Great item

I used a pressure cooker years and years ago, but this is my first Instant Pot. The Nom Nom Paleo blog sold me! Then, when it went on sale, I took the plunge and bought it, and I'm so glad I did! I unboxed today and made chicken soup, and it couldn't have been easier to use! It took about 20 minutes or so to preheat, but the guide said that's normal. Clean up was just as easy. I love all the setting options. And it makes a mean bone broth in no time flat! It would take days to make the broth and then the soup with my Ninja crockpot. This was so quick and easy compared to that! I can't wait to make all sorts of recipes, all year long but especially with fall coming!

Our original Instant Pot replaced our Showtime Rotisserie as the most used kitchen appliance....just kidding. We've been vegetarians for a few years so we always have something to drop in the pot. On a daily basis the pot has been in use making yogurt (use filtered milk for best results), cooking rice, steel cut oats, or other things we never wanted to sit around and stir. My wife's the primary cook, I'm just the clean up crew, so she can enumerate all the things she makes in the pot. I just eat it, burp my approval, then clean up. The added functionality of the digital display is nice. But having another one means we don't have to prioritize what goes in the pot next. All the accessories for the original such as the bowls and lids fit the v2.0. Especially important is that the gaskets fit both. Over time, especially if you cook spicy, the gasket will take on the smell. Yes, we keep our gaskets in baggies withe baking soda....but it's kind of important when you do yogurt or oatmeal that it doesn't taste like curry when you serve it.

I have been waiting to splurge on one of these do-it-all Instant Pots and I finally did and so glad! I've never had a pressure cooker and everyone always raves about theirs so I finally decided to do it! I made a pot roast in it for the first time and it was so easy and fast! And it turned out great! I didn't put my potatoes or carrots in with it as I thought they might get mushy and I like a little crunch to my cooked carrots! But the meat was delicious and tender!

Minutes after unboxing I made vegan (Gardein Meatballs) spaghetti and meatballs in four minutes (plus time to get to pressure)! The vegan meatballs, sauce and the spaghetti turned out better than stove top! (al dente) Recipe below. I did not have to use separate pots for pasta and sauce and I did not heat up my kitchen. The unit is highly insulated and did not emit ANY heat! I chose the Ultra over the previous models because the new quick release steam button is separated from the steam valve (Ultra only), the larger streamlined screen and fewer buttons.

The instructions are adequate, but the real advantage of the Instant Pot over other pots is the Youtube IP community with endless recipes and tips. Jill McKeever, Simple Daily Recipes, Ground Leaf (groundleaf.co/instantpot), High Carb Hanna, Hot For Food, The Butterfly Effect, Pressure Luck (not vegan but recipes are adaptable), Indian Vegan Recipes and much more.

I decided against the Wifi version for ten dollars more because I don't wish to put radiation (wifi) near my food, I plan on using this IP to reheat foods and get rid of my microwave, so having wifi in it seemed silly (gimmicky?) and counterproductive. I love it! I would even consider getting a second one to do weekly prep cooking of multiple recipes simultaneously. I purchased mine at Target using my Redcard for an additional 5% off and the July coupon code for an additional 10% off. Binge watch the Youtube channels I posted above, buy one and you won't regret it.

Vegan Spaghetti and Meatballs Instant Pot ULTRA recpie.

Pour one 24 oz. can of Del Monte Traditional Pasta Sauce into inner pot.
Stir in 2T dried Italian Seasoning.
Stir in 1tsp Madhava Golden Light Agave syrup.
Break 1 pound of Barilla Thick Spaghetti n7 into three equal sections (not in half) and scatter in a birds nest pattern over the sauce.
Add 4C filtered water over pasta. (note, you can add salt to the water, stir then pour over pasta, if you want salty tasting pasta.)
Place 8 frozen Gardein Classic Meatless Meatballs on top of spaghetti nest.
Gently press the nest/pile down a bit so most of the pasta is covered, or very close to the waterline.
Select Pressure Cook, High, 4 minutes, NO keep warm - It needs to shut down after the four minute cook time is achieved to avoid mushiness. (Use the quick manual steam release button as soon as the four minute cook time is over or you may get mush.) Note; Depending on your altitude you may need to add more time. Add a minute at a time until you get it perfect for you. You can always add more time, but if you start with too much time you can't undo it if it's overdone.

My machine at my altitude took about 18 minutes to 'get to pressure' before the four minute cooking time started to count down.

Sprinkle GoVeg Parm Cheese and ground pepper on top.