Multicookers

[Irishgirlyc58]

Because of this thread I started looking at recipes last night.
There are all kinds of foods you can cook in the instant pot.
I’m going to try chicken tortilla soup first.

Question for those making yogurt- does your IP have the yogurt option or is there another option I could use? Mine doesn’t have a specific option for yogurt.

 

[audreyh1]

Because of this thread I started looking at recipes last night.
There are all kinds of foods you can cook in the instant pot.
I’m going to try chicken tortilla soup first.

Question for those making yogurt- does your IP have the yogurt option or is there another option I could use? Mine doesn’t have a specific option for yogurt.

I think you need a low pressure setting for yogurt. So if your multicooker has only one pressure setting you may not be able to make yogurt.

That said I haven’t made yogurt with my multicooker which does have the low pressure setting.

 

[OldShooter]

I did some investigating. The $25 cooker I got is the exact model as a Thomson model TFPC607 that sells on Amazon for about $97. Only difference is the one I have has the Aldi AMBIANO label instead of THOMSON. I've been using it over the past week. A couple things I noticed is it that the slow cooker only cooks in one temperature (no high/low settings) and there is no saute function.

The sauté function is a big deal for us -- for browning meat and for cooking things like onions that become ingredients in an IP recipe.

FWIW I think it is misleading to think of the IP as just a pressure cooker. Lots of non-pressure tasks, too.

 

[audreyh1]

I did some investigating. The $25 cooker I got is the exact model as a Thomson model TFPC607 that sells on Amazon for about $97. Only difference is the one I have has the Aldi AMBIANO label instead of THOMSON. I've been using it over the past week. A couple things I noticed is it that the slow cooker only cooks in one temperature (no high/low settings) and there is no saute function.

The sauté function is a big deal for us -- for browning meat and for cooking things like onions that become ingredients in an IP recipe.

Agreed. 95% of the time I do a lot of sautéing before pressure cooking, so no sauté function would be a non-starter for us.

 

[Janet H]

I love to cook but find that I have little use for most "cooker" type appliances. They arrive and hog space on the counter, get dusty and eventually are passed along to another home.

Over the years I've given away slow cookers, electric fry pans and griddles, an insta-pot, deep fryer, electric kettle, several blenders, toaster ovens, sandwich presses, coffee makers, bread makers, an ice-cream maker, waffle iron, pasta maker and more.

They simply weren't used.. What's left? Only things that are used regularly.

A 10 dollar rice cooker from target
Kitchen aide stand mixer
immersion blender
2 slot toaster
Pour over coffee filter system

A good range and pots and pans can be used instead. Almost as fast and substantially more satisfying. My counters are clear of electric "stuff" with only the mixer in view and I am much happier.

 

[audreyh1]

With the exception of daily use kettle and coffee makers, my electric gadgets don’t take up space on the kitchen counter, they are stored in the pantry.

 

[FLSUnFIRE]

I have my appliances on a 20" wide "low-rider" prep table (SS commercial prep table cut down to about 28" height) so the IP and Air Fryer are below the counter level on the outside side of the island. Visually they are low and out of the way but convenient to use in place and don't take up any counterspace. I have them all plugged into a power strip with individual switches so no reaching down to plug/unplug. Kitchen Aid Stand mixer sits on the bottom shelf when not in use.

 

[easysurfer]

The sauté function is a big deal for us -- for browning meat and for cooking things like onions that become ingredients in an IP recipe.

FWIW I think it is misleading to think of the IP as just a pressure cooker. Lots of non-pressure tasks, too.

Agreed. 95% of the time I do a lot of sautéing before pressure cooking, so no sauté function would be a non-starter for us.

Yes, I was surprised to not see a sauté function. That's after the fact as I really didn't even know what to look for when buying this machine. The good news is lacking the function is a rationale to use if I buy another machine.

My biggest indecision is if I want a 6 qt or a smaller on. 6 qt seems like a large cooker for just 1 person. But at the same time, recipes are mostly for 6 qt cookers. Yes, maybe can convert a recipe but then would have fraction of measurements (like .67 cup) which could get old fast.

In the meantime, I've been using my6 qt $25 cooker to see how much I like the process in general.

 

[Out-to-Lunch]

I never use the sauté function. I find it easier to sauté on the stovetop using my normal means and throw it into the IP when it is the way I want it.

 

[OldShooter]

... I really didn't even know what to look for when buying this machine. ...

Often the first new thing I buy just teaches me what I really want.

 

[easysurfer]

Often the first new thing I buy just teaches me what I really want.

Exactly, I consider this $25 cooker as my gateway drug of Multicookers in the future .

Reminds me of the first food vacuum sealer I bought many years ago from watching a late night infomercial.

 

[easysurfer]

A Spaghetti Dinner May Be The Deal Breaker

I made a spaghetti dinner last light using my $25 multicooker on slow cooker mode to see how it compares to my regular old fashioned slow cooker. Verdict ... I was disappointed .

Meal didn't stay hot enough and didn't have that much flavor.

Think I'm going to try another mulitcooker to see how well that performs in slow cooker mode on a spaghetti dinner. Hopefully, better results.

 

[Philliefan33]

Because of this thread I started looking at recipes last night.
There are all kinds of foods you can cook in the instant pot.
I’m going to try chicken tortilla soup first.

Question for those making yogurt- does your IP have the yogurt option or is there another option I could use? Mine doesn’t have a specific option for yogurt.

I have an Instant Pot with a “yogurt” button. There is no pressure when making yogurt; rather the pot holds at the optimum temperature. I don’t think you can use an IP to make yogurt is there isn’t a yogurt button.

I use my instant pot routinely for rice, potatoes, eggs, beans, and soups or stews. I have not used it in “slow cooker” mode because I’ve read many reviews that say it doesn’t work well, and I have a stand-alone slow cooker.

One of the benefits of using the IP is that for most things, you don’t have to watch it. For example boiling potatoes - set the pot and walk away with no worry of the pot boiling over. The only time I have to pay attention is when using the steam function and needing to stop the cooking, such as fresh veggies or eggs that would over cook if left sitting under pressure.

 

[easysurfer]

I have an Instant Pot with a “yogurt” button. There is no pressure when making yogurt; rather the pot holds at the optimum temperature. I don’t think you can use an IP to make yogurt is there isn’t a yogurt button.

I use my instant pot routinely for rice, potatoes, eggs, beans, and soups or stews. I have not used it in “slow cooker” mode because I’ve read many reviews that say it doesn’t work well, and I have a stand-alone slow cooker.

One of the benefits of using the IP is that for most things, you don’t have to watch it. For example boiling potatoes - set the pot and walk away with no worry of the pot boiling over. The only time I have to pay attention is when using the steam function and needing to stop the cooking, such as fresh veggies or eggs that would over cook if left sitting under pressure.

From what I've read about pressure cookers as slow cookers is they cook differently. If the pressure cooker has a low, medium, high setting, they translate roughly to keep warm, medium, low on slow cooker. Also, pressure cookers heat from bottom where as slow cookers heat bottom and around. Also, less evaporation with pressure cooker.

My $25 cooker I got on clearance shows in specs slow cooker mode about 190F to 209F range. But there's no way to adjust a high or low setting so I don't know if the spec is wrong or not. Maybe it's only on a low setting and like keep warm on a regular slow cooker.

I'm going to see how this other pressure cooker works in slow cooker mode. Posing the question on Amazon other owners say it works great, but I want to decide on my own. My standard, doesn't have to be perfect just better than meh. I would like to consolidate small kitchen appliances but not at the price of food that doesn't' taste good. To be continued ...

 

[audreyh1]

The benefit of a slow cooker for me (back in the old days) was leaving things like dried beans or tougher cuts of meat for several hours to cook.

But the instant pot meant that:

• I could do all the sautéing prep in the same pot - important for stews and braises
• The pressure cooking times are usually an hour or less except for bone broth

And in addition to the time and extra pot savings, to me the flavor is superior. The pressure cooking seems to do a better job of breaking down the connective tissues and I find that the meat retains far more flavor rather than mostly in the sauce.

So I was delighted to get rid of my slow cooker, and I’ve never needed that mode in the instant pot.

 

[Pellice]

I use my 8 qt Instant Pot about twice a week. It's great for prepping ingredients such as beans for use in other recipes. I made a really excellent Louisiana red beans and rice dish this week for lunches. Froze half of it for the future.

Have been less successful in making complete meals.

 

[Vacation4us]

I love love love my instapot so much I have 2. I have my original 6 qt which I now use to make yogurt keto style routinely. My 8 qt sits on my counter and I use it almost exclusively to cook.

Just made Tuscan Soup 30 min start to finish.

I use the Sous Vide function often.

Frozen chicken breasts 24 minutes.

Hard boil eggs using the 5-5-5 method, easy ,easy, easy to peel.

I enjoy finding new recipes online. YouTuber favorite is pressureluckcooking. I have never made one of his recipes I didn’t like. I own all 3 of his cookbooks but his first is my favorite. (Amazon)

Six Sisters is were I started my instapot journey.

I cook more now than ever because the instapot makes it sooo easy. I am usually only cooking for 2 but leftovers are great in my house.

 

[imnontrad]

I'm not thrilled with the Insta pots. The pork roast my daughter cooked just tasted steamed.
But I love my air fryer. I use it to bake all meals. I think I've only used my oven 3 times in the past year.
I also have a large crockpot. It's great for making broth from those bird carcasses, cooking garbanzos for hummus, large batch onions, and large batch soups.

 

[easysurfer]

A bit of an update. I decided to return that $25 multicooker and got another brand instead. There was some functionality missing on the $25 one. Not so much a bargain if every time using I'm reminded of the shortcomings.

I haven't had a chance to use the new one yet.

What gets me now is how to simply make brown rice in the pressure cooker. May just have to do trial and error. There is a brown rice setting on my new cooker so that'll be the first try.

But reading on the internet there are too many combinations. Some say use equal rice and water. Other say rice to water ratio of 1:1.25. Another as 1:1.5 ratio. Some say add oil. Some say no need to add oil. Some say don't to manual release but others do.

The tips remind of me those handyman videos where they say something like "be sure to wear eye protection, even while using a power drill", then on the video no eye protection is worn.

 

[audreyh1]

Funny - I never did rice in our Instant Pot. I already had a little mini rice cooker that did a great job and was just right for us.

 

[Morgan22]

A bit of an update. I decided to return that $25 multicooker and got another brand instead. There was some functionality missing on the $25 one. Not so much a bargain if every time using I'm reminded of the shortcomings.

I haven't had a chance to use the new one yet.

What gets me now is how to simply make brown rice in the pressure cooker. May just have to do trial and error. There is a brown rice setting on my new cooker so that'll be the first try.

But reading on the internet there are too many combinations. Some say use equal rice and water. Other say rice to water ratio of 1:1.25. Another as 1:1.5 ratio. Some say add oil. Some say no need to add oil. Some say don't to manual release but others do.

The tips remind of me those handyman videos where they say something like "be sure to wear eye protection, even while using a power drill", then on the video no eye protection is worn.

You may need to experiment a little to get the texture you prefer.
Take a look around midpoint on this page. https://www.pressurecookrecipes.com/instant-pot-brown-rice/
This couple tested cooking brown rice with different times and amounts of water. They preferred test #2 texture/consistency. (I think I would prefer #3).

 

[easysurfer]

You may need to experiment a little to get the texture you prefer.
Take a look around midpoint on this page. https://www.pressurecookrecipes.com/instant-pot-brown-rice/
This couple tested cooking brown rice with different times and amounts of water. They preferred test #2 texture/consistency. (I think I would prefer #3).

Thanks.

I've tried that recipe before on the cooker I returned using a 1:1 rice to water ratio. Was good but still a bit too dry for me.

With new cooker, I'm going to start with the default setting on cooker for brown rice and go from there.

Think I may be cooking a lot of rice in next week or two .

 

[easysurfer]

I just used my new multicooker on brown rice using the brown rice setting. I used a 1 to 1 ration of rice and water. Every grain came out perfect. Love at first try .

The directions said to add some oil but I didn't read until after done cooking. I assume so no sticking to the bottom. Next time I'll use oil.

Here are some pictures.

 

[Music Lover]

I've always cooked rice in the microwave. 2 minutes on high to heat it up, stir once then 20 minutes on 20%.

We use the air fryer a few times a week, slow cookers less often. One of the slow cookers has a 4" high rectangle shaped container and a lid with a rubber gasket so we'll bake something in the oven and then use it to keep food warm and/or for transport.

 

[Pellice]

Yes, 2 or 3 experiments should work just rice. I don't use the recommended settings for regular rice.

I just love my IP as a tool for cooking. It makes beans and grains and rice so much faster and easier than stovetop. Chickpeas cooked from dry are so much better, and less salty, and cheaper than those in cans. I just cooked wheat farro as a side dish yesterday, then warmed it along with salmon and vegetables for supper.