Kitchen

[SouthernBee]

Suggestions appreciated for appliance size and best cookbook for everyday meals. Family needs help for meal prep instead of drive thru fast food. Thanks. Southern Bee 

[loriqvc]

@SouthernBee - If you get an Instant Pot or a multicooker from another brand, it includes slow cooker functionality, so you wouldn't need a separate machine (and CrockPot makes a version, if that's helpful to know). For a family of four good eaters, I'd go with the 6-quart model.

As for cookbooks, there are thousands of great recipe websites with accompanying reviews, and if you're just getting started with pressure cooking or slow cooking, I think that feedback would be very useful. When I get home, I'll take a look at my shelves to share some options for physical books; off the top of my head, the Blue Jean Chef (Meredith Laurence) has a few nice pressure cooking books from the past year or two, and America's Test Kitchen has excellent slow cooker and pressure cooker books.

Good luck with your decision, and happy cooking!

[Kachina624]

@SouthernBee.  The Instant Pot has a slow cooker function so it serves the purposes of cooking fast or cooking slow.  For a family, you want one that is at least 6 qts.  There are cookbooks for the Instant Pot available on Amazon, although there are thousands of recipes free online.

[abbysgirl]

I had a family of 6 children, all healthy eaters, and no cooker.  I just cooked more of everything!!  Doubled the recipes.  Good luck !! 

[SharkE]

I'm so glad I found that cookbook by that Kitchen aid older woman who used to be on with David. It's really good. Basic food for the most part not any of this weirdy stuff that most people write about.  I'll send the title when I go in the front room and look at it. LOL

Cheaper at amazon

[willdob3]

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@SouthernBee wrote:

Suggestions appreciated for appliance size and best cookbook for everyday meals. Family needs help for meal prep instead of drive thru fast food. Thanks. Southern Bee 

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@SouthernBee

Having appliances to make cooking easy doesn’t mean they will use them if they would rather get fast food. 

[Mary Bailey]

I'm really interested in the Ninja Foodie. 

It's just the two of us so I can't justify it.  yet.....

[pinkmochi]

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@willdob3 wrote:

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@SouthernBee wrote:

Suggestions appreciated for appliance size and best cookbook for everyday meals. Family needs help for meal prep instead of drive thru fast food. Thanks. Southern Bee 

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@SouthernBee

Having appliances to make cooking easy doesn’t mean they will use them if they would rather get fast food. 

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@willdob3  I agree. If I were gifting an Instant Pot in this situation, I would include copies of the recipes I make most often for weekday meals rather than including a cookbook. I'd include a soup recipe, chili, beef pot roast, Mexican beef (very versatile), corned beef, Japanese chicken curry, pork roast, and braised beef short ribs. I might also include side dishes like corn on the cob, mushroom risotto and potato salad. I read once that people have about 10 meals that they rotate because they don't have to think about how to make them. Including your go-to weeknight meals would be very helpful to them. 

I've been trying some Japanese dishes in the Instant Pot by using it instead of the stovetop, and they're just as good with less work! I made oyako donburi this week with frozen drumsticks, set the Instant Pot for 16 minutes on high, and the chicken fell off the bone! Perfect for a weeknight meal when I forgot to take the chicken out the day before!

[SouthernBee]

@willdob3: I totally understand and agree. They don’t know how to manage money plus can’t afford to eat out all the time but kids always complain about being hungry. Mother’s excuse no time to cook. DH wants me to offer suggestions and help but listening to me and doing are something else. Southern Bee 

[kittyloo]

totally understand the delimma. i once many years ago, was helping out a family. they were really strapped for money.  went to the store bought like 4 bags of groceries. chicken, hot dogs, lots of stuff.  come to find out they were "picky" about the brands of ketchup, hot dogs, pasta, you name it. wife had no idea how to cut a chicken up.

i'll just say, i was dismayed to find out, that this family (yup relatives) who was having a hard time feeding their children, were wrinkling their noses as they took the items out of the bags, as they were not the brands they would have chose.  eeeeew! you bought del monte catsup?? we only eat heinz. and so on.