-pot cooking, i recommend any stainless steel vessel that is no greater in diameter than 7.5 inches, and no taller than 4 or so inches (your internal pot has a diameter of just over 8.5 inches and a height of about 6 inches). Lots of people use glass vessels such as pyrex or corningware, but i personally prefer to use stainless steel because if you drop it you’ll just have a mess, rather than a mess plus broken glass.

If you’re really keen on making cheesecakes, steamed puddings, flans, and that sort of thing in your instant pot, you may also want to grab this stainless steel pot-in-pot ‘dessert insert’ pan set , which includes two stacking pans. And a rack to set them on which has handles that close up over the pans to secure them.

You will also want this separate glass lid that is sold by the instant pot people. This lid fits on your *inner metal pot*, and this way when you are using your instant pot for *non-pressurized* cooking, such as when using it as a slow cooker, or with the sauté function, you will be able to see what is going on in there. Basically, in these usages, you can think of your instant pot as a counter-top stove burner (albeit one with really cool bells and whistles) – that may help you to understand why you want a (see-through!) lid for that inner pot. Plus, once you are done cooking in any mode, you can use the inner pot to store the leftovers in your fridge, and use this lid to cover it.

In terms of instant pot cookbooks to get you started, they are a relatively new genre, and a *lot* of them are only available as kindle or other digital format books. Personally, i like to have a physical book when it comes to cookbooks, and so i like this one…you can’t go wrong with america’s test kitchen cookbooks, and their pressure cooker cookbook is no exception:

pressure cooker perfection

i also happen to be a strict vegetarian, and for vegetarian and vegan instant pot cooking, this book by j.l. Fields is considered the best book out there (it’s pretty darned good!):

vegan pressure cooking: delicious beans, grains, and one-pot meals in minutes

and if you also are vegetarian or vegan, you’ll appreciate the recipes in this one:

o m gee good! Instant pot meals, plant-based & oil-free

..and this one:

vegan under pressure: perfect vegan meals made quick and easy in your pressure cooker

and speaking of recipes – here is how to make those poached eggs, and baked potatoes.

Poached eggs: lightly grease 1 to 4 (depending on how many poached eggs you want) pyrex custard cups with butter or oil. Put a cup of water in the bottom of your instant pot, put a steamer basket or trivet in the pot (making sure that the water doesn’t come over the top), and set your pyrex cups in the steamer basket or on the trivet. I use my oxo steamer basket for this, and i love that when they are done i can just grab the handle and pull the whole shebang out (remember the handle will be hot, be sure to wear an oven mitt). Use manual setting, low pressure, for 2 to 3 minutes. 2 minutes will probably be enough unless you’re at a high altitude.

Baked potatoes: remember how i said you could make baked potatoes in 12 minutes? And remember how i said that the recipe times are for the time *at pressure*? ;~) still, even given the time to come to pressure, and to have the pressure come back down, you can have perfectly steam-baked potatoes in under half an hour, and the best part is that you can start them, and then *walk away*! When you are ready for your potatoes, they will be perfectly done and waiting for you, even if you have abandoned them for hours! Just put water in the bottom of your instant pot, flip the legs down on your oxo steamer, put the steamer in the pot and then dump your potatoes in on top of the steamer. Using the manual setting, set the cooking time for 12 minutes, using high pressure. Then walk away! Now, because these are ‘steam baked’ (i.e. Cooked whole over steam, but not in water), the skins will not be crisp, but these are otherwise exactly like the baked potatoes you know and love – they’re great with butter, sour cream, etc.! This works with new potatoes, and regular potatoes!

Happy instant potting!

There are so many people who say the can’t cook, but i swear i’m on a whole new level of not being able to cook. This little appliance helps expand our menu and i have learned to do so much with it. I will sum up in a nutshell, i love how easy it is and how i throw everything in it comes out done. No stirring and not many messy dishes. I still don’t love it for meats (which i don’t eat much of anyway), but i think that’s just a matter of needing to experiment more with them. I seriously can’t believe how many foods can be cooked in here!

What got me thinking about the ip was talking to a friend at work who is a firefighter. He works long shifts with mostly men, they can’t really cook, but they just buy meat and throw it in here. He swore by it. Then someone else chimed in and said they pressure cook a lot. About a month later it went on sale for prime day and i picked it up. I am all of a sudden a much, much better cook! There are so many cookbooks for this, my favorite being hip pressure cooking: fast, fresh, and flavorful and there’s a wonderful facebook page where people post their successes and fails, so we can all learn from each other. This whole last month has been wonderful. I’ll highlight some things i’ve tried or heard about:

-chicken: for the first time every i cooked a whole chicken (see picture of it falling apart). My husband couldn’t believe i cooked a whole chicken since i usually buy them at the store already made. It was excellent. I did 6 minutes per pound + 2 minutes. I also cook chicken thighs for dinner about once a week, which i had never cooked before. I do that for 10 minutes with some chicken broth and whichever seasoning sounds good. Ironically enough, i can’t get my classic boneless, skinless chicken breasts to turn out, but based on my facebook group a lot of people have success with them.
-pot roast: i tried this once and it didn’t work great. It was a very lean, thick cut of meat. I heard that the leaner meats are harder to do. Next time i’ll try something different.
-eggs: i can hard boil 30 eggs at once!!! I work 12 hour shifts and eat 4 with my lunch and 4 with my dinner. Since i work 4 days in a row i have to hard boil 32 eggs. I used to use my egg cooker and do 7 at a time, which was a pain. Now it’s quick and easy!
-steel cut oats: another thing that i never ate before. At one point a couple years ago we tried making them a few times, but it’s so annoying having to stir the pot all the time and then half the time i ended up with some crusted on the bottom which was annoying to clean up. Now i use the pip (pot in the pot) method. I put 1 cup of water in the bottom, then the trivet in, then 1 cup of steel cut oats in a large pyrex glass dish with 2 1/2 cups of water. I put it on for 10 minutes manual high pressure and walk away. Once the pressure releases and i open it they are perfect! I then divide them up into mason jars and put them in the fridge. At breakfast time i warm them up, add some milk for creaminess and they are perfect. We eat them every single morning now. The only dish i have is the pyrex bowl and i just rinse the metal pot out since it didn’t touch any food.
-soups: i had never made soup before this. I have made chicken noodle soup many times and everyone loves it. I hate how chicken noodle soup always has mushy noodles. Not mine! I cook the noodles to how i like them. I’ve bene wanting to experiment with more soups, but i’ll do that in winter.
-yogurt: another amazing feature. I’ve made yogurt 3 times and love it. My 2 year old only eats my yogurt. I can make a gallon of organic yogurt for a fraction of the cost of buying it at the store. It takes some patience, but the hands on work part of it is only about 20 minutes. There’s a lot of waiting for things to heat, cool, incubate, set. I’ve finally learned when to start to have each step finish at the right time. Feel free to ask if you have questions.
-sides: i found a recipe for a mac and cheese that everyone loves. My daughter and her friends are always begging me for it. The best part? It’s only 5 ingredients (pasta, heavy whip, butter, salt and cheese). It also only requires washing a cheese grater and the pot and it only takes 20 minute from start to finish. No hard to pronounce, artificial, food dyed ingredients. I have also mastered spaghetti with meat sauce. Before this i had never once made spaghetti with meat sauce. Now i do it all the time. Again, i only have one thing to clean afterwards. If i tried doing with without the ip i would have a pan for the meat, pot for the pasta, strainer. It only takes about 20 minutes start to finish. It can be real simple (meat, jar of sauce, pasta, water) or get really complicated with making your own sauce (even then it’s still pretty easy).
-veggies: many veggies can be cooked in here. Delicate ones, like broccoli are harder to do. Con on the cob in here is amazing though. Much quicker than any other method.
-deserts: i haven’t made a desert yet, but on my facebook group a ton of people are making cheesecake. I try to keep deserts out of the house and just have them for special treats when we’re out. So i haven’t tried this. A ton of people in my facebook group are doing it and they look like they turn out great.
-chicken broth: i am not the type of woman who makes chicken broth. My step-mom does that kind of stuff and i look at her like ‘why don’t you just buy it’. Well, now i am the type of person who makes chicken broth. After throwing a whole chicken in here i take the carcass (i hate that word!) and put it back in with some veggies, set it for 2 hours and it’s done! I strain it and then have beautiful, healthy, yummy chicken broth. The first time i did it my husband looked at me like i was cray-cray. Now he helps by saving his bones. There is no better chicken noodle soup that when it’s made with homemade broth! Yummy!!!
-spaghetti squash: this is one food i accepted that it’s harder to make than it’s worth, so we hadn’t eaten it in years. Not anymore! I put it in for 20 minutes without cutting it. When i opened the pot the squash is intact, but with the skin peeling off. It’s easy to cut it in half from there, scoop out the seeds and separate it.
-applesauce: whenever my apples start getting too soft, i peel them, use my little apple slicer and throw them in here with some cinnamon. There are recipes for if you want to add sugar, lemon, honey, ect. I prefer just apples and cinnamon though since it’s healthy and natural. My kids love it. 8 minutes on manual with a natural release. I just stir it with a fork and don’t even need to blend it. There are small, very soft chunks. I wish i had this when my son was a baby!

Those are a few of them things i’ve made. I have learned to experiment more. Since i usually don’t have to do many dishes with the ip i tend to enjoy experimenting. I have a cookbook i write all of my successes in. My family is constant surprised at how much this has changed how we eat. I usually don’t keep appliances out on my counter, but since i use this at least once a day i never put it away. The only downfall is i think there is a learning curve to it. It’s a little intimidating at first and requires some trial and error. I was terrified of almost everything the first time i did it. 90% of everything has come out great. I’m learning what i like to cook and don’t like to cook in it. I love that when we have a last minute neighborhood get together (it happens a few times a week) i can whip up a pasta dish and veggie real quick.

Tips (added jan 2017):
-recipes generally don’t include time to come to pressure. Think of this is the same as your oven warming up or water boiling. After your food goes in the pot it has the pressurize, then the timer starts counting down. You can speed this up but turning on ‘saute’ first. It cuts the time more than in half.
-instructions have lingo related to you the pressure gets released. First there’s natural pressure release (npr). This is just leaving the pot alone until the pin drops, indicating there’s no pressure in the pot. The lid can then be removed safely. Then there’s a quick release (qr), which is where you turn the pressure release valve at the far side of the pressure cooker. This takes about a minute and releases a bunch of steam, so you probably don’t want this under a cabinet. There is also a chance of some food/fluid coming out, depending on what’s in the pot and how full it is. If that happens you can wait for it to do the npr or you can do short, slow bursts.
-if you’re having problems with getting anything to work check all the parts first. Is the silicone ring in place? Is the pin in place and able to move up and down? Is the valve set to ‘sealing’? Is there enough water/fluid in the pot to pressurize?

Nov 2016 update: well, it’s not longer sitting on my counter, but i still use it about 2-3 times a week, which is more than any other appliance. I got over the honeymoon period, where i tried every food in here. Now i know what i like and what i don’t like in here and i stick with that. I recommend you get 2-3 good cookbooks with this and start finding fun recipes on pinterest. I keep adding pictures and things in my review.

This is a 6 month update – have used the product now for about 6 months and feel it proper to update some of my former comments as i have become more familiar with it’s features. (i don’t shill for amazon or instantpot, this is an independent appraisal)

a lot of 5 star ratings. My initial rating was four stars. After a fair amount of use i decided to upgrade it to five. I really like instantpot and would recommend it to others. I do a lot of soups and stews, a meal in a bowl; i dislike washing dishes! After many years of cooking for a crowd 3 times a day, my wife does not want to spend a lot of time in the kitchen. She is a good cook when in the mood, but is the undisputed speed-queen in fixing a meal. She opens 5 cans, dumps them into a large saucepan, a little water and seasoning; 5 minutes later on high heat – voila! – almost scorched dinner. For gals who have cooked over 10,000 meals, this may be just the ticket! I enjoy cooking! My preferred menu utilizes pressure cooking to large extent because i live at 5,000 ft. Elevation. A must if you live in leadville colo.

My instant pot occupies a small unused ledge in the corner of the kitchen. Two instant pots together would nicely fill the space. Main reason i bought the instantpot duo 60 is the removable tri-clad bottom mirror-finish all stainless steel liner (looks like chrome), along with the delay and cooking timer auto-shutoff. This sets it apart from old-time swisher type 1st gen p.c.’s. An added lower pressure setting extends its ability to more tender foods. Tender vegetables and yogurt making features are what differs it from the non-duo 60. I haven’t made yogurt yet, but as a diabetic, crisp veggies are a priority. Sometime soon i’m gonna try making some yogurt. I’ve used it in several different modes, enough to feel comfortable about offering my little opinion. To make a stew, you can brown the meat, pressure cook it until tender, quickly de-pressurize, add some beans or veggies, put on the glass lid, set the timer for 2 or 3 hours and slow cook until done. Eat the meal, put the entire steel pot of leftovers with glass lid, (must be ordered separately), in the fridge for tomorrow or day after, all using a single container using only one very safe, quiet, clean appliance. For chicken soup with matzo balls i cook a whole chicken on the poultry setting for 35 minutes and let it depressurize on its own. Still under pressure it actually cooks for another 15 minutes. Remove the chicken, de-skin and de-bone all those little bones and cartilage. Set the pot outside on top of the barbecue for a few hours, (when it’s cold out), to solidify and remove all but some of the surface layer of fat. Put the shredded chicken pieces back in, add the veggies and seasonings, another 6 minutes low pressure cooking or slow cook ’till done; add the freshly cooked, hot matzo balls when serving. Others have said they have purchased an extra liner and glass lid so you can see how that would extend its usability. The liner really is easy to clean. Rinse it out under the hot water, a soapy sponge, re-rinse and set it in the sink basket to dry. It’s operation is really quiet and there is not any visible steam whooshing through the air. You could very easily cook on the dining room table, or a small adjacent table. Making a pot of beans outdoors next to the barbecue is easy too.

Lack of a 15 lb setting poses a problem for some potential buyers as it does add somewhat to the overall cooking time. Some p.c. Reviewers have remarked that is a big problem for them. The actual high pressure setting is 11 psi which drops the cooking temp for 260 to 240 degrees. The low pressure is 7 psi. I’m sure it must add to cooking time, but for me, it is not a consideration. In some instances i find it preferable to use my second electric 15 psi p.c. Tucked away in another kitchen corner using my stove to steam some broccoli, using my barbeque as a convection oven for a casserole in the summer so i don’t heat up the house, if i have two electric pressure cookers going at once it’s getting a big sunday meal done in even less time! During the week i just nuke leftovers.

Initially, at the start you can program it just about any way you like over a wide range of different settings and presets. After 10 seconds has elapsed, it starts whatever you have programmed and cannot be changed without stopping and resetting it. In my initial review i complained a little about the manual setting. I have come to realize that a good percentage of negative comments (aside from shipping damage or doa out of the box) are because the person does not understand the operation of the device. Well… I guess i am no different than anyone else in that i misunderstood the purpose of the manual program. Manual is a pressure cook only setting and it allows you to vary the p.c. Time. No need to change temp, just time and pressure. If you can’t find any of the preset times to suit you. Manual will allow you to choose either pressure, or any time from 1 – 120 minutes. Most will not really need to use manual, but they added it just in case someone finds it useful i guess. Except for the rice setting you can use almost any setting any way you want, or you can do it by the book. You can pretty much do whatever you want. You could cook a chicken using the bean/stew setting. Pssst! There aren’t any instantpot police! Because it has so many settings, it takes a while to find all the various available combinations. I’ve found combinations that cover all the bases. However it is very easy to just stop the running program and switch to a different program to enter a new or different time, pressure, or temp. It takes maybe ten seconds to do this. The only thing keeping you from thinking outside the box is you. Go crazy! Be creative! No rules! For most, this probably would never even be an issue. I’m kinda finicky, (just ask my wife). For someone who just wants to have a pot of beef stew ready when they get home, no sweat, read the manual, you won’t encounter any problems, the standard settings will work fine). My initial rating was four stars because i thought i was limited by the presets. It turns out that is not really the case. With the instantpot you really can do just about anything you want. It’s just a matter or re-evaluating how you perceive you are able to use it. At first, the presets seem to be absolutes; they are not. It is all just a matter of perception, a little extra thought, a few more button clicks… Or if you find the presets work well, as many reviewers have, you can literally just set it and forget it.

The even heating of the tri-clad bottom of the stainless steel liner is a best feature for me as it greatly reduces, if not in most instances, eliminates entirely any probability of scorching your food. The 3 preset settings seem to work as advertised for the most part. Suppose you are going to cook a thick sauce. The preset temp is often med. Which might be too high. When you first turn it on, with any of the four top lh settings you are able to increase or decrease temperature, time and pressure, hi-lo. For something thick, you may choose to change the temp from med. To low which should avoid scorching. What i do when slow-cooking, is select saute and high temp setting to save time in order to get 3 1/2 quarts of soup mix boiling, then stop it, select slow cook and reset the time choosing a low and slow temperature to finish cooking. I find the best way to cook pasta is to fill it two-thirds full of water, select saute, high temp to get the water boiling furiously, stop and reset temp to medium to finish cooking the pasta. It might prove quicker to cook pasta on your stove, but you can also do it with the instantpot, drain the water, add spices, italian sausage and/or meatballs, marinara sauce, slow cook on low heat and keep warm with the glass lid on beside the dining room table for a leisurely, more pleasurable, (second helpings don’t get cold), dining experience with friends and family. High temp is what you want when pressure cooking meat or poultry with 1 or 2 inches of water which decreases startup time. Cook for 45 minutes using one and a half inches of water because very little water escapes as steam! Just this minute, as i am writing this, (first review), i paused and went into the kitchen to check up on my 5 1/2 quarts of cowboy chile that i am slow-cooking. It was almost out of time. I decided it needed another hour, so i stopped it, shut it off, re-selected slow cook medium temp, and reset the time for one more hour. The program would have automatically stopped by itself, gone into keep warm mode, so you can re-start to cook it longer, anyhoo it’s not a deal-breaker. When slow-cooking on low, my chile just gurgles away nicely without any scorching with the pot maxed out to within 1 inch from the top. (do not even think about filling the pot past 2/3 full when pressure cooking!) once, the pot (stainless steel liner) had been in the freezer half-full of frozen soup. I put the pot liner back in its place, put on the glass lid, turned it on to keep warm for a little over an hour. It fully de-frosted the soup which was nice and warm to boot! Don’t know if any one would ever do that, but you can set the keep warm timer for up to 10 hours and forget about it, swedish meatballs served warm, fondue? No danger of overheating or boiling away. I speed up the bean pre-soak by putting the beans in the pot and setting the keep warm for an hour, and then letting them sit overnight. I find this necessary in the high and dry climate of northern nevada. Everything i’ve cooked so far has turned out just the way i wanted it, but not without a little creative fiddling. Every new gadget requires a learning curve. Because of it’s many features, practice makes perfect! I give the instantpot designers credit as most automatic settings work well, automating it for ease of use and safety. Cooking is part science, but, i think, more art than science. I have the glass lid on for attended operation. A more tactile experience in food preparation. When slow-cooking i can check on it from time to time and make little adjustments, e.g. More time, less heat, add more chicken stock, taste it, more oregano, a little paprika, it’s done when it’s done, however long that takes.

Most programs work just fine on full automatic, but some small exceptions may demand more online flexibility. I must admit that i am biased in that i very often combine pressure cooking with slow cooking. I live at 5,000 feet with 10% humidity in july. I store a lot of beans which dry out after 6 months. To slow-cook those beans from scratch takes hours and they still are not done because water boils here at 201 degrees. It is surprising what a difference that makes. In new orleans beans have much higher moisture content and at 212 degrees are done in an hour or less. I have to use a rapid boil just to make tea. A pressure cooker is the great equalizer, a must at higher altitudes because 15 lbs is 15 lbs pressure inside the pot regardless of altitude. I take a little extra time with my beans by using the low pressure setting. I especially like the delay start, cook, auto shut-off, keep warm features. The cooking timer and auto shut-off is absolutely essential for peace of mind for unattended operation as i have been known to doze off when cooking late at night. Every electric cooking appliance i own, including my induction range, is flameless and has a timed shutoff feature. I am retired and have the time, but, for those busy people on the go, the set-it-and-forget-it, ability of the instantpot may prove it’s best feature.

I very much like my instantpot and have used it 2 or 3 times a week for one-pot meals. Having used it now for almost half a year, (i’ve got a pot of navy beans cooking now as i update this review). I would say my initial impression was pretty close. One thing i especially like is i use less pots and pans when i am using the instantpot, (i dislike washing pots and pans). It has some great features which leads me to believe they are really trying to hit it out of the park with this one. A canadian distributor; ‘way to go eh! Makes me want to stand up and sing ‘oh canada!’

i guess price/point is the big bugaboo with manufacturers. If they added 15 psi i would fork over a little extra cash to get the ‘totally perfect’ all-in-one cooker. They could test market it as their top-of-the-line world-beater ultra deluxe 7.6 litre model. I believe people will pay a little more if they know what they are paying for. For those desiring the convenience of an all-in-one cooker, at the price, there is little competition. I think it’s a great value. Bottom line is: ‘i like it just fine the way it is.’ the instantpot has earned a permanent place in my kitchen.

W.o

Updated 12/9/2018
still going strong, still using the heck out of it. Made a cheesecake last night after i cooked a corned beef! Glad to have two different color sealing rings so the cake doesn’t smell like corned beef. The instant pot folks have a two pack of rings, red and blue, quite handy. I use red for everyday and blue for sweets. I also finally broke down and bought a steamer basket with a handle, works better than the one i mention below.
Updated: 9/26/2017
i’ve had my instant pot (ip) going on two years; i bought it on black friday 2015. I am still as enthusiastic about it now as i was when i bought it, but i don’t use it as much anymore. I use it a few times a week mainly for side dishes or one pot meals. I love it for steaming vegetables, easy peeling hard boiled eggs, creamy risotto, and it makes a mean mac’n’cheese! Lots of one pot meals like chili, sausage and peppers, butter chicken, even ziti spaghetti. Super for soups. I love, love, love making an olive garden copycat zuppa toscana in it.

It’s not instant cooking… It takes time to get to pressure, add the actual cooking time, and then a cool-down (or natural release) period. Your recipe might state a cook time of 30 minutes but it doesn’t mention the 10-20 minutes it takes to get to pressure and the 10-15 minutes it might need for a natural pressure release. Be sure to factor that in so your family isn’t waiting at the table 30 minutes before your dinner is ready. You’ll know what ‘hangry’ means then!

There is definitely a learning curve with this cooker. Pressure cooking is dependent on density – and you’ll see that in the charts that the instant pot company has on it’s website; something cut into chunks will cook faster than a big solid piece. I think the hardest thing to learn to cook in the ip is meat. I pretty gave up on roasts. It just takes practice and patience.

I recommend using recipes when you are learning how to use your ip. There are great free recipes online, some of my favorite websites are pressure cooking today, this old gal, and dad cooks dinner. Instant pot also has a company sponsored facebook group that posts recipes and is a good place to learn about your pot.

I love that i can cook pot-in-pot, in winter i put steel-cut oats with all my add-ins (raisins, vanilla, cinnamon, almond milk) into a small stainless-steel bowl, set that on the included trivet, throw a cup of water in the bottom of the ip, set it for 5 minutes manual pressure and then go get ready for work. By the time i’m done, it’s cooked, depressurized, and so yummy. Way easier to clean a little bowl too. The recipe for that comes with the ip.

I rarely use my instant pot as a slow cooker, i have found that most everything i cooked in my slow cooker can be cooked at pressure. The pea soup i cooked all day in the slow cooker took an hour in the ip (15 min to come to pressure, 30 minutes on the soup setting, 15 min natural release) and tasted just as good. I can do a corned beef in 90 minutes (plus that extra half hour i mentioned above). If you do use it as a slow cooker, please know that the low setting on the ip is equivalent to ‘stay warm’ on your slow cooker. It also only heats from the bottom not the sides like a traditional slow cooker. That hasn’t seemed to make a difference from what i can tell though.

Now to some specific tips:
getting the lid on properly: the instructions say to line up the arrows to get the lid aligned with the pot before you close it and seal the vent. The arrows are really hard to see and honestly, you don’t need them. Don’t bother painting them white like some folks suggest. Instead, learn this: at the back of the instant pot is a black ‘ledge’ that the lid fits onto, the lid then slides to the right to close it. Put the lid on with the sealing mechanism at that point. It will make sense when you start to use it. Look from above when you put the lid on and you’ll see what i’m talking about. Kind hard to explain, see the 3rd photo below.

Accessories: my sealing ring lasted nearly a year. Towards the end of the 10th month it had stretched out so much that the only way to have it stay inside the lid was to freeze it. Although it worked, it’s not the best thing to do. I keep two rings on hand now, one for sweets and one for savory. The rings do pick up odors and you don’t want a green curry smell on your custard. They are relatively inexpensive so buy one with your ip order.

I use the rsvp endurance stainless steel 3 quart wide rim mesh basket for a steamer basket. I did pry the riveted handles off but if i was to do it again i would bend them upwards in a vise. It’s hard to get this basket out of the pot without handles. I bought a pot lifter (see last photo) but it didn’t work well – it is designed to lift from the outside of a pot, not the inside. Now i just put my silicone mitts on and pick the basket up. That said, i am very happy with the basket. It can hold 5 lbs. Of diced potatoes with a few raw eggs balanced on top (which by the way can be cooked together for 4 minutes on high pressure, quick release, for a great potato salad base– don’t forget to put one cup of water into the bottom of the pot though).

I use these style silicone mitts when handling the inner pot. Dexas mini silicone oven mitt with raised nibs, red . The inner pot (stainless steel liner) spins when you stir food. I had tried binder clips to hold it in place when i stirred but it’s just easier to hold the pot while wearing one of these. Lots of recipes call for stirring something in at the end, or sauteing something at the beginning, and the spinning is just annoying. As mentioned above, the mitts are great for taking the hot stainless-steel liner out of the pot. Highly recommend.

I resisted the lure of the cheesecake for about 10 months then i finally succumbed. Way too many pictures of ip cheesecakes on facebook. Pretty much anything that can be cooked bain-marie style can be done in the ip (think custard, crème brulee). I bought the nordic ware leakproof springform pan, 7 inch which works great. Some people like push pans. The only thing i can say about this is that a 6” cheesecake has a few less calories than a 9” one. The ip makes cheesecakes a breeze to cook. Beware.

Two last things 1) this cannot be used for canning. Electric pressure cookers do not come up to a high enough pressure to safely can food. They also don’t maintain a steady heat, they have on/off heat cycles. You need a stovetop pressure canner to be safe. 2) don’t be scared of this thing – it has lots of safety features. As long as you follow the directions you will be fine. Never force the lid off – it slides easily when pressure is gone. Open the lid away from you so any residual steam is blocked by the lid. Use common sense and you will be just fine!

This is a great purchase – you’ll love it!

Over the years, i have purchased hundreds of items from amazon, and for the most part, got what i expected. I never reviewed any of them. But from the moment i received my instant pot, i felt that i had purchased something that not only exceeded my expectations, but will make my life easier (and more delicious)!

I am a holistic nutritionist and a follower of a lower carb/paleo/primal lifestyle (and yes, it is not only a food regimen, but a lifestyle). Many of the meals i prepare require advance planning and preparation, and i am ok with that, realizing that it is an investment in my family’s health and wellbeing. I was looking for something that would support my food choices and perhaps make it a little less time-consuming. I have used a crockpot extensively over the past years and while i appreciate the ease of use and the ability to put a meal on the table soon after i got home in the evening, there is that ‘everything tastes the same’ factor i was running into with my family.

So i began thinking about ways to cook my meals faster and realized that a pressure cooker may be the answer. But, i am scared of pressure cookers. Even though my head tells me that people have been using them for many years with no problems, my heart said there was a strong chance i could blow up the entire kitchen, myself included. I had no idea there were electric, programmable pressure cookers out there that would virtually eliminate that worry until i began researching them, first on amazon, and then on other websites. I eventually purchased the instant pot over the others because of the stainless steel insert (no aluminum), the size of the pot (i wanted a larger capacity), and the ease of use.

The day it arrived, i plugged it in and began reading the manual. The manual was very helpful, even included a suggested trial run to familiarize one with the basics. My first meal was potato soup (i know potatoes are not low carb or paleo, but once in a while you gotta have potato soup). I was amazed at how easy and delicious it was to make this soup that would normally take a couple of hours. I just coarsely chopped the vegetables, threw those in the pot, added the seasonings and the liquid, started the pressure cooker option, and in 20 minutes all i had to do was use my immersion blender to puree the soup, add some cheese, stir and it was ready to eat. And the soup was every bit as good as my slower version that keeps me tied to the kitchen to stir and monitor until it’s done. That is the hidden beauty of this appliance, that while it’s cooking your food, you are free to do other things such as harass your kids to get their homework done. No more watching over a pot!

My second recipe was lemon pepper chicken wings. There is a searing option, so first i browned the wings in a bit of butter, then added lemon pepper, salt, and 2 more tablespoons of butter. Put on the lid, set the pressure cooker for 25 minutes, and out came the most delicious, fall-of-the-bone wings just loaded with flavor. The family went wild!

I also made mushroom gravy (no flour) pork chops in 30 minutes in the pressure cooker – the gravy was so good my son ate in on top of some gluten free noodles the next day for lunch – and a breakfast meat loaf in the slow cooker, also a winner.

I am also using this to reheat food since we don’t use the microwave anymore and i’m finding that it seems easier and makes less of a mess than going stovetop.

That’s a pretty long review for a first-timer but i am so enthusiastic about this product that i just had to share.

Further update – it’s now august 2017 and i’ve had my ip for almost 2.5 years. I got pork chile verde dialed in, using the recipe from serious eats. I add a diced fresh jalapeño and some lime juice after cooking to add brightness to the sauce. Perfection! And i tested out the slow cooker with chow’s slow cooker chicken tacos. It took a mere 2 hours (adjusted to more, or high). I use 2 jalapeños in place of the harder-to-find habanero pepper and add 1 tablespoon chili powder. Also perfection. I’m still using my original gasket rings, one for savory foods, one for sweets and both are holding up fine. I’ve moved my slow cooker and rice cooker to the garage, because i just don’t use them anymore. And like most long-time users, i never use the preset programs, because most recipes require a timing adjustment anyway. It’s just easier to use the manual button for everything. If you’re a fan of split pea soup, you’ve got to try kenji’s technique from serious eats. Saute ham and aromatics until softened, about 3-5 minutes, then add peas and liquid. Cook under pressure for 20 minutes and quick release the pressure. Stir and the peas melt into perfect smoothness. I know, it goes against the warnings, but it works. I’ve never had any issue with the pressure valve getting clogged or peas spewing out the valve. I used to make this with slow release, but kenji’s method is far superior and takes only 30 minutes, start to finish. Try it! I’ve also replaced my old favorite steamer basket for one with a handle, the hartigo steamer basket. It’s pricey, but copycats as low as $9.99 are now available. Most of them are probably just as good, search for hartigo and read the reviews to make sure you’re not getting a piece of junk.

First update – 11 months later, i’m still loving my instant pot. This winter i’ve added my favorite soups to it’s repertoire. Senate bean soup (recipe from saveur.com) is the best bean soup ever, with only 12 minutes under pressure. For the two of us, i skip the ham hocks and buy a chunk of ham from the deli counter at the supermarket that i cut into half-inch pieces. I replace half the cooking water with low-sodium chicken broth for deeper flavor. Split pea soup is also the easiest ever, cooking in just 10 minutes. I use chicken broth and diced ham in it, too, unless it’s january, when i toss in the bone from our christmas ham. When i don’t have any ham at all, i bring out my secret weapons, ham soup base and liquid smoke. All the same flavors, less money! For the holidays i made a pumpkin cheesecake that was sheer heaven. I even made that bolognese sauce i was planning in my original review and my dude and dil declared it the best they’d ever tasted. She’s bonkers for my refried beans, too.

I routinely use it to make mashed potatoes for two or a crowd. I made them for 11 people at thanksgiving and for just the two of us last week. I use my steamer basket to hold them. I bought this rsvp endurance stainless steel 3 quart wide rim mesh basket and had my guy remove the handles. Perfect fit! Best thing? Because they sit above the liquid, they absorb less water, which means they taste a lot more like potatoes. Doesn’t matter whether i’m cooking 1 potato or 9, it takes 8 minutes and a quick release. On turkey day we riced them right into the liner pot, added half and half, butter and set it to keep warm while we finished up with gravy and getting things out to the table. Baby yukon or red potatoes, cooked whole with skins on, are cooked the same way and are so much better than boiled. Tossed with butter, salt and pepper, they’re one of the easiest sides ever. For them i use this stainless steel steaming steamer rack 8.5 inch diameter , which is great for things that won’t fit in the basket. Best of all, i store both of them right in the instant pot along with rack that came with it. A good thing, too, because i’ve about run out of storage space in my kitchen. Fortunately, i use my ip often enough that it pays to keep it on the counter. My stand mixer, used maybe once a month, has been relegated to a cabinet.

The next thing i want to conquer is chile verde for two. I plan to use boneless country-style pork ribs as a smaller cut alternative to pork butt. I’m still trying to find the perfect recipe that i can adapt to the ip. I continue to be amazed at the things i can cook in one pot, making cleanup a breeze. The convenience, time savings and above all, the taste, keeps me on the lookout for new things to make in it. In fact, every time i read a recipe for a braise of any kind, i mentally begin to rewrite it to work in my ip. Full disclosure, i still haven’t used the slow cooker function, because cooking under pressure produces better food than my slow cookers ever have.

Original review – i’ve had my ip for 3 months. In that time i’ve used it to make ribs, steel cut oats, my very first ever baked cheesecake (no cracking!), pulled pork (bbq and mexican), chile colorado (wondrous), risotto (yes i did) and beef tips in gravy (so good). That’s not all i’ve made in it, but it’s a small sampling.

Other reviewers have gone into great detail about it’s features and functions. I’m more into telling you how it fits into my lifestyle. I’m an early retiree, living in tampa, fl with my husband. Our son, dil and their 4 young wolves live on the next block and we’re often together on the weekends and even some weeknights. I’m a fairly accomplished home cook and cook most things from scratch because they taste better and take only a little longer. I’m all about making the process easier, faster and better. I also hate standing over a hot stove for a long time. My instant pot works well, whether cooking for 2 as i usually do, or feeding the entire wolf pack (that’s 8 of us when we’re all together).

I don’t like to use my oven unless absolutely necessary. By far my most used appliance is my breville smart oven (the big one). It keeps my kitchen much cooler year ’round. I consider slow cookers too hot to use indoors in summer, as running on low all day my kitchen still gets warm, even with a ceiling fan. My instant pot is a slow cooker, too, and it doesn’t heat up my kitchen at all. It’s just better insulated, but i’ve found that meals are so good under pressure that there’s no need to use the slow cooker function. I keep meaning to, but speed always seems to prevail. I love that i can make roasts and other long-cooking things that we used to reserve for cooler months.

One of my concerns was the ability to cook smaller cuts of meat and smaller volumes of other foods than the recipes indicate. I was assured by my friends at chowhound.com that this was simple. For meats, i just buy a smaller cut from the same area of the cow or pig. Instead of a pork butt, i use blade steak or boneless country ribs. For chuck roast, i use chuck steak or boneless beef ribs. These things all cook in about 35 minutes.

This being my first pressure cooker, i had no idea how to use one, and specifically, i’m pretty clueless about cooking times because they’re all over the charts, with many cookbooks (i’m looking at you, great big pressure cooker cookbook with your 10 minute risotto) being no help at all. Or others which suggest we increase the stovetop time by 30% for every recipe? Who thought that was the right way to go? My best results have come from the recipes on serious eats and barbara schieving’s website, pressurecookingtoday.com, using the timing charts on the ip website or hippressurecooking.com. Note that barbara often lists much longer times for roasts than needed.

All the things i’ve made in it? Chile colorado. I served it cubed the first night, then shredded the leftovers for burritos. Meyer lemon cheesecake, creamy parmesan risotto, lime cilantro rice, pulled pork, baked beans, weeknight pot roast & potatoes, white rice (much faster than my rice cooker), steel cut oats, beef tips, pork carnitas, refried beans. I like to keep those on hand. I soak pintos overnight in the ip’s pot, cook them with a quartered onion and mash them with butter or bacon grease, cumin and chili powder, right in the pot after reserving the liquid. They cost half as much as buying canned beans and taste worlds better. Ribs are fall-off-the-bone tender in 30 minutes. It was easy to make a double batch for the wolfpack, chill them overnight and finish on the grill next day. Next week i’m making the classic bolognese from the atk book which is only one ingredient away from marcella hazan’s famous all-day version of the sauce. Total time, 90 minutes instead of 4 hours.

Best things about the instant pot, aside from how it makes food taste? It’s effortless. Really, push start and walk away. And the steel inner pot is wonderful. Most things i’ve made begin with the sauté setting before going under pressure. We get superior browning before deglazing the pan with liquid. Although the silicone gasket now reeks of chili it hasn’t affected anything else. If anyone knows how to remove the smell from it, let me know. Silicone is stubborn that way. I have a 2nd gasket that i use for oatmeal, rice and cheesecake. The gasket is easy to remove and replace. The steel pot goes into the dishwasher. I’m considering getting a nonstick pot for rice and oats. This handy appliance has transformed my summertime cooking, allowing me to break away from our usual salads and grilled chicken rut. Can’t wait to see what it does for stews and chilis in winter.

Edited 06/07/2016: sadly, i had to ask the manufacturer for a replacement unit, but i am still happy with the product, and am pleased with the manufacturer’s customer service response.

Within two months of using my instant pot, i had grown completely dependent upon it for life support. Going back to cooking things on the stove seemed just as preposterous as starting a fire in the middle of my living room and roasting some meat on a spit. Then, tragedy struck. My ip would not come to pressure! Steam leaked constantly from the steam vent, and the countdown would not start. The display just read ‘on’ indefinitely. The food would still cook, but the whole process was noisy and smelly. Also, food at the bottom of the pot would burn due the the lack of a tight seal. I carefully checked the steam vent and all the other components, and could find nothing wrong with any of them. I cooked this way six or seven times, putting up with the noisy steam venting, just to see if i could get it to work. Then, the next time i plugged in the ip, all the lights flashed, there were terrible beeping noises, and the display flashed, ‘c6.’ i immediately consulted the manual, the website and the internets, and determined that this seems to be a common problem among ip owners, and that i would need to contact support.

There are two methods for contacting support, e-mail and their website. I think you may be able to call them on the phone but this is less effective. I created a ticket on the website and waited nervously. They responded in three business days. They asked me to provide the original receipt, a photo of the sticker on the back of the machine, a photo of the c6 error and my mailing address. I provided them the documentation a couple of days later. They quickly responded, and did not ask me any questions or force me to go through any sort of troubleshooting routine. They simply said they would rush mail me a new base right away. I asked about the problem with the steam vent, which preceded the c6 error, and another rep answered within a few minutes that they would also include a new lid in the same box. They also did not say that i had to mail back the first unit.

Within a few days i received a box via fed ex. I live in hawaii, so shipping anything large via fed ex is very expensive for the company. The thick, sturdy outer cardboard box contained an inner box with the ip marketing printed on it. The inner box had tight styrofoam packaging. When amazon originally mailed me the ip, they did not include an outer box but simply sent the thinner inner box through the mail with the shipping label right on it. This new mailing gave me some initial confidence that maybe this unit was not knocked around in transit as much as the first one. Also, the power cord was different. The first unit did not have a removable power cord, whereas this one’s plugged into the back of the unit. They also included all the accessories – the sealing ring, rice paddle, drip catcher, steam rack, etc. The only thing that was missing from a brand-new purchase was the stainless steel inner pot. The old one still works fine, however.

So far, i have only had a chance to test it with water, but the new unit seems to work peachy.

I was initially going to change this to a 4-star review, since it is not acceptable for a product to break after only two months of use. I have two rice cookers, both tiger brand made in japan, and the first one has lasted nearly twenty years and is still going strong! However, i give ip the benefit of the doubt that the first unit could have been somehow damaged in transit, although it worked fine initially. Also, it was a ‘warehouse deal’ from amazon so who knows what happened to it before it embarked upon its journey into my kitchen.

I look forward to getting my (new and improved) life back!

Original review:

is there an option for ten stars?! I am thrilled with the instant pot – it has changed my life and i have not even gotten started yet.

I saw another electric pressure cooker advertised on tv, and it seemed like a miracle based on their glossy video. So i did some research and decided, based on the reviews and features, that i would rather have the instant pot than the other brand. However, because i have a very small kitchen that is already crowded with my vitamix, i was reluctant to add another very large countertop appliance to the mix.

In the next few months, i was motivated by two cooking disasters involving my oven. Both times, i wanted to make a special sunday dinner for my guests. The first time i tried to make baby back ribs in the oven. Hours later the ribs were nowhere near cooked, and with great shame i had to pull salmon out of the freezer and try to cook that from frozen instead. Humiliating and exhausting! After i cooked the ribs for hours more, they were way too soft and didn’t taste right at all.

Next disaster – a whole chicken. Same story. My guests were waiting while i desperately tried to get the darn bird up to temperature. No luck! Finally i cut the chicken into pieces and shoved it back in the oven. I was able to finally serve it, but everybody practically gave up by then.

I immediately took the plunge and ordered one from warehouse deals. It seemed like a decent price and with prime, items are returnable to amazon. So i took the risk. The item arrived in its own cardboard box with no outer brown box, and the box was slightly damaged. There was no privacy & everyone in the office knew what i ordered. But no big deal. The problem was – i was a little intimidated about using it at first! In fact, it sat unopened for over a week. However, after i completely read the manual and included cookbook, i found that the operation of the machine was dead easy. The machine and accessories looked like new even though they were marked ‘used’ on warehouse deals.

So far, i have cooked with varying degrees of success: corned beef brisket (perfect!), white rice (overcooked twice), black-eyed peas (overcooked in 8 minutes, 10 on warm), boneless chicken thighs (okay), boneless pork ribs (okay), custard cooked directly in mason jars (overcooked twice), and thai sticky rice (twice with excellent results).

The thai sticky rice was the far and away winner. If you have ever tried to recreate this restaurant staple at home, you know it can be a tricky process. With the instant pot, it is so easy you may not even realize you’ve done any work! However, you do have to plan ahead. Here’s how i did it: purchase thai sticky rice (i bought it at the local health food store). This is a special variety, so don’t try to substitute another type of rice. Soak for 12 hours. Drain and rinse, and place rice inside of any glass bowl that will fit into the instant pot. Mold the wet rice around the sides of the bowl so that it is evenly distributed with a hollow in the middle. Place a steam rack over one inch of water in the inner pot. Place the glass bowl on top. Press manual (high pressure) and set for 12 minutes. Let the pressure release naturally for 10 minutes. Reheat any leftovers by re-steaming inside the instant pot for manual (high pressure) for 5 minutes. Reheating the rice in the microwave may not produce the same results.

Regarding the sealing ring – it definitely retains smells! I had some luck steaming vinegar in the pot but it did not take out all of the strong corned beef smell. I will try some other methods others have suggested. Meanwhile i tried to order an extra ring from amazon for desserts. The ‘prime’ option was out of stock so i ordered one from instant pot as a third-party seller. When i tried to check out, i realized that instant pot was going to charge me $60 to ship the ring alone to hawaii!!!!! No way!!! I found the ring on walmart.com, and while i was unable to pick it up in the local store, i was able to get free shipping by adding some other needed items to the order. The new ring has not yet arrived.

I have planned out dozens of meals that i can’t wait to try in the instant pot! Baby-back ribs of course, sweet-sour spareribs, saag paneer, all kinds of curry, etc. Not only was this purchase so worth it, i am kicking myself for not doing this years ago!

I had refused to get this item for a long time since i have a small kitchen but i cooked a dish with taro leaves (luau leaves) in it & it took me at least 18 hours and it still did not turn to the texture of mushy spinach. I was so frustrated and noticed that there was a good sale on it so i broke down & decided to buy it. I had never used a pressure cooker before but i am so happy with my purchase, i steam beets and sweet potatos…so yummy & fast. I’ve also successfully made laulau in it! Still learning. I haven’t made chicken luau with the taro leaves in it yet but, looking forward to it. It’s surprisingly easy to clean. I am very happy with my purchase. There was a down side…i thought i was buying the “instapot duo” because although the pictures showed the instapot with the browning lid, the video showed the actual “instapot duo” with the faster steam release button and additional settings. So i felt it was misleading.

Updated – so i finally got the 6qt and oh. My. G… – so wonderful! Such a relief! I can cook 5 lbs of frozen chicken in one cycle and have food for my dog for the next week! Yay! And last night i finally made that famous ‘soccer mom spaghetti’ (dump a box of pasta, one jar of sauce, a bag of frozen meatballs plus a jar of water in the pot then push a button) and – perfect. I made this same thing in the 3qt about a few times and it never came out right – first the pasta didn’t cook, next time the sauce was too watery, etc. With the 6qt – cooked perfectly! And i have five portions of leftovers instead of the 1-2 i had with the smaller i.p.

To put the 3qt vs 6qt in perspective: the 3qt pot does not actually cook 3 quarts because you can’t fill it all the way to the top. There’s a line that’s oh, an inch or two below the lip that’s the max fill line, because the pressure cooker needs extra room to do its thing. Then, if you’re adding the trivet, you’re losing another inch of space. So really your cooking space is more like 2 quarts, like a small sauce pan.

Imagine you’re cooking all of your meals with nothing bigger than a sauce pan.

Then you’ve got the 6qt pot, which is like the big pots you use to boil pasta. Or make soup.

Pasta pot vs sauce pan. You see what i’m saying?

Anyway, now my problem is that i have to stop cooking so often because i have no more room in my freezer… 🙂

********
about the 3 qt duo — as instant pots go, i’ll not reiterate what everyone else says but agree that it’s a game changer, and totally revolutionizes your cooking. However, i have some regrets…

3qt too small for lazy cooks like me — when i to move into my airstream trailer full time, i decided to get an instant pot as i thought it would help minimize the amount of cooking appliances i needed. And of course, being solo (plus a dog and cat) i figured the 3qt was the better choice. After 7 months with it, i am desperate to trade my 3qt for the 6qt. I like cooking, but i’m lazy and would prefer to make a large batch once and have left overs, than have to cook for every meal. Reheating leftovers is far easier to clean up than cooking a fresh meal. I’m lazy at cleaning, too.

Instant pot learning curve — instant pot cooking takes some getting used to, and while there is a great abundance of tips and such online, which are fabulous, about 95% of them are for 6qt or larger. Finding good, appropriate recipes for the 3qt is frustrating and has led to lots of failed meals, as ingredients plus liquids, cooking time, etc are all out of proportion.

Where are all the accessories for 3qt? — in the same vein as above, there are tons and tons of accessories for the instant pot, but… They’re all for 6qt, not a lot for 3qt. I’m starting to see more 3qt-sized accessories (like steam baskets, gaskets, lids, egg bites silicone molds, etc), but only from, like, a single manufacturer. As opposed to stuff for the 6 qt, where you’ve got a dozen steam baskets to choose from.

Home cooked dog food — finally, as i’m traveling a lot city to city, i’ve started making food for my dog (an 80lb labrador) as we could never find the brand of dog kibble that she liked and that was good for her. In this situation, the instant pot has been my savior, as it’s soooo easy to just plop a bunch of raw, frozen chicken or other meats into the pot, slap on lid, push a button and within the hour, i’ve got tons of fall-off-the-bone meat for my pup’s next breakfast (because i inevitably forget to cook for her the night before, and have to do it right at her mealtime). But normal instances when making a batch of her food, again, because i have the 3qt, i could only cook a portion of the meat, take it out, do a quick scrub of the pot before cooking the other portion – whereas with a 6qt that could be done with just one cycle.

In short, if you’re thinking about getting a 3qt for your first and only instant pot, don’t! Just go for the 6qt and make your life much easier.

I’ve owned instant pot pressure cookers for 6 years. I have 3 models and use them nearly daily. I’ve changed how i cook to use them more than my own stove/oven. My 8qt makes a gallon of the best tasting bone broth you’ve ever had in just 3 hours. (with beef bones i get two batches so two gallons in 6 hours.) my 6qt is my workhorse and i make everything in it from soups to stews to beans to shredded meats and roasts to rice, spaghetti squash, boiled eggs, too much to list. Everything. When i need to make a double batch of soup i use my 8qt. My newest addition is the max because of it’s canning feature. Canning in an instant pot is quite the conversation starter because of how many people instantly jump on you and parrot an old study that says ‘canning in pressure cookers are not reliably safe bla bla bla’. Ok, those studies were on the older models that were not made for canning. The max was made for canning and it’s a gem!! So now i have 3 of these lovelies on my counter at all times, even added on extra counter space in my kitchen just for my instant pots. It’s an entire instant pot station basically. Because it’s worth it, it’s been life changing for me. Cooking extremely healthy meals (we eat a very strict diet at all times) is so much faster and easier than it was before instant pot entered my life. I have a family of 4 and instant pots allow me to prepare healthy meals and still walk away and concentrate on my kids instead of baby sitting a stove or oven. Thank you instant pot! You have to get one, you won’t regret it. It replaces the slow cooker and the rice cooker and the yogurt maker and it sautees!!!! You can do just about anything in this thing!

It true. I still alive. And the instant pot bee pretty good and safe.

Part one

in the beginin i not so sure. And this all be hauntin are family fur many yeers.

Back in 1952 grandma wilkes buy something called the immediate pot that cost $4.99 on sale that promise to change her life. She kook from dawn to dusk fur a big family of 8 useless boys, 1 girl named lulu and a husband named zelmo who want hisdinner on the tabul when he say so. And while grandma wilkes and her sistur, bready come from a line of good kooks, they also seem to inhabut the stoopid side of the family.

On july 29 exactly 67 years ago, zelmo and his brothers elmo and velmo, shoot a 14 pound posum and bring it home and want to eat it. Immediately !!! For breakfast !! Why for breakfust, yew say? Well everbody with a brain the size of a walnut, no that yew kill posums at nite with dawgs an men wearin there long underware. Anyway, zelmo, elmo and velmo bee so proud of thereselves for shootin the bigust posum in the county that they invite everbody home who they pass in town. Everbody want to see that big sucker 14 pound possum lookin up at them from a pool of gravy !! Well grandma wilkes and her sister bready haf to get up first thing before daylite and start to kook this 14 pound record settin behemoth immediately for everbody in town, plus those 8 useless boys. And so she drag out the presure kooker. (and she obbiously be under tremendous presure herself, to get this deelishus posum breakfast on the tabul.) so while grandma wilkes and bready hurredly be preparin all the fixins for the big posum breakfast, lulu get the job of aktually packin this ‘verman’ (who also happen to be the name of my oncle [verman] on my daddys side) in the immediate pot.

From the begining it seem to bee a problem.

‘where bee are deelishus posum breakfast???’ cry zelmo.

“it won’t fit mama !! Scream lulu. It won’t fit !! It be homogeneous”

“stuff it in there, lulu !! Stuff it in there ! Cry grandma wilkes. Bready grab the broom handle !

Well they finully get this monstrausagus in the pot an tighten it down with a crowbar.

Well you no where this story bee going. And as everbody no, hoo look back on the sitiation, ther ain’t no surprises hear. Because there bee a splosion that was hurd all the way to the state line. Most everbody seem to be ok (altho most everbody also had a tendency to say huh?? For the rest of their lives.) well except grandma wilkes who unfortunately hav her head blown to chattanooga.

So needles to say that $4.99 immediate pot did seem to change grandma wilkes life.

(and fur the record, those 8 useless boys say the posum taste pretty good.)

part too

it took more than convincing fur me to by a pressure kooker. My mama, “little bready” (who not bee named fur relations on the other side of the family but after “big bready” who once bee an adult film star) tell me “yew need to relax moor, dotter, now that yur older.’ but to relax moor, yew got to tecknologocify.

Now my mama worry about me and that bee ok. When she marry my daddy, boo, thay hav a pretty hard life together and she hafto slow down two when she develop calluses on her eyelids that neerly turn her blind.

I say mama, i not bee afrayed to teknologicify. Yew no i alreddy be as quick as i can be. An you no that i can kook everthing that swim, crawl, buzz, fly or scratch.

I no dotter, say my mama, little bready. When it come to food, you be a real kook. But all i sayin is that you needtobee more aficient.

But mama, how can i bee moor aficient if i don’t got no head?

At furst she conceit that i got a good point but in the end she persistify and persistify. I finully relegated and say ok.

Ok mama, i in yur hands with this presure kooker and i in the hands of the lord.

So my mama little bready and my ant by me an instant pot with all the possible ecksesories
like spatoolas, wire trivials an screen door strainin gadgets. But that instant pot sit in the box for
months and months. And months.

Finully my ant come to see me one morning and say, enuf bee enuf !! Yew gonna get yurself out of this bed an kook us a meel with this concraption. Yur mama and i spent are hard erned money so you can be a womun of leeseure. So get out of this bed rite now !!

Well i cant argue with that, i say to myself. My ant probly bee the most sensicable womun i no. (she neerly graduate from jr high school.)

so i pull my clothes on and then i rembemember that uncle will, ant chartroose and there groan son, cuzin gill (who live a life of intestinal affliction) bee coming for supper. Ok, i say to myself, that not going to bee a big ďeel. I kook for them lots of times.

So i plan my menu–pigs nuckles, collerd greens, grasshopper gizzards and a big sweet potato pie for dessert. And with lots of time, i stop over to the piggy wiggly to get a few things. (but in the bag of my mind i cant stop aworryin about that instant pot and weather it gonna blow us to kingdom come.)

it be suppertime now, my gests arrive, i make small talk about my other ant, ant violet her little dotter ladymary an there battle with that there toenail fungus that be sweeping all of englund. An then we talk quite a bit about cuzin gills sorry triboolations with his intestines. An so by now everbody no that i bee stalling for time.

So my mama an my ant fiscally drag me by the hare, out to the kitchen, to kook them pig nuckles. An with them watchin ovur my shoulder, i put one of those babies in the pot an set it fur 23 minutes. Well that aktually wernt two bad.

But then it start to beep and gurgle. And then it began to hissin an spittin an start to carrion like nobodys biznis. It sound like when cuzin gill come back from mexicali !!

I get down on my hands and nees an scream, o heaven !!! I headed for chattanooga !!

I wait a minute an nothin happun. I open my eyes an wonder weather the next face i wood lay eyes on wood be grandma wilkes. But no, it bee my own mama, little bready.

She say, get up dotter, get up!! It soposed to make that racket. Now get up, the bell dun ring an let’s eat them nuckles.

My mamas voice always sound so reesonable and kind. So i bee reassured and open up that pot an there be a aroma of suckulence that few can conscribe. All 3 of us be tickled pink!! (just like them pigs nuckles.)

but as we carrion out the door this big platter of nuckles, we abruptly hurd it. This big huge displosion—-
baaaaaaaaaaannnnnnggggg !!!!!! And fire that belch cleer across the room. The windows break, the door come off its hinges and i land on my flying buttress !!

Those nuckles fly off of that platter an role around that flore. (but i not so woried, th flore bee kleen–see my vacyoom revuew.)

but what happun ??? We look back. No it wernt the instant pot. And it not bee an act of god.

Neer as we can tell, cuzin gill had ben eatin on a green appul and in a fit of intestinal rambunkshishness manage to ignite the pilot lite on the water heater. An when we pick ourselves up oft the ground, we calm down pretty good. But it take jack daniels.

So as i reflect on this hear day. The instant pot dinner bee a complete success. Everbodys heads still bee attached. Time wil tel how long we bee sayin huh?? (and frum now on, cuzin gill gonna bee eatin in the barn.)

thank you berry mutch.i

yur purfesional thinker

We have two 6 quart instant pots we use all the time for things like beef stew, which takes about one third the time it used to take us in a stovetop pot and less than 1/6th the time it took in a slow cooker. So we bought this 3 quart version to use on our motorhome (when we have shore power/electricity). The 6 quart model makes enough for three of us to have stew and one second helping each. Then we still have enough left to have a second meal another day. The 3 quart does enough for one sitting. Stew takes 35 minutes in the pressure setting but that time starts after it heats up and pressurizes. Then after cooking you need to let it cool down enough to depressurize naturally before you can open it. The whole process takes about an hour and a half for beef stew. Then after it depressurizes, i remove the lid, mash some of the potatoes and set it to the sauce setting long enough for the broth to become gravy. Five minutes more. I like the size of the 3 quart a lot, because it is easier to store. But overall i recommend the 6 quart version as being more versatile. Unless you live alone. I like leftovers. Update: i used it for the first time and realized that the vent/seal control was different from what i have on my 6 quart models. Those use a slider, which offers positive control of sealing and venting. This has a twist knob on the vent itself. Sort of floppy and not very precise. So i subtracted one star from my rating. Because i can see that having to turn the knob itself is likely to direct steam up into my hand.

So, i bought this before the black friday sale. *sad face*. But, i had owned it a month by then and used it almost every day, so i suppose i got some good value out of full price!

I was originally looking for a slow cooker with a saute option. But i didn’t like any that were on offer. They either had the non stick inserts or the very heavy ceramic covered stone inserts. And in either, i just didn’t like the idea of the covering chipping away and mixing in with the food being cooked. Then i came across the instant pot. At first i skipped over it, because that many positive reviews just didn’t seem right. There are so many products here on amazon now that have these review-for-discount ratings that bump up products that i’m more skeptical about items than i used to be (there’s got to be something amazon can do about their algorithm on this). But it kept coming up in searches, etc, and my friend had been raving about her electric pressure cooker as well (not ip, just electric pressure cooker), so i decided to investigate. I went to their site, saw some other ratings and reviews on the internet and after comparing models, decided on this one. Along with the pot i also bought the glass lid for use when slow cooking.

The features that made me buy this were

1. The stainless steel insert (all my cookware is stainless steel, with the exception of one le creuset dutch oven and a couple of iron griddles),
2. The saute option,
3. The slow cook option,
4. The pressure cook option with manual adjustment options.

Now, before i delve into my review, i should make it clear that i do cook a lot, western and indian (if you’re desi like me and are wondering how this fares with indian dishes, read on). Along with the cookware listed above, i also have conventional pressure cookers: good ol’ fashioned hawkins and prestige pressure cookers, which i have used for almost 15 years without trouble; i still have these and still use them.

One of the first things i did with this was make a slow cooked chicken soup. It did wonderfully. I was thrilled that i could set the time and adjust the heat. I also used the saute option for onions and garlic before throwing everything in and slow cooking. A note for those who may have read some reviews stating that the cooker lid doesn’t work in slow cook mode and gives the ‘lid’ message. To use the original lid, you have to twist the lid to close position and turn the knob to vent. I guess the electronics of the cooker detects that the lid isn’t secure if you just place the cover over it and don’t turn it close. I’m actually very happy that i bought the glass lid because the cooker works seamlessly with it and i can see what’s going on. Most of my usage in the first few days was slow cooking different soups. They turn out great and the keep warm feature keeps the food at the right temperature to serve and eat without needing to heat the food again. And it’s not super hot either, which my husband prefers. Five stars.

The real test of the instant pot came when using it as a pressure cooker and this is where i had to knock one star off. At first, it did great. I pressure cooked soaked raw chickpeas. Perfect result. Then, when i realized it was not enough for the number of people i was cooking for, i followed it up immediately with pressure cooking unsoaked chickpeas. Perfect again. I mixed the two batches and you couldn’t tell the difference. Five stars still.

Then came the chicken curry. Turn on saute, throw in onions, ginger, garlic, spices, brown to perfection. Good so far. Now, being a veteran pressure cooker user, i have made small to large batches of chicken and meat in my hawkins and have never had to worry that the cooker is too full. With this one, as soon as the level went beyond 2/3rds, i didn’t get any pressure. Okay. So it’s electronic, so i’ll keep the five stars and make sure the level stays below the recommended level. However, even when the level is half full, there are still days when it won’t build pressure. The element heats, the timer begins and ends, but no pressure. One day the level was less than half and i still had to start and stop a couple of times before i actually got pressure. By this time the food was half cooked anyway, so not quite as convenient as i would have liked.

Before you say ‘clean the lid and rim’, i would have you know that i clean the lid every time, as recommended in the book, removing every part as described and washing and drying them thoroughly and i also clean out the rim which, if you own this, is hard to get under. But i clean it nonetheless (because i’m a clean freak). So, i’m sorry instant pot makers, but the pressure is a little unreliable. And for many of us who cook regularly and need things that just work, this doesn’t qualify for me as that quite yet. For me it’s been 50/50 on the pressure cook score.

That said, when used as a slow cooker or when pressure cooking beans like chickpeas, this thing is a champion.

Another note for the indian cooks: i made gaadhe aloo in this to go with kachoris. Peeled and rough chopped the potatoes, briefly sautéed the spices in the pot, threw the potatoes into the pot on slow cook, added water and left them to cook. When done, mashed up the potatoes right in the pot to create the thick gravy with chunks of potato. Perfection. I haven’t tried dal yet, but i will update when i do.

Conclusion: i have owned this for a couple of months now and have used it a lot, almost every day. I love the convenience of it, love the slow cook and saute with adjustable options, adore the stainless steel insert, but only just like the pressure cooker. All in all, a good investment. So far. I would recommend.

After having the instant pot duo mini 7-in-1 (3 qt) since april 2018, the main reason i purchased the 6 qt duo is almost all of the recipes for the ip are for the 6 qt (the recipes really should state which qt size to use…3-6-8…just an observation). So i broke down and just recently purchased the 6 qt, plus the newest ip 7-inch round removable bottom pan with the divider and the other 7-inch round pan, which also comes with the divider, that is not a removable bottom (btw these will fit in the 3 qt but not with the lids and so until they make for the 3 qt i’ll use these pans with foil and the 3 qt is perfect for 1-3 servings)…anyway back to my review…

After having the 6 qt for about a week, i was finally able to break it out of the box and set it up. As others have said, it is larger than the 3 qt (duh!), but still a manageable size. Like i said previously i purchased because of recipes. It was when i was doing just the water test that i just about threw up my hands to give up and throw the thing out! It took about 4 times to get the ring to seal…yup steam kept coming out from around the lid and the pressure valve…grrr!…what i finally did on the 4th try was to push down more on the lid it finally sealed and completed with success the water test! It is 3rd time or 4th time is the ‘charm’??? After finally completing the water test, i decided to try a recipe, instant pot mini meatballs (meatloaf style) by chaselaughter.com…a simple recipe, easy to mix up, with great taste and using the egg mold. Again had the issue with the steam escaping…another grrr!…and again having to press down on the lid to get it to seal and work correctly. I had also tried a different ring in case the original one was defective but it still had the same issue of steam escaping. So the reason for the 4 stars rating. Today i’m going to try another recipe and see if it continues to have the same issue.

I am not by any stretch of the imagination an expert, more of an sort of ‘advanced’ (and i use this term loosely) beginner. It can be intimidating to use it in the beginning, but i started with ‘easy’ recipes first in order to get to know how it worked and i still prefer the easy ones where the recipe calls for throwing everything in (no sauteing), check that the seal and lid are tight, vent is set to sealing, turn on, set the time, on to other things while it ‘cooks’, listen for the beep that it is done, do either a natural release or a quick release, and serve.

I know others have had their ip 6 qt duo quit working before the warranty expired, so i sure hope the one i got continues to work. If not, i also will either return or toss it in the recycle and just keep using my little 3 qt (love this one) with great success until it gives out. As for other complaints that it takes ‘forever’ to cook, that may be depending on what is being cooked and how much is in the inner pot. And yes, not all recipes mention that it will take time to build up the pressure in order for the recipe to ‘cook’ for x-amount of time. As to the programmed buttons, i have only used the yogurt button and occasionally the bean or meat button. I love making cheesecake in the ip as well as the egg bites, and of course now the ‘mini meatballs’. Most of the recipes call for using the pressure cook button (where one manually sets the time) and the pressure set to high (the default). I prefer an actual slow cooker appliance for some of my more favorite recipes so i don’t use the slow cooker button. I have used the saute button which works fairly well especially if wanting to lessen the amount of pots/pans to use. I will continue to try different ip recipes in the 6 qt as long as it continues to work…mainly the main meal such as ip chicken adobo or butter chicken or a chuck roast or beef stew, etc and use my 3 qt for the desserts and sides like hard boiled eggs (i use the 5-5-5 method), corn on the cob, beans, etc. There are a lot of resources available for the ‘how to’ such as u-tube, facebook ip groups, etc., and i use them constantly in order to keep up with all the info on using the ip.

Thanks for ‘listening’.

Update: well, unfortunately had to return this. I tried over a number of times to get the lid to seal, it was if the lid was warped and of course i contacted the manufacturer but never heard from them.

I’m new to pressure cooking, and it makes me a little nervous! But i read a lot of good things about the instant pot so i decided to take the plunge and buy one.

I originally bought the 6 qt size and it was too heavy for me to lift in and out of a cabinet frequently. It might have been ok if it was going to stay on a counter and always be out. This smaller size is easier to move around, and since i’m not feeding a family, it’s fine for me. I might get the bigger one if i had the counter space so i could make larger batches of food at once, but for now this one’s fine.

So far it’s worked well.

It doesn’t always save time.

For starters, there’s a sear function. I guess some people like the idea of searing and then cooking in the same pot. I think it’s faster and easier to sear something in a pan on the stove and then put it in.

As a matter of fact, anything that can cook in an hour or less on the stove, will probably be easier and faster on the stove. Because keep in mind, the instant pot takes about 15 to 20 minutes to heat up, then there’s the actual cooking time (usually 15 minutes to an hour for most recipes), then depending on what you’re cooking, you can do a quick release of pressure, or let the instant pot cool down on its own.

When i tried to do a quick release (as one recipe told me to do!) it didn’t just release steam, but a geyser of liquid and grease all over my kitchen! So now i let it cool down on its own – which takes another 20 to 30 minutes. So anything i make in the instant pot will take me at least an hour start to finish. Maybe more. And it’s more pieces to clean up than one pot on the stove. However, something cooking in an instant pot doesn’t have to be watched as carefully for that hour its in use. I can walk away and do other things that i might not be able to do while cooking on a stove for an hour.

But in general, for something that would normally take more than an hour on the stove or oven, this can work well. For me, if i can cook it on the stove or oven, start to finish, in an hour or so, i’ll usually chose the stove or oven. The instant pot cook time might be 15 minutes, but with the warm up and cool down, it can take an hour there too.

Safety issues i have are with the steam release valve. The open and closed position are not clearly marked. They’re marked, but in small raised black lettering on a black background that’s hard to see. So what’s the logical thing to do? Lean in to read it! But you do not want to lean in or have any part of your body near the steam valve! I wish that was marked in a way that was easier to see.

Another issue with the steam release valve is the same as it would be for any pressure cooker. If you’re not used to pressure cooking, it’s easy to grab it from the top which will result in major burns if you open it that way! This isn’t a problem that’s limited to instant pots, but it’s a safety feature i wish someone would address with pressure cookers in general. Maybe invent a steam release valve that is not easy to grip from the top, or impossible to grip from the top. Something that can only be opened using a side lever.

I worry about older people or distracted people using these or any pressure cookers. If you have children around, make sure they can’t get near this. – much like any item that gets hot during cooking and can burn. There are safety features to keep the pot from being opened if the steam has not been released (quickly or naturally after it cools down on its own) but the quick release steam valve can be really dangerous if it’s moved to the open position by a child, a distracted person, or a curious pet who might lean in for a sniff!

Another thing to know is that the silicone seal will absorb food odors – as all silicone does. I don’t really mind much. I’ve read that some people buy extra silicone rings and use one for savory cooking and one for sweet so the odor doesn’t affect their cooking flavors. I’m not sure that’s needed, but extra silicone rings are inexpensive on amazon. (about $5 i think?)

other than the things mentioned above, i’m happy with the instant pot! It works well, cooks well, you can set the pressure and time manually or use a pre-set setting, and it even has a slow cooker setting if i decide to go back to slow cooking instead of pressure cooking.

I don’t use mine regularly like people who are nuts about these. I use mine once in a while. Maybe about 10 times so far. Overall, it works very well and i’m happy i bought it. I’m especially happy with this size. It’s more manageable to lift and move around if you’ll be keeping it in a cabinet and not out all the time.

Got this as an alternative to over-salty canned beans. Read the directions very carefully – i remember my grandma making everyone leave the kitchen when she depressurized her old stove-top pressure cooker. Lol.

Found some basic recipes online that i am working through. Holding back one star only because i’m still making very simple recipes. Haven’t tried longer cook times with more varied ingredients.

I read about seven system pots, expecting to be able to pressure can foods, but this unit does not do that. It works great for pressure cooking meals, like quick-pot crock-pot meals, but for the price i feel like i bought a very expensive crock pot. I’m interested in reading other reviews.

The product was ordered from amazon wearhouse, with a condition listed as very good, however it had a large 9 inch dent in the thin stainless steel that wraps around the instant pot. I would have rated it good only because it worked. The box was completely destroyed looked liked it had been stored in some ones basement for 20 years.

This is the first time i used the instant pot so i put it through the 3 cup water test and it past, i then went on to make brown rice which turned out excellent so the instant pot is working perfectly. I am a single guy and found this cooker easy to use.

I like the instant pot it works perfectly but amazon warehouse really needs to describe their products better. ‘buyer beware’ should not be their motto. Most of my buys through amazon warehouse have been great however whoever was in charge of shipping and describing this item needs more training.

I really am glad to have a cooker that can be done in a short amount of time. I hated the slow cookers that you had to keep smelling it all day long. The one thing i don’t like about this one is that the instructions were not helpful for someone who doesn’t know how to use it. I read through all the instructions and tried to follow them but at the end i didn’t know how to turn it on. I was afraid if i just went trying to hit buttons i was going to screw it up. I have had other appliances that were written better and once you walk through the instructions and cook something you know how it works. Not so with this. I hate the instructions, but i love the product.

Update*** i received the replacement for this one and it arrived damaged on the left side so they told me they couldn’t replace the replacement, i had to order a refund, send the second one back and then buy again a third one and wait for they to refund me the first one.
***
so i needed a pressure cooker and absolutely loved this one, its my first one since i have been using the conventional one all my life, it amazed me how i can just put everything on it and it silently will have everything ready and stop when it does.

• buuut after one month and a week of buying (in wich i used it literally 4 times) it stopped cooking in the halfway showing a c7 error on the screen while beeping continuosly as seen on the video, i had to press cancel and put it again to cook and then it would work but hey it was just 1 month after buying!
I googled the error and it showed it was something related to the inner wiring resistance so its nothing i could say i can fix by myself.
Fortunately amazon is such a great platform and told me they were going to send a new one and i would need to take this one back on ups.

Hope it wont happen again with the new one, i know nowdays they dont do things to last for years as they did before but there is no reason to do things so cheap (when they are not economically cheap) to break out after a month. Hopefully it is just an isolated case because i really liked the product, this is no good for a brand to sell things that will not last in time.

Pd sorry for the pictures my kids just spilled soup all over the thing.