An Instant Pot.. I don't know what that is. I'm off to look it up. Maybe I want one too!

Melissa, I almost ordered one in June because of the pressure cooker feature. . . . it had amazing reviews. I'm also curious to see if the any of the rest of you have one. Meanwhile, Melissa, based on the reviews, I probably will get one at some point this year. If it's what they say it is, I can move crockpots to a retirement home.

I have one. I do like it. I'm not getting rid of the crockpot just yet, but I do use it and it's done great for everything I've used it for so far. It's main feature for me is speed. If I can start something and let it cook all afternoon, I still use the crockpot. I like that for letting something cook while I'm at work. When I get home from work, sometimes even starting the IP is too much for me to think about. Also, the IP won't work for keeping something warm at a potluck or on a buffet. So I think they both have their places.

Last winter I made split pea soup in under 20 minutes. Steel cut oatmeal in just a few minutes. Applesauce. Meat sauce for pasta. I've got a ton of recipes pinned for this winter.

I don't have one, but I have friends who like them.

Rebecca, mine has a "keep warm" function...in fact in has a "keep warm" button. Mine also works as a slow cooker....both slow and pressure cooking...whichever you want... so I got rid of the crockpot that I'd had for the last 20 years.

Can you brown things in it first, then proceed to slow cook or pressure cook? I have my eye on one too.

Cooper - yes you can.

Order Instant Pot............check!!

Now to get busy finding recipes!! I really want to try to make greek yogurt, too!! And it's fall....soup season....yay!!!

I got one on that Amazon sale. It can sauté (two temp options), and then you can continue to cook, changing to pressure cooker or crock pot type function. I had never used a pressure cooker before, but IP is great! I like being able to set it and walk away, instead of having to mind a dish. Perfect boiled eggs (soft or hard) a dozen plus at a time, whole chicken in 25 minutes (plus a little extra time for it to some up to pressure). Terrific chicken stock. Recipes online for everything from Mac and cheese to cheesecake (have not tried either in the IP). Makes super fast work of brisket, ribs. rice cooking function was not as good as dedicated rice cooker.

Wow. I'm glad you started this, Melissa. . . which size did you get, Mary and HB? I was thinking maybe the 8-qt would do canning. . . what do you think?

I love my Instant Pot. Jeff gave it to me for Christmas. I have the 8-qt but haven't tried canning or yogurt making yet. One of the best things about it for me is that you can saute in the pot. So if I make a roast, I can brown it in the pot before I pressure cook it. Fantastic, because it's one pot to clean (and I don't have to clean the stove like I would have when browning a roast before putting it in the slow cooker). I've heard of people even making lasagna in it, but I haven't tried that.

Michelle

Nancy, mine is a 6 quart and I see that Amazon Prime has it for $79 today. Here is the one I have:

https://www.target.com/p/instant-pot-7-in-1-pressure-cooker-6-qt-stainless-steel/-/A-50608360

I couldn't link the Amazon page correctly for some reason, but as I said, Amazon has it for $79 and free shipping if you have Prime.

Not to worry, Mary, that's where I order most everything. Prime furnishes all my garden cardboard! LOL I'd checked them out on Amazon! PS--do you all have the stainless steel liner?

Nancy, I also recycle all that cardboard! lol Yes, mine has the stainless steel liner.

I love mine and use it frequently, but I would NEVER can in a pressure cooker, only a canner.

Carol, I never have, but might be tempted to try when I get one of these. . . one of my lifelong good friends (from Wyoming) was/is a canning fool; and did a lot of canning, both water bath and pressure cooker. (My Mom was the same way.) One time we were visiting at her kitchen table while she had chili in the pressure cooker and the thing blew sky (or rather, ceiling) high. She had some major loud expletives, and then we looked at the carnage everywhere. The ceiling, the cabinets, the floor. . . . and we laughed, and laughed and laughed. I was there to lighten the mood, so we spent the next couple hours cleaning up the mess. (Never did get it all off the ceiling, but it became a funny memory in the years they lived there before moving.)

I believe the instruction manual states that you can NOT can in the IP.

Thanks, Rebecca, and that's what I was reading after researching it, too. Well hmmm.

I'm glad someone here looked at that claim more closely, because I hadn't given a great deal of thought to it before. I have a very large All American Pressure Canner, so I didn't buy my IP for canning.

Here is a link to an article written specifically because of the canning claims related to these electric pressure cookers:

https://www.hippressurecooking.com/consumer-alert-no-pressure-canning-in-un-tested-multi-cookers/

I have the IP Duo 60, it has sauté and keep warm functions. fits a 6-8 pound chicken. eTa I'm pretty sure it is not recommended to can in any IP, not sure why.

Carol!!! Nice to "see" you popping in! Hope you're doing well back home. I miss that area but I love it down by the city!

Nancy, that's a hilarious story. I remember my mom cooking brown beans in my grandma's pressure cooker and for some reason the whole bottom broke and beans went everywhere.

I picked my Instant Pot up today from Kohl's. This is the one I got....

I saw where they were $79 on Amazon but I earned $10 Kohl's cash and I had a couple coupons so it was only like 49 cents more.

I can't wait to try it! Recipes are welcome..... just saying lol.

My IP has to wait a month or two, don't know what this trip is going to cost us, so will take it easy on the budget. Yes, Melissa, pressure cookers are a wee bit frightening to me.

They are great for rice if you like sticky rice. Measure the rice first, then wash it. Put the wet rice and an equal amount of water and a dash of salt and hit the rice button. You're done.

I love mine for pinto beans, but I usually just add the beans and water and set for 30 minutes, then I release the pressure and add all of the seasonings then set for 20 minutes more. I'm sure it would work just as well not to do it my way.

Melissa, I miss seeing you, but maybe that will change. We have bought a house in Yukon and will be moving in October. I like it here also, but it is time to change our life a little. I didn't even have a garden this year so I haven't been on the forum much.

I can't believe I missed this thread!!! I have one. I got the same one Melissa got from Kohls. Love it. Love it. Love it!!!!! I've made yogurt and I will probably never purchase that stuff in the store again!!!!

Carol - that's SUPER news!!!!! It's going to be wonderful for you to be closer to some of your kiddo's!!!!

I've got a pork chop recipe that's supper easy and Ken's fave. I'll come back later and post it.

Paula

Paula, would love to know how you make your yogurt. I've read the manual and lots of instructions online, and now I'm a bit muddled. (Too much information--it all got jumbled up.)

Michelle

I thought of two things that are trouble free in the Instant Pot: like they said above beans are quick and no stirring or adding more water, and risotto is a breeze to make, too.

Back with the Pork Chop recipe! It's not complicated. I took 3 pork loin chops (about an inch thick, boneless). Seasoned with some Webbers steak seasoning. Set the IP on "saute" and put just enough olive oil in the bottom of the bowl to cover. Set the chops in and brown well on one side. While that's happening, I wedge siiced 1015Y onions and regular sliced some portabello mushrooms. Next, I flipped the chops. Piled the onions & shrooms over them and then poured about a cup and a half of beef broth over all. Set, seal and lock your lid. Press the "manual" button and adjust the time to 10 minutes. Stand there and look at it until it beeps to let you know it's on. LOL! It will take about 20 minutes to pressure up, then it will start cooking. Remember it counts up, not down on the time. Let the pressure release naturally for as long as you can stand. At least 10 minutes or 20 until it's released on it's own. Open and enjoy! I think DH wants this on the menu at least once a week!

Dragonfly-I know what you mean about the yogurt making. I had to watch about 10 diff you-tube videos before I tried. I've got a batch going now.

I use 2% milk. A friend uses whole. I've heard you can use 1% or skim but I've not tried that yet. Make sure your bowl is clean. It helps if the milk sets out for a while but it's still okay if it's right out of the frig. Pour into the bowl. Set, seal and lock your lid. Press the "yogurt" button until it flashes "boil". It will beep when it starts. Now go sort laundry. Or read. Wait......go out to the garden and weed for about 45 minutes!!!! That about how long it takes before it beeps at you to let you know it's done. May be as long as an hour if the milk was really cold. Set the bowl out of the pot and check the temp with a meat thermometer. It should read 178 to 180 degrees. If it's not, repeat the previous step. I had to do that once and it only took an additional 10 minutes. Let the milk cool until it's about 115 degrees, That too takes about 45 minutes. Whisk it around every once in a while to help it along...kinda like a big batch of hummer food! The next step is to add your starter. I used plain greek yogurt bought at the store. Measure 2 Tablespoons and temper it with some of the cooled milk. Then mix it all together. Put the pot back in. Set, seal and lock your lid. Press the yogurt button and set the time to 8:00. That's it! It will beep at you after 8 hours. You can do this overnight or while you're at work and it won't hurt anything if it sets a while. It won't over cook. The next step is to drain the whey from the yogurt. A large stock pot and a mesh strainer are what I use. I also tried the coffee filters for straining as well as cheese cloth. Those both work but I prefer a thin tea towel. I usually let that set in the frig about 8 hours too. There you have it. About 8 cups of plain greek yogurt and probably half a gallon of whey for the price of a gallon of milk!

I flavor ours with about half a cup of Splenda and 2 ozs. of sugarfree coconut flavoring syrup. Then I put in small jars in the fridge.

I've also heard that the IP makes delicious green beans and new potatoes. Good luck!!!

Yummy, Paula--and with humor sprinkied in!

Thanks so much, Paula! I copied both the pork chop recipe and the yogurt recipe. Now I'm hungry for pork chops with green beans and new potatoes for dinner and yogurt with granola for dessert. :)

Michelle

Carol!!! Congrats on the new house! We’ll have to meet up after you move and get settled in. However, I do NOT envy you moving, lol, as we’ve moved 3 times in the last 4 years. I can’t believe you didn’t have a garden this year. I'm sure you'll miss the Grand Lake area, but I completely understand the need for a change. That was us 4 years ago and I do not regret the move for one minute.

I used my IP for the first time yesterday for black beans and quinoa. I did soak my beans for at least 12 hours to remove some of the lectin in them. They came out perfect!! I was pleasantly surprised. So, tonight I made spaghetti squash in the IP and it only took 7 minutes to cook. One of the halves wasn’t fully cooked so I put it back in for 4 minutes. I can’t wait to try soup and yogurt! I did see yogurt starters on Amazon but am still researching how to make it. Paula, thanks for the insight. I guess I’ll go watch some YouTube videos as well.

I also want to try stuffed bell peppers, chicken broccoli and rice, CHEESECAKE, monkey bread, baked sweet potatoes, apple crisp, lemon poppy seed bundt cake, oatmeal, and granola.

Whew, I better get to work lol.

Paula, I made my first batch of yogurt, and it's perfect! I don't know why I've waited so long to try it. Thanks!

Michelle

Ideas to try maybe: https://www.tasteofhome.com/collection/recipes-you-can-make-in-your-instant-pot/

I finally got the instant pot! Over the past 3 months, I've been thinking thinking. I just happened to think maybe they'd be on sale for Black Friday; I had already decided it didn't need on larger than 3 quarts (because that's what size crockpot I use), so sure enough that one (with all 7 functions) was on sale for $49 at both Amazon and Walmart. Called daughter-in-law in Minneapolis if they had one--she said no, but Wade and Westie had been bugging her to get one! Imagine. The hubby and 13-yr old! LOL So I told her to hush, and I'd order them one for Christmas! Ordered one for them and one for me. How cool is that--we both got a good laugh out of that, and she said, "Great. I still get something, then for myself, right?" More laughs. Funniest, I can get the cookbook for Wade as his birthday is 4 days later. Saved a bundle on those 2's Xmas and b'day! Steph, by the way, asked what I wanted. I said, "No idea." She said, I know--"Levis from the thrift store?" PERFECT. She nailed that one and we both laughed some more. They have a great and enormous thrift store just a mile from their house--it's like a department store! And it's the only thrift store I've been to that has my size levis and good ones! And that's what I wear about 300 days of the year. She brought me 5 pair when we met in Iowa last summer. So funny!

I just bought the 6 qt.