Crock pot or instapot / fast week night dinners
 

I am looking at the school year scedules.

Tuesday I won't be home untill 6:45. Normal dinner time is 6.

Every other Wendsday it is looking similar.

I don't see how I can make dinners work unless I have a crock pot ( I had a cheep rather horable one, that I got rid of once I got my stove top prusher cooker). I need to walk in and be able to serve food in under 15 min.

But then the question comes to: do I buy a crock pot or just get an instapot that I can use as a prusher cooker ( and there have been times I wish I had two, I love my stove top one so much) or a slow cooker?

What do you think?

Any one have amazing slow cooker recipes or blogs.

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Re: Crock pot or instapot / fast week night dinners
 

I don't have an instapot, but I love having dinner ready in the crockpot when I get home.

This blogger is the queen of crockpot recipes. https://www.365daysofcrockpot.com/sl...-lime-chicken/

Re: Crock pot or instapot / fast week night dinners
 

Will you not be home because of work or kid activities? I like the IP because I can set it and set a timer. It figures out coming to pressure and is ready to release ehen I walk in the door. If we are leaving for activities I will make rice before we leave. My cook pot keeps it warm enough.

I would not use the IP as a crock pot. :no some IP dishes only need enough time to come to pressure and then they are done.

Re: Crock pot or instapot / fast week night dinners
 

I've found the IP slow cooker setting is SO much slower than my crockpot. It's so strange.


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Re: Crock pot or instapot / fast week night dinners
 

I've had really good luck with the slow cooker recipes in the Trim Healthy Mama Cookbook. (I can't remember all your restrictions, but most things are GF, and have DF options, etc.) Cook's Illustrated has some great recipes as well, but they usually involve more prep work. Their Cook's Country magazine always includes a slow cooker recipe or two.

In the winter I do a lot of soups, too. This time of year I make veggie purees, freeze them, and just thin out with broth for a creamy soup. Done in under 15 minutes.

Re: Crock pot or instapot / fast week night dinners
 

Wendsday we will be out of the house most of the day and Tuesday we might be out of the house all day or maybe just from 3 to 6:30.

The thing is that most of the time dh is home ( ocasionaly he is on trips) so if I have it all preaped he can probably start things mid day.That is good to know. I had a cheep crockpot and could neaver get times to line up with recipes. Things would burn on high and would neaver get done on low. So I don't know that I would notice the difference of it being slow.

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Re: Crock pot or instapot / fast week night dinners
 

Instant Pot has gotten more use than our crock pot ever did. I'm fact, I have two IPs now.

We like to make beans and one. You can make rice in your crockpot or rice cooker or other instant pot. Rice and beans is a complete protein meal. You can add in chips and whatever toppings you like to it as well.

We can also make baked potatoes in the Instant Pot pretty quickly. As well, in our IP this week I made hard boiled eggs and yogurt.

Re: Crock pot or instapot / fast week night dinners
 

I use my IP as a slow cooker all the time and have never noticed a difference or problem. :shrug3

Do you currently own a decent crock pot (apart from the one you mentioned that was no good)? If so I'd start with that. BUT if you need to purchase something I'd 100% absolutely with no hesitation purchase an IP. Start price watching and get a good deal but TOTALLY worth it. I am a die hard cook and spend LOTS of time in the kitchen (I LOVE to cook) and most definitely my IP is my most used appliance.

Re: Crock pot or instapot / fast week night dinners
 

The one thing I've tried to make that absolutely takes forever is dried beans. They cooked all day and still needed to be finished on the stove. I do not like to pressure cook dried beans because you either have to leave them be for a long time to release pressure or you have tons of water squirting all over the kitchen :giggle

Re: Crock pot or instapot / fast week night dinners
 

Really? Dry beans is my GO TO in my instant pot. LOVE LOVE LOVE it. Can't imagine using the old skool slow cooker method. :shifty I do a natural release but don't find it to be excessively long. :shrug3

Re: Crock pot or instapot / fast week night dinners
 

I don't have a crock pot I will need to buy something.

I use my stove top prusher cooker at least once a week and more in the winter.I love dryed beans in the my prusher cooker! I do the natural release and just leave the kitchen.

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Re: Crock pot or instapot / fast week night dinners
 

I don't have an IP, but there's always crockpots for sale at my local goodwill for around $5 or so. (It's been awhile since I've looked, but I know I bought one for $5 and it works perfectly!)

Just throwing that out there. :)

Re: Crock pot or instapot / fast week night dinners
 

I am trying to decide if I would be ok worth that. I really want to and I am 98% certen I could clean it well enough to get any waywerd flour off of it. My dh is very sensitive to gluten.

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Re: Crock pot or instapot / fast week night dinners
 

Oh, with a crock pot being ceramic, I can't imagine that would be an issue. :think It seems it could definitely have all remains removed especially if you meticulously picked a used one that was clean.

That said depending on the size you need, I've seen new crock pots during the big sales (like Black Friday, etc), for REALLY cheap. Like under $10.

I would still heavily favour an IP just cause I ADORE mine so much BUT if finances are a barrier a crock pot is definitely substantially cheaper!

Re: Crock pot or instapot / fast week night dinners
 

I borrowed a crock pot to make this week work. The girls complained about the texture of the rice and chicken that I cooked.

I talked to dh and I think I will buy an electric prusher cooker.

Are IPs that much better than other brands of electric prusher cooker. There are a couple of other brands that I could buys used locally but the reviews online made me learly of buying them

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