But while I'm reading that this miraculous gadget can do anything and everything, I don't actually know anyone who has one, so I thought I would ask the REDS.
Do I want one? Is it worth giving up an appliance that I love, say, my slow cooker, or heaven forbid, my Zojirushi Neuro Fuzzy rice cooker (which I absolutely could not live without) because the appliance space in my kitchen is limited and something would have to go. One friend who is a gourmet cook says the instant pots are only for people who don't cook, or don't know how to cook.
But nevertheless I am tempted by all the literature that says they can cook rice, make yogurt, steam, saute, and do a hundred other things. (Making yogurt is easy in the slow cooker, but fiddly, with constant checking of temperature, then leaving the slow cooker swaddled in a towel overnight.)
And the cookbooks! There are hundreds of Instant Pot cookbooks, for everything from Italian to Mexican to Indian to French--and that was the one that really tempted me. Ann Mah, author of the novel THE LOST VINTAGE, and of the wonderful memoir MASTERING THE ART OF FRENCH EATING, has just come out with an Instant Pot cookbook, INSTANTLY FRENCH.
This woman knows her cooking, especially French cooking, and the recipes sound fabulous. Would it be crazy to buy an appliance in order to try a cookbook?
REDS, has anyone tried the Instant Pot? If not, are you tempted?
JENN McKINLAY: I have a few friends who swear by them. I'm not sold yet mostly because I am fixated on getting a Roomba. Any appliance that comes into this house has to be able to suck up the ridonkulous amount of pet hair that seems to accumulate overnight -- every night. Anyone have a Roomba? How do you like it?
DEBS: Jenn, we had an older version, which we did not love. (LOTS of pet hair in this house!) I hear the Roombas are much smarter now, but I swear by my Dyson V6. I don't know how I ever lived without it. I use it every single day.
HALLIE EPHRON: I'm so behind the times, I don't even have a crockpot. I remember reading somewhere that despite the hype, the Instant Pot's not all it's cracked up to be. It's a pressure cooker/slow cooker, right? My counter space is limited so I'm unlikely to buy anything that needs a spot on the counter. The one kitchen gadget I bought this year was a digital instant read meat thermometer. I LOVE IT! And it takes up as much room as a paring knife. Win win.
RHYS BOWEN: Please do not tell my husband about this! In our house we have the graveyard of dead appliances in a corner cupboard.. He has bought, over the years, a sausage maker, bread maker, meat slicer, veggie juicer, etc etc. So he'd just run out and buy an instant pot. I use the slow cooker occasionally. It does lamb shanks really well. But apart from my pressure cooker, I would rather just cook in regular pans. In fact, I've been so busy recently that I'd like to borrow Mrs. Patmore from Downton Abbey to do all my cooking for me!
LUCY BURDETTE: Let's all share Mrs. Patmore this month! No instant pot for me either. I have on the counters two toasters, coffee pot, large crockpot, Cuisinart, and Kitchenaid mixer. We had to put the ice cream maker in storage that I bought a couple of years ago after your post here Debs:). There's just no room! Although the Ann Mah is very tempting. Could the recipes be made in a slow cooker?
DEBS: LOL, Lucy, the ice cream maker lives in our hall closet, which is just fine. No room at the kitchen inn! Maybe we should do a post on what we keep out on our kitchen counters... Eeek!
HANK PHILLIPPI RYAN: What's a instant pot? But I could not live without my meat thermometer--my meal-saving go-to forever. My favorite thing recently? Silly, but an apple corer. It's just a sharp cylinder that you jab through the apple. It is PERFECT. P.S. Please send Patmore.
JULIA SPENCER-FLEMING: Rhys, I started laughing at "sausage maker" and haven't stopped. Does John actually USE any of those gadgets? or does he get them as "labor saving" devices for you?
No Instant Pot for me. At this stage in my life, an appliance has to do many things well, or one thing that I need every day. So for instance, I have on my counter a well-loved toaster oven (several things), a toaster (everyday), an instant kettle (everyday, and necessary because I've burned out THREE (3) teakettle bottoms on the stove over the years), a Sony under-cabinet radio/cd player (daily NPR fix) and Alexa. I LOVE YOU, ALEXA.
I also have a slow cooker, which is the best thing ever, and it lives inside a cabinet.
But maybe I need a sausage maker?
DEBS: Wah! No one else is even tempted? Does this mean I have to be the one to put an Instant Pot on my Christmas wish list so that I can share the results?
Or maybe I'll just ask for Mrs. Patmore...
What about you, readers? Anyone tempted by the gadget that does everything? (Except write books...)
