We've never owned a slow cooker. But I'm pretty sure I'd be in a load of culinary discomfort without my instant pot (or the back-up Indian pressure cookers).
It and this reminded me of a different hack I heard about at one point, using whip cream dispenser to do herbal infusion. Seems the pressure helps transfer the flavors. Just open a window unless you want to get high while cooking (sharp instruments and hot surfaces are better employed by a clear mind)
The slow cooker entered into a world of working mothers, it was a Have Your Cake and Eat It Too invention, because like the automatic timer on a coffee pot it let you be elsewhere while the food prepared.
The instant pot partly solves that problem but also solves another: The slow cooker requires forethought and stable dinner plans. The instant pot lets you make last hour decisions. For long commuters, the person stuck at the office can tell you they're on their way home and the food is hot shortly after they get there (though to be fair, slow cookers have a forgiving window of edibility). If you're a space cadet you can still prepare a fancy meal even if you didn't think about it in the morning. And even if have to run to the grocery store for ingredients.
Among other things, the InstantPot is a slow cooker.
Use a bit of water in microwave safe dish with a lid almost closed. This is like steaming and microwave cooking all at once.
With kids, I sometimes do things in the instant pot I could probably do quicker outside, I'm happier leaving it on the counter rather than leaving a burner on.
That said, it makes a better pork shoulder than anything else I've ever done!
Obviously YMMV
If you want sticky rice, congee or a korean style multigrain blend, then yeah, most cheaper American cookers will fall short.
This is what I do and I get perfect rice every time.
[0] https://www.pressurecookingtoday.com/how-to-use-the-pot-in-p...
There's no way I'm fitting my rice cooker pot inside of my instant pot, that's for sure.
To me there is no contest, instant pot is a much better rice cooker - faster, more energy efficient and most importantly better texture. We got rid of our rice cooker once we figured that out.
I remember in Jiro Dreams of Sushi they use an ad-hoc pressure cooker to make the rice, so I think there really might be something to cooking rice under pressure that improves it.
Haven't tried the pot-in-pot method yet, but that's meant to be even better.
For brown rice i use a bit more water. Maybe 1:1.25 rice to water.
That doesn't sound like anywhere near enough water to me. I do roughly 1 cup of jasmine rice to 1.5 cups of water in my instant pot, comes out perfect every time.
1 cup of water, 1 cup of rice and cooked on the rice setting.
1:1.5 sounds like a very mushy rice. Horses for courses I suppose.
Plus if you can hydrate while you eat, it's more efficient!
FWIW I have trouble imagining needing more than 10 minutes at high pressure for anything like potatoes. Maybe even a few less.
Cooking them for an hour would be similar to boiling stovetop for 3+ hours!
If I cube them, it's more like 9 minutes.
Perfectly mashable.
60 min definitely seems off.
Ultimately the results are better, but it’s lead to a couple of one hour delays on meal time in my household because I forgot to take into account the extra time. These often involved a “rapid depressurization procedure” of taking the Instant Pot to the deck, and holding the release valve up with a long wooden spoon.
It's still true that your "15 min cook" is actually time_to_get_to_pressure + 15 min + time_to_cool
Meal prep depends on the meal as well. Try a Colombian chicken stew - cut a few potatoes, some tomatoes and onions (rough, just into quarters) and chuck them in the pot with some chicken legs/thighs and bay leaves (and salt and pepper). That's minutes to prep, and doesn't have to be done just before dinner. 25 minutes and then release the pressure. I'm not sure why you carry it outside and use a spoon, you can turn the valve then leave it for a few minutes.
Most meals take a lot less time to prep than that, and prep can often be separated from cooking, some parts by days.
> the times it take for the vessel to come up to pressure (~ 30 minutes)
5-15 would be more accurate.
> and time it takes to depressurize (~15-30 minutes).
Instant pot quick release only takes a couple minutes; natural release takes longer, sure, but that’s usually included in recioe times that use it (many of which have partial natural release for a set time followed by quick release.)
For times when you need to do a full natural release because of the kind of food (to avoid fouling the valve) but want it to be faster, the Pro (and Duo Evo) Instant Pot models support an optional ice tray accessories that is placed on the lid to effect a rapid natural release.
> These often involved a “rapid depressurization procedure” of taking the Instant Pot to the deck, and holding the release valve up with a long wooden spoon.
The Instant Pot as a button (or pull switch on the Pro) for quick release, what is the purpose of your procedure besides gratuitous drama?
There's probably an element of perceptual time compression involved too. Even if the total overhead time is actually 20 - 30 minutes, it might as well be 45 minutes.
Manual depressurization is messy. Yes, I can use a towel over the release valve to keep brothy splatters going on the wall, but now I have a brothy towel that I could have avoided if I waited 20 minutes.
It releases steam. Aside from not having the valve close to a wall, not sure why this is a big deal.
Low and slow yields better results for dishes like a pot-roast, but for many other things, a pressure cooker is a must have. I never buy canned beans anymore.
Most low-and-slow is better done in an oven, so the main thing you are left with is fire safety (e.g. if you want to leave it going and go to work). If you aren't careful you trade that off for food safety, anyway.
I see the appeal for convenience if the mediocre results don't put you off.
You also gain the ability to cook without heating up the whole house.
Another game changer for me is the Anova Precision Oven. Baking with steam and the ability to quickly and precisely switch between different baking methods is great.
I use an instant pot which does slow and pressure cooking