Have you joined the Instant Pot craze?

I have an old pressure canner. It’s big enough to can 7 qt jars of produce. I don’t use it for canning. Instead I use it to make all kinds of soups and meats.

I don’t cook it straight in the pot because I don’t like to cook with aluminum, so I put a trivet in the bottom of the pot with water to cover the trivet an inch or so. and then a large glass Pyrex bowl with a lid to match. Using this set up I can cook anything.

When I first started I was mostly making soups & stews. That was perfect back during the winter when it was cold & the soup/stew warmed me up. Now that we’re getting more into summer, the soup/stew just isn’t doing it for me. I’m now trying to learn whatever I can about the pot-in-pot cooking. I experimented with making grits last weekend & was excited to find it very easy to make just one serving. On the stove top, I almost had to cook for 3–4 people to keep it from sticking to the pot. Cooking them in the IP using the P-I-P method, I cooked just enough for me plus cleanup was easy peasy!!! What you describe is pretty much what I did with my grits. Maybe I will just continue on with my adventure of trial & error until I get it perfected!!! Is there a particular meat or veggie that you’ve found to not cook well under pressure???

You need to make sure there’s plenty of moisture. I’ve cooked beans in my glass bowl with lid, but they won’t soften at all if they do not have adequate moisture. (Duh!) i’ve also read that you’re not supposed to cook anything that would fly up in the air and possibly get caught in the pressure valve, so they discourage cooking beans at all. Of course my method prevents that possibility.

I know nothing about the new pressure pot that you’ve got, but I will not walk out of the room while my old fashioned one is cooking. We also have a very low end gas stove. I may have to buy a hot plate just so that I can adjust the temperature properly and continue using the pressure cooker.

I bought one for my daughter for her birthday, and it seems every day she texts me, saying how much she loves it.

I keep thinking about buying one. I’d like to be able to make my grandma’s brisket in have the time if that’s possible.

I get intrigued about pressure cookers while reading food blogs, but have not made the leap.

Cooking beans would be faster, and I make a pot of beans every week, for quick meals later. But soaking and cooking beans isn’t a hands-on job, so that time isn’t wasted.

The recipes like pot roast and ribs look really good but I’m not meat-centric. And I use the charcoal grill year-round.

So I see the appeal, but haven’t joined in.

@LadyMarissa Maybe it’s because I’m a man, but I can promise you that if ever I am left unable to prepare the things I like to eat, I will not hesitate to inflict myself on the cooking capabilities of friends and relatives. I’ve been warning them all for years, and most of them have been gobbling up my cooking and the wife’s baking for decades. My wife is hesitant when I raise such matters, but when it comes to good food, I’m shameless!

@snowberry With the info in your first response, I knew I was on the right track; so I cooked me a Pork Tenderloin with Grits on the side for my lunch today.I cooked the Tenderloin in a foil grilling bag leaving the top open & sitting upright so all the juices collected in the bag. The Grits went in a pyrex bowl without the lid because they seem to cook fresher that way.I laid the foil grilling bag over the top of the pyrex bowl but did scrunch in on tight. Both were placed on a trivet & needed to cook about the same amount of time so i put them in together & 40 minutes later I was eating like a Queen!!! The Tenderloin was fall off the fork tender.

I can honestly say that I’m a stuffed puppy this evening!!! :))

@filmfann I wouldn’t buy one because I was afraid of the stove PCs because my Mom always said it would explode!!! With the gift, I eased myself into it & I LOVE IT NOW & I really don’t know exactly what I’m doing…yet. At this point, I get a few ideas in my head, buy a few cuts of meat & some veggies & then I experiment. I’m pleased with my results so far!!!

In a pinch I haven’t been able to find a trivet, but 3 dinner knives, strategically placed in the bottom of the pot makes a great substitute for a trivet. If they turn a little gray with hard water deposits, a quick rub with some vinegar on a sponge takes care of that.

@JLeslie Some things cook faster & some take longer. My Tenderloin today took about 40 minutes cook time & 5–10 minutes to build up the pressure. The best part is once I set it, I can walk away & not worry about stirring or checking until the Done Beep chimes. So, it took me about 50 minutes from start to finish & I was on Fluther while it was cooking without worrying about anything burning on the pan!!! Now, when I cooked it in the oven, it took 1 hour to cook with maybe 10 minutes for the oven to preheat. I only saved 20 minutes but I also didn’t need to stress over watching it!!! IF I had sliced the Tenderloin, into smaller pieces, it would cook faster; but slicing meat one handed is frustrating. I opted to throw it in whole. I also added a little extra time because I believe in cooking pork well done!!! Next time I might set it for 30 minutes cook time to compare the difference. That would save me 40 minutes over the oven.

I’ve never cooked Grandma’s Brisket so I have no clue how long that will take. I’ve not cooked a bad meal yet; so I still have hope!!!

@Call_Me_Jay I’ve not cooked beans in it yet; but everybody tells me that you don’t need to soak them (simply rinse them off) & it’s a matter of the cook time of around 40 minutes (plus pressure time). I haven’t tried it myself because I love beans but they don’t always love me & I live alone & don’t want to eat them every day!!!

This has got to beat the 24 hour soak time when cooking on the stove top.

This has got to beat the 24 hour soak time when cooking on the stove top

I soak beans 10 hours while I am at work. And cook them them in the evening while I do other tasks. The pressure cooker would not save any time on my part.

Again, I see advantages. But I have a tiny kitchen. Gadgets are a burden.

@stanleybmanly Men can afford to be shameless when ity comes to cooking!!!

I’ve been eating out every day for 28 years due my inability to safely cook on my stove. The food where I eat is good & they do clean up after me (which I love) One handed dish washing is challenging or should I say frustrating!!! My Mom was a GREAT cook & since she passed, I didn’t think that I could cook the foods that she made & I loved. Since getting the Instant Pot (Cosori) I’m cooking some delicious foods & cleanup is a lot easier than off the stove too!!! I’m excited to be cooking for me once again!!! Sometimes the simplest suggestion rolls around my brain & turns into a GREAT meal!!!

@snowberry The electric cookers come with a trivet & it doesn’t stray far from the pot. I wash the trivet, I wash the pot, & the trivet is stored in the pot until the next meal!!! With my brain, I’m sure I’ll be looking for a trivet & the knife trick will come in handy…Thanks again!!!

@Call_Me_Jay OK I get it…I’m NOT trying to sell you one. I’m just looking for ideas on the best way to use mine!!!

I can tell you that my Cosori costs half what an Instant Pot costs & it works almost identical & in a few instances better!!!

We got an IP last Christmas too. It works great for beef: stew, pot roast, etc. It makes wild rice cook properly (very fluffy). Shredded pork recipes come out good too. My wife likes pork ribs cooked in it, but I think the texture is too spongy. Chicken cacciatorre is pretty good.
The thing that they don’t advertise is that each pressure cycle needs 10–15 min heat up. Some recipes need two cycles, so that is 30 min extra that no one mentions. That is sometimes more than the time pressure cooking is supposed to save.

@RocketGuy I’ve made some really delicious Pork Ribs in mine. After cooking, I slather them in BBQ sauce then pop them in the oven usually under the broiler until they caramelize & get crispy. They taste almost like they came off the grill.

i also cook them in 2 cups apple juice & ¼ cup vinegar with a few dashes of liquid smoke.I tend to go heavy on the LS because it gives it a lot of BBQ flavor!!!

Another thing i do to cut back on the time it takes to reach pressure is that while preparing the ingredients, I turn on the cooker & let it start heating up. That way, by the time I’ve added all the ingredients, the liquids are hot & it only takes a couple of minutes after locking on the lid to reach pressure.

One thing I learned the hard way is that you should NEVER add too much liquid or it might never reach pressure. Back in the winter when I was making a lot of soups & stews, I over filled the pot which made it almost impossible to reach pressure. There is a MAX fill line & you really should stay below that line especially if you’re adding any pasta to the mix because they swell up really bad!!!

I’m also bad about forgetting to flip the lid into the “seal” position. it won’t ever reach pressure IF the steam is escaping!!!

BTW…CONGRATULATIONS on your major milestone today!!!

That description of those ribs is going to haunt my dreams?

@RocketGuy Congratulations! I can’t believe Mimi allowed you to slip by unannounced.

Thanks for the kudos for 10K!