IP Slow Cooker Fail: Lasagna Soup Edition - Crunchy Onions but Perfect Noodles!

[tylynn]

@shar00on yep. But then the company shouldn’t have billed it as working like a slow cooker, too and put that silly slow cook button there lol

 

[clearmyhead]

Use an Instant Pot as a pressure cooker. My chili comes out great - in less than 30 minutes.

 

[tylynn]

@clearmyhead I’ve had my IP for 5 years and use it all the time as a pressure cooker. I decided to give the slow cook button some exercise. The company must think it works or they wouldn’t have put it there

 

[adelefay]

Were the onions your bottom layer?

 

[minjoshua32]

IP cooks from the bottom and crockpots cook all around. Unless you sauté the onions and veggies, it won’t work as well. Anything you can slow cook, you can pressure cook, so I don’t understand why people want to use it for that purpose.

 

[tylynn]

@minjoshua32 then I ask why there’s even a button for slow cook on the machine

 

[minjoshua32]

@tylynn agreed. They should have just stuck with the pressure settings I do use it for yogurt occasionally. Or to keep things warm or melt a dip. But honestly, I prefer my slow cookers for those functions. If you don’t have a space issue, I’d definitely keep both.

 

[suzq154]

Saute onions first

 

[motorcyclemichael]

I have had great luck using it as a slow cooker. But I bring everything to a boil first using the sauté function. It’s great when I want the smells of something cooking going through the house.

 

[tylynn]

@motorcyclemichael if I decide to give it one more chance lol, I will do that

 

[motorcyclemichael]

@tylynn I have a 3 qt and an8 quart and have made great stews on the slow cooker mode. But it’s a slow cooker, not a crock pot. You have to get it up to temp first. I had a West Bend Slow Cooker to 20 years I loved - it heated from the bottom and that’s where I learned the knack from.

 

[domdom32]

I love using my IP as a slow cooker and I don't have any trouble with it.
The trick is to bring it up to temperature using the Saute function first. This has the added benefit of being truly one pot cooking. Use the Saute function to brown/sear the meat then sweat the veggies. Add the meat back to the pot along with your other ingredients. Then set the slow cook function.
Just to be sure, because of all the naysayers, I used a digital thermometer to test my chili one day. Using my method, it was 202°F after 4 hours.

 

[yogesh]

I have used the slow cooker function on the IP effectively, but I have always used it on High, which seems to equate to the crockpot on Low. With that understanding, things have worked out.

 

[tylynn]

@yogesh I used high, as well, but wasn’t impressed lol. The one thing I didn’t do, that I’m seeing suggested here, was to heat the food using the sauté button first.

 

[jpgs22]

I love my slow cooker. I actually decided to cook some good ole pinto beans today. Clean the beans, add to crock with hot water and set for 6 hours. Later today I will add my bacon. I have lots of that. Just plan old beans.

 

[tylynn]

@jpgs22 is it raw bacon? Sounds good!

 

[jpgs22]

Yes, It will add some grease and salt. like salt pork.

 

[jpgs22]

plan to cut it up in bite sizes with my kitchen scissors.

 

[ptl4ly0]

The instant pot slow cook function needs to be set on the high setting The lower one does not work for cooking

 

[tylynn]

@ptl4ly0 yep, I did that . The one suggestion people have had was to use the sauté button and heat the item up first, which I did not do.