Welcome!


This is a membership forum. Guests can view 5 pages for free. To participate, please join.

[ Pitmaster Club Information | Join Now | Login | Contact Us ]

Only 4 free page views remaining.

Announcement

Collapse
No announcement yet.

Holt Cow, Batman! How Many Instant Pot Versions Exist?

Collapse
X
 
  • Filter
  • Time
  • Show
Clear All
new posts

    Holt Cow, Batman! How Many Instant Pot Versions Exist?

    My better half and I are considering buying an Instant Pot, hopefully this Black Friday. But, WOW, there are so many versions. What to choose?! Our thoughts are:

    1) Bigger is "better"....so an eight quart model seems like of good choice-- more flexibility. There are just two us, so are there disadvantages to a larger size for a couple? We would definitely make large pots of things like chili and stew, but what about a small batch of, say, rice or some such?
    2) Are there any features that are, for most, superfluous? For example, we already have a sous vide with which to make yogurt.
    3) Anything we've missed?

    Thanks for any and all comments/suggestions/recommendations and HAPPY THANKSGIVING!!! Stay safe all!

    ETA: I mean, the "Classic", the "Duo Nova", the "Duo Evo Plus, the "Ultra"... We're definitely not interested in WiFi capability, nor probably in air frying (willing to listen to contrary opinions), and, right now, the eight quart Duo Evo Plus looks good at $90, including shipping, but any comments are mucho welcome.

    Last edited by Willy; November 25, 2020, 04:50 PM.

    #2
    Only 2 of us and I don't remember if ours is 8 or 10 quart but I know there have been a few times where I wish it was bigger. Especially when making bone broth or stock. Used to make a lot of pulled pork with it, and there were times when the pork would fill it... but for most meals it doesn't matter how big. I heard the sous vide on the IPs is pretty much worthless because it's not consistent. We have the smart model, and while all the programs seem useful, in reality almost every recipe we do uses the meat/stew button and the only difference is time. I've used the rice button twice and it did a good enough job. They are great devices though!

    Comment


      #3
      We bought the 8 quart with lots of options. Wish it was bigger.
      Wife made lots of yogurt with it - works great.
      I've used the sous vide function a few times, but i loosely prop the lid on so it stays at a more consistent temp. That's my only sous vide option right now.
      I love it for making stews and soups. Great machines - especially for what they cost!

      Comment


      • bbqLuv
        bbqLuv commented
        Editing a comment
        we have the 8 quart and air fryer. got it to replace a crock pot. we happy with it so far.

      #4
      I do not have one but you might want to check Amazon right now. I know they have a lot of them around 40% off.

      Comment


        #5
        I'm an IP contrarian. I make stew the old-fashioned way in a dutch oven and have an Anova for SV. The one thing I would use them for is pressure cooking and... not something I do. For rice... stovetop or, if you cook it a lot a rice cooker.

        Comment


        • UncleSpike
          UncleSpike commented
          Editing a comment
          Agreed. Haven't figured out the rice function yet. Never turns out...

        #6
        Oh man... like you say, so many choices. We bought ours before wifi, or sous vide, or air fryer, or plus versions existed. It is just the basic 6 quart 7 in 1 version. This has been more than adequate for the two of us. I can't really imagine the advantage of a wifi version; it is pretty much set it and forget it, so why wifi?

        Good luck with your choice!

        Comment


          #7
          We got the 8qt Zavor Deluxe recommended by America’s Test Kitchen. No regrets except a slightly clunky (to me) interface. Have made lots of stuff in it. I make yogurt regularly. Don’t look for golden crispy anything though.

          Comment


            #8
            I've used the IP Duo 6 quart for years for the two of us. Works just fine. Most recipes on the interwebs are written for 6 qt IPs.

            That said, last year I bought the 10 quart one specifically for stocks and large batches of soup. Dewesq55 has one too, so hopefully he'll chime in here. It requires more liquid to start, which can be a problem when cooking for two.

            I remember a post here from someone who bought an IP with the Sous Vide option. He tested it and reported that the Sous Vide temps were significantly inaccurate.

            A lot of folks rave about the rice cooker option, but I've not had much luck with rice in my IP. I keep meaning to ask for tips about it here.

            Remember that you can only fill an IP 2/3 full, so a 6 quart is really a 4 quart.

            Bottom line: for the two of you, 6 quart is probably just right. Don't get the extra bells/whistles unless you research their accuracy/performance.

            Kathryn

            Comment


            • Willy
              Willy commented
              Editing a comment
              Thanks!

            • IowaGirl
              IowaGirl commented
              Editing a comment
              We have a 6 qt IP as well (well, it's hubby's and he lets me use it sometimes). It works well for dishes like eggs or soup or mac-and-cheese or spaghetti for 2-4 people. Another benefit is a smaller IP is going to be lighter and more convenient to store and use and won't take up as much space on the counter.

            • tenphases
              tenphases commented
              Editing a comment
              I made it through 1 paragraph and ended up buying a 10 quart instant pot from Kohl's, smh; I'm weak

              🤣

            #9
            There approximately 75 varieties of Instant Pot. 😜😜
            We currently have two: a 3 quart, and an 8 quart. The 3 quart is great for rice and grains, or a very small roast. I also often use it to make hard cooked eggs. The 8 quart is used for everything else. I often wish that I had a 10 quart one, and a 6 quart one.

            When considering size, keep in mind that for pressure cooking, you can only fill the pot 2/3 of the way full. So 6 quart size gives you 4 quarts for pressure cooking. For slow cooking, you can fill it up more.
            Last edited by Thunder77; November 26, 2020, 11:00 AM.

            Comment


            • Thunder77
              Thunder77 commented
              Editing a comment
              Oops, I just noticed that Kathryn already addressed the size and capacity issue. 😬

            #10
            As Kathryn, fzxdoc said, I have a 10 QT Duo Nova, which I got last year. I really like it. I previously had the 6 QT Duo, which is now in the vacation home. I can't comment on the air fryer lids, since I don't have one. My new range has an air fryer mode, however. To me, pretty much every function of an IP is extraneous other than Pressure Cook. Although, apparently the yogurt function works well, but I haven't used it. When cooking normal recipes for just the 2 of us, ones with not enough liquid (3 cups) for the 10 QT, I just use the pot-in-pot method. For those who don't know what that is, you put a trivet in the bottom of your IP and enough water (you can use hot water which helps out get up to temp faster) to operates the pot in the inner pot of the IP. Then you put the recipe ingredients in another, smaller container (I use a stainless steel bowl) on the trivet and followed the recipe directions for cooking the food. I sometimes add a couple of minutes to the recipe when doing this.

            As for rice, by which I mean white rice, I follow Melissa Clark's recipe in her "Dinner In An Instant" cookbook. 1 part rice to 1¼ parts water. High pressure for 10 minutes. Full natural release, remove lid, cover pot with a kitchen towel and set the lid back on loose for 20 minutes. I generally make only small amounts of rice at a time, so I use pot-in-pot for this, too. Supposedly the Rice function on the IP is only good for white rice and only if you like your rice cooked the way it's programmed for. I really never use anything other than manual (pressure cook), and have never used anything other than high pressure. I made about a gallon of turkey stock last night in my 10QT for stuffing, gravy and probably turkey soup. I just left it on Keep Warm all night and then stained it this morning into containers and into the fridge. That's one of my favorite "side effects" of using the IP for stock.
            Last edited by Dewesq55; November 26, 2020, 11:15 AM.

            Comment


              #11
              Check out this thread: https://pitmaster.amazingribs.com/fo...stant-pot-help

              It has some good info. I bought my wife the Instant Pot - Ultra a couple of years ago. We got the 6 qt, perfect for the two of us. It has been great! Also bought her "The Instant Pot Bible" cookbook. We use the Ultra a lot, for a lot of foods. Everything from Zuppa Tuscana (homemade) to chicken bulgogi to red beans and rice to pulled pork and chicken and she has cooked pork chops in it too. I surprised her with it for that Christmas. She did not think she would like it, but fell in love with it right away. (We no longer own a slow cooker). Be sure to get the accessories too. They get used a lot.

              Comment


                #12
                Forgot to say...

                The slow cooker function on the Instant Pot is great because you can sear, saute, or brown ingredients as needed for the slow cook (like browning meat and sauteing onions for chili) in the Instant Pot and then let the chili cook on the Slow Cooker function for the rest of the day, if need be. With a Crock Pot you have to use extra pans/skillets for this. The IP on Slow Cooker mode heats the food up much faster than our 6 quart Crock Pot, scooting it through the 40-140° danger zone in record time.

                Kathryn

                Comment


                  #13
                  I only use manual settings so all the bells aren’t needed. I got the 6 and the air fryer lid. Air fryer works but since you need space between items, it’s capacity limited. 6 is ok for quick pressure cooked meals.

                  For real stews and chili I use a 2nd gen stovetop 12-quart pressure cooker.

                  Comment


                    #14
                    We have the 6qt, and I think that was the biggest at the time. We have a family of 5 and it does fine for capacity. Sure, an 8 might be nicer, considering, but the 6 does just fine. Handy little buggers. I was resistant for a while but we think the features make it a very worthy kitchen appliance. My favorite thing to make in it is the egg bites, I recommend the accessory kit for those kinda things.

                    Comment


                      #15
                      We bought the newest Instant Pot with the Sous Vide function and love it. We had the 8 qt before but I wanted the Sous Vide function and waited for Amazon to have a sale. Picked it up for $79.95 and couldn't be happier.

                      Comment

                      Announcement

                      Collapse
                      No announcement yet.
                      Working...
                      X
                      false
                      0
                      Guest
                      Guest
                      500
                      ["pitmaster-my-membership","login","join-pitmaster","lostpw","reset-password","special-offers","help","nojs","meat-ups","gifts","authaau-alpha","ebooklogin-start","alpha","start"]
                      false
                      false
                      {"count":0,"link":"/forum/announcements/","debug":""}
                      Yes
                      ["\/forum\/free-deep-dive-guide-ebook-downloads","\/forum\/free-deep-dive-guide-ebook-downloads\/1157845-paid-members-download-your-6-deep-dive-guide-ebooks-for-free-here","\/forum\/the-pitcast","\/forum\/national-barbecue-news-magazine","\/forum\/national-barbecue-news-magazine\/national-barbecue-news-magazine-aa","\/forum\/national-barbecue-news-magazine\/national-barbecue-news-magazine-aa\/bbq-news-magazine-2019-issues","\/forum\/national-barbecue-news-magazine\/national-barbecue-news-magazine-aa\/bbq-news-magazine-2020-issues","\/forum\/national-barbecue-news-magazine\/national-barbecue-news-magazine-aa\/bbq-news-magazine-2021-issues","\/forum\/national-barbecue-news-magazine\/national-barbecue-news-magazine-aa\/bbq-news-magazine-2022-issues","\/forum\/national-barbecue-news-magazine\/national-barbecue-news-magazine-aa\/current-2023-issues","\/forum\/national-barbecue-news-magazine\/national-barbecue-news-magazine-aa\/current-2024-issues","\/forum\/free-deep-dive-guide-ebook-downloads\/1165909-trial-members-download-your-free-deep-dive-guide-ebook-here"]
                      /forum/free-deep-dive-guide-ebook-downloads/1165909-trial-members-download-your-free-deep-dive-guide-ebook-here