Who Uses an Instant Pot?

[scfr]

Do any of you use an Instant Pot?
Do you find that it helps you save money?

I've heard about all of the wonderful things it does, and the fact that I don't see people re-selling theirs is a positive sign (it means they are keeping and continuing to use them), but I'd love to hear opinions from an Instant Pot user who cares about personal finance and frugality.

I'm contemplating getting one, if I can find a good Black Friday deal.
I like to research and plan ahead.
Thank you.

[Joan.of.the.Arch]

I don't have one, but I have already seen a few in my favorite thrift store. So I think some people are getting rid of them quickly.

[kork13]

I was given one for Christmas this last year, and I absolutely love it! It doesn't necessarily save us alot of money, but it definitely saves us a ton of time. I probably use it 2-4 times a week.

I do the vast majority of the cooking for my family, but typically don't get home until 5-5:30pm. If I don't have things prepped & cooking on timers while we're at work, using the instant pot allows me to cook rice, potatoes, beans (from dry!), braise meat, steam veggies, and so on in a fraction of the time it would normally take.

It does save us some money though... Instead of buying canned beans, I can buy dry beans and cook them from dry in less than an hour, and for less than a quarter of the cost. Likewise, we've started making our own Greek-style yogurt instead of buying yogurt cups. Saves us about half the cost of store-bought yogurt (which we go through quickly). The other benefit of doing all of these things from scratch is that we can control what's in it. Indirectly, by allowing me to cook meals faster, I'm less inclined to go out for dinner, or to use some sort of expensive, unhealthy, processed, quick-cook meals.

The thing to remember is that the instant pot is not the cooking panacea that some obsessive bloggers might have you believe. Pressure cooking is a wet style of cooking, 100% of the time. If you don't want your food to steam or boil in cooking liquid, you don't want to use your instant pot. Yes, it's possible to sear meat in it, which I will do sometimes, but it doesn't work as well as in a skillet.

So as I said, I'm a big fan, and definitely recommend it, but you do need to use it with an understanding of its limitations.

[StressLess]

One advantage is that you can use it as a slow cooker as well as a pressure cooker; some even make yogurt. So if you're short on cabinet space, it might be more valuable than a plain slow cooker. In fact, I'm about to declutter my largest slow cooker, but I'm keeping the instant pot, if that helps at all.

I haven't used it as much as I'd hoped. I don't have a lot of counter space or an abundance of electric outlets. Finding a place to set it up so I can aim the steam release safely is a bit hairy. But I did make some split pea soup in it last winter that came out great. And it's true that you can cook frozen chicken without thawing it first, which can be handy.

I'm not sure how to quantify the saving money part. I already have some go-to meals I can throw together in an emergency, to avoid ordering fast food. (Frozen pizza, Lean Cuisines, salmon salad or grilled cheese sandwiches with canned soup, etc.) If I had room to leave the Instant Pot out on a counter all the time, I'm sure I'd be using it more. But I can't say whether it would save money, except for the fact that I can make low sodium soup for a lot less than the canned ones by Health Valley or Amy's.


Oh, and FYI - Kohl's has had some really great sales on them in the past. Cheaper than I ever saw on Amazon.

[scfr]

Thank you all for the terrific info!
I'll be keeping my eyes peeled for an Instant Pot sale.

[snafu]

I think the 'savings money' results from using cheaper cuts of meat, internal organs if you were brought up on eastern European dishes and dried/dehydrated beans and legumes. The 'instant' factor doesn't take in account the time for pressure to build and the time for pressure to release on it's own.

Since you like to research, I suggest you look at the Instant Pot type cookbooks to see if your family would like those meals. The pots come in 3 sizes, what size fits your family best?

[thegoldbering]

I do.
Meal planning is a big thing in my household, and although the wife and I are minimalists our instant pot has been a really useful tool in our home.
I cook a big batch of beans, rice, lentis or vegetables while I usually cook meats in a pan, then I make different combinations and seasonings to create a meal plan for the week.
We never eat out (except for special occasions) and that does save a ton of money (we used to eat out all the time before, what a bag way to spend money, unless you buy from expensive places the food is usually not very healthy and there is no way you can make sure the ingredients are the best.

Anyway, that's how I use my instant pot.