Which Size Instant Pot Is Best For You
Ok, this part is not as cut-and-dry as the model choices. You’ll have to follow some gut instincts.
I went around and around for many months before buying my second Instant Pot, simply because I didn’t know whether to get another 6-quart or to get a larger 8-quart.
Let’s talk through it.
First of all, keep in mind that as with any pot that’s advertised as holding a certain volume, you cannot use all of it. Advertised 6-quart volume means up to the top of the pot.
Which of us ever fills a pot to the top? No one at least not if we don’t want a mess!
You need room for expansion, boiling, stirring, putting your foods up on a rack, etc.
Once I bought a stainless steel pot for making cheese and I made a mistake. I wanted to make cheese with 3 gallons of milk, so that’s the size of pot I bought.
Then it arrived and I realized my error. I couldn’t use the entire 3-gallon capacity I could use only 2-1/2 to 2-3/4 gallons or so. Oops.
I sent it back and got the 4-gallon stainless steel pot. And now I use it to about the 3-1/2 gallon capacity.
See what I mean? Your pot needs more capacity than you’ll use.
Same thing with the Instant Pot. If you’re pressure cooking in the Instant Pot, you cannot overfill it or you’ll have a problem. The max fill line is a little more than 3/4 full.
when you’re choosing your Instant Pot, choose a higher volume capacity than you think you need. You probably won’t regret bigger , but you certainly will regret too small.
Instant Pot Short Ribs Times & Instructions:
- Preheat oil with the Saute function, and season your short ribs liberally with salt and other spices if desired.
- Sear one side of the short ribs for about 7 minutes before flipping and finishing up the other side with a 5-minute sear. This step is great for breaking down the meat and starting off the cooking process strong, melting down some of that fat.
- Drain the fat before adding liquid. Preferably, you can spare 2 cups of decent red wine for this part. This is the key to a great braised flavour.
- For boneless short ribs: Cook the meat on high pressure for 35 minutes.
- For bone-in short ribs: Cook the meat on high pressure for 50 minutes.
- Finish up with a natural pressure release for 15 minutes, followed up with a quick release if needed.
- For the best results, add balsamic vinegar to the remaining liquid and boil it down to a sticky reduction to coat your ribs with yum!
Try this recipe: Rustic Instant Pot BBQ Beef Short Ribs
Pressure Cook The Cake
Although the Instant Pot has plenty of fancy features I considered to cook the cake , to keep the recipe as simple as possible and accommodate different brands of electric pressure cookers, I went the simple route and cooked it on high pressure .
- Add 1/2 cup water to the Instant Pot. This will prevent the dreaded Burn warning.
- Lower the cake into the Instant Pot via either the foil sling or the trivet.
- Seal and cook on high pressure for 35 minutes, then vent immediately.
- Let the cake cool, then its time for
Read Also: What To Do When Instant Pot Says Food Burn
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About The Instant Pot Duo60 6 Quart
This multi-cooker the Instant Pot DUO60 6 Qt 7-in-1 is an electric pressure cooker that was designed in Canada. The main aims of the design process were to present a Convenient and Dependable cooker that must be safe as well.
Appliances that this multi-cooker replaces in your kitchen are:
This 6 quart Instant Pot replaces 7 Common Kitchen Appliances in one pot
- Pressure Cooker
- Fry Pan
- Yogurt Maker
The result when using the different functions of the multi-cooker is the same as your traditional appliances, just in one place.
Easy one-touch controls select your dish and press the button to get started.
This cooker using 70% less energy than traditional cookers and your food is prepared 2 to 6 times faster.
The exterior body of this instant pot comprises a brushed stainless steel exterior which is also fingerprint-resistant. There are also lid holders for left and right-handed chefs. The Instant Pot traps all the goodness inside the appliance without heating up your kitchen. It does not leak steam or make any noises while in operation.
To maximize the performance of this multi-cooker the manufacturer advises that you should only use genuine Instant Pot accessories. These also assist you in protecting your multi-cooker from damage.
Instant Pot 3 Quart Vs 6 Quart Which Size Is Better
October 27, 2020 by Kane Dalin
Today the world is full of technologies in every field you can ever imagine.
Everyone is pretty much busy with their paced lifestyles and running towards something or the other. Even the kitchens are getting modernized with the help of the latest technologies.
The activities that used to take hours are now just completing is a few minutes. One of the latest equipment is the Instant Pot.
We are going to throw some light on the fact that Which size is Better for Instant Pot? .
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Why Use Different Rings For Making Instant Pot Desserts
When I turned my Instant Pot on with the apple cinnamon cake already in it, the strangest thing happened. It started smelling like a wonderful aroma of cinnamon apples. Wrong! Instead it started smelling like beef stew! I forgot to change the ring! This is exactly why I keep two separate rings: one for desserts, and the other for savory dishes.
And while I enjoy the smell of the stew, I would really prefer to smell apple and cinnamon while making a cake.
Are you also making both desserts and savory recipes with your Instant Pot? I recommend to use these BPA free and dishwasher safe genuine Instant Pot rings. That way you will have 2 different rings for those purposes to avoid your cake smelling like a stew!
Which Instant Pot Is Right For My Family
November 27, 2017 by // by Holly
The Instant Pot is more than a craze now. Everywhere you turn, you see talk-show hosts and news anchors doing segments on this new device thats sweeping the nation! And with good reason.
People are just now starting to hear about the benefits of pressure-cooking as a way to cook delicious and healthy meals without having to stand over a stove. Youve probably heard from more than one friend about how much they love their Instapot.
But the truth is, the Instant Pot has been around a few years, and pressure cooking for ages. But this aint your grandmas pressure cooker! The Instant Pot is a safe, easy cooking method, and the company is constantly refining and improving the technology and releasing new models.
But thats creating confusion for new customers shopping for an Instant Pot, and probably why youre here to read this article!
There are several sizes and lots of variations in features among the different models, and even non-pressure cooker products now. So the question I see most often right now is, I have a family of ____, which Instant Pot should I get?
The answer really comes down to two simple questions.
So lets break this down as simply as possible. Well ignore sizes right now and just discuss features.
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Now That Youve Got The Basics Down Youre Ready To Get Started
STEP 1: Stick your trivet in the bottom of your pot. If youre cooking something on the bottom go ahead and add that first. If not, go ahead add your liquid to the Instant Pot minimum half a cup.
STEP 2: Earlier we referenced the sling, this is not something you have to do, but sometimes it might be hard to retrieve your container so this will help. To craft a foil sling you can fold the foil into thirds for reinforcement. Place your bowl on top of the sling and pull the sides up.
STEP 3: With your bowl in the sling, put your bowl on top of the trivet. Hold the bowl steady as you put it in the Instant Pot to set and cook.
STEP 4: Set and forget! Cook according to your recipes directions and youre good to go!
Longer Term Testing Notes: Instant Pot Duo60 Vs Duo80
Published: by Mike Vrobel · This post may contain affiliate links ·
I was all excited when I got my Instant Pot IP-Duo 8 quart pressure cooker. It pushed my IP-DUO 6 quart out of the location of honor, under my kitchen island, ready to be pulled out at a moments notice. My IP-DUO 6 moved to the basement, on the shelf of backup pressure cookers. I loved the extra space in the 8 quart I didnt mind that it barely fit under the kitchen island. Thats how things stayed for a few months. The IP-DUO 6 quart would come upstairs when I needed a second pressure cooker for a side dish, but otherwise was relegated to the minor leagues.
Then, one night, the kids did not clean out the 8 quart pot. It was crunch time, and I had to get dinner started right away. I dont have a spare pot for the 8 quart yet Instant Pot says they are coming, but keeps pushing off the date so I went downstairs and grabbed the IP-DUO 6. When we were cleaning up the kitchen, out of habit, I put the 6 quart back under the island, and moved the 8 quart downstairs.
Now, Im glad I have both I love the day-to-day usability of the 6 quart, with the size of the 8 quart available if I happen to need it. And, its great to have a second cooker. If I want a main course and a side dish, both under pressure, I can pull out my backup. Now, the fact that I also have a third, fourth, and fifth pressure cooker available? I may have a problem.
Also Check: Costco Tamales Ingredients
Update: What About The New Ultra Instant Pot
From reading about the ULTRA, while I could see myself choosing it if I didn’t already have machines, I am not sure I could justify the additional expense.
Why?
Although it boasts that you can dial in any temp setting you want, the available range only goes down to 104 degrees Fahrenheit, while the low yogurt setting can go as low as 91 degrees Fahrenheit. So if I needed a low culturing temp, I’d just choose the low yogurt setting which the DUO already has.
I would also LOVE to be able to turn the sounds off but would I spend nearly double for that feature? Probably not.
And anyway, the version 2 of the LUX and DUO allow you to turn the sound off by pressing the + or key for 3 seconds. turns sound off, while + turns sound back on.
If I lived at high altitude, I might seriously consider the ULTRA, even though Laura at Hip Pressure Cooking says the adjustment algorithm uses fuzzy logic.
The self-closing lid? This reminds me of self-parking cars!
It appears that it’s helpful for people who might otherwise forget to close the sealing valve on the other machines and therefore the machines won’t ever come to pressure. On the flip side, it appears that releasing pressure takes longer and is harder to achieve because of this self-sealing mechanism.
This would annoy me. I’d rather train myself to check that the value is sealed each time I run the cooker which I have and it’s not a problem.
Instant Pot Soup Dumplings
May 28, 2017
To those tho know me well, they may tell you Im the Soup Dumpling King of NYC.
Ive been unofficially crowned this title because Ive been to pretty much all the joints that serve up these little pillows of heaven.
We are talking dumplings that arent just regular dumplings. No, these are dumplings where SOUP is embedded INSIDE the dumpling skin encasing the pork mixture! They are Shanghai-style and known as Xiao Long Bao in Chinese .If you go to the right place you will literally be transported to cloud nine.
So HERE IT IS GUYS! The HOMEMADE SOUP DUMPLING in the Instant Pot! They are going to make ALL of your nearest and dearest go WOW! You actually made these?!
Heres How I Made It!:
Lets start off by creating the soup part by adding some water to a pot.
Then well add some chicken base
soy sauce
Well bring it all to a boil and stir it up nicely
and then transfer the gelatinous soup mixture to a small baking pan.
And let it set in the fridge for a few hours until firm and like Jell-o.
While the soup is becoming firm and jiggly in the fridge, make the black vinegar sauce by combining some black vinegar, soy sauce and some fresh stands of ginger. Set aside.
And now lets make the meat mixture by staring with some chopped scallions
some chopped shittake mushrooms
and a little Shaoxing wine .
Mix it up well by hand and form into a ball
put a lid on it and also set it in the fridge along with the soup mixture.
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The Question: What Size Instant Pot Should I Buy
Deanna asks:
Everyone I know has an Instant Pot! I know I want one, too, but the trouble is when I go to order one, I get overwhelmed by which model to choose and whether I should get a 6 or 8 quart? Can you help?
And after I originally created this episode, Carmen followed up with these questions:
Could you open both of the pots and actually hold them up together side by side? And talk about the dimensions and space required for each, the weight, etc. And show some of the foods you were talking about like the chickens, spaghetti squash, etc.
Would you please consider amending episode #048 to include you showing the inner pot liners side-by-side? And getting more into the differences of the physical attributes and space required to store the 8 quart? Not everyone has the type of kitchen space you did your presentation in and it makes it extremely difficult to assess how I could store the 8qt in an apartment sized kitchen w/o more visual/physical handling of the potWould really appreciate it if you would.
The Costco Exclusive: Instant Pot Nova Plus
While searching around for Instant Pots, you may have come across mention of the Nova Plus. The Nova Plus was a Costco exclusive that is no longer sold. The Nova Plus had the same functionality and smart programs as the Duo but had the blue LED screen of the Duo Plus. That screen is a small but important detail that provides a superior user experience without the price tag of the Duo Plus. It was originally sold through Costco, but you can find it on Amazon as well.
Instant Pot just got delivered? Put it to use with one of these Instant Pot recipes:
Recommended Reading: Instant Pot Duo Plus Poultry Setting
What Extras And Accessories Can You Buy For An Instant Pot
Since each Instant Pot model is a little different, its important to read the manual and learn about the various features and settings of your Instant Pot. Generally, every model will include an outer body with a display panel and buttons, a lid, a pressure valve, a steam release valve, a plastic collector cup to catch any condensation released during slow cooking, a stainless-steel or nonstick inner pot, a sealing ring that surrounds the lid and helps absorb odors, and a steamer rack or basket that sits in the inner pot and keeps food raised.
Any accessories you may choose to buy to bulk up your Instant Pots functionality are just a bonus. Depending on what you plan to make with your Instant Pot, extras range from practical and essential to plain old fun. Some people buy extra sealing rings so they can use one for meat and one for baked goods. Some invest in egg trivets if they cook a lot of hard-boiled eggs. Some look into springform pans to make cheesecake and quiche. Theres even a special air fryer lid that is compatible with 6-quart Instant Pots that allows you to air-fry straight from your pressure cooker if you dont have a model that already features that program.
Is your mind still scrambled by all the choices? The buying guide below will help you compare Instant Pot models and figure out the best Instant Pot for you.
This Fun And Colorful Red White And Blue Bundt Cake Is Baked In The Instant Pot For A Patriotic 4th Of July Dessert Treat
Youll love how easy it is to make this Instant Pot patriotic bundt cake, thanks to a doctored up cake mix and your pressure cooker!
Note: This post may contain affiliate links for your convenience. If you make a purchase, this site may receive a small commission at no additional cost to you. You can read my full disclosure policy here.
One of the best things about bundt cakes is that they are a no-fuss, super easy dessert.
Theres no need to try to make perfectly even layers of cake to stack on top of each other, and no need to get the frosting spread out or piped just right.
Instead, you end up with a pretty cake in the shape of your bundt pan, which you can then top with a simple drizzle of icing or glaze. Talk about easy!
But you may not know that you can simplify things even more by making a bundt cake in the Instant Pot! In fact, I have a whole list of Instant Pot cake recipes that youll love!
Also Check: How To Cook Fish In Instant Pot
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