As for old style pressure cookers: Rubber sealing rings must never be used if warped or wavy. Get a replacement. The entire sealing ring needs to be pulled out and washed behind. Vents must be checked for food particles. Never fix anything that could be “foamy” since it could clog the vent.

I have 3 Instant Pots. There are two of us. I use the 3 quart for rice and yogurt. You can make less in the 6 quart but you can’t make more in the 3 quart.

I use my Instant Pot for everything. I have a 3 qt and a 6 qt and they are both very active. Start by trying some small things like boiled eggs. The Mississippi Pot Roast is quick and fantastic. You do not need books, Pinterest has loads of fantastic recipes. A cheese cake is to die for when made in the IP.

Yikes, cheesecake? I'm in trouble. :)

I thought I'd use mine more than I have. Got the 6 qt because I was cooking for the homeless once a month. The thing I like is that, unlike a crock pot that is sometimes too hot to carry to a function after cooking all day, the IP can cook everything fast in the morning, then you turn it off, let it cool till you are ready to transfer food to a smaller container for transporting. (It's too heavy for me to carry when full, and a bit cumbersome to store overhead, which is where it fits in my upper pantry.) If you don't have need to transport large quantities of food, you can still just cook things fast in the IP in the morning, let food cool, and divvy it up into freezer portions for yourself.

Whenever I actually used it, I loved it (boiled eggs came out great!). Roasts that you can sear in the IP and then pressure cook is fall-off-the-fork tender. Boneless chicken breasts stay moister in the IP rather than baking. (I'm making myself hungry and ready to get back to using my IP.) I tend to use my smaller pots because they're easier to lift, wash, and store, BUT they don't work for mega-cooking which you'd like to do . There are 3 of us here now so I do cook small meals most nights, but I think I've just about talked you and me both into ramping up our game so we don't have to cook as often, yet still have tasty homemade meals. I love to pull out chili and serve it over noodles or a baked potato on a cold night!

Who is that chef?

I've used mine 3 times this week. I love it because it is forcing us to try new recipes. After 41 years, I feel I hit a dry spell. It's like learning to cook again. Even my husband is enjoying the new menus!!

When I posted earlier I forgot about this website.....they offer detailed instructions on using the Instant Pot and lots of recipes that I have found pretty much on target with time and method.
I signed up and get an email once a week with new ideas....this week they are offering ideas on Christmas recipes.

https://www.pressurecookrecipes.com/...er+Dec+14+2018

Great thread. Maybe I'll get mine out of the basement, where it sits in the box that I came in when I bought it...

Some posts refer to it being different than a pressure cooker. I thought that Instant Pot was just a rebranding, if you will, to make people not think about the scare tactics from the old days?

It is a pressure cooker with other capabilities, but with many more safety features built in nowadays. My mom never had a pressure cooker because she was scared to death of getting burned. Those fears kept me from jumping right in to the IP craze, but after being convinced of the technology that has safeguards, I "bit." I do pull it away from my upper cabinets so that the steam doesn't bother the wood. And I use hot pads very carefully. I open the lid like a shield, with the steam on the opposite side of the "shield. " Yep, I may be paranoid but so far no burns from the IP.