Hijack this thread

[Whatever4]

I just put slow braised short ribs in the oven.

You give your staff Sunday off? Nice.

Just took a pot roast out of the oven. Last Big Cook before we pack the kitchen up.

[Sterngard Friegen]

I just put slow braised short ribs in the oven.

You give your staff Sunday off? Nice.

Just took a pot roast out of the oven. Last Big Cook before we pack the kitchen up.

No. They're busy washing the fleet of Bentleys and re-staining the wood on the drawbridge.

[HilltownGrrl]

Okay - I guess I finally have to ask about Instant Pot. I've been wondering about getting a slow cooker (I still call them Crock Pots ) but my brother, who lives with us, said it's an Instant Pot or nothing. I'd never heard of them until then so - what's the deal with Instant Pots? Why, other than the speed, do you love them? Do you need to use an Instant Pot recipe book to cook with or is there a way to convert any recipe that would work in an oven? Will they be a "latest thing" that will disappear in a year or two or do they have staying power?

[ZekeB]

I'm watching this. My sister boils eggs in an instant pot and claims she'll never boil them another way again. They peel easily.

[Maybenaut]

I'm watching this. My sister boils eggs in an instant pot and claims she'll never boil them another way again. They peel easily.

[Addie]

I'd like to hear more about the Instant Pot, too, please.

[MN-Skeptic]

Okay - I guess I finally have to ask about Instant Pot. Will they be a "latest thing" that will disappear in a year or two or do they have staying power?

Apparently an Instant Pot is basically a multi-cooker. To read reviews on some, check out WireCutter's The Best Pressure Cooker. But as the article points out, they are looking at machines that not only pressure cook but also "slow cook, sauté, steam, and make rice." I can see why they're popular. They sound slick.

[kate520]

Just took a pot roast out of the oven. Last Big Cook before we pack the kitchen up.

Firsts and lasts are poignant. Bonne chance, wind at your back, etc.

[NMgirl]

Okay - I guess I finally have to ask about Instant Pot. Will they be a "latest thing" that will disappear in a year or two or do they have staying power?

Apparently an Instant Pot is basically a multi-cooker. To read reviews on some, check out WireCutter's The Best Pressure Cooker. But as the article points out, they are looking at machines that not only pressure cook but also "slow cook, sauté, steam, and make rice." I can see why they're popular. They sound slick.

They are definitely slick. I've cooked with a Kuhn-Rikon pressure cooker for years and I still have a slight preference for using the Kuhn-Rikon, so long as I don't have other people around/have other stuff to do. With the Instant Pot, you throw your ingredients in and walk away. It turns itself off when the allotted time is up. Pressure cookers are very, very quick cookers. Risotto in six minutes? Yup. Complex stews in fifteen to twenty? Yup. I find that everything that is stew-ish in nature is better, i.e., more flavorful, cooked under pressure than on the stovetop or in the oven braising.

There are just so many times, though, when I haven't time to hang around the kitchen watching the pressure gauge on my Kuhn-Rikon. I haven't used the Instant Pot for any slow cooking. I've done regular pressure cooker meals, rice, steamed veg., yogurt in the Instant Pot. It works very well.

I have a couple of cookbooks for pressure cooking: The Essential Instant Pot Cookbook and Indian Instant Pot. I use the first one listed if we're having people for dinner and I don't know their tolerance for highly spiced dishes. I love the recipes in Indian Instant Pot, but the flavors are decidedly Indian. For the most part, though, I depend upon J. Kenji Lopez-Alt, formerly of Test Kitchen, now at seriouseats.com, for my favorite pressure cooker recipes. Kenji's pressure cooker recipes are interesting, often assertively spicy, just the way I like my food. https://www.seriouseats.com/search?term=pressure+cooker

[Notorial Dissent]

Of all the pressure cookers I've used, I like the Kuhn-Rikon the best. I like slow cookers for some things. They each have their uses. My inclination is to use them for what they are good for, not as the end in themselves, and particularly when I don't feel like or have the time or inclination to sit and watch things. The same reason I like rice cookers. I am seriously considering getting an Instant Pot now.

[Sterngard Friegen]

Pressure cooking is cheating.

[Dan1100]

Pressure cookers are exploding death machines.

Computerized Canadian pressure cookers? What could possibly go wrong.

[Notorial Dissent]

Depends on what you're doing and why, but as a sole method I agree. I generally use it on hard smoked meats and things I want to actually eat or be able to use sometime in this lifetime, Otherwise, generally low and slow.

[RTH10260]

Pressure cookers are exploding death machines.

Computerized Canadian pressure cookers? What could possibly go wrong.

https://www.ctvnews.ca/lifestyle/from-o ... -1.3319793

[maydijo]

Pressure cookers (the old fashioned stove top kind) are great for boat cooking. Not only are they quick (so you can conserve fuel,) but because the lid locks, if the boat hits a wave and the pot falls, everything is locked in tight (no ruined dinner and no mess to clean up.) Generally speaking, though, I don't really like the final product. I prefer slow cookers.

[ZekeB]

Pressure cooking is cheating.

Will all be forgiven if I set my refrigerator to Sabbath Mode the night after using my pressure cooker?

Just asking for a friend.

[GreatGrey]

Yeah baby, when ya need to steam a dozen tamales nothing beats an old 1940s vintage Castle Speedclave Autoclave from your dad’s medical office.

That’s some fancy pressure cookin...

[tek]

Ours replaces our pressure cooker, crock pot, and steamer basket.. I still prefer the rice cooker for rice, tho.

Does an excellent job on soups and stews.. we've done pea soup, beef barley soup, beef stew, chicken-lentil soup, etc etc.

One advantage over a traditional slow cooker (on models that have a saute mode) is that you can brown ingredients in the same pot.. and you can use the saute setting to give slow-cooker mode a head start, which is handy if you use frozen ingredients (we make a pulled-chicken chili-like dish where we usually use frozen chicken breasts straight from the freezer)

makes very good steamed eggs.

The light inner pot is much easier to manage than a heavy pressure cooker when it comes time to clean up.. it is stainless steel, it can go into the dishwasher if you want..

[Bill_G]

FB_IMG_1523821477123.jpg

This is my log. I walk on it every day to practice my balance. It's only 1/4 mile from my house, so the beginning of my 4 mile walk. And ... my balance is noticeably improving.

Except when it's raining. Then my log is slippery.

I walk raised curbs, the painted edge of sidewalks, and parking curbs, at pace, to practice my balance. Some basic ballet foot position exercises are good too.

[HilltownGrrl]

Thanks for the input on Instant Pot, everyone. I did know what they were & have read raves online but I wondered what people I "know" thought of them & used them for. It sounds as though they make great Dutch Oven type food fast.

The main reason I asked is that we live in a very old, very small house with NO storage, other than the usual kitchen cabinets (& one closet), so we have to really think about where something will go, & whether it's worth the battle to find a place for it, before buying it. I'm leaning toward 'not worth the battle' right now for the Instant Pot but reserve the right to change my mind one of these days!

PS I go to the same place as Dan1100 when I hear the words "pressure cooker" - all those stories growing up...

[Whatever4]

PS I go to the same place as Dan1100 when I hear the words "pressure cooker" - all those stories growing up...

Watching the Boston Marathon. “Pressure cooker” has whole different connotation in these parts for the last 5 years.

Edit: A car just ran over an iron plate in the road, I jumped a foot. I’m cozy inside, though it’s pouring frigid rain outside.

[Whatever4]

66459251-5FF8-410C-B6D6-65BA7CBC411F.jpeg

[HilltownGrrl]

PS I go to the same place as Dan1100 when I hear the words "pressure cooker" - all those stories growing up...

Watching the Boston Marathon. “Pressure cooker” has whole different connotation in these parts for the last 5 years.

Edit: A car just ran over an iron plate in the road, I jumped a foot. I’m cozy inside, though it’s pouring frigid rain outside.

This has got to be some of the nastiest Marathon weather ever. I wish I could watch it because I enjoy it so much but without cable it's a no go, though I'm not sure how much I'd enjoy seeing runners slogging through cold rain.

We're having the same weather in WMass. The ~2" of sleet & snow we got overnight is now 3" of slush & a bear to walk through. This is the nastiest April I can remember (including big ice & snow storms - at least they happened & stopped; this cold, snow, & rain is refusing to end). I WANT THIS WINTER TO DIE. Pretty please?

[Whatever4]

PS I go to the same place as Dan1100 when I hear the words "pressure cooker" - all those stories growing up...

Watching the Boston Marathon. “Pressure cooker” has whole different connotation in these parts for the last 5 years.

Edit: A car just ran over an iron plate in the road, I jumped a foot. I’m cozy inside, though it’s pouring frigid rain outside.

This has got to be some of the nastiest Marathon weather ever. I wish I could watch it because I enjoy it so much but without cable it's a no go, though I'm not sure how much I'd enjoy seeing runners slogging through cold rain.

We're having the same weather in WMass. The ~2" of sleet & snow we got overnight is now 3" of slush & a bear to walk through. This is the nastiest April I can remember (including big ice & snow storms - at least they happened & stopped; this cold, snow, & rain is refusing to end). I WANT THIS WINTER TO DIE. Pretty please?

I think you can get the live feed on Channel 4 WBZ. But it’s even worse now. The runners look miserable.

[HilltownGrrl]

I think you can get the live feed on Channel 4 WBZ. But it’s even worse now. The runners look miserable.

Thanks for this. It looks like they have live cameras at the finish line. I'll try to remember next year to see if I can find a stream for it somewhere because I used to plan my Patriots Day around watching it. My favorite thing to watch on TV is sports & without cable, there's pretty slim pickings (especially for all Boston sports except the Patriots).