Went Down The Air Fryer Rabbit Hole

[audreyh1]

It seems that it must be a roaster since you are cooking with dry heat, plus a fan like a convection roaster.

We have a full sized convection oven. We also have a convection microwave, but I have rarely used it for baking. I used to use one in our RV, but there it was our only oven.

 

[tmm99]

I used to own one of those turbo cookers. I wasn't quite satisfied because things like pork chops didn't brown very well. Many things, I had to flip over to brown. But someone I knew someone who cooked a huge turkey in her turbo cooker twice a year using extension rings when she had family gatherings and her turkey always turned out great (moist) with nice crispy skin.

For me, my turbo cooker was a bulky and unsightly appliance that didn't quite satisfy my needs. Then I bought an air fryer. I use my air fryer for so many more things than I used to use the turbo cooker for. I like it that things turn out crispy quickly in my air fryer. I can do open/close grilled sandwiches, roasted vegetables actually brown/roast, pork chops nicely brown, crispy chicken wings, etc, etc. Too small to cook a whole chicken, however.

 

[ScoopKona]

Prior to this, we had a couple of pressure cookers, but hardly ever used them. The IP is a lot more convenient, the way an air fryer is.

You see convenience. I see limitations.

An instant pot is a countertop pressure cooker, just worse.

An air fryer is a countertop convection oven, just worse.


I can do canning in a real pressure cooker. I can bake a baguette in a real convection oven.

It's not that I'm against gadgets. A rice cooker should be in everyone's pantry, if they eat any amount of rice. And if they eat sushi (as we do every other meal), they're indispensable. They're not exactly unitaskers -- the good rice cookers do loads of different things. But they are the best tool for the job of cooking rice.

I'm also 100% in favor of vacuum sealers and immersion circulators. Those have finally trickled down to consumer prices. I have a $100 circulator here at the farm and it's fine. It's not a Poly-Science circulator. But I also don't use it 24-hours a day for months at a time. For what they do, they do well. Vacuum sealers (the roll/bag kind, not the massive machines that can vacuum seal liquids) have stood the test of time as well. They're not AS GOOD as the real deal, but the real deal is the size of a small refrigerator.

I'll close with this -- if Instant Pots, George Foreman grills, Showtime Rotisserie Ovens, Air Fryers, bullet blenders, slap chops and similar were real time savers, you would find commercial equivalents in restaurant kitchens. Time is money, after all.

You *will* find rice cookers, pressure cookers, stand mixers, countertop convection ovens, Robot Coupes, Vita-Mix and Blend-Tec blenders, ricers, food mills, microplane graters, stand mixers, vacuum sealers and immersion circulators in many if not most commercial kitchens. And you can find versions of all the above that are made for the home cook -- versions which do the job either as well or almost as well as what is sold in restaurant supply stores.

 

[Dawg52]

I got a Ninja air fryer/grill for Christmas. Probably never would have bought one but glad I have it. Easy to use.

 

[tmm99]

I like my Instant Pot. I used to have another brand of an electric pressure cooker, but I broke it. I just like my Instant Pot over the old, manual kind I had to place on the stove. I used to own one, but I only used it a couple of times as the noise it made scared me too much. The electric pressure cooker is quiet and it can keep a constant pressure - and those are the main benefits for me. Besides, soups, stews, etc, I cook basmati rice in it as well, because it's so easy (8 min cook time) and comes out quite nice and fluffy. As for sushi rice, I use my Zojirushi rice cooker as cooking short/medium grain rice is tricky, needing varying temperatures depending upon each stage of the cooking process.

I also like my air fryer better than my convection oven. I have a split oven and things I cannot put in the air fryer due to size go into the top, skinny layer of my oven. Things do not brown as well in it and when I raise the temp high enough trying to brown/broil, it causes too much smoke and makes a huge mess (splashing) -> longer cleanup time.

 

[aja8888]

You see convenience. I see limitations.

An instant pot is a countertop pressure cooker, just worse.

An air fryer is a countertop convection oven, just worse.


I can do canning in a real pressure cooker. I can bake a baguette in a real convection oven.

It's not that I'm against gadgets. A rice cooker should be in everyone's pantry, if they eat any amount of rice. And if they eat sushi (as we do every other meal), they're indispensable. They're not exactly unitaskers -- the good rice cookers do loads of different things. But they are the best tool for the job of cooking rice.

I'm also 100% in favor of vacuum sealers and immersion circulators. Those have finally trickled down to consumer prices. I have a $100 circulator here at the farm and it's fine. It's not a Poly-Science circulator. But I also don't use it 24-hours a day for months at a time. For what they do, they do well. Vacuum sealers (the roll/bag kind, not the massive machines that can vacuum seal liquids) have stood the test of time as well. They're not AS GOOD as the real deal, but the real deal is the size of a small refrigerator.

I'll close with this -- if Instant Pots, George Foreman grills, Showtime Rotisserie Ovens, Air Fryers, bullet blenders, slap chops and similar were real time savers, you would find commercial equivalents in restaurant kitchens. Time is money, after all.

You *will* find rice cookers, pressure cookers, stand mixers, countertop convection ovens, Robot Coupes, Vita-Mix and Blend-Tec blenders, ricers, food mills, microplane graters, stand mixers, vacuum sealers and immersion circulators in many if not most commercial kitchens. And you can find versions of all the above that are made for the home cook -- versions which do the job either as well or almost as well as what is sold in restaurant supply stores.

I have to agree that commercial appliances are great for their purpose and the cost is absorbed by continual use. But for the "every day" home cook, the inexpensive clones are great for the job at hand.

I used to restore classic cars. I mean really restore, and all the way down to doing my own paint work. My $600 Devilbliss and Binks spray guns cost a ton back in the 1970's, but gave me the tools I needed to do professional work. The spray guns you can buy in Home Depot or Harbor Freight can paint lawn furniture and stuff like that, but no way can they lay down a fine mist of lacquer or clear coat like the expensive, professional ones can. Same deal.

 

[ScoopKona]

1) But for the "every day" home cook, the inexpensive clones are great for the job at hand.

2) The spray guns you can buy in Home Depot or Harbor Freight can paint lawn furniture and stuff like that, but no way can they lay down a fine mist of lacquer or clear coat like the expensive, professional ones can. Same deal.

(Numbers added to your points for clarity.)

1) We have differing definitions of "great" then. One of my favorite sayings is "once you have experience great, 'good' is no longer good enough." There is a lot of absolute garbage pushed at the consumer cook -- and much of it is marketed as being "same as the pros use." This simply isn't true. Even when the person doing the marketing is a celebrity chef. (Looking straight at you, Wolfgang Puck. And I have worked with him before.)

2) It's not quite the same deal. To be like these Instant Pots and Air Fryers the Home Depot sprayer would be marketed as "being a real paint shop, right on your driveway, right in your hands!" (Especially the Instant Pot. Those were advertised as god's gift to home cooks.)

Here's an oven I'd gladly try -- the Anova Precision Oven. It's a consumer model. But it claims to work like a Rational oven. Rational ovens are amazing. You really get spoiled using one -- no mistakes ever happen using one unless they are misprogrammed. Used correctly, a cook can set-and-forget one, and do other things while the Rational cooks food perfectly.

The Anova, if it works as advertised, will do everything an air fryer will do, and so much more. It is not a toy. It is a tool. The gadgets I see at Costco? Those aren't much different than E-Z Bake ovens for children -- many corners cut to get that price down to "impulse purchase" territory.

 

[NW-Bound]

You see convenience. I see limitations.

An instant pot is a countertop pressure cooker, just worse.

An air fryer is a countertop convection oven, just worse.

I can do canning in a real pressure cooker. I can bake a baguette in a real convection oven.

I'll close with this -- if Instant Pots, George Foreman grills, Showtime Rotisserie Ovens, Air Fryers, bullet blenders, slap chops and similar were real time savers, you would find commercial equivalents in restaurant kitchens. Time is money, after all.

You *will* find rice cookers, pressure cookers, stand mixers, countertop convection ovens, Robot Coupes, Vita-Mix and Blend-Tec blenders, ricers, food mills, microplane graters, stand mixers, vacuum sealers and immersion circulators in many if not most commercial kitchens. And you can find versions of all the above that are made for the home cook -- versions which do the job either as well or almost as well as what is sold in restaurant supply stores.

That's interesting. I cannot argue with a commercial chef about what he wants to use in his kitchen. But are these for high-volume production?

I imagine that in a restaurant kitchen, you probably have many countertop convection ovens going all the time. What I have found is my air fryer heats up very fast compared to my small convection oven. The difference is that the former has a plastic body, while the convection oven has a lot of metal parts.

Another thing is that household appliances would not last long under heavy-duty use in a commercial kitchen. Hence, an air fryer for commercial use would be like a heavy-duty convection oven.

I don't know how big the pressure cooker you use for canning, but if I want to make one quart of bone stock like I do with the Instant Pot, it probably just sloshes at the bottom of your cooker.

And how big is your convection oven that you use for baguette? A baguette is usually 26" and can be as long a 1 meter. My wife has to use the range oven when she makes bread. No steam injection of course, and she has to open the oven to spray water at the right time.

Our air fryer is for heating small portions. Using anything larger to heat a few cups of food is like using a 50-cal gun to hunt rabbits.


PS. I dunno about some of the other gadgets you mentioned though. Many are gimmicks.

 

[easysurfer]

What's good, better, best reminds me of the time in college when I made the comment to dormmates on my floor that "beer is beer, pretty much the same". I never had such mean glares directed at me after saying that .

I think that because the word air-fryer gets tossed around to describe draw type, glass bowl type and the more big oven look type convection, there are some apples to oranges comparisons going on.

 

[audreyh1]

I like my Instant Pot. I used to have another brand of an electric pressure cooker, but I broke it. I just like my Instant Pot over the old, manual kind I had to place on the stove. I used to own one, but I only used it a couple of times as the noise it made scared me too much. The electric pressure cooker is quiet and it can keep a constant pressure - and those are the main benefits for me. Besides, soups, stews, etc, I cook basmati rice in it as well, because it's so easy (8 min cook time) and comes out quite nice and fluffy. As for sushi rice, I use my Zojirushi rice cooker as cooking short/medium grain rice is tricky, needing varying temperatures depending upon each stage of the cooking process.

Yes, I use the instant pot a great deal but was always too intimidated to use a stove top pressure cooker like my mom’s. I also like how in the summer the instant pot doesn’t heat up the kitchen nearly as much as a long cook on the stove top or in the oven would.

I use it primarily for stews, especially for cuts that take a while to break down. It’s fabulous for stews, including the initial browning. I often do boeuf bourgoinon, oxtail stew (Spanish style) and lamb shanks. Something about the higher pressure seems to enhance the flavor of the meats and sauces to me.

I also do stocks and bone broths, it’s very simple and handy for that.

I’ve also found it great for cooking vegetables that tend to take a long time to get tender - collard greens, beets, German style red cabbage, even okra and tomatoes comes out fabulous with a short pressure time for fresh okra whole.

Oh yeah, and there is the handy egg steaming.

It’s great for dried beans although I don’t eat beans much anymore.

It also replaced my slow cooker - I got rid of that. I don’t do slow cooking in the instant pot, it just replaces the function but fast, lol.

 

[ScoopKona]

1) I cannot argue with a commercial chef about what he wants to use in his kitchen. But are these for high-volume production?

2) I imagine that in a restaurant kitchen, you probably have many countertop convection ovens going all the time. What I have found is my air fryer heats up very fast compared to my small convection oven. The difference is that the former has a plastic body, while the convection oven has a lot of metal parts.

3) Another thing is that household appliances would not last long under heavy-duty use in a commercial kitchen. Hence, an air fryer for commercial use would be like a heavy-duty convection oven.

4) I don't know how big the pressure cooker you use for canning, but if I want to make one quart of stock like I do with the Instant Pot, it probably just sloshes at the bottom of your cooker.

5) And how big is your convection oven that you use for baguette? A baguette is usually 26" and can be as long a 1 meter. My wife has to use the range oven when she makes bread. Our air fryer is for heating small portions. Using anything larger is like using a 50-cal gun to hunt rabbits.


6) PS. I dunno about some of the other gadgets you mentioned though. Many are gimmicks.

1) It doesn't matter if it's high-volume or not. The smoker I'm currently using for kalua pork is not high-volume. It only holds one shoulder. But it is high quality. Double walled, insulated, with an accurate thermostat. And I use a digital meat thermometer to make sure. It's the same as the massive smoker I used at work, just smaller.

2) The plastic body is something I would count as a negative. Double walled insulated ovens take less energy and are safer. They have replaceable parts so they're not disposable. I would rather cry once and have a lifetime tool than buy plastic anything.

3) Inexpensive consumer gear is a false economy. Whenever possible, buy tools which can be repaired. I just replaced the heating element on the oven which came with the farm. It cost $40 and took five minutes to fix. I'll keep using it until I ship all my "good stuff" over in a shipping container.

4) The stock sloshes around the bottom of your instant pot, too. You just have less head space. My pressure cooker does everything an instant pot can, and can vegetables at the farm. It does larger volumes when I have loads of extra bones. It takes care of holiday-feasting quantities of food for many guests. And it can do a few quarts as well.

5) It takes a half sheet pan -- which is 13x18. So the hypotenuse of that triangle is 22 inches. That's a decent baguette for the home baker. I can make three at once because it takes three sheet pans. And it steam injects so the sourdough baguette I make at home is just as good as anything I could get outside of France. (Bread here is ridiculously expensive, so it makes sense to bake my own -- especially if I can do other things with the oven while my bread is baking. A stone oven is part of my long-term plan.)

6) Those were *all* gimmicks. People haven't wrapped their heads around all of them being gimmicks yet. You'll find all this stuff in thrift stores in five years (if they still work) -- that's my prediction. Cooks in the restaurant world will grab things from the hardware store -- blowtorches and microplanes. They will grab things from laboratories -- circulators and pipettes. They will grab things from medical supply houses -- long tweezers, hemostats and scalpels. It's all about having the best tool for the job. Anything that saves a few seconds or a few minutes per guest pays for itself over time. And it's got to be repairable, have replaceable parts, be able to be sharpened, etc. -- otherwise it's worthless in a kitchen.

 

[NW-Bound]

Yes, I use the instant pot a great deal but was always too intimidated to use a stove top pressure cooker like my mom’s. I also like how in the summer the instant pot doesn’t heat up the kitchen nearly as much as a long cook on the stove top or in the oven would.

I use it primarily for stews, especially for cuts that take a while to break down. It’s fabulous for stews, including the initial browning. I often do boeuf bourgoinon, oxtail stew (Spanish style) and lamb shanks. Something about the higher pressure seems to enhance the flavor of the meats and sauces to me.

I also do stocks and bone broths, it’s very simple and handy for that.

I’ve also found it great for cooking vegetables that tend to take a long time to get tender - collard greens, beets, German style red cabbage, even okra and tomatoes comes out fabulous with a short pressure time for fresh okra whole.

Oh yeah, and there is the handy egg steaming.

It’s great for dried beans although I don’t eat beans much anymore.

It also replaced my slow cooker - I got rid of that. I don’t do slow cooking in the instant pot, it just replaces the function but fast, lol.

The reason we did not use the stovetop pressure cooker much was that it took too much babysitting. And the pressure rocker was noisy.

With the Instant Pot electronic control, just hit a few buttons, and forget about it till it's done. Cleaning is so easy too.

 

[Jerry1]

ScoopKona,
Not saying you're wrong, but my grandson sure loves his nuggies (chicken nuggets) from the air fryer. BTW, he's 16. Not sure where the word nuggies, fits with that. Oh well.

There's a lot of enjoyment between good enough and great. I don't have an air fryer so not arguing for or against it. Just saying that a lot of people are okay with good enough.

Generally, I agree with you. I have a great set of knives (not a manufactures set, but I set I built over the years), I have great Thermoworks thermometers, I have couple Le Creuset Dutch ovens, I use a Weber gas grill and smoker. They're very nice, but I seriously think I could cook just about as good with lessor quality tools. I wouldn't enjoy it as much, but I doubt most people would notice the finished product being much, if any, different. Most home owners get by very well with average equipment. Heck, my MIL put out some fine vittles (southern cooking), with a cast iron pan and an electric range from the 70's.

 

[easysurfer]

ScoopKona,
Not saying you're wrong, but my grandson sure loves his nuggies (chicken nuggets) from the air fryer. BTW, he's 16. Not sure where the word nuggies, fits with that. Oh well.

There's a lot of enjoyment between good enough and great. I don't have an air fryer so not arguing for or against it. Just saying that a lot of people are okay with good enough.

Generally, I agree with you. I have a great set of knives (not a manufactures set, but I set I built over the years), I have great Thermoworks thermometers, I have couple Le Creuset Dutch ovens, I use a Weber gas grill and smoker. They're very nice, but I seriously think I could cook just about as good with lessor quality tools. I wouldn't enjoy it as much, but I doubt most people would notice the finished product being much, if any, different. Most home owners get by very well with average equipment. Heck, my MIL put out some fine vittles (southern cooking), with a cast iron pan and an electric range from the 70's.

+1

What works as a fine solution for one person may not be for another.

Air Fryers aside, one can easily look at mobile phones. One person my only want the latest and greatest and wouldn't think twice about spending over $1000 for a phone. Another person may thing to spend that much is crazy and is happy with an under $100 phone. Both fit a need. Will a $100 phone work as well as a $1000? Prob not. But will the person with the $100 phone be just has happy as the one with the $1000 phone? perhaps.

 

[ScoopKona]

ScoopKona,
They're very nice, but I seriously think I could cook just about as good with lessor quality tools. I wouldn't enjoy it as much, but I doubt most people would notice the finished product being much, if any, different.

Cheap ovens use cheap thermostats. They fluctuate in temperature and are uneven -- and the lack of thermal mass from all the plastic exacerbates the problem. What people consider a feature is actually a design flaw.

It is possible to put together "not just good enough but actually good" equipment -- even on a budget. And with a little more patience and/or money, it's not particularly hard to put together "not just good enough but great -- something anyone could throw down a meal that is fit for royalty/loved ones/yourself" -- whatever your standards are.

Let's take a bog standard appetizer here: fried coconut shrimp. I'm certain that I can take fresh ingredients and fry it properly vs. "out of a box" in an air fryer, and people will be able to tell a difference. There is a good chance they will prefer the "out of a box" food. A great many people prefer packaged food to fresh. I'm not going to judge -- I don't have to eat it. But people will be able to tell a difference.

 

[Music Lover]

Let's take a bog standard appetizer here: fried coconut shrimp. I'm certain that I can take fresh ingredients and fry it properly vs. "out of a box" in an air fryer, and people will be able to tell a difference. There is a good chance they will prefer the "out of a box" food. A great many people prefer packaged food to fresh. I'm not going to judge -- I don't have to eat it. But people will be able to tell a difference.

But that's not a fair comparison...made fresh vs. out of a box and also different cooking methods. The only fair comparison would be made fresh for both versions with your preferred cooking method vs. the air fryer.

 

[Music Lover]

There's a lot of enjoyment between good enough and great. I don't have an air fryer so not arguing for or against it. Just saying that a lot of people are okay with good enough.

Generally, I agree with you. I have a great set of knives (not a manufactures set, but I set I built over the years), I have great Thermoworks thermometers, I have couple Le Creuset Dutch ovens, I use a Weber gas grill and smoker. They're very nice, but I seriously think I could cook just about as good with lessor quality tools. I wouldn't enjoy it as much, but I doubt most people would notice the finished product being much, if any, different. Most home owners get by very well with average equipment. Heck, my MIL put out some fine vittles (southern cooking), with a cast iron pan and an electric range from the 70's.

Not everyone needs high end tools, even people who use high quality tools for a living or on a regular basis. For example, I have a pro level acoustic guitar used for gigs, practice, and recording. It's worth $2800. I also have a gently used $400 acoustic that I leave at the cabin so that I don't have to haul my other one back and forth. I can also let someone else use it without worrying about a ding, or I can sit around a campfire with it not worrying about sparks, spilled drinks, it falling over, etc. I can afford a more expensive guitar to leave at the cabin but the $400 one is good enough.

 

[pb4uski]

... I've never said that air fryers aren't for anyone. I said they aren't as good as convection ovens. If you have a convection oven, you have a better tool available already. ...

Absolutely not You're just plain wrong on that. Before we got an air fryer we would do "oven fries" in the convection oven. They were ok. But oven fries are leaps and bounds better and easier in an air fryer. Not even close.

 

[ScoopKona]

Not everyone needs high end tools, even people who use high quality tools for a living or on a regular basis. For example, I have a pro level acoustic guitar used for gigs, practice, and recording. It's worth $2800. I also have a gently used $400 acoustic that I leave at the cabin so that I don't have to haul my other one back and forth. I can also let someone else use it without worrying about a ding, or I can sit around a campfire with it not worrying about sparks, spilled drinks, it falling over, etc. I can afford a more expensive guitar to leave at the cabin but the $400 one is good enough.

And how about the $100 department store special? Would you recommend that as a "starter" guitar?

I would not recommend such a guitar. It will be frustrating to play and keep in tune. There is a bare minimum for musical instruments -- a bar under which it is impossible to get decent results.

The problem with consumer kitchen gear is that all of us eat -- therefore most of us cook occasionally. And there is a large amount of junk -- $100 "starter" guitars -- being pushed on an unsuspecting public. (Often by cynical chefs who are just trying to cash in.)

For the price of a few air-fryers, a person could obtain a quality countertop convection oven. Something "good enough to get the job done."

Just like for the price of a few "starter" guitars, a person could obtain an instrument that stays relatively in tune and a luthier wouldn't throw his or her hands up in frustration trying to set the intonation.

 

[Music Lover]

And how about the $100 department store special? Would you recommend that as a "starter" guitar?

I would not recommend such a guitar. It will be frustrating to play and keep in tune. There is a bare minimum for musical instruments -- a bar under which it is impossible to get decent results.

The problem with consumer kitchen gear is that all of us eat -- therefore most of us cook occasionally. And there is a large amount of junk -- $100 "starter" guitars -- being pushed on an unsuspecting public. (Often by cynical chefs who are just trying to cash in.)

For the price of a few air-fryers, a person could obtain a quality countertop convection oven. Something "good enough to get the job done."

Just like for the price of a few "starter" guitars, a person could obtain an instrument that stays relatively in tune and a luthier wouldn't throw his or her hands up in frustration trying to set the intonation.

A $100 starter guitar is at the extreme bottom and and is useless, but many $400 guitars are good quality and easy to play. Modern machinery and technology has made that possible. An amateur player can be perfectly happy at that level. He doesn't need a guitar worth $2000 - $3000.

Someone who does the odd job around the house, maybe some trim and baseboards or cutting boards for a fence can do a perfectly fine job with a $100 miter saw. But if you're more serious, doing crown molding, maybe building a garage, a deck, or something more substantial then a $300 compound miter saw would be a better investment.

In the same manner, a decent home cook can get good results with an air fryer. Sure, he can spend several multiples more for something better but it's not a necessity for many people.

 

[JRon]

Another Ninja Foodie Grill fan here.

 

[ScoopKona]

A $100 starter guitar is at the extreme bottom and and is useless,

We agree on this.

Go through my replies -- anyone who has a convection oven already does not need an air fryer. It is the $100 starter guitar of convection ovens.

If I hear someone complaining about their full size convection oven not working, I have to wonder -- were they crowding the pan? Were they using the right kind of pan for baking? (For instance, a perforated pan or rack when making the sort of fries/hors d'oeuvres that people tend to cook with these.) Did they pre-heat the oven?

Or did they just toss things on a sheet pan and expect convection to work on just one side of the food?

As a musician, would you suggest that a new guitar player buy an expensive guitar? Or learn to use the $400 "it works fine" guitar he or she already owns?

It's been my experience that gadgets do not make people better cooks. And unlike musicians, since everyone has to eat, there are mountains of ridiculous products pushed at the market -- each claiming to save time, money, or churn out restaurant quality food for pennies. Most of these items make people worse cooks, not better.

There are quite good countertop convection ovens that *will* churn out restaurant quality food. And then there are $100 department store specials. It's the same as guitars.

 

[Music Lover]

If you want to compare an air fryer to a guitar, then a $400 guitar would be more accurate comparison than a $100 guitar. There are plenty of guitars at that level that sound good, are are built well, and are easy to play. They're good enough for most amateur players. You can actually use and enjoy a $400 guitar, just like most people can make good food with an air fryer.

 

[NW-Bound]

I don't even have any guitar! I don't deserve any.

Well, I used to have one in my teenage years, but after a couple of years of music lessons and not getting anywhere, I abandoned the effort.

Better stick with what I was naturally good at, which was math and physics. Never even had to study for that. I just read the textbooks for self-teaching, and the material made so much sense and was so self-explanatory I did not even need to listen to the teachers.

Back on cooking, do I deserve a fancier appliance than my existing air fryer or my Instant Pot? I don't really care. They seem to work well enough for what I use them for.

I still have no use for a guitar though.

 

[tmm99]

Yes, I use the instant pot a great deal but was always too intimidated to use a stove top pressure cooker like my mom’s. I also like how in the summer the instant pot doesn’t heat up the kitchen nearly as much as a long cook on the stove top or in the oven would.

I use it primarily for stews, especially for cuts that take a while to break down. It’s fabulous for stews, including the initial browning. I often do boeuf bourgoinon, oxtail stew (Spanish style) and lamb shanks. Something about the higher pressure seems to enhance the flavor of the meats and sauces to me.

I also do stocks and bone broths, it’s very simple and handy for that.

I’ve also found it great for cooking vegetables that tend to take a long time to get tender - collard greens, beets, German style red cabbage, even okra and tomatoes comes out fabulous with a short pressure time for fresh okra whole.

Oh yeah, and there is the handy egg steaming.

It’s great for dried beans although I don’t eat beans much anymore.

It also replaced my slow cooker - I got rid of that. I don’t do slow cooking in the instant pot, it just replaces the function but fast, lol.

They all sound delish! I got to look into a German-style red cabbage recipe. I've never tried okra in my Instant Pot, but I steam artichokes which takes so little time in it.

I'm sure you experienced this too - one thing I like about making chicken bone broth using a pressure cooker is that the broth is tastier than the bone broth made in a slow cooker.. The broth from a pressure cooker is clearer (less cloudy), with a cleaner taste with no strange smell...