Instant 7.5QT 4-in-1 Slow and Multi-Cooker

I have had two other Instant Pots over the years and I have liked them and used them often. I like that this one can be used for a wider range of cooking styles, from saute to slow cook to sear. The pot is well-made with substantial and quality materials. I have used this pot about 15 times over the last month and each time, I have been well satisfied. It is easy to use and easy to understand the functions. There are many recipes on line that can be made in it. It cleans simply and easily with its non-stick surface. This pot is well worth its cost and is a good value. I recommend it.

The first thing that I attempted to cook was a three-pound pork roast. I used the sear/sauté function to brown the meat. The cooker performed this function very well without burning the meat or leaving crude on the bottom of the pan. This is a problem in the Instant Pot pressure cooker. I added liquid to the cooker and used the automatic setting for slow cooking. It appears that I did not understand the instructions for starting the slow cooker. The meat was still not tender after eight hours. The temperature was at the lowest setting. I turned off the cooker and set it aside to try again the next day. The next day, I used the manual temperature setting and the roast was ready after about four hours. The roast turned good, but it was a lot more trouble than my standard slow cooker. Other reviews said that the setup was intuitive, it was not intuitive to me. I will give Instant Pot Slow Cooker three stars based on my first experience.

This has become a kitchen must-have for me. I’m pretty lazy about meal prepping, but the multiple functions and large size make meal prep a simple. The user-friendly interface and pre-programmed settings take the guesswork out of cooking, so I’ve yet to mess up a meal (which is good considering the price of meat). I’ve made ribs, oxtail, chicken, soup, even ramen and rice, so I’ll definitely continue to use it for cooking.

Other than the fact that I thought I was picking up an Instant Pot Pressure Cooker (my mistake for not reading) I’m not even disappointed because my crock pot broke a year or so ago, and I still needed a new one. This is on the larger side for me, but that’s okay. Better to have too much room than not enough. I have a smaller one if necessary. I love that it can sear and sauté right in the pan. I also love that I can take the inner pan out and cook with it. Which you can’t do with the crock types (I know, that’s how mine broke) Overall, this is a great slow cooker, just know that it’s not a pressure cooker.