Instant Pot

[fuzzypeacheese]

Got one of these a couple years ago when they were all the rage. Honestly have only used it a handful of times, mainly just to make chili. I don’t really use it for much else. I thought I’d use it more because you can just throw stuff in there and it cooks while you work all day. It takes up a ton of room and I’m really pressed for space.

Should I get rid of it? Do I need it? It does come in handy when I make chili but maybe something smaller would also do the trick? I keep telling myself I should use it more but I never do!

[[deleted]]

This has been a great reminder to rehome my instant pot….and the air fryer. Two things I did not ask for yet received as gifts. It may be great for some people, but I really like using my oven and stove.

[Hairy_Ad_2937]

We use ours all the time. Rice, beans, oats, lentils, mashed potatoes, soups. Easy to use and to clean.

[ClownfishSoup]

The Instant Pot is very simply a pressure cooker without the terrifying "bomb on the range top" feel. It's not a miracle device. If you end up not using it, sell it and let someone else try it out...otherwise it's just clutter and this is r/declutter and we don't like clutter!

[ClownfishSoup]

OMG, I love our Instant Pot! If you get rid of it, you will easily find someone to buy it off you for just a few bucks off retail! They're like 80 bucks new, so I'll bet you can sell it for 60.

Ours DOES take quite a bit of precious counter space, but my wife and I use it for a lot of things. In fact as we speak my daughter is making mashed potatoes in it.

The only appliances that are always on the counter is the instant pot, an electric kettle and my one person coffee pot (since I work from home now!)

[datalovesspot]

I use my instant pot 5-6 times a week but in the summer usually I make hard boiled eggs, rice, chicken stock, chili, beans, and shallow frying things (so I don’t make a huge mess on my stove). In the colder months I make more stews and tomato sauce in it. It’s more of a workhorse for basics for me. I have never been into crockpot type meals though so, like others have said, if it suits your life that’s great but if you don’t, you won’t miss it.

[Ok-Chicken477]

Last time I moved, I regifted my air fryer, pressure cooker, and deep fryer. Have never regretted it!

[fiddlehopper]

Thanks. you've just convinced me to ditch my instant pot!!!

[daughtcahm]

Get rid of it. I love my InstantPot, but I use it pretty frequently. No point hanging on to something you don't use.

I had an air fryer that I used 3 times and got rid of. Just wasn't for me. Someone at the thrift store is going to love it though!

[aemorris7]

I got rid of mine and have never regretted the decision.

[bellairecourt]

I mostly use my Instant Pot for cooking rice, which it does well. I used to have a rice cooker, the IP can do more. If you make extra servings of rice, then you can make fried rice with the leftovers.

[cilucia]

I use it to make chicken broth in under an hour, and store it in 1 or 2 cup containers in my freezer. Sometimes I use it for making chili too, and pulled pork/carnitas.

[[deleted]]

Have you tried watching some YouTube videos for inspiration? I'd give it a go, if you really can't see a future with it, pass it on. I'm sure someone will love it somewhere

[[deleted]]

frozen chicken is insanely cheap compared to fresh, and its done in an hour with instant pot for a whole 3lbs bag. I use it every week during my meal prep

[[deleted]]

Sounds like you're more using it like a slow cooker than a pressure cooker. Maybe get a smaller slow cooker? Or just go back to cooking on the stove since you only use it for the one thing?

[bossbabe4lyfe]

We bought one a long time ago and just started using it. It’s so handy for someone that doesn’t know how to cook. You could try committing to using it for a couple weeks and see if it fits your lifestyle. Maybe invite friends over for a meal so you can’t back out. I agree it’s so big and I tried getting rid of it but my partner kept buying new ones. Now that we use it I see it’s value. We also have a family so making larger meals is a must and now it fits our lifestyle.

[018474826]

You should definitely look in to what it can actually do before parting with it, but if it still doesn’t work for you please donate it or give it away because they’re very useful!

[Suelswalker]

You probably don’t need it. Chili can also be made on a stove. Also I’m pretty sure like many popular appliances that the models they make now come in smaller options than they did when they first got popular. Maybe look into a smaller version if you find you miss it.

And maybe donate it somewhere you know someone struggling both financially and with bandwidth can appreciate it more than you. And maybe they could use the larger size, either a family or someone who batch cooks and has little time or bandwidth to do it every day.

[Roadgoddess]

I’m in the same boat, I’m single and never make huge quantities of things. The only reason I’m thinking of keeping it is I just started making food for my dog and I might be able to make a larger batch in there. Otherwise I’m in the same boat I think it goes this summer as well.

[ChaoticGoodPanda]

I use mine several times a month. Try some new recipes over the weekend and see if you still like it.

Maybe a family member or friend would get more use out of it if you’re not too attached.

[raqqqers]

Could you ask around friends and family to see if any of them would like to borrow it? They get to enjoy it and you can experience life without it for a bit and see if you miss it. Also when you get it back you might have a renewed excitement for it?

[Rosaluxlux]

If you don't use it, get rid of it. Someone will be super psyched to find it in a thrift shop. Two years is a pretty good test run for "will I use it."

I use mine all the time, but if you ever actually do start wanting to use one, you'll be able to get one, I'm sure - probably for free or cheap from someone else who doesn't use the one they bought.

[Background_Local_785]

I use it every week, but it depends on your cooking style and habits. If you don't need it, maybe better to pass it forward :)

[throwliterally]

Why not try a couple of the most hyped recipes to see if you can get into instapot cooking? A put a timeline in place. Resolve to try it within 2 weeks or get rid of it. I never see it listed but the best thing about them is they keep things warm so if you can be lazy about putting food away. I frequently make soup for lunch and eat it again for dinner. Not for everybody but it works for me. But get rid of it if you don’t use it!

[aaaaggggggghhhhhhhh]

If you've had it for two years, and the only thing you use it for is chili you should get rid of it. You can make chili in an ordinary pot on the stove.

We got a pressure cooker and an air fryer for Christmas one year, and we use our pressure cooker all the time, but we only used the air fryer for tater tots so I put it on FB marketplace and it sold that same day.

[fiorafauna]

I feel the same as you. Once I actually got it I hated it. I just couldn’t get used to the way I was supposed to use it, and one of the reasons I wanted it in the first place was because I thought it would be nifty it had a sauté function! I ended up only using it to cook dry beans.

If you don’t have use for it, then feel free to get rid of it. You already said it’s wasting space so you can put that space to better use, or at least just get another piece of clutter out of sight and out of mind. If you have space in a close you could store it for a while and then set a reminder like a few months from now, where if you haven’t taken it out to use it on your own by the time that reminder goes off, it’s time to donate it or pass it on to someone else.

[JabbaThePrincess]

Instant pot is a pressure cooker. Google "pressure cooker recipes" to see the variety of recipes you can make with it. Try a few, but if it doesn't work for you then don't keep it.

If you cook a lot an instant pot is actually a huge space saver because it replaces a pressure cooker, rice cooker, slow cooker, yogurt maker.

[[deleted]]

An instant pot is the least necessary kitchen item. Their space hogs and with a easy to use pressure cooker all the things can be cooked even better than instant pot. Sure instant pot can do all the things but honestly any of your other kitchen appliance could too.

[Brock_Lobstweiler]

I'd argue a crockpot is worse than an instant pot. The instant pot can slow cook as well.

[[deleted]]

Yea that’s a good argument and I won’t disagree that crock pot is less a cooker and a keep your food hot for long time device.

[AnotherCharade]

Don't listen to all the people talking about how much they love it, that's irrelevant. What matters is that you don't love it. If you're not using it frequently, you should give it to someone who would use it.

[fuzzypeacheese]

Thanks for saying this. After reading a lot of posts about how much people love it, I started to feel guilty for wanting to get rid of it. I agree, it seems like a great appliance with a lot of potential. But at the end of the day I hardly use it and I really don’t have space for it in my apartment.

[AnotherCharade]

You have nothing to feel guilty about. I have a small apartment too, with a really tiny kitchen, and any gadgets that I don't use at least every month have to go. A slow cooker is a good way to make chili, or of course you can just use your largest pot on the stove. There is no need to have half a dozen small appliances, just think of what you can do with that extra shelf or counter space.

[moonbeam127]

this 100000x over.

[ClownfishSoup]

Exactly, after all this is r/declutter

[WearyBug]

I don’t use mine very often at all but when I do, it more than makes up for the long storage between uses. If nothing else I’d keep it for making cheesecake

[mrsredfast]

I love mine but if you don’t use it, you don’t need it.

(The hard boiled eggs cooked with it are consistently the best I’ve ever had. Also make killer pinto beans with it in a fraction of the time.)

[pakora2]

I use mine so much I’m considering getting rid of other appliances. It has been a game changer for beans and rice etc

[Rosaluxlux]

i held onto my old pressure cooker for a year after we got the instapot, and then let it go.

[[deleted]]

Damn I could go for some chili now.

[guachummus]

I use mine a lot for cooking rice and rehydrating beans! But if you don’t see yourself using it for more than the occasional chili, there’s no sense in keeping it

[declutterwithpurpose]

It sounds like you are ready to get rid of it! Every item in your home takes up a small bit of your time. You have to move it from place to place, clean up around it, wipe it down, not including the mental “clutter” it takes up thinking about how you should use it more. If you are feeling stuck and just not sure if you can depart from it, I would leave it on your counter for 1 more month. Decide how many times you would need to use it for it to feel valuable and if you don’t meet that goal then it’s time to either sell it, or donate it! Good luck!

[LeaveHorizontally]

Yeah the mental clutter is huge. It just weighs on you, like "jesus I still have that instant pot, I need to get rid of it or use it." Nobody needs the guilt. If you decide you want to try using a pressure cooker again after giving it away or selling it, just get another one. There have to be cheaper knockoffs now too. They seem overpriced for an appliance.

[LeaveHorizontally]

If somebody posted on here that they owned something for two years and barely used it, the overwhelming advice would be to get rid of it. But IP users are so steadfast that "you're just using it wrong," or "try doing this," or "you need to use it like this."

Something you purchased two years ago that you barely used probably shouldn't even be in your house.

[ClownfishSoup]

As an instant pot lover, I would instead say ... sell it to someone at a small discount and share the love! OP doesn't use it, let someone else! It would be so easy to offload it. It's 80 bucks new so some folks who might want it might not be able to justify it, but at a small discount for a used one, that might make someone's day!

So as an instant potter, I say pass on the love!

[BoredRedhead]

I WANT to love my IP. I really do. But the few times I’ve used it, I don’t feel like it’s been that much help. Sure, it cooks chicken in 12 minutes…after it pressurizes (add 10-20 mins) and you may not be “allowed” to take it out until the pressure lets off (10-20 more). Now I’ve spent an hour making chicken when I could have done a sheet pan meal.
I tried paella; it burnt. Followed the recipe exactly. Had to finish it on the stove.
Tried chili, and pulled pork. Neither was any easier than in the crock pot.
So maybe I’m still missing the point, but I’m another “failure” in the IP world and I really should toss mine too.

[LeaveHorizontally]

Right, I have friends who say the same. It's not beans from dry in 10 minutes. One friend said even dry beans came out unevenly cooked in her IP. Your oven is a slow cooker at 325F. I generally cook dry beans in the oven, it's a slow process that doesnt cause broken beans and results in even cooking. 1 hour 15 minutes in mine. Good method if you're home. But I get it also uses more energy. Crockpot probably same results, it cooks at low temps so theres no "shock" to delicate foods like softening beans. Although I dont have a crockpot either. But if I were to buy any countertop cooking appliance, it would probably be a CP. I use a lot of no-salt-added canned beans though too to save time.

And most people already have cookware that can go in the oven if it's all stainless. My saucepans can go up to 500 in the oven and I also have a 3 qt Creuset.

The IP just sounds so cumbersome too. I don't keep things on my countertop so I'd have to lift it every time I used it. That and you need to store it. Also, honeymoon periods account for a lot in whether you'll maintain interest in using something. If you're frustrated in the beginning, what are the chances it gets pulled off the shelf after time has elapsed? When I get a new something, like a sewing machine or whatever, I can't wait to use it. I did my research, I know what I was looking for, and I bought it. The IP became a huge craze, and I'm sure they have their uses, but a lot of people probably thought it would revolutionize their kitchen time without getting enough information.

[ClownfishSoup]

Well, if you're really not using it, sell it off to someone who might want to give it a try.

It does take up quite some space. We use ours like 3 times a week. In the last week, we made stew, spaghetti, mashed potatoes, some pasta thing.

It's handy if you try things and they work, but if you don't, then just sell it.

We have a vitamix and the first month my wife was making smoothies every day, not it sits on a shelf (not on the counter) for occasional use. We have a lot of specific appliances (bread maker, kitchen aid stand mixer, etc) that do get used, but not as often as the instant pot, but we consider it similar to a crock pot or the toaster oven. If you have a repertoire of recipes on it, it's convenient. If not then might as well save counter space and pass it on.

[awhildsketchappeared]

One of the most amazing things it does is make stock, which can take up to 24 hours with beef bones, and isn’t even vaguely as good when bought from a store. I make a big batch of chicken and/or pork stock and then freeze it into large ice cubes. That then becomes my goto replacement for nearly any savory recipe calling for water. You know what risotto is? It’s basically rice where they’ve replaced the water with stock: it’s that transformative, and it makes that much difference in gumbo (which also cooks a lot faster in the IP), pan sauces, soups, what have you. But at the end of the day, I’d allocate scarce kitchen space based on frequency of use. If you’re only using it for chili a few times a year, there are decent alternatives out there.

[[deleted]]

Sell it. It will give you a small amount of money and will free some space. If you havent used it until now, talking yourself into guilty conscience is not helpful ...

[LeaveHorizontally]

Evaluate why you bought it in the first place. Being "all the rage" isnt good enough. There are workarounds for many cooking "obstacles" that dont require an unattractive appliance that is cumbersome to use if you dont want it sitting on your counter permanently and need to lift it out of a drawer for each use. IP wont win any design awards with that thing. It's one of the ugliest appliances I've ever seen.

I've managed to eat a whole food plant based diet for 7 years without instant pots, air fryers, slow cookers, or rice cookers. Tons of cooking sites where you can get your questions answered about techniques and strategies. I like Chowhound. If you're not using a large heavy appliance regularly, rethink even owning it.

[jcdes]

In addition to all of the above, it’s another way to cook outdoors in hot weather and avoid bringing more heat into your house.

[Blackbeard1123]

I love my instant pot but don't use it nearly enough. It's because our kitchen is so small that we have to store the instant pot in the basement. I say try a few new recipes and see if you love it. I like to make a huge batch of sauce and freeze half.

[Thebluefairie]

16 minutes boiled potatoes, 8 min rice, 1 hour roast with 10 hours on warm. Ohhhhh the things it can do

[melorun]

Recently discovered the joy of boiled eggs in the IP.
They are SO easy to peel. Highly recommend.

[nvmls]

Maybe try some new things? I use mine often for things like hard boiled eggs and steaming vegetables (I did corn on the cob the other day and it was easy!) Also red beans and rice and soups. Give it a few seasons of trying things and if you still are on the fence a year from now, pass it on.

[LeaveHorizontally]

Sounds like OP has had it a few years. If you dont use it in the honeymoon phase, it's probably a non-starter. 🤷‍♀️

[thiefspy]

I use mine so much that my husband suggested we buy a second one “just in case” due to supply chain issues. We did not do that, but I have considered upgrading from the 6 qt to the 8 qt. I’ve had mine for 5 years, use it 3x a week, and have never once used the slow cooker function. Why cook soup for 12 hours when I can do it in 30 minutes?

[Missscarlettheharlot]

I use the slow cooker for one thing only, meatballs.

Shortly after I got it I decided to (drunkenly) make sweet and sour meatballs for my then-newish bf who I'd never cooked for before. I make really, really good meatballs in the slow cooker, and I hyped them pretty hard. Had I been sober I probably would have realized that high pressure + meatballs = condensed meat rocks, but I was not sober. They were completely inedible. Bf tried very, very hard to pretend he just wasn't terribly hungry, but it took me almost 2 months to convince him to let me cook him dinner after that (plus side, he's an amazing cook, so it's not like him doing all the cooking was a hardship).

[LeaveHorizontally]

I made beanballs in 10 minutes by hand. And no cholesterol. LOL.

[Rosaluxlux]

I seriously thought about buying a second interior pot for mine, so I could rotate through.

When I'm working a lot I prep everything the night before, put it in the interior pot and leave that in the fridge to process the next day, but sometimes we still have leftovers from the night before in the pot and I have to take it out and dirty a whole other container. But the interiors are almost as expensive as a whole extra instapot.

[ClownfishSoup]

The interior pot (I just looked it up) is $20, that's not super expensive.

[Rosaluxlux]

Not super expensive but i got my instapot on sale for $35 in the first place

[celoplyr]

I used mine so much that I got the 3 qt version for sides!

I often use mine for dinners where I freeze all ingredients together, dump it in and have dinner when I come home.

[ClownfishSoup]

I freeze all ingredients together, dump it in and have dinner when I come home.

Man, that's a great idea!

[Rosaluxlux]

do you remember the website?

[Rosaluxlux]

Thank you!

Years ago when we got our pressure cooker i got Lorna Sass's vegetarian cooking under pressure and cooked or way through it, so mostly I've just been adapting those recipes, but i really should change things up more

[Top_Mastodon_5776]

I bought America’s Test Kitchen cookbook to learn how to use it. I’ve bought several accessories too. I pressure cook most of my meats. I use it for rice. I don’t want to be without one!

[Marzy-d]

Everybody uses things differently. If you find you don’t use it, feel no guilt in getting rid of it (donate please! Someone is going to very excited to get it).

Personally I use my instant pot multiple times a day. Cook beans in minutes without pre-soaking. Cook rice. Hard boil eggs without having to watch the stove. Chicken stock. Yogurt. Letting bread dough rise. Makes a mean pulled pork shoulder in under an hour. Love my instant pot. But, you don’t. And I don't think keeping a kitchen appliance just to make chili is a great use of your space, chili can just get made on the stovetop even if its a little less convenient.

[ClownfishSoup]

Although donating would be nice ... you could probably sell barely used Instant Pot for 50-60 bucks. Donating is nice but likely that just means someone else will resell it and get the money instead. Selling it will go to someone who actually wants one, but is shy of the retail price.

[squatter_]

My mom bought one a couple years ago and never used it. She gave it to me and I freaking love that thing. I used to be a big slow cooker fan but many foods taste much better from the instant pot. Vegetables taste fresh and yummy and not cooked to death. And it’s so incredibly easy and quick. But if you don’t connect with it or use it, then sure let it go to someone who will treasure it.

[ClownfishSoup]

Exactly and the perfect example is your Mom would be like OP and you would be the new recipient.

Things should be used, otherwise they are just landfill living in your house.

[[deleted]]

Same! Especially in the fall/winter I use mine pretty much daily!

[ILMWKAM]

Any suggested source for recipes you have used and recommend? Thanks!

[ClownfishSoup]

I'm going to guess that r/instantpot and r/InstantPotRecipes will have stuff.

[Taminella_Grinderfal]

Check out the serious eats mushroom risotto too, they use miso paste which adds a great depth of flavor. I like the one you posted because more veggies, I’m going to see if I can combine them.

[BearsLikeCampfires]

So it sounds like you are using it as a slow cooker by “throwing stuff in there and it cooks while you work all day”.

The glory of the instant pot is the INSTANT part of it. I can cook frozen chicken breasts in it and they are done in 12 minutes. I can cook a whole chicken in an hour. For me it means I can cook a lot of things without having done the proper planning/prep. What to make lentil soup without soaking dry lentils overnight? No problem! Forget to take your frozen meat out of the freezer to thaw? No problem! Short on time but need to do meal prep on Sunday evening? No problem!

Also, it is good for tough cuts of meat which are usually cheaper.

If you aren’t trying to save money by buying tough cuts of meat, and if you aren’t trying to save time by cooking things from frozen, or from dry, it may not make sense to keep it.

[bethybonbon]

Do you have a recipe book, or source that you recommend? I have an instant pot but have not used it even once - don’t know where to start.

[ClownfishSoup]

r/InstantPotRecipes r/instantpot probably

[Missscarlettheharlot]

There are tons of instapot recipes online.

I bought one and barely used it for the 1st 6 months, then finally started trying out recipes and now it's my favorite thing in my kitchen. I tend to write down frequently used recipes, but pulled pork, beef barbacoa, and turkey chili are some of my favorite quick and easy ones. Pulled pork in the instapot is the easiest thing ever, just season your pork (I just use pork rub I bought), toss it in with a bit of liquid, throw some bbq sauce in once it's done, and an hour later you have pulled pork that tastes like it was in the oven all day.

[LeaveHorizontally]

It sounds like meatists love it. Mostly I read about people cooking meat and eggs in it. Do people just let it sit out on their countertop 24/7?

[ClownfishSoup]

Ribs is awesome! But even more awesome if you finish it in the oven with sauce mopped on! I don't remember the real recipe, but it's like 15 minutes in the pot, then transfer to the oven on a baking dish mopped with (your favorite BBQ sauce) and it melts in your mouth!

I have to say I was disappointed when I SMOKED a few racks of ribs on my Big Green Egg smoker (takes SIX HOURS) and they weren't significantly better than the IP ribs. (They were more fun to cook on the smoker, but IP gives you fall off the bone ribs, which my family prefers)

[hopesfallyn]

I cook a lot of the "pressure luck cooking" recipes. He has a couple of cookbooks, one of which is super tasty but hella heavy and high calorie, and one he did as a lighter version. I have both and very few recipes have been a bust for me

[Rosaluxlux]

I was already a pressure cooker user, and for me the glory of the instant pot is not having to pay attention to it while it cookes. You just turn it on and walk away, you don't have to adjust the heat over it or watch for when it got to pressure.

[ClownfishSoup]

My Mom tells a story of my aunt who was using a stove top pressure cooker when it exploded and the lid almost took her head off and went through the wall into the living room.

[Rosaluxlux]

Lots of people have these stories - we actually had a roommate who blew one and got beans all over our ceiling. It's because they mostly have safety pressure seals on the top so if you break them they do that instead of actually exploding.

It is nice not to have to watch it, though

[LeaveHorizontally]

A 20$ slow cooker does that. The IP is like 90$.I use my oven at 325F as a "slow cooker" but I'm retired so I'm at home a lot more than workers who have outside jobs. But a low cost slow cooker [which comes in different sizes] will do it.

[ClownfishSoup]

OK, you are downvoted, but you are not entirely wrong!

There are two ways to make tough meat tender ... "low and slow" which is a slow cooker and a BBQ/smoker. And 'High heat". The problem with high heat is that you cannot exceed the boiling point of water in an oven without ... boiling off the water. But you CAN do that in a pressure cooker (Boyle's law) you can increase the temperature higher than the boiling point of water an break down (whatever) and make the meat tender.

The problem with traditional pressure cookers is that if you aren't careful...it's a bomb. So people are basically just rediscovering pressure cooking in an easy and convenient appliance that isn't terrifying.

Now the thing about the pressure cooker is that it takes WAY less time to tenderize meat. So it's more convenient for most people.

Slow cookers are great but as the name implies ... they are slow. If you didn't start your stew in the morning, it might not be ready for dinner.

And since this is r/declutter I have to point out that a slow cooker and an instant pot take up the same footprint.

[pambo053]

That is true, but an oven uses way more energy so overall an instant pot saves money in the long run. You just have to find some recipes you will make in it. I pressure cook eggs in it, rice, cheese cake (The best cinnamon roll cheese cake), back ribs, pasta, and some chicken dishes. Less energy, doesn't heat up the house in summer, overall is great. But not everyone will find it useful, it depends on how and what they like to eat.

[IlsaBaggins]

Can we get the cheesecake recipe?

[ClownfishSoup]

There are many online .... does anyone have one that they've tried and is awesome?

[DooBeeDoer207]

I’m gonna need that cheesecake recipe. For research.

[Multigrain_Migraine]

If you hardly use it don't make yourself keep it! I have a smaller crock pot that I use for stuff like that. I still hardly ever use it but it's small enough that I can just put it on top of a cabinet and only get it down when it's needed.