When my husband and I first decided to purchase a house, I told him all I cared about was having a bedroom for us and then just a giant kitchen with a table, TV and a couch. Well, I did get the bedroom, but definitely not the giant kitchen. I did, however, get a beautiful Italian range to help make up for the disappointment. Unfortunately, that Italian range is absolute junk. That’s a story for another time, but I mention it because the range is the reason I wound up purchasing this Instant Pot Dutch Oven.
As an Amazon Associate, I earn from qualifying purchases. This means that if you click on an Amazon link and make a purchase, I may receive a small commission at no extra cost to you. Thank you for your support
The burners on my range are just awful. I was soooo excited to have a gas range for the very first time, but alas, this particular stove has quirks. Really bad quirks. The simmer burns and the highest flame whimpers. After being frustrated for nearly four years, I researched electric pots for over a month. I actually purchased and returned two pots that were nearly as bad as my range.
My wish list for my electric pot was long. Here are just a few of my criteria:
- At least 6 quarts
- Digital temperature control
- Temperature range that went as low as 77 degrees (for proofing bread dough)
- Ability to sear meat
- Ability to slow cook at a custom low heat
- Absolutely had to have a completely non-toxic finish inside.
I’ve had this beauty since late 2023 and I’ve used it 2 or 3 times every week ever since. I’ve been extremely happy with its performance, and I am confident in saying that I highly recommend it without reservations.
It has completely replaced my slow cooker. I prefer the way the Instant Pot Dutch Oven can be manually set for slow cooking at a much lower temperature than modern slow cookers. This means I can turn it on at 8am and come home at 5pm to a tender pot roast, NOT overcooked!
I am able to saute onions in it, sear meat, simmer, slow cook and then I can even put it in my oven if I want to. You just lift the pot out of the housing and it’s a completely standalone cast iron, enamel coated dutch oven.
Also, I use this pot a whole lot for baking bread. They brilliantly made this pot’s lowest temperature go down to 77 degrees, which is perfect for proofing dough. I really need this in wintertime since the temperature in my kitchen is usually in the area of 68 degrees, which means my dough takes way too long to rise.
I absolutely love the fact that I can precisely control the temperature, especially when it comes to simmering. I can set the temperature to 212 degrees and it’s absolutely perfect. This means my chicken broth doesn’t evaporate away when I leave it to infuse with the vegetables for a few hours. It also means that when I make pudding, I can set the temperature so that there’s no sticking and no boiling over.
I could go on and on with the reasons that precise temperature control is so desirable when cooking. The only other way to come close to getting precise control is to use one of those countertop induction burners. But… those are rather loud! If they could fix that, then the induction burner would likely be a great alternative.
If you have any questions I can help answer, please let me know!
Thank you so much for stopping by:-)
As an Amazon Associate, I earn from qualifying purchases. This means that if you click on an Amazon link and make a purchase, I may receive a small commission at no extra cost to you. Thank you for your support
