Indio32;17319 wrote:Nothing really much to add to the discussion but I have to say I’m utterly perplexed at the adulation that electric pressure cookers are getting at the moment. They appear rather expensive add a huge amount of complexity* and lack the finesse and control of a manual pressure cooker for maybe mediocre at best benefits. Anyway..... ;) * I’m guessing if the electronics fail you throw the pot away.
OK...I've had a stovetop pressure cooker for AGES. I have a pressure canner. I now have a 6qt. Instant Pot, and a 3qt. Instant Pot. I am single, older (see "stovetop PC"), cook mainly for myself. I also have slow cookers in 2 sizes.
*This is why I love my IP. I cook all my pet food for 4 Corgis. Meat, pork and chicken or turkey mostly, is purchased on sale and pressure-cooked, usually for 12 to 20 minutes, shredded, and frozen in 9 oz. ziplocs for the dogs, packaged in chunks etc. for my own People-food recipes. I also prepare pumpkin (bought day after Halloween), green beans, cabbage (St. Patrick's Day), carrots from off-size 25lb. bags suggested as "juicers", etc. for pet food or me-food. I buy whole-body chickens on sale to cut up and IP them for people food (12 mins.) or more, if I am looking for chicken broth. Broth absolutely does not need pressure cooking for 2 hours or more. I buy Rancho Gordo Heirloom Beans regularly, but do not IP them unless I'm really pressed for time. Possible, but I like the old-time method results more (note: IP results even on these expensive fresh dried beans is definitely not "mediocre"...just that I like the other way better).
I'm pretty busy running a small ranch, so appreciate being able to either punch buttons to get a whole meal going in the IP while I do other things in the kitchen, or cook the potatoes for mashing by popping them into the silent, automatic IP on the counter while I prepare other dinner parts. I could do all this with the stove-top model, but would have to monitor it for pressure, timing, etc. much more carefully than the IP doing all by itself. I use the Mini-IP to cook for me...lots of soups, casseroles, many slow-cook options that can also be quickly pressured.
As to "complexity", I am on several IP forums and have NEVER heard of a technical problem that was not fixed immediately by the excellent Instant Pot company customer service. Also available as 3rd-party items are many accessories. I only use these appliances for pressure, as I have a rice cooker, slow cooker, etc. already. I do use the IP for making excellent reliable yogurt, Greek and regular. The Instant Pots were purchased on sale for $60 and $100. Yes, I do have a lot of storage space...and an inclination to buy probably more "stuff" than I need, like cookbooks.