Kitchen

[momtochloe]

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@Moonchilde wrote:

Thanks, @Kachina624.

I think a 4-qt would be perfect, but given that there is only 3 and 6 as my choices, I guess it had better be 6 qt if I take the plunge.  

Three people in my household. I will of course like anything I choose to make in it, since I’m choosing the recipe. One person is guaranteed not to want to touch anything I’d make, and the third might want to eat a little, sometimes. So however much there might be as to leftovers, mostly I’ll be the one eating them. It’s not like feeding a group where everyone will like it and everyone will want to eat it. So I didn’t want to be in a situation where I had huge bowls of leftovers I get sick of. And I’m not big on freezing. Every time I’ve done it, I haven’t eaten it, it just stays there until I throw the frozen brick out ;-(

As I said in an earlier post, I keep remembering the “you have to fill it for best results” for crock pots. So it’s a good reminder that these pots aren’t like that.

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@Moonchilde I'm like you.  I don't even kid myself anymore that most of what I put in the freezer ever makes it out in edible form because it's been in there so long but I too would recommend the 6 qt..  I bought mine a few years ago and I just love it.  I am not a great cook and yet everything I toss in there comes out great.

[thechedda]

I've got the 3qt and absolutely love it.  Like others have said, you might want to go the 6qt route just for the fact that you want to do larger roasts and such.  If I may, please check youtube.  There are a ton of videos that explain how the pot works and differences in sizes.  It's a fun rabbithole to go down, let alone the recipe vids.  I've had no problems at all finding recipes specific to the 3qt. 

[Monketoes]

Just got my mini 3 qt yesterday and will love it.  I had another brand in a 4 qt. that stopped  working....so I Know I will like this too.  I have the mini, the 6 and the 8 

Did I say I like PCooking?  LOL   Alot more goes in the smaller one than lyou think.

[Moonchilde]

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@thechedda wrote:

I've got the 3qt and absolutely love it.  Like others have said, you might want to go the 6qt route just for the fact that you want to do larger roasts and such.  If I may, please check youtube.  There are a ton of videos that explain how the pot works and differences in sizes.  It's a fun rabbithole to go down, let alone the recipe vids.  I've had no problems at all finding recipes specific to the 3qt. 

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@thechedda, where have you found the 3 qt sized recipes?

[Anita Hug]

I have the mini and it makes more than you think it would.  My biggest problem with it is adapting recipes for it. Some don't work because it is too small.  But I did just make a cheesecake in it. A 6" push pan or baking dish WILL fit in the mini, so recipes that call for a 6" dish or pan for pot-in pot cooking or baking WILL work in the mini.  The Cheesecake turned out perfect.

It will also hold a full 16 ounce box of penne, whole jar of pasta sauce, half pound of ground beef, and some onions and peppers sauteed - still enough room to add water to the halfway line and have it all cook up perfect. (Just to give you an idea of capacity for an easy meal) 

It makes plenty for cooking for two, with some leftovers. But if you want to make larger pots of stuff, go with the bigger model. Or if you want to follow most of the recipes out there without having to adjust things down a bit, go with the bigger one.

As an empty nester, I'm happy with the mini, but someday I would like a larger model so I can cook larger things such as whole chickens.

[Moonchilde]

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@Anita Hug wrote:

I have the mini and it makes more than you think it would.  My biggest problem with it is adapting recipes for it. Some don't work because it is too small.  But I did just make a cheesecake in it. A 6" push pan or baking dish WILL fit in the mini, so recipes that call for a 6" dish or pan for pot-in pot cooking or baking WILL work in the mini.  The Cheesecake turned out perfect.

It will also hold a full 16 ounce box of penne, whole jar of pasta sauce, half pound of ground beef, and some onions and peppers sauteed - still enough room to add water to the halfway line and have it all cook up perfect. (Just to give you an idea of capacity for an easy meal) 

It makes plenty for cooking for two, with some leftovers. But if you want to make larger pots of stuff, go with the bigger model. Or if you want to follow most of the recipes out there without having to adjust things down a bit, go with the bigger one.

As an empty nester, I'm happy with the mini, but someday I would like a larger model so I can cook larger things such as whole chickens.

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@Anita Hug, thanks for your input, it’s been very helpful :-)

I’ll have to have a talk with my niece as to whether she and her hubby would ever want what I might be cooking. If my indication is no, then I think I’d go with a mini, OR a Ninja cooker, which is everything BUT the pressure cooking. 

I’m checking out the contents of recipe books to help me decide which is most practical for me - good pressure cooking but mediocre slow cooking, or the best slow cooking/baking/steaming. 

I know it doesn’t always work well to simply halve a recipe. What do you NOT halve - liquid or solids or spices?

[Anita Hug]

It depends on the recipe and how much it makes. But, in general, if I halve a recipe, I halve all ingredients equally. 

 If it is a pot-in-pot type of recipe,  I just find recipes that use a pan or casserole dish that is 6" or smaller because I know it will fit     I usually need to add less water to the instant pot under the trivet than the recipe might instruct, though - so the water does not come up above the level of the trivet. Especially if i'm using a springform/push pan. I don't want to soak my crust, lol. 

The instant pot for two" cookbooks have recipes that usually work as is, or with little adjustment.  I have two slow cookers already, so I don't use the instant pot for that unless I want to start a recipe in one mode, and then finish it off in another.That, I think, is the real beauty of the instant pot - that you can do more than one thing all in the same pot - for the same meal. 

I see the mini is on sale on Amazon right now for $60!  It was $65 a couple hours ago so if yu want it on sale, you might want to hurry, lol.   The 6 qt is finally available again for 99 for Prime members.  If you think you might want to do roasts or whole birds in it, I'd go with the bigger one.

[ptagirl]

I have the 6 qt. 7-in-1 Instant Pot...Love it!! I wanted to get the larger one because I make yogurt quite often (does a great job!)...

I've had mine for over 3 yrs. and I've used it for many things... It's just the two of us here, but I like having a larger pot for when I do get company...Nice for racks of ribs, roasts, whole chickens, large batches of soup, etc.... I, myself, wouldn't go smaller.....

You can half your recipes with no problems, but it's nice to have that option to go bigger if you want to.. plus I only have to store one appliance...

I do freeze a lot of things...just recently I froze turkey and gravy...took it out and had it over fresh bisquits...hubby loved it!!

So there are options while using a larger pc....

Good luck finding your Instant Pot and have a nice evening!

[jackthebear]

just an example I had a 16 oz container of frozen marinara sauce I used my 6 quart IP to thaw it out last night,  

you can really put any size in there but not the reverse

[thechedda]

Basically all the recipes I've used and/or plan to use are usually servings for around 2 people, hence, it fits the 3qt.  I should have been clearer in my post.  I think the true test will come when I want to make soups/stews.  If I run into any issues when I make those, I'll update.  BTW, this thing is dynamite for making hard boiled eggs too.