Rice cooking isn't complicated, per se. It just requires a lot of babysitting to ensure it cooks properly -- not crunchy because it's undercooked or dried out because it's overcooked. Rice cookers with fuzzy logic allow you to set it and forget it, and know when the rice is cooked to perfection.

I make a lot of different kinds of rice, each of which has its own persnicketiness if you want it to come out right. The fuzzy logic rice cooker (mine is a Panasonic) is capable of doing them all beautifully and without fuss or (as chgoeditor says) babysitting. My one beef with it is that it takes longer than a pot on the stove, but that is a trade-off I am willing to make for consistently perfect rice.

I will have to take a look at the Instant Pot recipe book to see how I like it. I make tons of stews and soups, but I’ve never found it a hardship to just make them on the stove. Then again, maybe if I had the IP I would do more with dried beans. I like bean dishes, but I rarely have the presence of mind to soak them the night before.

The other issue with stovetop rice: You have to time it perfectly so it's ready once you're ready to eat. With the rice cooker, I can start it cooking when I think of it -- which often may be 4 or 5 pm -- and it holds well for an hour or two, so I don't need to time the rest of the meal perfectly. Indian food is one of the meals we'll do for a crowd, and we'll very often have stuff in the oven, on all four burners, in a slow cooker and in the Instant Pot -- it's nice to be able to use a rice cooker and not juggle another spot on the burners.

Love my IP and all the relatives who have them love them too. First experience was my SIL cooking an entire head of cauliflower in the IP (so easy, fast and did not fall apart) and then roasting it in the oven with loads of butter to finish. I'm not a fan of said veg but boy was this good. I ordered the IP the next day (frequently on sale on amazon) and love having it. Honestly though, I still use my slow cooker occasionally as I have yet to plump for a glass lid for the IP.

:) This may be true, but that doesn't mean it can't happen. :)

Here is one person's thoughts on the matter

http://www.cookinglight.com/cooking-...tch-oven-meals

"For the bout of the season, we pitted three champion vessels against one another in the Cooking Light Kitchen ring to braise, stew, and simmer our favorite cold-weather classics. "

LOL, that doesn't help that much, because the results aren't that one does all of it better than the others. :(

I'm curious about the Instant Pot too, but I think I'm probably not the audience for it. I have a slow cooker that works fine for me and an inexpensive rice cooker that I might one day replace with a fuzzy logic rice cooker. I've never felt much motivation to have a pressure cooker. I work at home so I don't have much trouble setting up an evening meal a few hours a day. All in all, it seems that people who want the benefits of cooking faster (i.e., wants the benefits of pressure cooking) are the target audience for the Instant Pot.

But, this weekend a friend who has one says she's going to show me what it can do, so I'll pay attention and see if I'm more persuaded afterward.

Please post your thoughts after the weekend, as I think part of my issue is that I've not been able to really play with one to try it.

For those of you considering an investment in a new appliance, do what I did: Find a friend willing to lend you his or hers for a week or two. Several years ago, when I first got an IP, I traded mine for a friend's Vitamix for a week. At the end of the week, she'd bought an Instant Pot of her own, but I wasn't yet convinced I needed a Vitamix. (I've since bought one, but only when it reached the point that Mr. CE and I were making several smoothies a day.)

I wanted to revisit this thread because we've used this thing every day for the last 2 weeks. No complaints here. Waiting for some chick peas to cool down right now as I type.

Has anybody else had problems with the seal absorbing smells that can’t be washed out?

I have a stove top pressure cooker and I do have a second seal that I keep oiled and in a ziplock. I try to make sure that the stinky one is used for stinky foods. Otherwise try vinegar and baking soda soak after normal washing.

Yes. But, I have had no problems with any smell or taste transferring to other things I make in the pot.

Yes. The Instant Pot always smells like the last thing we cooked, but the smell doesn't seem to affect the taste of the next item.

That having been said, we're retired our Instant Pot after only a few attempts. Everything just makes the pot go to "BURN' before pressuring up. We've double and triple checked everything and it just always burns.