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This article glosses over the real story which is how did Instant Pot win when their product is functional similar to ones that have existed for a long time? (A

This article glosses over the real story which is how did Instant Pot win when their product is functional similar to ones that have existed for a long time? (And no, it's isn't sensors, they all regulate heat and have a valve that prevents explosion.) This is the same as when people write articles about AirBnB and act as if they invented the space when VRBO was there for years. I have no problem with stories about an upstart toppling the existing players (in fact I love em) just tell me how it happened.

bunderbunder 9y ago
I only skimmed, but I don't think it does. As an owner of an Instant Pot that gets regular use, and another pressure cooker that lives in storage now, I think I can take a stab at it: Compared to stove top pressure cookers, it's just easier. Stove top ones require constant attention and fiddling to manage the heat an pressure properly. With the Instant Pot, put food in, close lid, set time, go watch One Life to Live reruns until you hear beeping. Compared to other electric models, it's either cheaper, or easier to use, or both. Many comparable models are prohibitively expensive, while the Instant Pot is $100. And the interface is dead simple. Push button, adjust time, walk away. I haven't used another electric model, but a couple friends have them, and, to hear them talk, theirs aren't quite as simple to operate. (That first step might be more confusing before, probably by the 3rd usage, you realize that all the buttons labeled 'bean', 'soup', 'veggies', etc. all do basically the same thing and are really just there for show.)
- saltmanisacuck 9y ago
  I bought one last year, when my slow cooker died, thinking it would be similarly useful. I did so mostly because I'd had a few friends who raved about theirs. It turned out that it was better at pressure-cooking than my pressure-cooker, and the bluetooth model (which I assumed would be a dumb gimmick) was actually helpful. Turns out it was handy to be able to check on dinner while hanging out with the family. My only wish is that they were a little more straight forward about how simple it really is. I'd love a variant that just had pressure and temperature controls, instead of the dozen named preset buttons. Or if they put the presets in a distinctly separate section of the panel or something.
- mattmaroon 9y ago
  Idk, my grandma has a similar unit she got a couple decades ago. It was cheap though I don't know how cheap. (I do know my grandma though.) Lots of competition that's similarly priced. The main benefit of the stovetop units (I have both) is speed. The heating element on the cheaper electric is drastically underpowered and can't even get a good Mailliard. The higher end ones can but they're still much slower than a gas stove, especially when full of liquid. I pretty much go back and forth between the two based on what I am cooking.
  - rbobby 9y ago
    > much slower than a gas stove There ya go right there! Electric stoves are "slow" to heat up and "slow" to change temperatures. You're used to the gold standard :)
    - EADGBE 9y ago
      So many people are afraid of gas ranges. It's ridiculous. My wife is literally terrified she'll burn the house down. Yet we use a giant gas-powered pressure cooker in the basement to take warm showers and somehow that's okay. We used our gas range even when the power was out, to toast tortillas (that's a bit tricky though, but worked well), and even in a pinch during a multi-day blizzard as an emergency heat source (though it didn't run all night, and was relatively safely monitored, you know, the "don't try this at home, kids").
      - saosebastiao 9y ago
        I’m not afraid of them, but I won’t ever get one. Induction ranges are superior in every possible way :)
        EADGBE 9y ago
        I haven't used induction, but it could be a game changer if and when it ever comes to the mass market.

bunderbunder 9y ago

I only skimmed, but I don't think it does. As an owner of an Instant Pot that gets regular use, and another pressure cooker that lives in storage now, I think I can take a stab at it: Compared to stove top pressure cookers, it's just easier. Stove top ones require constant attention and fiddling to manage the heat an pressure properly. With the Instant Pot, put food in, close lid, set time, go watch One Life to Live reruns until you hear beeping. Compared to other electric models, it's either cheaper, or easier to use, or both. Many comparable models are prohibitively expensive, while the Instant Pot is $100. And the interface is dead simple. Push button, adjust time, walk away. I haven't used another electric model, but a couple friends have them, and, to hear them talk, theirs aren't quite as simple to operate. (That first step might be more confusing before, probably by the 3rd usage, you realize that all the buttons labeled 'bean', 'soup', 'veggies', etc. all do basically the same thing and are really just there for show.)

saltmanisacuck 9y ago
I bought one last year, when my slow cooker died, thinking it would be similarly useful. I did so mostly because I'd had a few friends who raved about theirs. It turned out that it was better at pressure-cooking than my pressure-cooker, and the bluetooth model (which I assumed would be a dumb gimmick) was actually helpful. Turns out it was handy to be able to check on dinner while hanging out with the family. My only wish is that they were a little more straight forward about how simple it really is. I'd love a variant that just had pressure and temperature controls, instead of the dozen named preset buttons. Or if they put the presets in a distinctly separate section of the panel or something.
mattmaroon 9y ago
Idk, my grandma has a similar unit she got a couple decades ago. It was cheap though I don't know how cheap. (I do know my grandma though.) Lots of competition that's similarly priced. The main benefit of the stovetop units (I have both) is speed. The heating element on the cheaper electric is drastically underpowered and can't even get a good Mailliard. The higher end ones can but they're still much slower than a gas stove, especially when full of liquid. I pretty much go back and forth between the two based on what I am cooking.
- rbobby 9y ago
  > much slower than a gas stove There ya go right there! Electric stoves are "slow" to heat up and "slow" to change temperatures. You're used to the gold standard :)
  - EADGBE 9y ago
    So many people are afraid of gas ranges. It's ridiculous. My wife is literally terrified she'll burn the house down. Yet we use a giant gas-powered pressure cooker in the basement to take warm showers and somehow that's okay. We used our gas range even when the power was out, to toast tortillas (that's a bit tricky though, but worked well), and even in a pinch during a multi-day blizzard as an emergency heat source (though it didn't run all night, and was relatively safely monitored, you know, the "don't try this at home, kids").
    - saosebastiao 9y ago
      I’m not afraid of them, but I won’t ever get one. Induction ranges are superior in every possible way :)
      - EADGBE 9y ago
        I haven't used induction, but it could be a game changer if and when it ever comes to the mass market.