First dinner with InstantPot

[GravyBoat]

I bought the "As Seen On TV" Power XL 6-quart electric pressure cooker a while back. It was $75 on sale at Thiesen's. It's great for soup, takes like 20 minutes for beef soup, a little longer for chicken. It's excellent for many things, but not so much for rice in my opinion. For pork ribs and pork loins, they get very succulent and juicy after an hour. You can also use it like a crock pot and slow cook things.

But if I could do it over, I'd but the 10-quart model from the website. It's like $150 but you get some accessories, like this basket, which would help when making pork ribs, because they fall apart and you can't hardly get them out of the pot, they get to swimming in all the grease that the pressure cooker boils out of them ribs. And it's much larger, the 6-quart size fills up quick once you start adding meat, taters, onions, carrots, and celery to a soup.

YouTube has many stove top pressure cooker explosion videos, but I think people either boiled them dry or used too much heat, boom. But this Power XL is said to have many safety devices. First, it has pressure and temp sensors, and you can't unscrew the lid while it's pressurized. Then it has a mechanical valve like other pressure cookers. I feel safe using it. But you must be careful in taking the lid off, the steam can severely burn. I usually wait twenty minutes for the steam to go down anyway. The food stays warm for hours in the pot.

[Kathianne]

I bought the "As Seen On TV" Power XL 6-quart electric pressure cooker a while back. It was $75 on sale at Thiesen's. It's great for soup, takes like 20 minutes for beef soup, a little longer for chicken. It's excellent for many things, but not so much for rice in my opinion. For pork ribs and pork loins, they get very succulent and juicy after an hour. You can also use it like a crock pot and slow cook things.

But if I could do it over, I'd but the 10-quart model from the website. It's like $150 but you get some accessories, like this basket, which would help when making pork ribs, because they fall apart and you can't hardly get them out of the pot, they get to swimming in all the grease that the pressure cooker boils out of them ribs. And it's much larger, the 6-quart size fills up quick once you start adding meat, taters, onions, carrots, and celery to a soup.

YouTube has many stove top pressure cooker explosion videos, but I think people either boiled them dry or used too much heat, boom. But this Power XL is said to have many safety devices. First, it has pressure and temp sensors, and you can't unscrew the lid while it's pressurized. Then it has a mechanical valve like other pressure cookers. I feel safe using it. But you must be careful in taking the lid off, the steam can severely burn. I usually wait twenty minutes for the steam to go down anyway. The food stays warm for hours in the pot.

Having been looking at various blogs and reviews on electric pressure cookers for some time, your review seems to point out the main flaw I've seen with the XL, where the valve is located.

Those accessories can easily be found on amazon or ebay.

Here's one site that illustrates some of the differences:

http://topreviews.best/main-review/p...gWMRoC9svw_wcB

[GravyBoat]

Having been looking at various blogs and reviews on electric pressure cookers for some time, your review seems to point out the main flaw I've seen with the XL, where the valve is located.


Those accessories can easily be found on amazon or ebay.


Here's one site that illustrates some of the differences:


http://topreviews.best/main-review/p...gWMRoC9svw_wcB

I've also seen some reviews saying the valve was a problem, but I've never had a problem with it. You're not supposed to monkey with it once its turned on anyway. The electric pressure cookers have a pressure switch, thermostat, and physical valve, so they're supposed to be unable to explode. My cooker's similar to Jim's in the first couple of posts, it looks like the same guts, but the brand I have has an inner pot that comes out, has a non-stick coating not stainless steel. There's the stove top model reviewed at that link, the Fagor brand, here's a YouTube of one that exploded. I think they had the flame too high, overheated.





I found this story with video about a lawsuit for the Power XL. From the story, it seems they took the lid off while it was still under pressure (although it's not supposed to do that). Then there's the problem of superheating, where if you expose something really hot to the cooler ambient air, even if you shake something under pressure, it can explode; this is also a major problem in foundry work. No pressure cooker can be taken lightly, it should not be moved and certainly not shaken when under pressure.

http://miami.cbslocal.com/2015/06/24...e-cooker-case/

[Kathianne]

Jim and I have the same. I don't like non-stick coatings, over time just don't know what you're ingesting. It's my own issue, but that's that. I like stainless for that reason and find it very easy to clean and with a bit of this: https://www.amazon.com/Bar-Keepers-F...friend+cleaner very easy to keep looking like new.

As for the comparisons, easy enough to tell the differences between electric and non, imo. XL and IP are both electric.

[Gunny]

Jim and I have the same. I don't like non-stick coatings, over time just don't know what you're ingesting. It's my own issue, but that's that. I like stainless for that reason and find it very easy to clean and with a bit of this: https://www.amazon.com/Bar-Keepers-F...friend+cleaner very easy to keep looking like new.

As for the comparisons, easy enough to tell the differences between electric and non, imo. XL and IP are both electric.

Watching this show about Drive-ins and Diners. Guess I''l have to put on my good jean shorts cuz I'm getting real hungry looking at this stuff.

[jimnyc]

Watching this show about Drive-ins and Diners. Guess I''l have to put on my good jean shorts cuz I'm getting real hungry looking at this stuff.

Food Network - Guy Fieri - "Diners, Drive-ins & Dives" <---- that show rocks!! And makes me hungry every time.

[Gunny]

Food Network - Guy Fieri - "Diners, Drive-ins & Dives" <---- that show rocks!! And makes me hungry every time.

Yeah, I think that was it. I wish I was wherever he was this afternoon. I'd be on the sofa with a toothpick by now.

BUT you'll be happy to know I went to the Mexican restaurant and had huevos rancheros and a mess of those refired beans you love so much.