Instant Pot

I own two instant pots - a 6 Quart Duo and I just bought my pot a baby brother, the 3 Quart Duo Mini. I love them both. It is totally worth the counter space. There is a learning curve and I recommend joining some facebook groups (Instant Pot Community is a great one) to learn how to use it.

Things I make in it - white rice, brown rice, wild rice, quinoa, soups/chilis, hard boiled eggs, cheesecake, lava cake, corn bread, meat loaf, potato salad, mashed potatoes, mac and cheese, all kinds of chicken, ribs, turkey breast, yogurt, dry beans, spaghetti, homemade vanilla extract, taco pie. There is probably a lot more that I'm leaving out. Just about any crockpot recipe can be converted and cook in less time (and not be dried out). You can brown a full pound of hamburger from frozen.

I use my instant pot almost every day. I strongly recommend the Instant Pot over other brands of electric pressure cookers because it is easier to find accessories and parts, there are far more recipes and instructions written with the Instant Pot in mind and you have the benefit of the stainless steel inner pot, as opposed to the chemical coated non stick pots with other brands. I also recommend ordering a set of extra sealing rings - and mark one to be used only with sweet items. The silicon rings absorb the odors of what you cook and that can cross over when you cook something sweet. (cheesecake with a hint of BBQ Ribs is not a cook combination!) So, I just keep a separate ring that I use on the lid when I make sweet stuff.

I think you asked about air fryers yesterday - I would buy multiple instant pots before I ever bought another air fryer. Our 6 quart is the perfect size for a family of four - we usually have plenty for everyone and enough for my husband and I to pack a lunch for the next day. (Some recipes can really feed a crowd tho!). There are 3 versions now, all available in different sizes - the Lux (fewer features, no yogurt function), the Duo (7 pre-set functions including Yogurt) and the Ultra (10 preset functions including yogurt). There is a version with Bluetooth also. I haven't found a need for it. I find the Duo to be a nice compromise and is the most popular. I mostly cook on manual and don't use the functions, except I use that Yogurt function all the time!

There are supposed to be some great black Friday deals on them - I haven't seen prices yet. (I heard a rumor about one at Walmart for $49???) The 3 quart mini is normally about $69 and I picked it up at Target over the weekend for $53.