My 8-quart Instant Pot arrived yesterday mid-day. This is my 4th or 5th electric pressure cooker, and it is replacing a Cooks Essentials 6-quart electric PC whose interior pot's non-stick lining had chipped. I also have some smaller Kuhn Rikon stovetop PCs, which permit really quick cooking for the recipes that fit into them.
I "must" have a large electric pressure cooker for 5 things:
1) I love to cook a whole chicken and make my chicken soup completely from scratch. In the U.S. our grocery stores have big chickens.
2) I am hooked on my own Corned Beef and Cabbage, because I cook the corned beef the night before, and remove the fat after a day of refrigeration. It tastes "cleaner" but still has lots of flavor.
3) Recipes for beef stews might limit the volume of potatoes, carrots, and onions to fit in the pot. An 8-quart pot allows me to use a larger cut of beef, and add more potatoes without jeopardizing the PC's ability to come up to pressure.
4) PC recipes that take longer than an hour test my patience for hanging around. I like to "set it and forget it" for a while.
5) Ribs. Ribs take up a lot of space, and most people don't limit themselves to a proper "single" portion. Set dry-rubbed ribs on a trivet in the PC and let the water's steam produce moist ribs. No BBQ sauce is needed!
I still use my smaller stovetop PCs for:
1) 3-qt is perfect size for rice. I prefer PC rice to rice cooker rice - less scorching. I freeze extra cooked rice.
2) 2-qt is perfect for simple dinner for 2 - and fast - it takes little time to come up to pressure or for natural release.
3) 5-qt braiser holds a full-size round cooling rack, allowing me to steam 4-5 chicken breasts or quickly steam asparagus.
4) I use the 5-qt braiser when I need a truly "quick release" to add foods in stages. With a stovetop PC, you take the PC to the sink and run cold water on the lid to reduce the pressure quickly. You can't do that with an electric cooker.
So, how about the 8-quart Instant Pot?
1) The inner pot is high quality. Soaking solves a lot of cleaning problems in stainless steel.
2) The silicone gasket fits very snugly. In fact, after I did my preliminary sudsy wash, it seemed like torture to get the gasket to fit correctly. I thought I had fit it correctly... until I tried to do the Water Test and I was unable to lock the lid in position. Thank goodness some kind souls on the Instant Pot Community page on Facebook helped me identify the problem. (When you get your 8-qt pot, observe carefully how the gasket fits before disassembling for washing.) Today,when I reassembled my IP, I patiently positioned the ring in one spot and patiently coaxed it into place, so apparently this old dog could still learn a new trick. (It is important that the gasket and the lid both be completely dry!)
3) The 8-qt. machine is BIG, and TALL. My kitchen counters are the high standard height, and it seemed awkward to me to try to saute in the Instant Pot. (One person suggested strongly that I use a step ladder - obviously no senior should try sauteing from a ladder.) With my beef stew recipe, I had planned to saute mushrooms and onions on the stove anyway (both emit a LOT of liquid, plus there is more "umami" when prepared this way) and add them to the stew at the end. So I sauteed the beef in the same 6 3/4 qt Le Creuset pot I was going to use for the mushrooms (I don't flip as much food out of that pot as when I use a normal saute pan). My method worked fine for me. If you dread cleaning an extra pot/pan, then you might choose to do everything in the Instant Pot - your choice. Today I reflected that I might use a table at the lower standard counter height, which would make it easier for me to saute in the Instant Pot itself, as long as the cord reached. (I loved the oval pot of the Cooks Essential PC - it was so easy to saute in it!)
4) The IP came up to pressure and down from pressure faster than the Cooks Essential PC. For a "quick" release, you don't have to wait as long before letting some steam out. And once the steam lever was released, the pressure came down very fast - that was a huge improvement over the Cook's Essential.
5) You can choose different settings for "Saute": great when you want a simmer and not a rapid boil!
6) There was plenty of extra room in the pot for the additional potatoes and carrots DH wants in the next batch.
7) Our beef stew was delightful, just as mouth-watering as doing the whole nine yards of Julia Child's Boeuf Bourguignon.
I am looking forward to trying many more recipes in this versatile cooker.
p.s. The packaging impressed me a lot! There was a reinforced plastic strap around the Instant Pot shipping box that made it easy to remove from the slightly larger Amazon shipping box. Inside the Instant Pot shipping box was the product box with all the graphics as you might see on a store shelf. The product box also had a plastic strap to coax the product box out of the Instant Pot shipping box. The product box had styrofoam reinforcement of the product at top and bottom. So the product was well protected during its shipping!
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Honest 5 Year Review of 8 qt Instant Pot Duo
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This Item  Instant Pot Duo 7-in-1 Electric Pressure Cooker, Slow Cooker, Rice Cooker, Steamer, Sauté, Yogurt Maker, Warmer & Sterilizer, Includes App With Over 800 Recipes, Stainless Steel, 8 Quart |  |  |  |  |  | |
| Price | $119.99 | -29% $119.95 List: $169.99 | -25% $149.95 List: $199.99 | -11% $79.99 List: $89.99 | $119.99 | $109.99 |
| Delivery | Get it as soon as Thursday, Apr 25 | Get it as soon as Wednesday, Apr 24 | Get it as soon as Wednesday, Apr 24 | Get it as soon as Wednesday, Apr 24 | Get it as soon as Wednesday, Apr 24 | Get it as soon as Wednesday, Apr 24 |
| Customer Ratings | ||||||
| Versatility | ||||||
| Safety Features | ||||||
| Easy to clean | ||||||
| Sold By | Amazon.com | Amazon.com | Amazon.com | Amazon.com | KINGBULL | Amazon.com |
| capacity | 8 quarts | 6 quarts | 6 quarts | 6 quarts | 8 quarts | 8 quarts |
| operation mode | Automatic | Automatic | Automatic | Automatic | Knob | Automatic |
| control method | touch | touch | touch | touch | touch | touch |
| material | Stainless steel | Stainless steel | Stainless steel | Stainless steel | Stainless steel,Aluminum Pot | Stainless steel |
| dishwasher safe | ✓ | ✓ | ✓ | ✓ | ✓ | ✓ |
| weight | 10.14 pounds | 6 kilograms | 15.54 pounds | 11.9 pounds | 14.33 pounds | 14.75 pounds |
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**UPDATE** Done after 3 years
**UPDATE** Well, it was good while it lasted. I turned it on yesterday to fix beans and all the lights lit up and I got a weird error code: CH6. I looked it up and that code means the pot has a defect - a faulty pressure sensor. Now it's just a giant paperweight. I contacted IP but because my pot is 3 years old, the best I can get is a 20 percent discount (but not here on Amazon where I shop all the time). It's not worth it. I can't replace a pot every 3 years. If it was my fault, I could see it but it's a mfrs defect. So... I'm going to look for some other brand. At least I have the inner pot to use for something.I didn't want to like the Instant Pot because it seemed like such a fad/trend, but... I am now one of its biggest promoters. I LOVE this thing. I think that I've only used my stove and oven a couple of times since I got an IP. I had the 6-quart at first and when I realized how much I was using it and needed a bigger one, I got the 8-quart and gave the 6 to my SIL for Christmas.PROS:You can cook almost anything in it. So far, I've done chicken breasts and wings, burgers, collard greens, turkey breast (for Thanksgiving), and a yogurt cheesecake. INo heating up the kitchen (in the summer, this will be really important)Less cleanup (Basically it's just what you fit into the IP)Easily moved and stored out of the wayAttractive to look at and you won't mind leaving it on your counters (if you have the room)Quiet operation.Has a Delay Start button. I find this perfect for most days. It's like that old saying of "set it and forget it".CONS:The Steam button confuses every new user. If it's up, you don't want to open it. (** On the 8-qt model the button stand way high out of the hole when cooking. I have attached photos showing the button positions on the *8 Quart model ONLY*)You will most likely need more accessories. I got a set of Pot-in-Pot pans and still would like to have more IP items.Can be awkward to remove foods/pans from the pot. Most people have learned to make slings out of foil or string.The steam release can be confusing & scary to new users. Basically "quick release" is using something to lift the steam nozzle to let the steam shoot out fast until the button pops down. "Slow Release" is when you just let the food sit for a while when it's finished cooking. I do this when I am cooking ahead of time. The main thing is to learn what position the button needs to be in on your model before you attempt to remove the lid.It does not brown or crisp foods. You can get some result on some foods using the Saute function but using the oven or air fryer to finish is bestLike most people, I didn't even use my IP for a few days after getting it because I was so scared of the thing. I joined a Facebook group and did a lot of online research before I finally took a chance. Now that I've used the IP, I can't imagine being without it.A couple of notes I wish I'd known before:1. The difference in size is important. I started with a 6-qt and moved up to the 8-qt and I'm cooking mainly for oneThis is a great photo showing the difference in sizes is courtesy online of "Mama Shire"2. Do make notes of temps and times for things you cook. I put my notes in my cookbook and a copy on the fridge. Not everyone else's times and temps worked for me.3. You can use the handle of a wooden spoon or something to do a quick steam release.4. For some reason, I need to use more seasonings when cooking in the IP with the lid on. That, or adding a little oil on top of seasonings seems to help.5. There are recipes for cakes and bread, etc online. Take time to experiment and don't just stick to the pressure cooking button.6. For browning some foods, the Saute function is really useful.7. If you preheat IP with the Saute function while prepping food, the machine gets ready faster when you start to cook.8. That Steam/Vent switch is not meant to be tight as I thought it should be. I thought mine was broken because it was so loose. Nope. It's just like that. You simply turn the thing toward Steam when getting ready to cook/pressurize. When done, if you want to do a quick release and open the pot, that is when you use something to lift the switch to let the steam escape. Or you can just wait until it finishes releasing on its one and the nozzle drops back into place.
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JS
Instantly Turns Janes And Joes Into Pros!
Reviewed in Canada on January 2, 2019Size: 8QTVerified Purchase
JS
Reviewed in Canada on January 2, 2019
This thing is friendly for cooking dummies like myself. There are tons of delicious recipes online that are easy to follow and once everything is in the pot, you simply start a timer and that's it. Once the timer is done, open the valve to release the steam and once the steam has released, dinner is served. There is literally nothing to screw up during the cooking process; it's simple and ingenious.
The Instant Pot works by using pressure from steam to significantly shorten cooking times meaning more time for you to do other fun things like hanging out with your significant other, or watching TV, or both! We've made 'fall off the bone' ribs in about 45 mins (including creating the sauté and taking into account warming up and steam release) that were comparable in taste to ribs that had been slow cooked for 4 hrs. We've also used it to make homemade soups as it takes much less time for the flavour in the ingredients in the soup to trickle into the soup vs traditional boiling over a stove. Chicken in ten minutes? You bet. Perfectly cooked hard boiled eggs in under 5 minutes and delicious cheesecake in under an hour (including steam release) were all no problem for even a simpleton like myself to make, and best of all, everything actually tastes great too!! I've included pictures of a few of the things we've made using the Instant Pot. Yes, all of the food pictures in this review were made using the Instant Pot!
When it comes to cooking, there aren't too many things out there that are game changers, but an air fryer, a sous vide and an Instant Pot are, and if you happen to have all three, congratulations for having the trifecta of cooking greatness in your kitchen!
PROS
* So easy to use that even guys that literally can't cook (me) can look like a rock star. Once everything is in the pot, you set the timer and go. Once it's done, open the valve to release the steam and dinner is served. There literally is nothing to screw up and best of all, the food is delicious!
* The Instant Pot significantly shortens cooking time of most things, freeing up your valuable time to do other fun things! :P
* There are literally tons and tons of delicious recipes online. Guaranteed you will discover there are things that you can make in the Instant Pot that you never knew could be made in an Instant Pot.
* Goodbye slow cooker. That was so the 70's.
* Easy to clean. The pot is stainless steel and the lid can be removed and fully submerged. The seal on the lid comes off and replacement seals for the lid can be purchased when it eventually wears out.
CONS
* Too many models just make for mass confusion. Have a look at my TIPS section for some help.
* Expensive, so wait for a sale if you can as they do on sale, especially for big events like Boxing Day, Black Friday, etc.
TIPS
* Don't get too caught up with the "x-in-1" features. They just add a preset cooking time for a type of food to the Instant Pot and up the "in-1" number. You can just manually input the cooking time yourself.
* The most important thing is determining the size of the Instant Pot that you need. For our family of 4, we went for the 8 quart esp. since the wife likes to make home made soups.
* The Lux model does not have low pressure cooking while Duo models have both high and low pressure. Low pressure cooking is typically used to make delicate foods like yogurt, eggs and veggies. If you don't think you'll make yogurt, eggs or veggies in the Instant Pot, just get the Lux model which skips the low pressure. Pro tip: Cooking rice uses high pressure.
* Take the Instant Pot outdoors to release the steam when doing a quick release or it will quickly smell up the house of whatever you're making. Use a glove or mitt to be safe.
* When making a lot of food, esp. soups, mind the max line. If you want less chance to have a mess on the bottom of the lid, go an inch under the max line.
* Be careful when releasing the steam. I've included a video of what a fast release of the steam looks like. You don't want your bare hand anywhere close to that hot steam. Read the instruction manual!!! Seriously, read it.
Images in this review
jcnoac
Excelente calidad
Reviewed in Mexico on March 10, 2024Size: 8QTVerified Purchase
jcnoac
Reviewed in Mexico on March 10, 2024
Images in this review
Polet anay Rodríguez aldaba
El mejor artículo para la cocina
Reviewed in Mexico on March 5, 2024Size: 8QTVerified Purchase
Polet anay Rodríguez aldaba
Reviewed in Mexico on March 5, 2024
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jane
It works! And is just as fast as 6 quart!
Reviewed in Canada on February 13, 2024Size: 8QTVerified Purchase
