Multi-Cooker gurus, please help me!

[KungFuPanda]

I may take the plunge and finally get one of these things instead of a stovetop pressure cooker.  I purchased, and managed to kill, a pressure cooker in a matter of months.  This should have been impossible.  It was completely user error.  I had the same one before that and it lasted me 25 years.  Soooo, this model claims I can pressure can in it.  Now I'm tempted.  My garden is small and my canning is limited to a few jars at a time as things get ripe.  What do we think?  Do I want this one?  When do the good deals happen on these things.  Since The Hive reminded me that it was Prime Day, I need you all to take a little responsibility for me.

Meuller Ultra Pot

[cjzimmer1]

3 hours ago, KungFuPanda said:

I may take the plunge and finally get one of these things instead of a stovetop pressure cooker.  I purchased, and managed to kill, a pressure cooker in a matter of months.  This should have been impossible.  It was completely user error.  I had the same one before that and it lasted me 25 years.  Soooo, this model claims I can pressure can in it.  Now I'm tempted.  My garden is small and my canning is limited to a few jars at a time as things get ripe.  What do we think?  Do I want this one?  When do the good deals happen on these things.  Since The Hive reminded me that it was Prime Day, I need you all to take a little responsibility for me.

Meuller Ultra Pot

even though it says you can use it for canning, doesn't mean it's a good idea.  My understanding is that anything under 10 quart is not safe.  Recipes are tested based on a certain heat up and cool down period and the smaller sizes change must faster and in essence shorten the cooking time and thus render you food unsafely processed.  Also no one can say for sure (simply because they've never been tested) what PSI these machines are running at nor if they are maintaining a consistent temp the whole time and both of those are huge factors for safe canning.  Now if you want if for the other features it still might be a good thing but from everything I've learned about safe canning over the years, there is no way I'd eat something canned in one of these.

[KungFuPanda]

11 hours ago, cjzimmer1 said:

even though it says you can use it for canning, doesn't mean it's a good idea.  My understanding is that anything under 10 quart is not safe.  Recipes are tested based on a certain heat up and cool down period and the smaller sizes change must faster and in essence shorten the cooking time and thus render you food unsafely processed.  Also no one can say for sure (simply because they've never been tested) what PSI these machines are running at nor if they are maintaining a consistent temp the whole time and both of those are huge factors for safe canning.  Now if you want if for the other features it still might be a good thing but from everything I've learned about safe canning over the years, there is no way I'd eat something canned in one of these.

You know, it seemed a bit sketchy but I thought maybe there was a recent technological advance I hadn’t heard of. I’m a person who is comfortable with a stovetop pressure cooker but who hasn’t ventured beyond water bath canning. I’m not sure I ever will. 
 

I do need a new pressure cooker. 24 hour stock in the crockpot is delicious but sometimes I just want to get that production over with. I probably should have gotten an instant pot BEFORE there were so many choices. Now I’m just confused. 

[cjzimmer1]

7 minutes ago, KungFuPanda said:

You know, it seemed a bit sketchy but I thought maybe there was a recent technological advance I hadn’t heard of. I’m a person who is comfortable with a stovetop pressure cooker but who hasn’t ventured beyond water bath canning. I’m not sure I ever will. 
 

I do need a new pressure cooker. 24 hour stock in the crockpot is delicious but sometimes I just want to get that production over with. I probably should have gotten an instant pot BEFORE there were so many choices. Now I’m just confused. 

There is an electric pressure canner out there (presto just released it this summer but it's out of stock everywhere) but it's so new, I'm still hesitant on it but I respect the presto brand so down the road I may consider it.

I've only dabbled in pressure canning, it makes me nervous too.  And I've only pressure cooked food on the stove a couple of times because I didn't like feeling like I needed to babysit it.  But the instant pot is wonderful.  I regularly turn it on and then leave the house, I'm that comfortable with it.  As far as choices, I really don't use that many of the presets.  I set my own time for meat and foods and I love the presets for yogurt (because making a gallon at a time is extremely useful for me) but really those are the only buttons I've used. Looking at the one you linked, meat, poultry, egg, broth and beans are all just a preset time at high pressure.  Some of the others might be too.  Presets can be helpful when you are first learning but after a use or 2, it's just as easy to manually set it for whatever time you want.  So don't let all the choices confuse you, just think about what functions are most important to you and go from there.

[KungFuPanda]

1 hour ago, cjzimmer1 said:

There is an electric pressure canner out there (presto just released it this summer but it's out of stock everywhere) but it's so new, I'm still hesitant on it but I respect the presto brand so down the road I may consider it.

I've only dabbled in pressure canning, it makes me nervous too.  And I've only pressure cooked food on the stove a couple of times because I didn't like feeling like I needed to babysit it.  But the instant pot is wonderful.  I regularly turn it on and then leave the house, I'm that comfortable with it.  As far as choices, I really don't use that many of the presets.  I set my own time for meat and foods and I love the presets for yogurt (because making a gallon at a time is extremely useful for me) but really those are the only buttons I've used. Looking at the one you linked, meat, poultry, egg, broth and beans are all just a preset time at high pressure.  Some of the others might be too.  Presets can be helpful when you are first learning but after a use or 2, it's just as easy to manually set it for whatever time you want.  So don't let all the choices confuse you, just think about what functions are most important to you and go from there.

How’s the yogurt function? Do you have to add yogurt in the middle at some point? I have my stovetop yogurt making down to 15 minutes to prepare it, then just wait time for it to do its thing and set up. I like to make a gallon or half gallon at a time, so this feature could be useful to me. I’d use a porridge feature too, my rice cooker doesn’t have that. 

[cjzimmer1]

1 hour ago, KungFuPanda said:

How’s the yogurt function? Do you have to add yogurt in the middle at some point? I have my stovetop yogurt making down to 15 minutes to prepare it, then just wait time for it to do its thing and set up. I like to make a gallon or half gallon at a time, so this feature could be useful to me. I’d use a porridge feature too, my rice cooker doesn’t have that. 

I LOVE the yogurt feature simply because I no longer have to monitor it as I'm boiling it (which always end up as boil overs or burning for me).  I pour in my milk and the yogurt function includes options of boil, 8 hr or 24 hr (and you can change the time, those are just the defaults). and walk away, it beeps when it brings it up to the proper temp.  It's not as fast as on the stove but since it's zero hands on time that's fine.  I always double check the temp and sometimes I just run it through a second boil if I didn't think it was quite hot enough.  Let it cool and do all your normal stuff but in back in the pot, select the time, I always use 8 hrs and come back when it beeps again and stick in the fridge to chill.  I bought the silicone lids for the pot because it's really nice to just stick the whole thing in the fridge (I do have 2 liners so it's not a big deal if one sits in the fridge for a full days with yogurt).

I've never used the rice feature.  We love Alton Brown's baked brown rice, so I just make a huge batch (bigger than fits in my instant pot) and use that for our rice needs for the week. But it does make great risotto with no stirring.  But the recipe has a specific time, so I just set a manual time and don't use the presets.

I've made steel cut oats in it a few times and have to say it's very tasty and nice and creamy.  I've never made steel cut on my stovetop to compare though.

Edited October 14, 2020 by cjzimmer1