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This seems to be season in my kitchen. The Cuisinart died and went back to Kohl's. Yes, they took the beast back. I have not yet found a replacement so no breaded chicken breasts. Last Saturday was what I call insanity rally - major stocking up. SO is great when it comes to this and sections chicken wings, hand cleans chicken breasts, saves wing tips and scraps to go into the crock pot over night. He ended up with at least six pounds. Garage had a strange smell. Crock pot did not heat up properly. Chicken and pot made it into the trash. I have the 5 quart "baby" in use. Williams Sonoma charges 275ish for the 7 quart.
I have never looked into instapots. Yes, an ongoing topic on CD. My main use - beans with full ham hock, vegetable soups, stock, goulash, chili. What do you recommend based on personal experience? With a totally open floor plan I like to move heavy and long cooking smells to the porch or the garage.
Why would you need a Crock Pot from Williams Sonoma? Even my grocery store sells Rival Crock Pots (7 qt size) for about $35. My first 5 qt rival (paid $15 for it on a Black Friday) lasted for 20 years. I still have a small one that's 35 years old. I don't use it much because of the size.
That said, my sister loves her Instant Pot. We gave one to our daughter. She doesn't use it often. They don't take long to cook.
I haven't used my Crockpot since I got the Instant Pot. I actually bought a second Instant Pot so I can cook meat in one and potatoes in the other, or use one for yogurt (takes 12 hours) while cooking dinner in the other. There's not a lot of smell while dinner is cooking, nothing like the all day smell you get with the crock pot.
I have two Le Cruset dutch ovens, one large crockpot, one smaller crockpot, and added an instantpot a few months ago.
I haven't used the Le Cruset pots since (and they were expensive!). I've used the small crockpot once - for keeping a queso dip hot at a party.
The instantpot gets used 2-3 times per week. Mostly for meat. I don't much care if it saves time (and in many prepetations, it doesn't when you add up time time it takes presurizing, then cooking, then slow releasing). But we LOVE how the meat is very tender and juicy. The meat still tastes like MEAT. The flavor hasn't been lost in the gravy the way it does in a crock pot.
We also have thought about an insta pot but I do love my 3 in 1 crock pot. it is nice to be able to just pull out a particular size insert and use it, This way we only have one actually pot, bur 3 sizes. I also have a 1 1/2 qt one but that is more for taking to pot lucks and using for things like cocktail meat balls, etc. I think it cost a whole $5.00 about 10 years ago. My 3 in 1 has a 2 qt, 4qt and 6qt insert.
I bought an Instant Pot a few months ago, and just used it for the first time this week. To be perfectly honest, I was a little disappointed. I made short ribs with a red wine sauce and the results were not as good as the crockpot (the meat wasn't as tender). The next night, I tried baked potatoes and, again, they were no better than when I make them in the microwave, it took much longer, and it required clean up.
I'm thinking I need to increase my cooking times over whatever the Instant Pot recipe suggests and maybe I'll get better results. If anyone here has some suggestions, I'd love to hear them.
I only tried my Instant Pot once and I was disappointed as well. I'm going to give it to my daughter in law.
I still use my 30 year old crock pot 2-3 times a week, it is so easy and everything comes out tender and full of flavor. I would never pay $275 for one.
I use the heck out of my crock pot. I got it at WalMart for about $40 and it's huge. The last one I had I also got there - it is smaller though so I gave it away and it's still working after about 12 years.
They're really uncomplicated as far as cooking - and working - goes. When this one dies, I'll go buy another one.
I use mine about once a week. If I am not going to be home all that day, I do it the night before and it cooks while I'm sleeping, then the next evening VOILA - dinner!
I don't have an Instant Pot. My daughter does. She uses hers pretty regularly but honestly, everything I've ever seen her cook in it would cook just as well in a crock pot - it just takes longer in a crock pot (often resulting in more tender meat by the way). Personally I don't have a problem with a longer cook time. In fact, I sort of like it if I'm honest - the house smells great all day! I don't find most cooking smells to be obnoxious (other than cabbage and fish and stuff that has to be deep fried - which I don't do anyway).
I use my IP mostly to cook beans, which takes a lot less time than traditional soaking and simmering. It has not changed how often I use my Dutch oven.
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