Instant PotOh No! I have succumbed to a fad! I've just bought an Instant Pot. (The 6 quart smart model.) FlawsDespite the glowing reviews, there are flaws!!!! (Imagine that). The manual doesn't say anything about removing the film over the control panel in the "before first use" section. It is mentioned on the web site in the Questions After Your Purchase section (which is good, because I couldn't tell by looking if I was supposed to remove any film there). The manual only documents the "old" anti-block shield, but my lid came (very confusingly) with the "new" style. I couldn't find any information about this using the search function on the instantpot.com web page, but I did locate the page explaining it using a google search for site:instantpot.com anti block shield. Once more proving that only google knows how to do search and all local web page search functions are useless. When taking off the anti-block shield, a tiny flake of stainless steel punctured my finger. I hope that was the only loose flake because I don't really want razor sharp stainless flakes in anything I cook. (A close examination did not find any more.) You can only make comments on the instantpot.com web site using a facebook sign in. I am NOT going to make a damn facebook account. The inner pot has a tiny (and almost certainly totally harmless) spot on the top rim where it looks like it may have been gouged during polishing. The instant pot web store has replacement sealing rings, but doesn't list the "smart" model anywhere. I'm guessing the one for 5 or 6 quart also works on the smart: replacement rings. It is really, really easy to forget to turn the valve on the lid to "sealing" rather than "venting" :-). Not FlawsOK, I've got the flaws out of the way, on to the good stuff. Pairing with my Nexus 7 tablet went well. I was able to see the time of day sync properly (the Bluetooth nonsense might be worth it just to be able to set the time correctly with a single button push from the tablet). The initial test run recommended in the manual with 3 liters of water worked well. Using the app on the Nexus 7 I can watch the temperature going up (not blazing fast, but it goes up pretty steady). It was a little alarming when the connection to the tablet seemed to disappear as soon as it reached the operating pressure and switched to the timer, but it reconnected in a few seconds and showed the new mode info. Since it was now up to pressure, I could see the heating level drop below 100%, so everything seemed consistent with the way the test was supposed to work. The Bluetooth connection might come in handy if you are impatient and want to watch how fast it is heating up or cooling down. I wouldn't call it an essential feature though. (I bought this version mainly because it was in stock at amazon and the DUO wasn't). Cooking StuffList of Instant Pot recipes I've cooked. I have some recipes that do not use the Instant Pot here. PlansThings I haven't tried yet but look like they might be good: AccessoriesRandom stuff I bought to go with the Instant Pot: |