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Old 03-25-2020, 11:19 AM   #61
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Originally Posted by PNW_Steve View Post
I will DEFINITELY be taking my IP on the road.
So, does the IP accelerate cooking what you'd get out of a crock pot? Like, could you do pulled chicken/pork in it reasonably quickly?


How pressure contributes is what I'm particularly interested in.

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Old 03-25-2020, 12:25 PM   #62
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Yes, like 80% less time.

There are also Thermos cookers very well insulated keep cooking all day with zero energy input
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Old 03-25-2020, 09:47 PM   #63
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Pressure increases the boiling point of water (or whatever else you're trying to boil, for that matter). So the pressure inside an instantpot is 15 psi (from their website) yielding 250 deg F (from their website). Keep in mind that this is 250 deg F of steam with a saturated atmosphere so whatever's not up to 250 deg will condense steam, heating up. Everything heats up all the way through very quickly.



Whatever it does, it does it well. The things really do work.



If you have an Aldi's supermarket in your area, look there for a pitch-perfect knockoff of the Instapot. I got mine for $25; it's since gone up to $40. IIRC the real deal costs over $100.



Note that one of the other respondents in this thread claimed that they cooked something wonderful in 4 minutes. I don't dispute that, but that number (and all other numbers claimed as cooking time for an instantpot) fail to take into account the 12-15 minutes it takes to heat and boil the liquid in the pot and come up to cooking pressure. It's fast, but it's not that fast.
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Old 03-26-2020, 12:09 PM   #64
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Cook during peak solar from "free excess" power, or while you top up the bank with your genset
My plan exactly.
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Old 03-26-2020, 12:30 PM   #65
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Originally Posted by dan-fox View Post
Pressure increases the boiling point of water (or whatever else you're trying to boil, for that matter). So the pressure inside an instantpot is 15 psi (from their website) yielding 250 deg F (from their website). Keep in mind that this is 250 deg F of steam with a saturated atmosphere so whatever's not up to 250 deg will condense steam, heating up. Everything heats up all the way through very quickly.



Whatever it does, it does it well. The things really do work.



If you have an Aldi's supermarket in your area, look there for a pitch-perfect knockoff of the Instapot. I got mine for $25; it's since gone up to $40. IIRC the real deal costs over $100.



Note that one of the other respondents in this thread claimed that they cooked something wonderful in 4 minutes. I don't dispute that, but that number (and all other numbers claimed as cooking time for an instantpot) fail to take into account the 12-15 minutes it takes to heat and boil the liquid in the pot and come up to cooking pressure. It's fast, but it's not that fast.
A 2.5 lb sirloin roast pressure cooks for four minutes and shuts off. Then it is left to slowly bleed off pressure for 25 minutes. The IP holds enough pressure and heat that the food continues to cook after the heating element shuts off.

Some of the things that I have enjoyed is the ability to come home at 5:30 pm and have a well prepared roast or a pot of beans on the table by 6:30 pm. Even if you start with a frozen roast or beans that have not been soaked. I have also found a number of "one pot meals" that are very handy.

We made stewed chicken for street tacos one night and used the leftover for chicken taquitos using the air fryer lid. Low fat, low carb and low sodium.

Another favorite is a pork "picnic roast" that we find on sale for $0.98/lb. Two different recipes. The simple one is the roast, onions, potatoes, carrots and instant onion soup mix. The other is the roast with onion, jalapeno, cumin, Cilantro and salt&pepper. Half of a $6 roast will feed us at least four meals.
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Old 03-26-2020, 12:31 PM   #66
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As you can probably tell..... I drank the whole glass of IP coolaid.
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Old 03-26-2020, 01:11 PM   #67
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We made stewed chicken for street tacos one night and used the leftover for chicken taquitos using the air fryer lid. Low fat, low carb and low sodium.
Recipes PLEASE or it didn't happen. Translated for dummies that burn cereal. PLEASE.
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Old 03-26-2020, 01:21 PM   #68
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Cook during peak solar from "free excess" power, or while you top up the bank with your genset



Starting dinner during Peak Solar using an instant pot and/or a convection/toaster oven is central to my all electric cooking plan.
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Old 03-26-2020, 02:18 PM   #69
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Long as you have backup plans for when the inputs are lower than the usual usage for X days / weeks in a row.

Unless ICE energy available on demand is the backup. . .
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Old 03-27-2020, 11:24 AM   #70
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What are your thoughts on a pressure cooker that heats over propane instead of an electric powered one? Same performance? I've never used one myself so it's kind of a mystery. I like the idea of setting the roast on while we go for a hike, then coming back to a meal ready to go. Or is that a dumb idea too? When I hear pressure cooker, I think bomb.
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Old 03-27-2020, 01:20 PM   #71
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Well the InstaPot is much more than a pressure cooker.

But propane is very appropriate and reliable for off grid use.

Look at sites like Wirecutter for reviews, not on Amazon etc.
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Old 03-27-2020, 01:23 PM   #72
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There's nothing wrong with aluminum IMO, but top notch is stainless clad over copper base.

I have Calphalon stuff my mom bought over 50 years ago, still works beautifully looks good too.

All clad maybe even better.
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Old 03-27-2020, 03:50 PM   #73
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Originally Posted by PNW_Steve View Post
A 2.5 lb sirloin roast pressure cooks for four minutes and shuts off. Then it is left to slowly bleed off pressure for 25 minutes. The IP holds enough pressure and heat that the food continues to cook after the heating element shuts off.
Not arguing with you at all about the wonderment of an instantpot; just pointing out that there's some time that's not being accounted for when people praise the "instant" aspect of an instantpot.



OTOH, if you are actually claiming that you can take a 2.5 lb piece of cow out of the frig, put it in a cold instantpot and eat it 4 minutes later, I would gently and in a most friendly fashion call shenanigans.
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Old 03-27-2020, 05:28 PM   #74
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If you read it slowly for comprehension you'll see that is not being claimed.

The selling point is set it and forget it, not instant results. Also less fussing, tough (thus cheap) cuts of meat coming out tasting as good as the expensive ones, etc.

The reduced cooking time from being pressurized, is just relative to a normal pot on the stove.
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Old 03-28-2020, 10:45 AM   #75
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Quote:
Originally Posted by dan-fox View Post
Not arguing with you at all about the wonderment of an instantpot; just pointing out that there's some time that's not being accounted for when people praise the "instant" aspect of an instantpot.



OTOH, if you are actually claiming that you can take a 2.5 lb piece of cow out of the frig, put it in a cold instantpot and eat it 4 minutes later, I would gently and in a most friendly fashion call shenanigans.
Reread my posts.

I clearly said that I could "come home at 5 30 pm and have a well prepared roast and veggies on the table by 6:30pm.

The reference to cook time was to point out the difference in power consumption when compared to a Crock-Pot.

The Instant-pot is not "instant" just much faster than many typical cooking methods.
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Old 03-28-2020, 10:47 AM   #76
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Does anyone here have the thermos cookers?

I was considering one of them for the bus before I got my IP.
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Old 03-31-2020, 03:01 AM   #77
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I know several users of thermal cookers very happy with them.

Japan is where the nice quality branded units are sold, very pricey.

Some have mcguyvered their own with foam, just a well insulated & sealed box the usual pot / dutch oven fits inside, used for packing up spices etc when travelling
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Old 03-31-2020, 02:13 PM   #78
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Convection cooktops

Convection cooktops are a good bet for when you don't want to use LPG. Just make sure you have a stainless steel pan. They are efficient and get the pan pretty hot, plus they cool down fast. I got mine on Amazon for about $85.
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Old 03-31-2020, 03:03 PM   #79
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Off-grid, requires a **very** robust electrickery setup.
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Old 03-31-2020, 08:08 PM   #80
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Oops. I meant induction cooktop, not convection. And it just needs 120V. I don't know of any that run on 12V.

Wut.
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