Any Instant Pot users here?

[FraggleRock]

Recent gift.
Made https://twosleevers.com/now-later-butte ... re-cooker/ 2 nights ago.
Delicious and easy.
Now, an Instant Pot fan.

[wrongfunds]

goat mutton curry cooking time was cut in half! we were expecting that 25 minute cooking would not be enough and were fully prepared to cook again but were surprised to find that the meat was done. It took little bit more than 5 minute for the pot to built up steam and we waited 20 minute after the cooking for natural steam release. So all in all it was 50 minute start to finish but that is still about half of what we usually end up on the stove.

next project:- goat mutton biryani; we will see how that comes out.

And yes, goat mutton is an acquired (and expensive!) test, but we love it.

[av111]

Got instant pot this Christmas. I love it because it can do simple cooking well. Wife doesn't like it as much because it is just one more thing on the counter that is not a solution for all cooking situations. Since she owns the kitchen, it is not used as much right now. But we are slowly getting around to liking it

AV

[Jeff Albertson]

Amazon currently has a free Instant Pot cookbook, in Kindle format.

Instant Pot Cookbook: The Ultimate Guide Plus 101 Delicious Recipes
https://www.amazon.com/Instant-Pot-Cook ... net+chapin

[av111]

Amazon currently has a free Instant Pot cookbook, in Kindle format.

Instant Pot Cookbook: The Ultimate Guide Plus 101 Delicious Recipes
https://www.amazon.com/Instant-Pot-Cook ... net+chapin

Got the book just now. Still free for Kindle. Quick reference for recipes

[knightrider]

We got an instant pot a few years ago but hardly use it. I am thinking to sell it because it just seems overly complicated. Yes, it can cook beans in 20 minutes vs 1 hour on the stove. But I don't cook beans often . Plus I am not bothered by the 1 hour cook time. Most of my cooking time is spent in prep work and cleanup. Whether something takes 20 minutes or 1 hour to cook makes little difference to me. I also like to monitor and see how things are going on. Instant pot seems like a black box. How do I know if I've overcooked the beans?

[novice111]

i use a pressure cooker daily to cook.
an electric pressure cooker is an idea whose time has come , so naturally i bought the IP years ago.

since then, it has broken down 3 times- electronics failure- failed to turn on

however, it was within a year of purchase- so Instant Pot replaced it 3 times for me.
definitely makes me use it less

build is cheap for sure.
i wish panasonic would make one- i'd buy .

my 2 cents- instant pot has a timer- once the food is done, it keeps the food warm and a counter counts up. Try to turn off the IP once your food is done, and don't leave it in the warm mode.Per DH who's an electronics engineer and who examined the circuitry of the previous instant Pots- this will extend its life- seems to have worked so far.

[123]

We've had one for about a year. Initially we used it quite a bit but now we rarely use it. We found the cleaning process tedious with the care needed to remove small parts. While pressure cooking is faster the time it takes to build up and slowly release pressure (depending on recipe) tends to diminish the advantage.

Do you have enough room on your kitchen counter-top to store it? It it a large and cumbersome item that will only fit in a couple of places in our kitchen cabinets, and we have moveable shelves. Thinking about some relative's homes they would not have cabinet space for a 6 quart model.

[Horton]

We got one about 6-9 months ago. We make spaghetti in it and really like the flavor it adds to the pasta. We currently don't use it for anything else though...maybe some day.

[ruhigste]

Love it. Do it.

+2

[mervinj7]

Love it. Do it.

+2

+3 Use it 3-4 times a week.
For cleaning, I stick the steel insert and rubber ring into the dishwasher. I don't remove any small pieces like someone mentioned above. Easy peasy.
This week, we made lentils, beef short ribs, pork ribs, egg curry, and mint chicken soup.

[hicabob]

We've had one for about a year. Initially we used it quite a bit but now we rarely use it. We found the cleaning process tedious with the care needed to remove small parts. While pressure cooking is faster the time it takes to build up and slowly release pressure (depending on recipe) tends to diminish the advantage.

Do you have enough room on your kitchen counter-top to store it? It it a large and cumbersome item that will only fit in a couple of places in our kitchen cabinets, and we have moveable shelves. Thinking about some relative's homes they would not have cabinet space for a 6 quart model.

I'm an IP aficionado. Stew, curry, beans, oatmeal, brown rice, quinoa, etc. It gets used most days so stays on counter.
I'm surprised at your cleaning problems. The pressure relief valve doesn't have to be cleaned unless it get covered in bean goop or similar. I think I've cleaned mine once in a couple years. Same goes for the silicone sealing ring. I let the stainless pot soak for an hour or so after use then cleanup is easy.

[minimalistmarc]

The instant pot is amazing. When my wife bought it I rolled my eyes but over the last six months we have made lots of Bolognaise, chicken curries, macaroni cheese, fish, soup, rissotos and even cheese cake and other cakes. Also, I always make boiled eggs in it these days, perfect peel eggs every time.

It really is a must have gadget, and I’m not a gadget person ( I gave my nespresso machine away).

In fact, if we had more space I’d probably own two!

[CAsage]

I adore mine. It cooks poultry better than any method I've tried - whole chickens or big turkey breasts turn out amazing! Recommend buying the America's Test Kitchen cookbook, as always they have the gold standard of instruction. My one try at pot roast was a bust, but everything else has been great. Fast, doesn't heat up the whole kitchen, retains moisture in the food... "Multicooker Perfection". They also have a Mediterranean one I want to try next.

[michaeljc70]

I think the problem is people have too high of an expectation. It is a pressure cooker. Though you can make anything in it, that doesn't mean it will taste good or save time. I use it for things that would take hours to cook like chuck roasts, pork shoulder, bone broth, etc. and it works great and saves time. I am not going to try to make pasta in it as I can make pasta quicker on the stove top. It is also handy in the summer when you don't want to turn the oven on for things that take a long time and can be cooked using a pressure cooker.

[FrankTheViking]

We got an instant pot a few years ago but hardly use it. I am thinking to sell it because it just seems overly complicated. Yes, it can cook beans in 20 minutes vs 1 hour on the stove. But I don't cook beans often . Plus I am not bothered by the 1 hour cook time. Most of my cooking time is spent in prep work and cleanup. Whether something takes 20 minutes or 1 hour to cook makes little difference to me. I also like to monitor and see how things are going on. Instant pot seems like a black box. How do I know if I've overcooked the beans?

I'm with you. Cook beans on stove.... used to use for rice but got a $20 rice cooker as a gift so no go on that. We do like eating those 22oz cornish game hens, was recently thinking about trying to cook one of those from frozen. Might be handy for that..... although I could also just thaw it out in the fridge over a couple days so it doesn't really solve a problem.

[bryansmile]

It's an affordable rice cooker with a stainless steel inner pot. It's hard to find a good one WITHOUT nonstick coating inside.

[knightrider]

It's an affordable rice cooker with a stainless steel inner pot. It's hard to find a good one WITHOUT nonstick coating inside.

What advantage does stainless steel provide over nonstick coating?

[bryansmile]

It's an affordable rice cooker with a stainless steel inner pot. It's hard to find a good one WITHOUT nonstick coating inside.

What advantage does stainless steel provide over nonstick coating?

We don't like nonstick coating in our cookware.
The IP is not the best rice cooker, but sufficient and affordable.

[Soul.in.Progress]

I’m very attached to mine! I cook a ton, and it has been easily the handiest thing ever to come into my kitchen besides an assistant chef There are several things I love about it, the most important being the fact that it is mostly hands off, as opposed to standing over/near a stove and having to stir things. I also love the fact that I can sauté before sealing it up for the pressure cycle. The fact that flavors get sealed in, its mostly dummy proof, things like lentils and beets cook faster than over the stove, and there is just one pot to wash at the end are all bonuses.

I have made many soups, many curries, rice, lentils, quinoa, oatmeal, pasta dishes, beets, chicken recipes, and am always on the hunt for anything else that I can try making in my IP.

I have also bought it as gifts for friends and family. As far as I know, they have all enjoyed having one. Though I’m not sure if they use theirs as much as I use mine

[whereskyle]

Bought it, tried to use it several times, results were never as good as advertised (they were quite poor but likely user error), stopped trying to figure it out, sold it for half the price it cost to buy.

[Yukon]

What advantage does stainless steel provide over nonstick coating?

For us it's the chemicals that leach into food at high temperatures of teflon, etc. Dupont covered up the risks of the chemical components in nonstick. I'm not sure the risks but I'm confident it's not zero.

[TheOscarGuy]

I have been thinking of purchasing an Instant Pot for a few different reasons. Mostly ease of use/cleanup and time saving qualities. BUT, I can't quite pull the trigger and was hoping Bogleheads could help me out. Namely two questions:

1)how does the majority of food turn out? The low price has me a bit worried there is a downside to it and I'm half-guessing it comes in the form of bland food. (I've never used a pressure cooker, so this may be a silly question)

2)are they built to last? Again, the price has me worried the electronics are cheaply made and I'd have to buy a new one every year or so.

Any recommendations or complaints about it?

Any EASY recipes anyone wanting to share?

Thanks!

Your thread title qualifies as click bait.

[iceport]

Add me to the list of folks who consider the Instant Pot an indispensable kitchen necessity. I use mine practically every single day — often twice a day!

I must admit that I haven't been very adventurous yet in attempting entree dishes, but I've made a chicken with leeks and mushrooms a few times that comes out quite well and very tasty. I also make a wonderful hearty pasta fagioli soup using only the Instant Pot, including first sauteing the bacon, then cooking the veggies, then adding and cooking the beans (no soaking required!) and pasta.

The vast majority of its value to me (so far) is in cooking healthy sides and ingredients for stove top meals. The cupboard is stocked with these dried beans and grains, and I cook one of them just about every single day:

farro
kamut
barley
sorghum
quinoa
amaranth

French lentils
black lentils
green, red, and yellow lentils
chick peas
navy beans
black-eyed peas
chana dal lentils
great northern beans
kidney beans
mung beans

The list of advantages for cooking these staples includes:

► No need to attend the cooking — or even be home for it! For many of the beans and grains that take longer to cook, it's easy to load the cooker, go for a hike, and come home hungry. It's as easy to use as a washing machine: load it up, close the lid, turn it on, then go about your life. Even if I'm home and cooking other stuff, it's one less thing for this relatively inexperienced cook to stress about. It frees me up to focus attention elsewhere.
► No pre-soaking anything. I never bothered cooking dried beans and grains that require pre-soaking before. Now that I don't have to go through the bother of pre-soaking anything, it's opened up a whole new list of foods I cook on a regular basis.
► Easy clean-up. If a grain or legume is all that is cooked, only the pot needs to be washed — and that's easy because there's no handle to fuss around. I'll just shake the pure condensation off the lid and give it a quick wipe with a napkin.
► No sweat. Because the design is so energy efficient (being sealed on top, insulated on the side, and with power digitally controlled using temperature/pressure sensors), it adds little heat and humidity to the kitchen when it's hot and you want to avoid those things.

I also use it for dessert. I'll reach for a bowl bulgur wheat with apples and cinnamon like many other folks will reach for a bowl of ice cream. It's quick and easy to make, and way healthier than ice cream. (And when I do, it's typically the second use of the day for the Instant Pot.)

Speaking of health, I am absolutely convinced that all those grains and beans I've been eating are responsible for dropping my cholesterol rather significantly (though it's never been too high), even as I added eggs to my daily diet. Dried beans don't get any chemicals leaching into them like canned beans might. And pressure cooking removes lectins, if you worry about them.

For convenience and health, I can't recommend an Instant Pot — or any equivalent modern pressure cooker — highly enough.

[Mudpuppy]

► No pre-soaking anything. I never bothered cooking dried beans and grains that require pre-soaking before. Now that I don't have to go through the bother of pre-soaking anything, it's opened up a whole new list of foods I cook on a regular basis.

One safety note with dried beans: Kidney beans, particularly red kidney beans, cannellini beans, broad beans, and some other bean varieties have a toxin that MUST be cooked to an internal temperature of 100C (boiling) for at least 10 minutes to neutralize the toxin. Tests have showed that 80C (slow cooker mode) is not sufficient to neutralize the toxin, and may in fact activate it (make it worse). You must make sure to cook the beans in a mode that will reach that internal temperature for that length of time.

Personally, for any recipe using dried beans, I pre-boil my beans for 20 minutes and discard the water used to boil them. It's an extra step, but it ensures they reach an appropriate temperature for an appropriate length of time. Pressure cooker mode at the "high" pressure setting probably gets the temperature there (unless you are at high altitude since the Instant Pot regulates by PSI, not by temperature), but I do not want to risk bean poisoning from the toxin just to save a half hour of time.

The toxin will cause VERY severe gastrointestinal symptoms in a relatively short amount of time. It's not something you want to mess around with. Here's a reference site with more information: http://www.foodreference.com/html/artre ... oning.html

[billy269]

My favorite feature is cooking beans from hard to ready to eat in about 45 minutes without soaking. I rarely eat beans from a can anymore.

[iceport]

► No pre-soaking anything. I never bothered cooking dried beans and grains that require pre-soaking before. Now that I don't have to go through the bother of pre-soaking anything, it's opened up a whole new list of foods I cook on a regular basis.

One safety note with dried beans: Kidney beans, particularly red kidney beans, cannellini beans, broad beans, and some other bean varieties have a toxin that MUST be cooked to an internal temperature of 100C (boiling) for at least 10 minutes to neutralize the toxin. Tests have showed that 80C (slow cooker mode) is not sufficient to neutralize the toxin, and may in fact activate it (make it worse). You must make sure to cook the beans in a mode that will reach that internal temperature for that length of time.

Hi Mudpuppy,

I didn't know about this risk, so thanks! It seems as though this is another benefit of pressure cooking: it cooks at temperatures well above the boiling point, due to the pressure.

I cook dried (not pre-soaked) beans at high pressure, typically for over 30 minutes. According to this rather authoritative-looking site, the temperature in an Instant Pot at high pressure is between 239 and 244 degrees F. That's in fairly good agreement with the graph below from the Instant Pot webpage.

And that makes sense, from what I (little) remember of thermodynamics. If I listen closely, right before the pot pressurizes I can hear the water boiling. After the pressure valve is engaged and the pressure starts building, I can hear the boiling slowly subside. That's because the boiling point is elevated at higher pressure. So the beans are actually being cooked in super-heated water, at temperatures well above what's possible in a pot on the stove — even with salt added.

[Miriam2]

. . . It seems as though this is another benefit of pressure cooking: it cooks at temperatures well above the boiling point, due to the pressure.

I cook dried (not pre-soaked) beans at high pressure, typically for over 30 minutes. According to this rather authoritative-looking site, the temperature in an Instant Pot at high pressure is between 239 and 244 degrees F. That's in fairly good agreement with the graph below from the Instant Pot webpage.

And that makes sense, from what I (little) remember of thermodynamics. If I listen closely, right before the pot pressurizes I can hear the water boiling. After the pressure valve is engaged and the pressure starts building, I can hear the boiling slowly subside. That's because the boiling point is elevated at higher pressure. So the beans are actually being cooked in super-heated water, at temperatures well above what's possible in a pot on the stove — even with salt added.

I just love it when engineers try to cook simple things

[iceport]

I just love it when engineers try to cook simple things

[Miriam2]

I just love it when engineers try to cook simple things

Another fond Bogleheads thread - with engineers trying to cook Beef Roast

[michaeljc70]

I already commented, but I wish that rim on the main unit outside the stainless steel pot was easier to clean. I put the rest (sealing ring, lid, SS pot) in the dishwasher. I wrap a skewer or skinny end of a small utensil in a paper towel and that kind of does the job but it could be easier. Given the pressure requirements I don't know if it could be designed better.

[mervinj7]

One safety note with dried beans: Kidney beans, particularly red kidney beans, cannellini beans, broad beans, and some other bean varieties have a toxin that MUST be cooked to an internal temperature of 100C (boiling) for at least 10 minutes to neutralize the toxin. Tests have showed that 80C (slow cooker mode) is not sufficient to neutralize the toxin, and may in fact activate it (make it worse). You must make sure to cook the beans in a mode that will reach that internal temperature for that length of time.

The article you cited gives a great reason to NOT use a slow cooker for cooking beans. As others have pointed out, an IP will well above 100C on both high and low pressure settings. The specs are listed on page 5 of the manual.

 Working temperature: 115°C ~ 118°C (239°F ~ 244°F) at high pressure setting; 110°C ~112°C (229 ~ 233°F) at low pressure setting.

https://instantpot.com/wp-content/uploa ... n-2017.pdf

[michaeljc70]

One safety note with dried beans: Kidney beans, particularly red kidney beans, cannellini beans, broad beans, and some other bean varieties have a toxin that MUST be cooked to an internal temperature of 100C (boiling) for at least 10 minutes to neutralize the toxin. Tests have showed that 80C (slow cooker mode) is not sufficient to neutralize the toxin, and may in fact activate it (make it worse). You must make sure to cook the beans in a mode that will reach that internal temperature for that length of time.

The article you cited gives a great reason to NOT use a slow cooker for cooking beans. As others have pointed out, an IP will well above 100C on both high and low pressure settings. The specs are listed on page 5 of the manual.

 Working temperature: 115°C ~ 118°C (239°F ~ 244°F) at high pressure setting; 110°C ~112°C (229 ~ 233°F) at low pressure setting.

https://instantpot.com/wp-content/uploa ... n-2017.pdf

The article also says "The syndrome is usually caused by the ingestion of raw, soaked kidney beans, either alone or in salads or casseroles."

[bampf]

I recently started using the instapot to make Beef Bourguignon. Absolutely amazing.

[mervinj7]

I already commented, but I wish that rim on the main unit outside the stainless steel pot was easier to clean. I put the rest (sealing ring, lid, SS pot) in the dishwasher. I wrap a skewer or skinny end of a small utensil in a paper towel and that kind of does the job but it could be easier. Given the pressure requirements I don't know if it could be designed better.

I agree. That's the most annoying part to clean. We end up cleaning it only once a week. Paper towel wipe technique similar to below.

https://youtu.be/rmwrhux2mls

[CABob]

I already commented, but I wish that rim on the main unit outside the stainless steel pot was easier to clean. I put the rest (sealing ring, lid, SS pot) in the dishwasher. I wrap a skewer or skinny end of a small utensil in a paper towel and that kind of does the job but it could be easier. Given the pressure requirements I don't know if it could be designed better.

I agree. That's the most annoying part to clean. We end up cleaning it only once a week. Paper towel wipe technique similar to below.

https://youtu.be/rmwrhux2mls

Q-Tips?
Stiff brush like an acid brush?

[Mudpuppy]

One safety note with dried beans: Kidney beans, particularly red kidney beans, cannellini beans, broad beans, and some other bean varieties have a toxin that MUST be cooked to an internal temperature of 100C (boiling) for at least 10 minutes to neutralize the toxin. Tests have showed that 80C (slow cooker mode) is not sufficient to neutralize the toxin, and may in fact activate it (make it worse). You must make sure to cook the beans in a mode that will reach that internal temperature for that length of time.

The article you cited gives a great reason to NOT use a slow cooker for cooking beans. As others have pointed out, an IP will well above 100C on both high and low pressure settings. The specs are listed on page 5 of the manual.

 Working temperature: 115°C ~ 118°C (239°F ~ 244°F) at high pressure setting; 110°C ~112°C (229 ~ 233°F) at low pressure setting.

https://instantpot.com/wp-content/uploa ... n-2017.pdf

Note that I clearly said to not use "slow cooker mode" and that high pressure mode is probably okay (depending on altitude, since Instant Pot uses a pressure sensor, not a temperature sensor, to control the pressure mode).

However, having had bean poisoning once in my life due to someone else's poor bean preparation, once was MORE than enough. So I personally pre-boil my beans not only to reach the right temperature, but also to throw away the water used to boil the beans to a safe temperature. The cooking process then starts with fresh liquid and safe beans, which is probably overkill, but I'm not risking going through that again just to save a half hour of cooking. I also don't eat bean dishes prepared by other home cooks anymore.

[iceport]

Note that I clearly said to not use "slow cooker mode" and that high pressure mode is probably okay (depending on altitude, since Instant Pot uses a pressure sensor, not a temperature sensor, to control the pressure mode).

Mudpuppy,

I think it's more than "probably" OK using a pressure cooker to achieve hot enough cooking temperatures. It's definitely OK, and certainly provides a far better factor of safety for cooking hot enough than boiling at ambient air pressures — no matter what the altitude. In fact, at high altitudes a pressure cooker is probably the only practical way to ensure boiling occurs at a high enough temperature.

This website claims there's a 14 degree F drop in the boiling point temperature going from sea level to 7500 feet. Assuming a fairly linear relationship in this narrow temperature range, I would assume that means the temperature of the Instant Pot pressure cooker would drop to 225 - 230 degrees F (down from 239 to 244 degrees F).

That's still well above the boiling point of water at sea level. And it's hotter than you're able to reach boiling water on the stove top, even if you add salt.

[abuss368]

Love the instant pot!

[Mudpuppy]

That's still well above the boiling point of water at sea level. And it's hotter than you're able to reach boiling water on the stove top, even if you add salt.

You're still missing the part where I said that I discard the original water used to render the beans safe and put the beans into fresh liquid for the final recipe. I find changing the water after the initial boil improves the flavor, reduces the "bean foam", and improves my peace of mind about the safety of the beans. All of these are subjective of course, but this is important to me and it only costs me 30 minutes of my time (not really even that, since I can set the timer and do something else while they boil).

So please stop trying to somehow prove me wrong on wanting to take those extra 30 minutes to pre-boil the beans and discard the water they were boiled in. I have determined that the time is worth it given the end result, based on several metrics that are important to me. Please respect that decision that I have made in my kitchen, while also making sure to cook your own beans safely.

[iceport]

That's still well above the boiling point of water at sea level. And it's hotter than you're able to reach boiling water on the stove top, even if you add salt.

You're still missing the part where I said that I discard the original water used to render the beans safe and put the beans into fresh liquid for the final recipe. I find changing the water after the initial boil improves the flavor, reduces the "bean foam", and improves my peace of mind about the safety of the beans. All of these are subjective of course, but this is important to me and it only costs me 30 minutes of my time (not really even that, since I can set the timer and do something else while they boil).

So please stop trying to somehow prove me wrong on wanting to take those extra 30 minutes to pre-boil the beans and discard the water they were boiled in. I have determined that the time is worth it given the end result, based on several metrics that are important to me. Please respect that decision that I have made in my kitchen, while also making sure to cook your own beans safely.

I'm not trying to prove you wrong on your method of cooking. We all have our preferences, and I didn't certainly mean to critique yours. I was simply addressing your apparent doubt about the cooking temperature attained with a digitally controlled pressure cooker.

You said:

Pressure cooker mode at the "high" pressure setting probably gets the temperature there (unless you are at high altitude since the Instant Pot regulates by PSI, not by temperature)...

All I'm trying to point out is that the pressure cooker definitely cooks at a higher temperature than you are cooking (even at high altitudes). There should be no doubt about that.

[GoldenOne]

Got really excited ... I thought someone just started smoking funny cigarettes for the first time due to recent state legalizing or something.

[MadHungarian]

Yeah, like a pot shop with 15-minute delivery.

[InMyDreams]

I've been in my garden, thinking about weed control...and missing my instant pot.

An alternative use: plug it in outside, boil a pot of water under pressure. Quick release. Very carefully take over a portion to the weeds that are growing in a corner by themselves, and dump it on. Very carefully , because you don't want to burn yourself, or any plants (or trees) that are nearby. Sorry earthworms - but it's a non-toxic, non-chemical and quick way to discourage weeds.

[InMyDreams]

but more on topic -

does anyone have a ninja multi cooker, with pressure cooking and roaster functions? How might it compare to Instant Pot?

Anyone using the IP sous vide function?

[Broken Man 1999]

DW cooked her second meal yesterday in her Instant Pot.

This time she made stuffed peppers. She still calls her brother to make sure she is doing things correctly, but she is getting the hang of it. The peppers were delicious, as was her first IP meal, chicken breasts.

I think over time she will get more comfortable with using it, and will start to use the IP more than her crock pot. She has had a very long relationship with crock pots. When we both worked crock pots provided many meals for us to come home to enjoy. Certainly a help for busy households.

I wake up frequently during the night, and have seen so many commercials for some device that makes a toaster oven seem like it is a relic from the stone age. Air Fryer XL maybe....

Broken Man 1999

[Mudpuppy]

I wake up frequently during the night, and have seen so many commercials for some device that makes a toaster oven seem like it is a relic from the stone age. Air Fryer XL maybe....

One of my co-workers has an air fryer and loved it enough to bring another one for the work break room. Although, before the work from home situation, I only ever really saw her using it. In any case, here's a Consumer Reports article on air fryers: https://www.consumerreports.org/air-fry ... air-fryer/

[BrownEyedGirl_27]

My wife's been eyeing one but I'm not convinced it's the answer she's looking for. I do the majority of the cooking and we've already got a pressure cooker (love it), rice cooker, yogurt maker, and a crock pot so I don't see where a Instant Pot would fit in. My experience is that a tool/appliance/whatever, that is designed to do one thing and one thing only, will do it well. Whereas a multipurpose one will do everything OK, but perhaps not quite as well. That however, is a personal opinion only based on my experience. Also, since I don't have one I can't comment on how well they work. Until I got a rice cooker, I always figured, "It's rice, how hard can it be? Put it in a pot on the stove and you're done." The convenience and perfect rice that the cooker made after I bought one proved me wrong. Perhaps it's the same with an Instant Pot.

The rice I’ve made in the instant pot is much better than any I’ve made in our actual rice cooker. We make brown rice in ours, which cuts the cook time from 1 hour to 30 minutes!

I am happy with our instant pot (we got it as a gift), and the only minor complaint I have is that the silicone ring retains the smell of the previous item you’ve cooked. If you buy one I would buy an additional ring to designate one for sweet dishes and the other for savory dishes.

I like the sauté feature a lot, especially because oil won’t splatter out unless you’re using a lot of oil or butter in your cooking. Just one pot to clean up if you’re making a soup or all-in-one meal. We’ve had ours for 2.5 years and love how easy it is to cook!

[chipperd]

We won't be buying one because we like good food, we have respect for food, and we like to cook.

If you're on the fence about buying one, ask yourself this question: how many high quality restaurants will be preparing their food in an instant pot? The answer is none.

Said the person who doesn't own one, never cooked in one, never ate food prepared in one. An uniformed opinion isn't what the OP was looking for here.
Oh, and high level restaurants do use pressure cookers, which is the technology used by the instant pot.

[Lilly]

I purchased a I pot a couple of years ago. I never got in to using it. During Lock Down, I decided to learn how to use it. I started following "Pressure Luck" on youtube. I fell in love with my I Pot. This guy has such great recipes. I have tried many of them and we love all that we have tried.

Happy cooking,
Lily