Second Instant Pot

[vegman]

I cook just for myself, but am finding a recently purchased second Instant Pot helpful. They are set-and-forget, and keep food warm after cooking.

For a long time I've been using my Instant Pot to cook a soup and my microwave for potatoes. The microwave is also set-and-forget, but does not keep food warm. I've found that cooking grains in my microwave is possible but not optimal, except that kasha comes out really well. My microwave is probably as good as any for this purpose: a Panasonic with sensor cooking, an inverter and "Cyclonic Wave" technology. Cooking beans in the microwave is not feasible, except for red lentils, due to their very short cooking time.

With two Instant Pots I can cook a soup at the same time as beans and/or grains.

Today I cooked brown rice and beans in one, and a sweet potato-vegetable soup in the other.

I already had a glass lid, helpful for refrigerating food, and bought a second one. I have an extra inner pot so I can cook something new with something else in the refrigerator, and will buy a second one if it seems necessary.

The new one is the latest mainstream model, the Duo Nova. The old one is a discontinued Bluetooth model, to which I rarely connect my smartphone. Both are 6 quarts, which seems like a good size.

[Grammy Ginger]

Gotta love the Ipot. I had two but left one at our summer home. That was a mistake. I want a 3 quart for cooking beans.

[Mom+Me]

Sounds wonderful, vegman! So glad you're enjoying the benefits of having these helpful appliances...they truly are life changing and assist so many of us in staying compliant.

If anyone wants one, don't forget to check Amazon. They are having some excellent deals for Black Friday and Cyber Monday!

Grammy Ginger, I've thought it would be neat to have a 3qt., too. It would be nice to take with on trips. Chef AJ travels with one.

[VeggieSue]

If anyone wants one, don't forget to check Amazon. They are having some excellent deals for Black Friday and Cyber Monday!

And if you're a Star Wars fan and you shop in WIlliams-Sonoma you can pick up one of these:
https://www.williams-sonoma.com/search/results.html?words=star%20wars%20instant%20pot

[Quinda]

Both of mine are the older models. Frequently I use two simultaneously. Yes, once you have IP you never want to use rice cookers, range tops, crock pots, etc. They are addictive for sure.

[Mom+Me]

If anyone wants one, don't forget to check Amazon. They are having some excellent deals for Black Friday and Cyber Monday!

And if you're a Star Wars fan and you shop in WIlliams-Sonoma you can pick up one of these:
https://www.williams-sonoma.com/search/results.html?words=star%20wars%20instant%20pot

Those are sooo stinking cute!! I'm not even a Star Wars fan and find them adorable! Though the hairy looking Chewbacca may seem a little odd on a kitchen counter-LOL! Thanks for sharing, VeggieSue.

[Mom+Me]

Both of mine are the older models. Frequently I use two simultaneously. Yes, once you have IP you never want to use rice cookers, range tops, crock pots, etc. They are addictive for sure.

This might seem like a silly question, but have you ever blown a fuse or circuit breaker by having both of them run at the same time? Once I had an IP going and then started an air-fryer and the lights went out in the kitchen, fridge off, too--everything on that circuit. I think it's when both appliances were in work mode (drawing a lot of electricity) but mostly because that air-fryer had very high wattage.

[Mom+Me]

Both of mine are the older models. Frequently I use two simultaneously. Yes, once you have IP you never want to use rice cookers, range tops, crock pots, etc. They are addictive for sure.

This might seem like a silly question, but have you ever blown a fuse or circuit breaker by having both of them run at the same time? Once I had an IP going and then started an air-fryer and the lights went out in the kitchen, fridge off, too--everything on that circuit. I think it's when both appliances were in work mode (drawing a lot of electricity) but mostly because that air-fryer had very high wattage.

Okay, so I just did a quick search and it seems like that air-fryer was the culprit at, if I remember correctly, a hefty 1,750 watts. From what I just saw quickly, the wattages of the IPs are as follows:

3qt=700
6qt=1,000
8qt=1,200

I know that I've heard and read countless times of people using 2 IPs at once. Since the "blowout", I've either made sure one IP was completely done and just on "Keep Warm" before I started the second one, or made sure the second one was running on a different circuit (kind of crummy because not in the kitchen).

[vegman]

I have two circuits for plug-in appliances in my kitchen, one of which I've been using for the microwave and one for my IP. I put the second IP on the microwave circuit, thinking I can only use 2 of the 3 appliances at the same time. However, I found that the circuits are 20 amps each, so both IPs (each is labeled 1000 watts) on the same circuit are probably OK. I will try it. If the circuit breaker doesn't trip, I will be able to use the 2 IPs and microwave simultaneously without having to put an IP in a different room.

The microwave is 1500 watts, and the circuit breaker trips with an IP on the same circuit.

Thanks for discussing this.

This might seem like a silly question, but have you ever blown a fuse or circuit breaker by having both of them run at the same time? Once I had an IP going and then started an air-fryer and the lights went out in the kitchen, fridge off, too--everything on that circuit. I think it's when both appliances were in work mode (drawing a lot of electricity) but mostly because that air-fryer had very high wattage.

Okay, so I just did a quick search and it seems like that air-fryer was the culprit at, if I remember correctly, a hefty 1,750 watts. From what I just saw quickly, the wattages of the IPs are as follows:

3qt=700
6qt=1,000
8qt=1,200

I know that I've heard and read countless times of people using 2 IPs at once. Since the "blowout", I've either made sure one IP was completely done and just on "Keep Warm" before I started the second one, or made sure the second one was running on a different circuit (kind of crummy because not in the kitchen).

[Quinda]

My husband actually rewired the counter top circuit to accommodate them both.

[Mom+Me]

I have two circuits for plug-in appliances in my kitchen, one of which I've been using for the microwave and one for my IP. I put the second IP on the microwave circuit, thinking I can only use 2 of the 3 appliances at the same time. However, I found that the circuits are 20 amps each, so both IPs (each is labeled 1000 watts) on the same circuit are probably OK. I will try it. If the circuit breaker doesn't trip, I will be able to use the 2 IPs and microwave simultaneously without having to put an IP in a different room.

The microwave is 1500 watts, and the circuit breaker trips with an IP on the same circuit.

Thanks for discussing this.

This might seem like a silly question, but have you ever blown a fuse or circuit breaker by having both of them run at the same time? Once I had an IP going and then started an air-fryer and the lights went out in the kitchen, fridge off, too--everything on that circuit. I think it's when both appliances were in work mode (drawing a lot of electricity) but mostly because that air-fryer had very high wattage.

Okay, so I just did a quick search and it seems like that air-fryer was the culprit at, if I remember correctly, a hefty 1,750 watts. From what I just saw quickly, the wattages of the IPs are as follows:

3qt=700
6qt=1,000
8qt=1,200

I know that I've heard and read countless times of people using 2 IPs at once. Since the "blowout", I've either made sure one IP was completely done and just on "Keep Warm" before I started the second one, or made sure the second one was running on a different circuit (kind of crummy because not in the kitchen).

Thank you for letting us know your electrical set-up, vegman. I appreciate your interest in and experience with the topic. Hope you'll be able to use both IPs + the microwave at one time in the kitchen. Please let us know the results of your experiment; thank you.

[Mom+Me]

My husband actually rewired the counter top circuit to accommodate them both.

Wow; that's great, Quinda! It's nice that your husband is so handy, especially with electricity; that's nothing to fool around with! Thank you for letting us know.

[vegman]

Thank you for letting us know your electrical set-up, vegman. I appreciate your interest in and experience with the topic. Hope you'll be able to use both IPs + the microwave at one time in the kitchen. Please let us know the results of your experiment; thank you.

On two different days two Instant Pots on the same circuit did not cause a problem.

The only other thing on the circuit is the refrigerator, rated at 6.5 amps, or 780 Watts. Watts = volts (120) times amps. So the maximum rated load on the 20 amp circuit is 2780 watts, slightly higher than its nominal capacity of 2400 watts. Theoretically, the circuit breaker could trip if both IPs are using maximum electricity, which would be before they come up to pressure, and the refrigerator’s compressor kicks in. But so far, this has not happened.

[vegman]

Update: I've often been using both instant pots simultaneously on the same 20 amp circuit, with the refrigerator, for a while now, with no problems.

Previously, I used my only instant pot for soup, and for a starch it was easier to cook potatoes in the microwave than whole grains. Now I can easily cook grains in one and soup in the other, and if I want also potatoes in the microwave, all at the same time. (I'm not a fan of the stovetop, although I will use it to cook pasta. I prefer timed appliances that I don't have to tend to.)

Lately I've been cooking together equal portions of amaranth, teff, quinoa and buckwheat, which is very nice.

[Lyndzie]

What is your grain:water ratio for your mix? How long do you cook it?