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Some things "are" cooked in plastic bags, aren't you supposed to be able to sous vide in your instapot duo?
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NGI,

I get it! I am NEVER myself without my coffee! LOL

I have accidentally nuked something a little too long and the plastic from a ziplock melted, forcing me to trash it and order a pizza! Hahaha 🤣

My little schnauzer was such a yippy yappy dog! I swear, she would bark at a leaf falling off of a tree!

My greyhound was so mellow and never barked.

My daughter that just rescued the Husky on my avatar said that her pooch has started barking when she goes to do her laundry.

She has to go downstairs to do laundry. Her apartment doesn’t have hookups in the unit.

He is apparently having some separation anxiety and she doesn’t quite know how to handle it. He’s 11 months old.
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"NHWM,"

LOL! of course we don't reheat using plastic bags - I don't know why I said that! I'll blame it on it being Monday, I haven't eaten anything except a cookie, I haven't had enough coffee, my dog is barking....
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NGI,

I like that little rack and spoon too.

I usually don’t reheat in the ziplocks. I defrost just enough to transfer into a heatproof container.

I am always concerned about melting plastic from the ziplock in my food!

Oh gosh, I have donated lots of stuff too. Some gadgets are crazy. I guess some people like that kind of stuff.
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"NHWM,"

It's been so long since I watched videos about leftovers that it's possible your ordinary ziplock bags may work. I haven't made large quantities of anything where I need to freeze them so I don't know.

Sometimes I buy those pre-cooked Rotisserie Chickens at the store and instead of heating up the oven, I put it in the Instant Pot to re-heat it.

Oh yes, the gadgets just never end. I use to buy all kinds only to end up donating them after years of never using them!

I'm glad the little rack, special spatula and ladle came with it so I haven't bought any extras!
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NGI,

Thanks, good to know. I have to check out the videos that you have recommended.

I will have to look into those products. I generally store in ordinary ziplock bags.

Isn’t it amazing how many items we can spend more money on? LOL.

Some items are worth buying and others aren’t.
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Today is Spaghetti Day! Hahaha

I find it hysterical that there is a ‘day’ to celebrate everything these days!

Whose having spaghetti today?
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"NHWM,"

No harm in that. I might have got the 8 quart if there had been that kind of deal on it too.

Freezing the extra portions is always a plus. There's even videos on reheating leftovers in it and if I recall there are special containers you can buy specifically for that purpose where you do a layering type of thing to reheat.

Also, even though it's just you and your husband right now, when you're kids come you can have a big enough pot to feed the whole gang!
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NGI,

I would be fine with the six quart too. It is only the two of us too.

The eight quart was on sale for 40 percent off so I decided to get that one.

I figured that I could freeze extra portions.
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"NHWM,"

Since it's just my husband and I, I bought the "Instant Pot DUO Plus 60" - 9 in 1 multi-use programmable pressure cooker which is the 6 quart model. I debated about getting the 8 quart but, this seems to be enough for us.

Glad those are the sponges you buy so you should be all set.

I think once you get to watching the YouTube videos, I think you'll get more excited about using it!
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NGI,

That’s the kind of sponges I buy! Good to know all your information. I was planning on looking at YouTube videos on cooking in my new instant pot!

What model do you have? I bought the eight quart. Is that what you have?
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"NHWM" and "Shell,"

I do find it interesting that many chefs enjoy using it - I don't really remember them getting that excited about crockpots even if we didn't have the internet or YouTube to watch demos on.

I really do think it's because of how fast it is and because there are so many things you can do with it. There are a lot of creative YouTubers out there who aren't necessarily career chefs, they just enjoy learning about it and a lot of them are guys!

"Shell," like you said "stocks" (I know I mentioned soups earlier) would be wonderful to make in them.

Often, we have to tweak things even if we make them in the oven or on the stove by adjusting the times and temperatures so think of it as just another method of cooking in which you do the same.

The one thing I learned as far as cleaning the pot itself, is not to use anything like the Scotch-Brite sponges - the ones where one side is a sponge and the other side is the dark green heavy duty scrubber which will ruin the pot. I get Scotch Brite's "Dobie" all purpose sponges that come in a green box.
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Shell,

I absolutely need more practice with it. Sounds like NGI has the hang of it.

I am going to do more research on it and try some other things.

I have heard that making stocks are fabulous with it.
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NHWM & Nobodygetsit,
I have never used a pressure cooker, although, I have thought about buying one.

I have seen chefs take raw cow bones, garlic, chopped up onions, carrots, celery, and herbs and make a beautiful stock.

Sorry NHWM that your roast didn't turn out as you hoped for. The thing I like about cooking is that you can play around with food and sometimes you win and sometimes you don't, but you do always learn something and that is what counts!!!
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"NHWM,"

My mom also had the old fashioned stove top pressure cooker but, for some reason I felt intimidated by it. Plus, I gave it to a donation center when I cleared her house out to sell it.

I've had my instant pot for nearly two years. I was using it about 4x a week until COVID and my mom nearly dying in April. I didn't have the time or the inclination to use it.

I'm sorry your first roast didn't turn out as you hoped. Did you still sear it on all sides in the pot first as there's no need to use another skillet on the stove to do that part? I think it's something you get used to when it comes to experimenting with cooking times especially if you use certain weights of meat consistently.

I bought Baby Back Ribs last week which really do fall off the bone making it a delicate operation getting them out of the pot before basting them with the sauce and just putting in the oven for an extra 5-10 minutes.

I do make sloppy joes in it as well as the pork roasts used for making shredded bbq pork and with leftover chuck roasts, I shred it and heat in the pot with bbq sauce.

For me, I actually looked forward to cooking - lol! Years ago I used to make a lot of things from scratch but, my caregiving role has made that a little less desirable as well as impractical.

I think making soups in it would be great although, I haven't tried that yet.

I use mainly YouTube for learning how to use it, tips as well as recipes. I really like demonstrations instead of just seeing a recipe.

I hope you give it more time. You got a good deal on it especially since you didn't rush out and buy them when they were all the rage. I know I probably paid $119 at Bed, Bath and Beyond - not the greatest place to get things money-wise. That was the sale price at the time plus, I had their coupon.
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I mostly use it as a shortcut for making tougher cuts of meat fork tender. I like that you can brown everything right in the pot before processing, that's something that you can't do with (most) slow cookers.
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NGI,

What recipes have you used for your instant pot? Online, food blogs, Pinterest, cookbooks?

How long have you had yours? Do you use it weekly?
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cwille,

Yours is more modern than the one my mom had!

I believe mom’s pressure cooker was a wedding present and she married in 1947.

My neighbor had her mom’s older model.

She never used hers again after the explosion of meatballs and sauce!

She ended up having to repaint her entire kitchen! LOL

I remember watching that little thing bob up and down as a kid on mom’s pressure cooker and being fascinated by it!

I think mom cooked beans in hers. Not sure what else.

I don’t have any of mom’s things because of everything being destroyed in Hurricane Katrina but one of my distant cousins gave me my great aunt’s old white enamel stovetop coffee percolator coffeemaker. I also have my husband’s grandmother’s washboard.

What do you cook in your pressure cooker? You could keep it going strong with the replacement part!

My husband is great at fixing thing and replacing parts on stuff that needs repairing.

My mom was really good at repairs but daddy wasn’t. Oh, and his brother was awful at repairs.

I remember that everything in my uncle’s house was backwards!

LOL The light switches, etc! If you turned it in the on direction, it was off and vice versa. He wasn’t mechanically inclined at all!
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I have my mom's old presto from the 70's or 80's with the little rocker on top, I recently checked and it's actually possible to get the rubber seals online so there's no reason it can't last another 50 years 🤣. I don't think it is any more dangerous that any kitchen appliance, you just need to keep the temperature low enough to only gently rock the pressure rocker. I do still use it occasionally.
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NGI,

I have to get used to it. I will experiment with some of the dishes that you mentioned. Ribs sound good!
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cwille,

I remember my mom having the stovetop model. Mom was an excellent cook. Do you use your stovetop model?

Did you find yours unsafe. My poor neighbor exploded a pot of meatballs and sauce all over her ceiling using her stovetop one! 😂

I agree that it may not be an advantage for me. I wanted to try it.

There is also a learning curve in how to use it.

I am used to knowing how to cook the ‘old fashioned way’ so we shall see how it goes.

I may decide that I don’t like it as much as cooking the way I do now.

I just finished my roast and I am not totally thrilled with it. It’s not horrible, it’s good but I don’t think it is better than I make it in the oven.

It was on sale. Normally $140 but was on sale for under a hundred.
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I had a garden salad with homemade blue cheese dressing. SO had hamburger and mashed potatoes and mushroom gravy!
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As near as I can tell most people only use the pressure cooker functions of their instapot so to me it just sounds like a fancy digital pressure cooker and I already have a stove top version. I think crock pots and pressure cookers can both be great for young families who need to get meals on the table after being away at work all day, they are great for soups, stews, chili and things like very well done pulled meats or pot roasts, I remain unconvinced there is any time saving in the the other kinds of recipes people rave about 🤔
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"NHWM,"

I love mine! I make all my roasts along with gravy in it, ribs even hamburgers! I saute my veggies in it too. I even make oatmeal in it with dried cranberries.

I was supposed to make chili in it last week but, we got takeout instead.

It's similar to a crockpot just a whole lot faster!

Less pots and pans to clean up which is an extra benefit.

Hope you enjoy it!
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Okay, so I bought a duo evo plus instant pot.

I am trying a sirloin tip roast in it!

Please tell me if any of you have one of these electric pressure cookers and how you like it.

If so, please share with me your favorite recipes.

This is all very new for me. I am an old fashioned, cook from scratch kind of cook. I am used to cooking a roast in the oven.

I don’t usually go for this kind of thing, not even a big ‘gadget’ kind of gal so we shall see how it goes.

I have to confess it took me years before I even tried a crockpot! LOL, I don’t use my crockpot for too many things.

I do find that it makes a good pork roast that I make shredded BBQ pork sandwiches with.

One day I want to try chili in the instant pot or crockpot.

Thanks for any feedback on this subject.
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Glad,

Yay! I like it spicy too!

Can you buy Tony Chachere’s seasoning? It also comes in a no salt version.

Emeril’s will work too, along with Paul Prudhomme’s seasonings.

Or there are tons of hot sauces. Then you can put it in your bowl and others can have theirs mildly seasoned.
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Made gumbo for the first time ever. It was good, but needed more spice. What would you expect from Emeril's cajun seasoning? I guess it needs to be tame for the masses. Will find something to spice up the plenty of leftovers.
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Barb.

Enjoy your new grandchild!
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Ordered in sushi for me and ramen for DH. DH has a new grandson!
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EB: Wow! That's splendid!🌟♥️☃️
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