Lisa McManus Answers Your Questions About Multicookers and Slow Cookers | Gear Heads
For more great Instant Pot recipes, please visit InstantPotEasy.com
ABOUT US: Located in Boston’s Seaport District in the historic Innovation and Design Building, America’s Test Kitchen features 15000 square feet of kitchen …
What kind of pressure cooker is the one you have?
You also have to clean that channel on the instant pot unit where the lid sits. and definitely try not to spill food in there or else it won't seal and you'll just get error messages. I had to spend a lot of time cleaning mine but I found a chopstick and a cloth worked. Now I try to be really careful and not get food in there but also I have to clean it regularly. I use my IP all the time.
Here's a list that helped me out.
whinyl.com/bslwcrs-guide/
In the end, I went with #2.
"2:31"
Do you find the that meat texture is different in the slow cook vs quick instapot cook, is different?
The lid seal and inner pan oven instant pot are dishwasher safe. Doesn't get any easier than that. If you have problems with scrubbing the inner pan because of sticking then by one of the ceramic non-stick inner pots. They're even easier to clean.
If you're using a slow cooker or if you're using your instant pot as a slow cooker the times are the same because they're both slow cookers. If you're using your instant pot for a slow cooker recipe and want to use it as a pressure cooker then you should just use a pressure cooker recipe because you're not using a slow cooker You're using a pressure cooker.
Soak your beans overnight anyways if you insist on eating them. The outside shell of all seeds/grains/beans are full of anti-nutrients that cause the inside nutrients to not be absorbed during digestion and causes inflammation. You should soak all your beans and grains. It's just healthier in general because it also sprouts them if you have viable seeds which increases the nutritional value exponentially. And soaking things like rice and rinsing them repeatedly removes more of the dust and heavy metals.
I love mine instant pot, I use every day , I cook noodles, rice, oatmeal , chicken , veg , dessert , and of course yogurt
Good info. Thanks.
🧨‼ Did you also know that with this model the Pressure relief switch automatically turns to "sealing" When you close the lid?
Ack! I had meant to comment with a question on the original video just in case you did one of these, but you released the Q&A video before I got around to it. I wondered whether you have any secrets to lingering odors in the Instant Pot. We mostly use ours for things with pretty powerful flavors, and we've found that the odors tend to linger no matter how much we clean it (I've tried several suggestions I've found online, but none work so far). This isn't a problem going from one meaty dish with lots of spices and herbs to another, but I've definitely made a couple batches of steel cut oatmeal that have a hint of carnitas flavor to them.
Instapot users should read up on pressure cooking. There is indeed a general rule for what fraction of time a long cook recipe requires when sped up through steam. It varies per class of food (beef, vegetables, etc.) but you can indeed learn the basics and then apply. You really shouldn't need recipes for such things, only general guides, and you certainly shouldn't be having to open pressure cookers often to check. Reliance on recipes (except when chemistry and proportions are vital such as in baking) is a crippling thing for cooks. Cooking is a skill developed, so no one should encourage perpetual training wheels.
I have a HUGE family (8 kids plus 18 foster kids). I am lucky that I built my own house, have a huge kitchen with a Breakfast nook and lots of counter space with a 6 burner cooktop and double oven. In addition I built my laundry room big (15×18) and it has room for a second fridge, a freezer, and another set of Kitchen Style cabinets to work as a pantry. My living room, dining room, and family room span 80 feet across the back of my house and are 16 to 21 feet wide so I can move the furniture out to the garage and set up for WELL over 100 when I need it. (I also have a den/library for overflow).
I have 6 slow cookers which also use as Buffet servers and two Stove top pressure cookers. I often laugh when the shows say a recipe makes a LOT since I have 78 Grand children. I consider 100 people "normal" at a family gathering. Most of my parties have ten to twelve full size Pans out plus the Pressure cookers filled too. However I cannot see a reason why I would need an Instant pot. Does it do something I cannot do now. IT's funny, no matter how much counter space you have, your stuff manages to expand to fill it. (Sous Vide takes too much time for me)
I have the Mealty multi pot. I can do everything in it, even bake. Pressure cooker, slow cooker. Everything.
Am I the only one who wants to see Lisa cook something together with Danny Devito?
I have another question on this topic. I like to make soups with beans, but I find that the vegetables turn to mush when I cook at the time required for the beans. So, I pressure cook the beans, turn off the pressure cook setting and once the pressure comes down I add the veggies. I have a regular top that fits my Instant Pot, but I can't figure out how to keep it at a simmer to cook the veggies. Any suggestions. I've tried the sauté button on low, but that's too hot to keep it at a gentle simmer. Thanks!
You need to slow down and relax a bit Lisa. This video was not your best work. I do thank you for it!!!!
I have actually plugged my Emeril Lagasse Duo multi cooker into a plug-in energy meter. It uses about 1,200 Watts for just a minute or two until the cup of water gets hot. Then it drops to virtually nothing. When I pressure cooked chicken, it used less than 100 watt hours in 30 minutes.
If you use the air fryer afterwards, it uses about 1200 watts for almost the whole time. About 200 watt hours for 10 minutes.
I was quite surprised, and impressed.
I purchased the Instant Pot Evo Duo Plus 6qt after your IP vs Slow cooker video and am very pleased with it. I love my Crock pot so much that I never paid any attention to the IP hype all these years. When you showed how the inner pot on this model could be used on the stovetop, I was sold. It's a good quality pot, and sauteing in the IP is a real treat. My teen daughter is most delighted with the hard boiled eggs we have made. They're always perfect. Thanks for the recommendation, I have always been successful when I've followed your lead 🤗
I love ATK Gearheads! Thank you, Lisa. BTW, I find that beans are less likely to burst in an electric pressure cooker than they were in my stovetop pressure cooker. Don't know why
One thing about the silicone gasket in the lid…. I have found on my stovetop pressure cooker the silicone discolored after a few uses and can hold on to orders even after putting it in the dishwasher (as a lot of silicone cooking materials will do).
If you want to seat the gasket really well, run the handle of a wooden spoon around the back side and just press it in place. Works 100% of the time.
Instant Pot is for people who never learned how to cook.
Fellow Asians (and other high-volume rice consumers)! How does a multicooker compare to dedicated rice cooker? Can it–or has it already–replaced the rice cooker in your life? Maybe do you prefer the ability to cook dinner in your Instant Pot while your rice is steaming in the Zojirushi at the same time?
Lisa thanks for all the helpful information, as always!!
FOODI SOUS VIDE! I bought Foodi before your review of multicookers. Like it a lot. Mainly because the sous vide on the Instantpot brand got terrible reviews. Wonder if you tried or could try it on Foodi Havnt tried that feature yet and would like more precise evaluation like you do. LOVE YA!
Thanks always great info
I've seen messages on Amazon for various Instapot models about replacement gaskets. Silicone can absorb flavors and you may not have tested for this.
You can buy a $24 device called a "Kill-O-Watt" meter. You plug your IP/Slow cooker into this device, set count to 0 and it will count up how many watts are used IN TOTAL. This might help compare a slow-cooker power use vs Instant Pot power use.
Could you improve your volume / speed of talking / diction? Difficult to understand you, therefore I am cutting out.
Gear Heads are so helpful. Thank You!
Returned "duos evo plus." Yes, lots of handy features, but with heat coming from only the bottom on slow cooker and yogurt settings, both recipes failed. Between my wonderful clay cooker, cast iron (various shapes/ sizes), crockpot, etc, I don't need the stress the Instant pot produced.
PS what is the best hand mixer on the market?
Give us MORE Gear Heads episodes! the blond head the baby already so put her to work!
Hi Lisa, thank you for making these videos. We really appreciate them and our go to guide whenever we have doubts. Would you be able to make a review for the instant pot with air fryer lid? We have a small counter top and would like to maximize it by having an "all-in one" cooker without sacrificing the quality of food that we make. Also, its pricey and would like to know of it's worth the investment. Thank you in advance.
Watts is the unit for power. Watts multipled by time is energy (in Joules).
How are the air fryer multicookers? are they any good or should I stick to the 10-in-1?
Thank you Lisa.
P.s. soaking beans is for sprouting ! it helps digestion & eliminates gas.
THere you go . . . here's a future video idea:
use a
Kill-A-Watt Meter to monitor the electricity usage between a pressure cooker and a slow cooker.
Hi Lisa! I’d like to know when slow cooking in the Instant Pot, do I use the lid? I’m afraid it’ll lock in and spew liquid when opened.
Crockpots are the wurst! 👎🏻
What book?? I want that book of recipes for both, slow and pressure cookers. Please tell me its title and where I can buy it.
I love Lisa, and I need more of her in my life during these trying times.
Speaking of pressure, can you do a segment on how to adjust recipes for elevations above 2500 feet (I'm at 4800 feet) for a multicooker, traditional pressure cooker, baking, and home canning (both water bath and pressure canning). Is there a general guideline without having to look up individual recipes that are similar to the one I'm making? Thank you.
Does anyone have a good technique for keeping rice from coming out sticky?
Thanks for the shout-out, Lisa! Pales in comparison to everything I've learned from all of you at ATK et al. As some have mentioned, I wish the lid tab design features were available on all IPs. Separately, I actually have two gaskets I use on my IP: one for sweet (clear), and one for savory (black or red). While I have not found residual flavors, odors or colors to really bleed over between recipes, even after thorough cleaning it is hard to get the residual color and scent of things like liquid smoke or curry out of the gasket (especially the clear ones, except with bleach which degrades the material), and not have me gag at the thought of then using it for, say, lava cakes. For a couple of bucks, and a few Ziploc bags, it's a cheap solution that works for me.
I make lentils in 25 minutes 2 cup of lentils and 8 cups of liquid with pork hocks perfect. Cleaning the easiest pot into the dishwasher with the seal.