Answered, thanks. :)

[Sneezyone]

On 10/19/2021 at 4:32 PM, Carolina Wren said:

We won't eat it if it's undercooked, but a little overcooked won't hurt. We eat short-grain brown, arborio, sometimes sushi rice. And the ability to cook beans in it is pretty attractive. My library has a vegan IP cookbook (by Nisha Vora) that I want to check out.

I've had great success with mixed rice and veg/meat dishes in the instapot. For rice alone, plain, nothing beats a dedicated rice cooker. All four years of college my roomie/bestie and I used the Aroma model (same as the cheapest Zojirushi). Still better than our stovetop efforts.

Edited October 20, 2021 by Sneezyone

[73349]

I looked around a bit and was impressed to see the lower-cost range of rice cookers available, but I don't want a Teflon pan and I do want a delay start option, so I didn't see anything under like $150.

Whatever I buy is going to replace our small (2qt.?) slow cooker (since we have & always use a larger one), in the cabinet. I'm pretty set against buying two different things.

[Emba]

1 hour ago, Carolina Wren said:

The Instant Pot Duo Plus is $90 ($60 cheaper than the Zojirushi rice cooker I'm looking at). I'm inclined to go for it. Speak now if you know a reason I should change my mind!

Thanks.

Don’t have any reason for you to change your mind, and you seem in a hurry, but if you are willing to wait until Black Friday, Instant Pots seem to be an item that consistently have deep discounts. I bought mine last Black Friday for about $50.

[Sneezyone]

3 minutes ago, Carolina Wren said:

I looked around a bit and was impressed to see the lower-cost range of rice cookers available, but I don't want a Teflon pan and I do want a delay start option, so I didn't see anything under like $150.

Whatever I buy is going to replace our small (2qt.?) slow cooker (since we have & always use a larger one), in the cabinet. I'm pretty set against buying two different things.

Oh, goodness! Our Aroma rice cooker was all of $10 twenty years ago. It might be $15-25 today. It worked great. https://smile.amazon.com/Aroma-Housewares-ARC-914SBD-Cool-Touch-Stainless/dp/B007WQ9YNO/ref=sxts_b2b_sx_reorder_v3_business?cv_ct_cx=aroma+rice+cooker&dchild=1&keywords=aroma+rice+cooker&pd_rd_i=B007WQ9YNO&pd_rd_r=df1ddee5-cdc0-4696-a7f7-ba3fbe835848&pd_rd_w=Ryuuc&pd_rd_wg=0EWqY&pf_rd_p=957bd7e3-74ac-4a2b-82e1-84ce13da595b&pf_rd_r=VQNNX55MYCNYHTXCXGYH&qid=1634676494&sr=1-1-722db4e4-77fc-4fb6-8cee-654ad16ce1d5

Ours was like this...

https://smile.amazon.com/Aroma-Simply-Stainless-Uncooked-Cooked/dp/B007TNXYYA/ref=sr_1_3?dchild=1&keywords=aroma+rice+cooker&qid=1634676494&qsid=139-9725059-8476157&sr=8-3&sres=B007WQ9YNO%2CB007TNXYYA%2CB0848NBLN9%2CB0055FSN0Y%2CB00LU9G1I0%2CB000ZMD5I2%2CB0057XGM5W%2CB01BUL7FJ6%2CB08KFPZ1MF%2CB007WQ9YN4%2CB0055FSNG8%2CB001OM608E%2CB00N9N6GOY%2CB003DYZYN8%2CB0002AYZUO%2CB077SM6TMT&srpt=RICE_COOKERS

FTR - I have a Teflon and SS liner for our instapot and use them for different things. Sometimes you want a good sear/crunch and sometimes you don't.

Edited October 19, 2021 by Sneezyone

[73349]

DH is convinced that the IP Duo is what we're looking for and is going to buy it. Thanks, all!

[DreamerGirl]

Late to the party, but Instant pot all the way.

The Rice button is 12 minutes for white rice, but I do 14 with 1.5 water, washed and soaked. 

For brown rice, I do manual 27 minutes with again 1.5 times water using the same cup I measured white/brown rice  (not just the one that came with IP). Again washed and soaked. NPR.

For beans, the bean/I think stew button. I usually soak in the morning and cook it around 7pm. Takes 30 minutes in the preset setting and then NPR.

You can make the best, fool proof yogurt too regardless of the weather in the IP.

ETA: If you have kids it is the best way for them to learn cooking in safe way. My 5 year old does things mostly independently thanks to the saute button. I will not let her do the same on the stove top.

[Corraleno]

3 hours ago, Carolina Wren said:

My library has a vegan IP cookbook (by Nisha Vora) that I want to check out.

I love Nisha! She has a great YouTube channel: https://www.youtube.com/c/RainbowPlantLife

 

[KungFuPanda]

8 hours ago, Sneezyone said:

I’m not sure I could fully trust a cook who doesn’t rinse their rice. 🤔

“If you don’t rinse your rice, your rice will be stinky like you.” ~Uncle Roger

[73349]

10 hours ago, Corraleno said:

I love Nisha! She has a great YouTube channel: https://www.youtube.com/c/RainbowPlantLife

 

Yes, I had seen some of her videos recently and then was pleased that when I searched for "vegan instant pot" she came up & she said she had a cookbook. She uses some ingredients I don't want (cilantro, coconut milk, occasionally wine), but the gist of her lessons is very helpful.

[Corraleno]

4 hours ago, Carolina Wren said:

Yes, I had seen some of her videos recently and then was pleased that when I searched for "vegan instant pot" she came up & she said she had a cookbook. She uses some ingredients I don't want (cilantro, coconut milk, occasionally wine), but the gist of her lessons is very helpful.

Richa Hingle (Vegan Richa) also has some instant pot recipes on YouTube, plus tons more on her blog, and she has an IP cookbook coming out in the spring. The recipes on her blog are especially helpful, because she often includes cooking tips specific to the instant pot (for example her recipe for Instant Pot Ziti in Tomato Sauce includes notes about how cooking pasta and sautéing tomatoes in the IP differ from regular cooking). 

IP recipes on her blog: https://www.veganricha.com/category/instant-pot/
IP playlist on her Youtube channel: https://www.youtube.com/playlist?list=PL_i8BdL_yG6s3e9E1GebRS_TtpLwqRHJn

 

[Spy Car]

Do beans turn out mushy in an Instapot?

I have never liked the texture of beans cooked in a standard pressure cooker vs beans cooked slowly at low heat stovetop or in a crockpot. I prefer them cooked, but retaining a little "tooth."

Bill

 

[JFSinIL]

I use my IP almost daily, for rice, for  my steel-cut oats, for soup/stew/pot roast etc.  I steam whole taters in it (or beets, squash etc) to peel and use for fried taters etc on the stove...or IP the tubers to mash.  I cook chicken bosums quickly to use in other recipes.  Now, some items I may not be saving overall time, BUT as others have mentioned, the IP does not require attention like a stove top pot might (or frequent stirring - I am looking at you, steel-cut oatmeal!).  I simply set my phone's timer to beep at me if I am not near the kitchen when it is time to unplug the IP for steam release or cool down.  I even got a second liner for the IP, so I can put the liner full of hot mashed taters, for example, to one side and quickly steam another veg in the second liner. 

I did try to use a little steamer basket made for the IP a couple times to steam bao buns, but found the larger baskets in my wok worked better.  The IP does not have to do EVERYTHING.  But what it does do, it does well.

[DreamerGirl]

4 hours ago, Spy Car said:

Do beans turn out mushy in an Instapot?

I have never liked the texture of beans cooked in a standard pressure cooker vs beans cooked slowly at low heat stovetop or in a crockpot. I prefer them cooked, but retaining a little "tooth."

Bill

 

No. I have only ever cooked my beans in a pressure cooker or instant pot.

Soak for 6-8 hours, put in IP, press the Bean button and 30 minutes later they are cooked. They are not eating consistency. I cook mine with hing (you will like this), a pinch of turmeric and cumin powder each. of course salt. I would say the consistency is like the canned version.

I add cooked beans and recook them with many ingredients. Like cook minced meat with black chickpeas, make a snack with it, cook it with rice (Red beans and rice is called Rajma Rice), chana (white chickpeas). All of them necessitated cooking soaked dried beans first.

 

[Spy Car]

3 hours ago, DreamerGirl said:

No. I have only ever cooked my beans in a pressure cooker or instant pot.

Soak for 6-8 hours, put in IP, press the Bean button and 30 minutes later they are cooked. They are not eating consistency. I cook mine with hing (you will like this), a pinch of turmeric and cumin powder each. of course salt. I would say the consistency is like the canned version.

I add cooked beans and recook them with many ingredients. Like cook minced meat with black chickpeas, make a snack with it, cook it with rice (Red beans and rice is called Rajma Rice), chana (white chickpeas). All of them necessitated cooking soaked dried beans first.

 

Being "like canned versions" is what scares me about pressure cooked beans. For my taste canned beans--with the possible exception of chickpeas/garbanzo beans (which are on the cusp)--are more "mushy" than what I consider to be ideal.

I prefer more "tooth."

Never had good success with a regular stovetop pressure cooker and that's caused me to hold off on an IP.

Bill

 

[DreamerGirl]

16 hours ago, Spy Car said:

Being "like canned versions" is what scares me about pressure cooked beans. For my taste canned beans--with the possible exception of chickpeas/garbanzo beans (which are on the cusp)--are more "mushy" than what I consider to be ideal.

Ummm...I think I used the wrong words to describe the texture. I am honestly not sure what canned texture is, never used it though I have put away a few just in case for the zombie apocalypse like a good little prepper. 😊

What I was essentially trying to say and did so poorly was you cook the dried beans after soaking and they now can be used to do additional cooking. Should not have brought in canned at all. 

16 hours ago, Spy Car said:

I prefer more "tooth."

Yes...I wanted to say al dente but did not want to use a term I only know for pasta so I used canned texture. 😊. Operator error as they say.

I did a random texture test on a red bean/kidney bean/rajma which was the bean of the day and I cannot easily mush it with my fingers, I am going to say you can perhaps with a masher though I have not done it. It does not break down or am I even confusing the issue ?? Oi...so I am going with it does not break down. 

16 hours ago, Spy Car said:

Never had good success with a regular stovetop pressure cooker and that's caused me to hold off on an IP.

Bill

 

[DreamerGirl]

11 minutes ago, DreamerGirl said:

Never had good success with a regular stovetop pressure cooker and that's caused me to hold off on an IP.

Bill

 

Something weird happened with the formatting hence the double quoting post.

I do not know what pressure cookers are in America.

Anyways, this is the pressure pan I came into the US with.

https://www.amazon.com/Prestige-Induction-Stainless-Pressure-2-0-Liter/dp/B00QWPXUZO/ref=sr_1_2?dchild=1&keywords=prestige&qid=1634835085&qsid=130-7592096-8782743&sr=8-2&sres=B08M3GRP1C%2CB00QWPXUZO%2CB00QWPZCCS%2CB002RL8X9U%2CB0843YV6H1%2CB00QWPY0PS%2CB08456FXS1%2CB002RL8XB8%2CB07KGNJKVB%2CB0843YL5RH%2CB07JJCNQRV%2CB0094M2FS0%2CB07RVMBM9M%2CB07HJFZ25H%2CB00TU9UFTS%2CB0047WJ11G&srpt=DOWNLOADABLE_MOVIE

This is the brand my grandmother cooked with, it is a 100 years or more if I am not mistaken

Pretty much every Indian person who goes anywhere, male or female is given one of these. You can make rice, dal and veggies or curries and you are set. 

It works on time/number of whistles after you put the weight once the pressure is reached (the thing on top of the lid). I prefer number of whistles depending on the contents. 

As for the the IP, I know you are a more organic touch, texture, smell person and so am I, but I sort of got burned out during the pandemic and  cooking every single thing. The IP basically gave me a bit of the joy back because it took away the tedium of every day cooking you know. I could just set it and walk away not stay to see if things burned. Even the pressure cooker on the stove top needed me to stand there. 

Most of all it let me teach my kids cooking, DS14 is old enough to learn the smell, taste, texture way I cook and he learned that way. But DD5, then 4 wanted to learn to and no way was I letting her cook on the stove top. She was heart broken and we were having a stand off because I was not letting her do big girl things and she was not a baby. By then I was a bit burned out and could not trouble shoot one more thing and so DH suggested the IP. In particular the Saute button helped me teach her cook with the smell, taste, texture way DS learned so I am a bit partial towards it. 

[73349]

The IP is here. It's bigger than I expected and its cord is too short to use on the island, but I'm looking forward to trying it out this weekend.