Instant Pot/Pressure Cookers

[pnwgypsy]

Is anyone using an Instant Pot (IP) or pressure cooker?  The IP is 900 or 1000W depending on the size/model, so that might be a bit much for solar systems, however, with pressure cooking the duration is reduced quite a bit.

We just got one over the holiday & my first thought was to take it in the van, especially since we're tied to shore power for now, due to the other half's CPAP.

 

[eDJ_]

Yes, just recently we were discussing the merits of pressure cookers.  Many of us use them.  I have an old presto I carry.

A friend of mine is a retired electrical engineer who worked most of his life with digital controls on 3 phase.  He got one of those convection cookers like this one and swears by it.

He catches these on sale around the holidays for around $38 dollars. (the one in the picture is priced at
$51 dollars)  He tells me he has a new one for a back up and does most of his cooking with these as they are more efficient than anything else.

 

[WriterMs]

I think if you go to the Food & Cooking section, you'll see some older (but not too old) threads on pressure cookers.

 

[ckelly78z]

Lots of steam to be released when the dinner is done cooking, you may want to vent outside to prevent the steam from being released inside of the van, and settling/dampening things inside.

 

[wagoneer]

Old thread die hard. Ha, well if you can find a small good quality Pressure cooker old style for stove top My Preference.

 

[Firtree]

Not a fast cooker but one that can also use low amounts of energy is a thermal cooker.
Basically heat food on stovetop to boiling for X mins, usually 5-10 then place in the insulated storage for hours to finish cooking.
Many Asian and low resource communities use this type cooking, along with many boat travelers. There are threads on this too.

 

[B and C]

^^^ Lookup hay box cooking for slow cooking.

I have a 6.3 Qt. stovetop pressure cooker: https://www.amazon.com/gp/product/B00EXLOW38/ref=ppx_yo_dt_b_search_asin_title?ie=UTF8&psc=1

I use it as a big cooking pot too, not just for pressure cooking.

 

[jacqueg]

Old thread die hard. Ha, well if you can find a small good quality Pressure cooker old style for stove top My Preference.

I'm a big fan of pressure cookers. I recently found a 2.5 qt Fagor at Goodwill for 9.99. Cleaned it up, bought a new gasket for it. It's going traveling with me in my van. Those Airpots and/or electric pressure cookers are just too big and too power-hungry for me. I understand why people like them, but I grew up cooking with a stovetop pressure cooker, I just don't need a digital gadget to help me out.

 

[maki2]

I have seen lots of great reviews on the Instapots. I don't have one and likely won't as I am not going to be on shore power very often. But if that was what I was doing and if I had a van rather than a 4 cylinder car then I am sure it would be a very nice addition to my kitchen.

What I do have now at home base (which is actually a workshop space rather than a house) is an induction single burner cooktop. I also have a small microwave and a small countertop convection oven. That has been my entire kitchen setup for cooking for the last 10 years. There are times when I wish I had a second burner but I manage by cooking in stages. I do have a stovetop pressure cooker but I don't use it but once in a very great while.

I would say that if you don't use a pressure cooker now then like most people you already have a routine for your favorite way of preparing meals. Of course anyone can develop new habits. But the evidence is in the thrift stores that all the latest gadgets end up in the thrift stores in about 5 years when people finally decided to purge themselves of too much kitchen stuff that does not get used very often.

 

[jacqueg]

I'm seeing generic InstaPots in my local Goodwill.

 

[eDJ_]

The Dollar General store has been selling those "Bella" instant pots for as low as $30 bucks.  Even those air fryers. 

You could make a meal yo could eat on for two or three days with one of those instant pots if you could get an hour of shore power somewhere.

 

[Marvin]

Can anyone tell me the best brand of pressure cookers? There are thousands of them and reviews are controversial
I know what functions are useful for me, just don't know which brand is more reliable

 

[jacqueg]

I don't use the new all-in-one gadgets like the InstaPot. Mostly because I don't think they have any advantages over a stove-top pressure cooker and a slow cooker, both of which I have been using for decades. And really, I don't even need a slow cooker, people have been cooking beans on stovetops forever.

So tell us what your cooking experience is and why you think you might want an InstaPot or similar gadget. Especially, what kind of food do you like to eat.

 

[1shemp]

We eat a lot of beans for the protein and the economy.Plus I love soup beans and cornbread.We use the pressure cooker at home and on the road.We don't use it on the road during rainy days.Too much moisture in the camper.

 

[Cammalu]

I have an instapot and love it. I can cook dried beans in 20 minutes which saves me from hours of stovetop cooking and all the propane used.

I run my generator when I use the instapot and it’s so super fast I don’t worry about the gas I am using. Carrots are 4-5 minutes as well as potatoes and any vegetable. A hearty soup or chili is about 10-20 minutes. Tastes like it’s been cooking for hours.

So it’s all about time and economy for me.

 

[jacqueg]

I have an instapot and love it. I can cook dried beans in 20 minutes which saves me from hours of stovetop cooking and all the propane used.

I run my generator when I use the instapot and it’s so super fast I don’t worry about the gas I am using. Carrots are 4-5 minutes as well as potatoes and any vegetable. A hearty soup or chili is about 10-20 minutes. Tastes like it’s been cooking for hours.

So it’s all about time and economy for me.

For me, it's all about tradeoffs. I don't have room for a generator, don't have solar, and my pressure cooker cooks beans in 20 minutes on a propane burner. If I absolutely HAD to, I could use the pressure cooker over a fire.

 

[B and C]

The stovetop pressure cooker does double duty as a big pot for the stovetop too for those times when pressure cooking isn't needed but a big pot is. I try not to use the genny as much as possible but I do run it every morning for about 15-20 minutes to make coffee and give the batteries a good boost first thing in the morning. This also has the benefit of keeping the genny exercised some. If it's cold in the morning, it also runs my small electric heater and I can turn the furnace off. This sure wreaks havoc on my gas mileage though so I don't know what my MPG is when I do this.

 

[SheketEchad]

I've used my instant pot while making one night stops with shore power. It's fast, I can cook in the van and I'm able to prep dinner and breakfast in one swoop and in one pan. I don't have to unload my stove in the rain (one experience) and set up the tarp and all for cooking a meal. Any cooking I do on the stove would be outside, so it's been great for those times. It also added some heat one cold night

I'm planning on trying it on solar next week while I boondock just to test it and check the drain on the solar system while I'm not working, so don't need to keep power going for anything else. Plenty of sun out here.

I make soups, ramen with added protein, and eggs in various forms. It only takes 10 minutes to boil 8 eggs and I've got protein snacks for driving. To buy a pack of two boiled eggs is about two bucks at truck stops!

I find it to be, for me, a great tool that takes up little room and saves setup time, particularly when I'm pulling in late and traveling long distances each day.

YMMV (your mileage may vary)