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So I am not a beginning cook, but I think the place to start for tools is not with some specialized kitchen appliance, but with the basic, general purpose tools... a good set of pots and pans, good set of knives, etc. You definitely don't need the high end tools, but you don't want to get the smallest and cheapest sets either.
There are an awful lot of countertop kitchen appliances out there, each one tends to serve (well) a fairly narrow set of uses, and they can really add up in cost and take up a lot of room.
Instant pot is a time-saving appliance that allows for faster cooking times compared to traditional methods. Great investition!
I really like my IP for certain things. With a few exceptions, I would disagree that it cooks faster. The time it takes to come to pressure and using a natural release usually add up to at least as long as traditional methods.
One exception (in our house): baby back ribs. I haven't used the slow and low method in the oven in ages. We very much prefer them in the IP.
"Great invention"? Well, stove top pressure cookers have been around for, what, decades? The IP is just a safer tool that has a bunch of bells and whistles. It's cool to have, but certainty NOT essential.
Instant pot is great to take inexpensive cuts of beef, like chuck roast and tenderize them. I do feel it saves time especially for a larger cut of meat. You do have to cut up the roast into chunks to get it to cook thoroughly.
Instant pots do fail from time to time. A relative had one where the control panel stopped working, but she had used it a lot.
1) I just bought an Instant Pot three weeks ago for $40. It has been sitting in my office for three weeks as I did not have a manual on how to use it. I finally received it this morning.
2) No, I do not NEED an Instant Pot as I do have all of the basics currently in my kitchen. However, I would really like to try one out to see if I could reduce the use of my stove which heats up the house during the hot summer months here in Arizona.
3) I purchase a lot of less tender cuts including beef cheeks, beef shanks, pork neckbones, and the like that require braising. Using the Instant Pot should reduce the cooking time and there will be a lot less mess in the kitchen involved.
4) Ditto on cooking beans. I would like to convert from using canned beans to dried beans which take up less room to store.
I would like to get away from my current practice of having to watch over a soup pot on the stove for hours.
When I lived alone as a student I learned a few basics. Bake a couple of chicken thighs, or a bone in breast, in the oven for an hour. Have with frozen peas or baked beans. Use a decent jar spaghetti sauce mixed with browned hamburger or sausage over pasta. Pan cook a small steak and boil some potatoes. There are a lot of very simple things to make without fancy gadgets. You can move up to those gadgets once you've got a little experience.
When I lived alone as a student I learned a few basics. Bake a couple of chicken thighs, or a bone in breast, in the oven for an hour. Have with frozen peas or baked beans. Use a decent jar spaghetti sauce mixed with browned hamburger or sausage over pasta. Pan cook a small steak and boil some potatoes. There are a lot of very simple things to make without fancy gadgets. You can move up to those gadgets once you've got a little experience.
Salmon or other fish takes about 20 minutes to bake in the oven or in the grill. I think after eggs, it is the fastest protein to cook.
Location: East of Seattle since 1992, 615' Elevation, Zone 8b - originally from SF Bay Area
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We had one and it died soon after the warranty was up. That's unusual, though, I haven't heard of anyone else having that happen. We decided to replace it with a Ninja Foodi, and like it a lot better. It does everything that the Instapot does plus air fryer and dehydrator (11 in 1, rather than 7 or 9 in 1). We use it almost every day for something.
Well, way earlier in this thread, I was thrilled to get an IP, now it's on a shelf, Got a Cuisinart toaster, oven, air fryer, it's great.
My Dad is 94 and cooks, just by reading. He never cooked when Mom was here. He does Salmon with roasted veggies all on 1 baking sheet. He loves the blackened salmon we got at Sam's. He does beans, soups. He loves soup from the rotisserie chichen at Sam's. He bakes. He'll do a chicken breast in the toaster oven. He basically said if you can read, you can cook, lol he uses Google a lot!!
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