[2sunshines]

Originally Posted by Katigre

Jumping in late here. I got it in the sale and here's why I like it (vs. the regular crockpot which we rarely use):

1. I can saute in the instant pot before pressure cooking - it's one pot vs. 2. Ex. I can brown the onions/meat and then add my other ingredients. With a slow cooker I had to use the stove and an additional pan.

2. I can make pasta (we use lentil pasta and it works fine) with sauce in the instant pot - all one dish (no separate water boiling pot and separate sauce pot).

3. Baked potatoes are less than half the time of the oven - woot! Very quick and easy and we put things like taco meat on top.

I haven't made a lot of dishes, I feel like IP stuff probably is more suited to winter than summer fare. One dish I really liked was a curry dish and the spices came out amazing in the pressure cooker.

I agree. The only only times I EVER use my crock pot are when I need something and my IP is already in use. The IP is ALWAYS my go to...

I prefer the IP to the crock pot because in addition to being able to sautee meat in it beforehand and not have to use a different pan on the stove, I can also sautee afterwards to thicken the gravy or sauces that I've made in the crock pot.

Another HUGE benefit *for me* with the crock pot function of the IP vs. a regular crock pot is that there is a much more substantial lid. So 1. heat is kept inside much better than the crock pot and 2. SMELL is kept inside MUCH better. In fact, when I'm slow cooking in the crock pot, I don't usually even smell the food until I open the lid up. Which I LOVE because quite frankly I'm home all day long and although dinner simmering smells DELICIOUS is makes me insanely hungry and I prefer to eliminate that day long temptation!

Also, two things that I do regularly here in the crock pot that used to take 12 plus hours and now takes minutes in the IP are cooking dry beans and cooking bone broth. Those two features alone make the IP worth it for us.

And actually, I find my IP to be used a ton in the summer precisely because I won't use the oven when it's hot outside.