Kitchen

[grandma2pkmh]

@eddyandme   I usually use 1/2 cup sauce and 1/2 cup water.  Also a hint my daughter told me is to push the Brown button 1st, let the cooker heat up (maybe 5 min) before you add everything and it will come to pressure quicker.

[eddyandme]

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@grandma2pkmh wrote:

@eddyandme   I usually use 1/2 cup sauce and 1/2 cup water.  Also a hint my daughter told me is to push the Brown button 1st, let the cooker heat up (maybe 5 min) before you add everything and it will come to pressure quicker.

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Thanx, @grandma2pkmh , great tip!  I never would have thought of that!

[alicedee]

I live alone, and the 3qt. Instant pot is perfect for me.  I’ve made a small beef roast, spaghetti, chicken & pasta, tuna noodle casserole in it....everything tastes better than when I  cook on the stovetop or in the oven.  I’ve also done hamburger patties wrapped in foil, and hard cooked eggs.

i was nervous first time I used it.,,,then just jumped right in.  Probably use it twice a week. 

The smaller size size is also easier to store in my tiny apartment kitchen.

i look online for recipes.  This weekend I’m using it to make stuffed peppers.

[so so]

Thanks for all the suggestions...... I'm going to send it back. i'll stick with the good old crockpot.  easy enough for me.

[Kachina624]

I think small PCs are a waste of space and money.  You can always cook a small amount in a 4 or 6 qt, but can't cook a lot in a small pot.  You can use any PC recipe on the internet; you just adjust the quanity for your small cooker.  Using a PC is not rocket science.  Once you've used it a couple of times, you'll understand how simple they are.  I think it's a lot of fun to experiment with different recipes.  Don't be intimidated by a cooking device.

[Marp]

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@Kachina624 wrote:

I think small PCs are a waste of space and money.  You can always cook a small amount in a 4 or 6 qt, but can't cook a lot in a small pot.  You can use any PC recipe on the internet; you just adjust the quanity for your small cooker.  Using a PC is not rocket science.  Once you've used it a couple of times, you'll understand how simple they are.  I think it's a lot of fun to experiment with different recipes.  Don't be intimidated by a cooking device.

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There is a limit to the how small an amount one can cook in a 6 qt. pressure cooker.  One boneless chicken breast or one potato with maybe a couple of carrots barely takes up space in my 6 qt cooker and one cup of water or broth doesn't even cover the bottom.

When I'm cooking for myself the 2 qt is perfect.  If I were cooking for family or me and a teenage boy then it would be the 6 qt.

[Ilovetea]

I have had multiple sizes of Cooks Essentials  pressure cookers over the years including the 2qt. They usually quit working after a year or two but loved them when they did work. . My 2 qt stopped working after about 6 months. While the size was nice it was a bit smaller than I needed. I now have 3 and 6 qt Instant Pots. Just got the 3 qt within the last month and the additional 1 qt does make a difference. 

[brandiwine]

Have no idea what the point of a 2 quart size is.  It would hold very little.  Not worth my time.

[retiredatlast]

I just got the 2 qt. CE mini pressure cooker as an "as is" for $24.50 with free shipping.  I have used it now for about a week and I find it to be just great.  I have a 3 qt. and  a 6 qt Instant Pot which I use quite a bit, but this one is great for cooking a small amount as I live alone. I have made hard boiled eggs, brown rice (1 C rinsed brown rice, 1 1/4 C water, pinch of kosher salt- used the rice setting and adjusted the time for 22 minutes, let it naturally release after turning off the pot.  It was the best rice- fluffy and perfectly done) and most recently cooked rotelle pasta and meat sauce in 5 minutes, using dry pasta.  I browned the meat with garlic, onion and diced green peppers.  Added a small jar of pasta sauce, 3 C of dry rotelle pasta and water to the top of the pasta.  Cooked on high pressure for 5 minutes and did a quick release.  Stirred and added parmesan cheese to taste.  Honestly, it was enough for at least 3 hungry people.   Needless to say, so far  I am very pleased with this purchase.  And the "as is" item appeared to be brand new.  I love my Instant Pots, but this serves a purpose because of it's small size and ease of set up and use.