I need a new Instant Pot

[Brian_M]

I boiled eggs in our Instant Pot earlier today. Then I melted a hole in the bottom of the pot. (While cleaning up, I pushed the pot to the back of the stove, evidently against one of the burner knobs, turning said burner on…at the “Melt” setting…and it did indeed melt…)

I need a new Instant Pot.

Does anyone have strong opinions on brands or models?

Instant Pot 113-0044-01 Pro 10-in-1 Pressure, Slow, Sous Vide, Sauté Pan, Rice/Grain Cooker, 8QT, 0 https://a.co/d/gNXP1sZ

I’m looking at the Instant Pot Pro that has a Sous Vide setting. Is there anyone with experience using this kind of appliance for sous vide? Sous Vide would be completely new to me, I’d be okay with using it as an entry-level option to learn with, if it actually functioned fairly well.

I know this isn’t as exciting as something that produces smoke…you should have seen the smoke rising from my former one earlier this afternoon. Definitely not the desired thin, blue smoke…

Thanks in advance for helping me spend money. 😁

[SheilaAnn]

fzxdoc

I’m partial to the IP brand. When I need to upgrade or replace, I would pick this one for sure. While I only cook for two, I would want the extra 2 QTs for broth. No experience with the SV setting.

[Brian_M]

Thanks. We haven’t shopped for IPs in a long time…since they first became popular. We rarely used this one, just eggs or rice, due to capacity as we were cooking for three growing boys. Now there’s just one at home (most of the time). I was thinking about how many ways I could use this thing, before the big meltdown…

[Bob K]

Loving the irony of the quality control "pass" sticker

[Brian_M]

It was my fault. I bumped the control knob for the burner the pot was sitting on with the pot without realizing it. But yes, I kind of chuckled about that sticker also… no quality control for the actual user...

[SheilaAnn]

Because I have done things like this more times than I can count (can you preheating the oven with stuff inside?), I feel I should confess and state the first thing I thought of once I saw the melted section and before I read the entire post is “you’re supposed to use the burner, all ya have to do is plug it in”. Full disclosure, my cord had split and is now held together with electrical tape.

after further review of the picture, yours looks hard wired? My cord detaches from the base.

[Brian_M]

Yes it is (or was, or whatever) hard wired. I never thought about them being made with a detachable cord. That would be easier for storage. It would also be easier for me to lose. I’ll have to look at the new ones to see how they’re made.

[Bkhuna]

My 8 quart is hard wired, which is irritating. My 6 quart has a detachable cord. I store the detached cord inside when not in use so it's no big whoop.

[WI Bubba]

I rock it old(ish) school with a pair of stove top pressure cookers that use the same lid. Picked them up from during one of the All-Clad factory seconds sale. Before that it was the real old school jiggle top for me.

I have nothing against modern electronic devices, but just don't see the value when it comes to pressure cookers.

[MBMorgan]

IP is a great brand. That said, I wouldn't place much stock (pun intended) in the SV function. SV requires holding water within a degree or less ... and I'm dubious about any pot brand being able to do that. Whatever you choose, I'd recommend an 8 qt. capacity. Six seems way too small, even when cooking for just two ... and more than 8 seems awfully big ... but bigger is better, right?

[texastweeter]

I have an IP brand one and a HUGE one from GoWiseUSA that was a gift. I use both for beans, rice, and grits pretty much exclusively.

[hoovarmin]

When you make grits in your IP does it eliminate the need to stir?

[texastweeter]

hoovarmin I add dairy after the pressure release, and then stirring the he'll out of it until smooth, but for the most part yes. SO much easier and simpler.

[fzxdoc]

Sorry to hear about your hybrid cook scenario with your Instant Pot, Brian_M . I bet that melting plastic smelled delicious.

My 6 and 10 quart Instant Pots are my kitchen BFFs. We get together at least once a week for dinner.

Seriously, though, they are great devices, very versatile. That said, I only use the slow cooker and the pressure cook options. I set up all cooks on Manual, since I like having control over the cook times and temperatures. I don't use the button settings for Rice, Oatmeal, etc. Both of my IPs are older, though, without Air Fryer or SV options.

I use the 6 quart IP Duo almost exclusively because nowadays I cook mostly for 2-4 people.

The 10 quart Duo Nova IP comes in super handy for making broth and when doubling recipes. I made a double recipe of Kenji Lopez-Alt's Pressure Cooker Beef Stew recently in the 10 quart IP and there was plenty to give to the kids to take back home for leftovers. Ditto for soups. A double batch of mulligatawny soup or lemon rasam soup also brings out the predators, er, visiting daughters to whisk away portions for their family meals.

I'm with MBMorgan on recommending that care be taken using the sous vide option on the Instant Pot. Several people have reported here on The Pit over the years that the IP sous vide temperatures are not accurate--sometimes dangerously so, from a food safety viewpoint. Depending on the conditions, being off by only one or two degrees, especially on the low end, can make a difference between serving a good meal or posing a food poisoning risk. Testing the temps might be a good idea before using the IP for sous vide.

Kathryn

[hoovarmin]

Do they still make a 10 qt? I'm on Amazon (because I always go straight there and buy whatever it is you are using, lol, but not kidding) and the biggest I seem to find is the 8 qt.

[fzxdoc]

hoovarmin , I had to search high and low for the 10 quart Instant Pot Duo Novo when I got it a few years back. I finally found it at Bed, Bath and Beyond online. I don't regret that purchase in the least when making broth by the quart or sending requested fave recipe food home with our daughters.

It's a big sucker, so it lives in the second pantry, the one that was supposed to store only dishware but is now also storing my cooking-toy-obsession-run-amuk.

I think HawkerXP bought one too.

[hoovarmin]

I'm on a quest now

[Brian_M]

Thanks everyone. After another round of paralysis-through-analysis (the marketing on these is as bad as cars or streaming packages) this morning, I ordered the one linked above. I thought about going with a less expensive model but to get a couple features that I wanted (especially the inner pot with handles…won’t spin in the cooker and easier to lift out…which proves that the marketing worked on me) it had to be this one. When it arrives I’ll see if there’s a way to check the SV temps. It may still serve as a way for me to introduce SWMBO to the world of SV. Again, thanks.

[GolfGeezer]

I agree with the above on the SV option for the Instant Pot - not a good option for that technique. I have the 10 qt Duo Crisper, the one with the Air Fry option and I would NOT recommend that either. The air fry function requires using a separate lid, plus the air fry temp is limited to 400*, while most airfryers get to 450*. Plus it is awkward to use, flip the food and manage for air frying. Like fzxdoc, slow cooking and high pressure under manual control for time & temp are the only methods I use. I always go for the larger option even though I am usually cooking for just 2. Stews, soups, beans, rice - you can always freeze what you do not use right away.

Oops: looks like my post missed the purchase deadline!

[fzxdoc]

Thanks everyone. After another round of paralysis-through-analysis (the marketing on these is as bad as cars or streaming packages) this morning, I ordered the one linked above. I thought about going with a less expensive model but to get a couple features that I wanted (especially the inner pot with handles…won’t spin in the cooker and easier to lift out…which proves that the marketing worked on me) it had to be this one. When it arrives I’ll see if there’s a way to check the SV temps. It may still serve as a way for me to introduce SWMBO to the world of SV. Again, thanks.

Did you get the 6 quart or the 8 quart model? Those Stay Cool handles look to be a good idea.

Have fun with your new IP, and keep it off the stovetop burners (but then you already knew that. ).

Kathryn

[Brian_M]

I ordered the 8 quart model. The one that proved to not be fool-proof yesterday was 6 quarts (Amazon showed me the original order for it, $79 in 2015). SWMBO agreed the 8 quart was the right choice.

[acorgihouse]

If I had to replace mine (and I will) I would go with 8qt also. I got a 6qt Duo in 2019, $100 per my perpetual Amazon order tally, and I use it often. At least a couple days a week, sometimes more. When I first got it, it was one of the hottest things on Prime Day, and I had a lot of conversations (in person and online) about it. I was surprised at how many people did exactly what you did, set on stovetop and accidentally melted. I had induction since before I got it, so never did that, but I did baptize it by pouring a big measuring cup of water into it, with no inner pot in place. Took a couple blinks to realize why all the water was running out the bottom, thankfully it wasn't milk or cream, so I just let it sit a couple of days till it was good and dry.
I love mine, and it has the dings and dents and cracked plastic to prove it. I put the lid in the dishwasher, gasket and all, don't baby it, and it keeps ticking. If it ever dies, I'll get the 8qt, as I make a lot of broths, soups and stews that are big batches, and go into freezer for work lunches.
I have only used the pressure and slow cook settings, also. Mine has soup, meat/stew, and bean settings, that are almost exactly alike. It also has rice, multigrain, steam, yogurt, and something else, which I've never used.
I don't see how the sous vide and air fryer settings would work, but who knows. I have an Instant Pot air fryer, and like ti too, so I'm sold on the brand.

[klflowers]

I took my IP duo to my girlfriend’s house several weeks ago to make some beef with broccoli. I left it there by mistake; now she won’t give it back. Funny because when I took it over, she said she never cooked with one, wouldn’t cook with one, generally talked bad about it lol. Luckily I have an older electric pressure cooker, not as versatile as the IP, but it does the job.

[fzxdoc]

I hope your girlfriend is a keeper. After all, you can't entrust a beloved IP to just anyone!

K.

[IowaGirl]

I have a 6 qt IP, but if I ever need more capacity, I have a ginormous All American 921 pressure canner.

I used the IP sous vide mode once purely out of curiosity to cook carrots per a Serious Eats recipe. I recall I was supposed to SV the carrots at 158F. The actual temp tended to run a degree or two lower during the cook time.

At the end of the cook, the carrots were not remotely tender enough, which confirmed the temp isn't controlled as tightly as it needs to be for real sous vide. I knew that was likely going into this experiment, so I wasn't overly surprised.