[james4beach]

London Drugs currently has the Instant Pot Duo Nova on sale, item # L0704176. The 6 quart model is $100.

The 'Duo Nova' is a newer model that seems to have a few improvements, released this year. Compared to my last basic IP (which was a Lux) this one seems to have a fancy self-sealing lid, more status indicators, and a button which does a continuous pressure release. That last feature sounds convenient because my previous IP had a pretty dangerous pressure release knob. I'm curious if this model improves this.

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[m3s]

Keepa browser extension shows seasonal sales $60usd for that model. A bit lower but nothing really worth waiting months for

The nova seems to be marketed for "beginners" because some people don't understand the steam release (turn to close before and keep your hand away from steam vent when opening it..) They made a button a few inches away so you don't burn yourself with steam and the release closes automatically when the lid is on?

Personally if the classic went on sale for cheaper I'd get that myself (I'm watching for a 3 qt classic to pair with my 6 qt) Looks like the 3 qt classic can be down to $30usd but I mean they are all amazing value imo. I've prob spent that just on steamers/pans/rings for them

 

[james4beach]

I would have been happy with the classic as well, but I need an IP quite urgently (can't wait for months) and the price of this Duo Nova looks good. It's about the same as what I paid several years ago for the classic, on sale in the US.

I just ordered the 6 qt size from London Drugs.

 

[Plugging Along]

@james4beach I really like the self sealing lid. I find it a little more convient. I have never forgetting to deal it, and it’s pretty easy. it’s doesn’t change the cooking any way. How ever, my know did break off, no idea wh, but I managed to fix it with crazy glue and haven’t had any problems.

 

[james4beach]

@james4beach I really like the self sealing lid. I find it a little more convient.

I got the Duo Nova and tried it for the first time today. I like it. The button for the automatic steam release is really great, and self-sealing lid is a nice feature too.

Can someone tell me what the Less/Normal/More setting does? For example on the Pressure Cook mode (called Manual in the classic model) you can adjust both:

• low or high pressure
• Less/Normal/More

The first setting is obviously the pressure. Higher pressure means higher temperature. But what does Less/Normal/More mean? It changes the default time, but is it just a memory for the last time used, or does it do something else?

 

[Plugging Along]

I got the Duo Nova and tried it for the first time today. I like it. The button for the automatic steam release is really great, and self-sealing lid is a nice feature too.

Can someone tell me what the Less/Normal/More setting does? For example on the Pressure Cook mode (called Manual in the classic model) you can adjust both:

• low or high pressure
• Less/Normal/More

The first setting is obviously the pressure. Higher pressure means higher temperature. But what does Less/Normal/More mean? It changes the default time, but is it just a memory for the last time used, or does it do something else?

I can’t remember exactly, but your manual should tell you the differences.

High or lower pressure is the PSI, but the temperature is the same. Temperature and PSI is not the same. You would want a lower PSI on items that are more ‘fragile’. Like veggies.

Less/normal/more. Is the temperature. I would look up in the manual exactly what the temperatureS are for the specific cook function. It makes a Bigger difference on slow cook, warm, and sauté functions. Yogurt function makes a difference if you are proofing dough. I don’t know the other programs you have.

cooking time is also adjusted.

 

[james4beach]

High or lower pressure is the PSI, but the temperature is the same. Temperature and PSI is not the same. You would want a lower PSI on items that are more ‘fragile’. Like veggies.

The manual says the following:

Select a pressure cooking Smart Program, then press Pressure Level to toggle between High (10.2–11.6 psi) and Low (5.8–7.2 psi) pressure levels.
Note: A higher pressure results in higher cooking temperature.
. . .
Select a non-pressure cooking Smart Program, then press the Smart Program button again to cycle through the Less, Normal and More cooking temperature levels.


So this is interesting. It's saying that for pressure cooking, the High/Low changes both the pressure and temperature. This makes sense since a higher vapor pressure requires higher temperature.

But the second part seems to be saying that for things other than pressure cooking, Less/Normal/More changes the temperature. As you pointed out, that sounds like it would apply to Slow Cook, Sauté, etc.

 

[Plugging Along]

@james4beach thanks for the clarification for the pressure. i find I adjust my cooking times manually anyways, but do use the temperature settings for control.

 

[m3s]

I just got an Ultra for $40 US prime day sale (retail $120)

 

[andrewf]

Alas, it appears not to be discounted in on .ca.

 

[james4beach]

Here is an Instant Pot recipe I wanted to share with you. It is winter vegetable soup.

Thanks again @Rusty O'Toole for this recipe, because I've used this as the basis for other soups... it's a very good recipe. Today I tried a variation on this soup and it turned out incredibly well, so I wanted to share.

I like buying the ready to go BBQ chickens from the grocery store. After eating the easily accessible meat, there's a lot of bones and skeleton left and still meat on them. Here's a good way to use the leftovers!

Recipe for chicken soup with peas

Start by browning onions with olive oil

Add garlic

Fill the pot with 8 (or more) cups of water

Add the leftover chicken / skeleton / bones

Diced potatoes [ acts as thickener ]

1/2 cup each of red lentils, dry green peas, dry yellow peas and pot barley

Add salt, pepper, seasonings. I like Italian herb mix.

Add curry powder

Pressure cook on 'high' for 20 minutes

I got excellent results by turning off after the cook time and leaving it sealed under pressure, for a very long natural release (an hour) as I went to do other things. I think this really helped blend the soup and get more flavour out of the bones.

 

[Rusty O'Toole]

Thanks again @Rusty O'Toole for this recipe, because I've used this as the basis for other soups... it's a very good recipe. Today I tried a variation on this soup and it turned out incredibly well, so I wanted to share.

I like buying the ready to go BBQ chickens from the grocery store. After eating the easily accessible meat, there's a lot of bones and skeleton left and still meat on them. Here's a good way to use the leftovers!

Recipe for chicken soup with peas

Start by browning onions with olive oil

Add garlic

Fill the pot with 8 (or more) cups of water

Add the leftover chicken / skeleton / bones

Diced potatoes [ acts as thickener ]

1/2 cup each of red lentils, dry green peas, dry yellow peas and pot barley

Add salt, pepper, seasonings. I like Italian herb mix.

Add curry powder

Pressure cook on 'high' for 20 minutes

I got excellent results by turning off after the cook time and leaving it sealed under pressure, for a very long natural release (an hour) as I went to do other things. I think this really helped blend the soup and get more flavour out of the bones.

That sounds like good soup but what do you do about the bones? I make the stock, remove the bones skin and fat then add the other ingredients.

 

[james4beach]

That sounds like good soup but what do you do about the bones? I make the stock, remove the bones skin and fat then add the other ingredients.

Maybe I should clarify that I bought a pre-cooked chicken at the store.

After I eat most of the meat off the roasted bird (and the skin is gone), I've got the messy skeleton left over. I've been hacking off the pieces which have larger bones, and I've been throwing away the parts with tiny bones. When making this soup, I added all the chunks with the larger bones (wings, thighs, etc) right into the soup. After it was all cooked, I left the bones in there and just went straight to eating the soup, ladle around them, since it's easy to avoid the large bone pieces.

My leftover soup in the fridge right now does have various leg and thigh bones in it, but I find them easy to avoid, or just spoon out and throw away as I go.

I want to understand how you're doing it. So you do a separate step where you first make the stock and then remove all those bones?

I was doing it all in one shot... lazy I guess... by adding the chicken bones/leftovers right into the water. So I'm doing only one pressure cooking for the soup without a separate preparation of chicken stock.

 

[Plugging Along]

Maybe I should clarify that I bought a pre-cooked chicken at the store.

After I eat most of the meat off the roasted bird (and the skin is gone), I've got the messy skeleton left over. I've been hacking off the pieces which have larger bones, and I've been throwing away the parts with tiny bones. When making this soup, I added all the chunks with the larger bones (wings, thighs, etc) right into the soup. After it was all cooked, I left the bones in there and just went straight to eating the soup, ladle around them, since it's easy to avoid the large bone pieces.

My leftover soup in the fridge right now does have various leg and thigh bones in it, but I find them easy to avoid, or just spoon out and throw away as I go.

I want to understand how you're doing it. So you do a separate step where you first make the stock and then remove all those bones?

I was doing it all in one shot... lazy I guess... by adding the chicken bones/leftovers right into the water. So I'm doing only one pressure cooking for the soup without a separate preparation of chicken stock.

to get the best bone broth, you need to cook the crap out of it. I take the same rotisserie chicken, debone the whole thing And throw it in my freezer until I have two or three carcusses or when I run out of freezer space. I add in carrot, onion, celery peels or scraps (that I have also saved), garlic, some herbs, and peppercorn, and pressure cook For an hour or two, cool and drain then It’s ready for making soup. You get all the collegen and benefits from the marrow. Mospre so than just cooking it with your items right away.

 

[james4beach]

to get the best bone broth, you need to cook the crap out of it. I take the same rotisserie chicken, debone the whole thing And throw it in my freezer until I have two or three carcusses or when I run out of freezer space. I add in carrot, onion, celery peels or scraps (that I have also saved), garlic, some herbs, and peppercorn, and pressure cook For an hour or two, cool and drain then It’s ready for making soup. You get all the collegen and benefits from the marrow. Mospre so than just cooking it with your items right away.

Wow, you pressure cook them for 1-2 hours? I had no idea it can take so long.

Maybe I will start collecting chicken carcasses to try this

Merry Christmas!

 

[Plugging Along]

Wow, you pressure cook them for 1-2 hours? I had no idea it can take so long.

Maybe I will start collecting chicken carcasses to try this

Merry Christmas!

If you are just making a stock, you can do it for a shorter time. For bone broth, which has the most nutrition and benefits, a couple of hours or more is better. We try to save up as many bones as possible.

 

[james4beach]

I want to share something I discovered about the Instant Pot modes.

I recently made a thick stew. It had a mix of beans, lentils, potato and tomato sauce. I've made this many times before, but for some reason, this time around each time I started the 'pressure cook', I was getting the "BURN" warning (at which point I shut off the heat). I even tried adding more water, and scraping the bottom, but I still got the burn.

Then I referred back to my recipe notes and saw that I previously made this using "meat/stew" mode. And sure enough, switching to that eliminated the problem, and the stew cooked normally without any burn. The bottom of the pot was OK in the end, squeeky clean, which is really interesting because when the pressure cook started and I got the "burn" message, the bottom really did feel like it had burned (I could feel gritty stuff and had to scrape it clean)

It seems there is a big difference between "meat/stew" and "pressure cook" modes. On PC, it was immediately burning, but on meat/stew it was fine.

 

[Plugging Along]

@james4beach i have had some issues with burn for thicker items such as thick soups, rice, stews. I have tried the pre programmed and the pressure cook function, they all give me the burn. What I have to Help is make, sure the ’order’ is right. There should be the liquid/water at the bottom, then add the other ingredients. Do NOT stir. Also, make sure if you are browning/sautéing that you deglaze it really well. You don’t want any bits to get burned out because they will continue to burn. If I can’t seem to fix it right in the pot, I will trasfer into another IP liner (I have multiple) that has some Water in to bottom already.

 

[cainvest]

It seems there is a big difference between "meat/stew" and "pressure cook" modes. On PC, it was immediately burning, but on meat/stew it was fine.

I don't have an IP but I do pressure cook a fair bit. Generally for stews and such I pressure cook the "tough components" (beans, some meats, etc) then switch over to simmer cooking for the rest. Pressure cooking multiple ingredients with various cooking times normally doesn't turn out well unless you do phased pressure cooking.

 

[james4beach]

@james4beach i have had some issues with burn for thicker items such as thick soups, rice, stews. I have tried the pre programmed and the pressure cook function, they all give me the burn. What I have to Help is make, sure the ’order’ is right. There should be the liquid/water at the bottom, then add the other ingredients. Do NOT stir. Also, make sure if you are browning/sautéing that you deglaze it really well. You don’t want any bits to get burned out because they will continue to burn. If I can’t seem to fix it right in the pot, I will trasfer into another IP liner (I have multiple) that has some Water in to bottom already.

Interesting notes, thanks.

This thing about the orders and layers is something I haven't tried, but I read that somewhere else as well