What’s the best BIFL electric pressure cooker?
I mostly need something that’ll cook beans fast (with pressure). I want something electric with lots of (pressure-related) safety features. I figured if I got a multicooker, then I could also make yogurt; specifically I want the ability to set the temperature myself (not just “high, med, or low” – but the specific granular number of degrees in Celsius, including low temps down in the 30s)
I’ve read good things about Instant Pot, but I’ve also read some people say they broke after some years. That’s expected for some percent of devices, but the big red flag was that I couldn’t find any place on their site to buy replacement parts. They had a video describing the different components, but it was 40 seconds of trash – no info on how to replace the PCB or troubleshoot other common hardware issues to actually repair this thing. So it didn’t seem very BIFL…
I’m wondering if there’s any commercial-grade alternatives to Instant Pot, which really are BIFL. Something in the thousands of dollars, not hundreds (I’d also be willing to pay more for one that has better sensors for cooking rice – and elimination of stupid fads like radio-control-by-app). Something where they offer very few models and lots of standardized parts – where those parts are clearly purchasable on their website, and they have comprehensive guides on how to fix and replace parts that fail after 10 years.
What’s the best commercial-grade BIFL electric multi cooker?
The only commercial grade pressure cookers I’ve heard of that are BIFL are the all American brand, and their electric sterilizer is very pricey but nice (came across it when I had a hyperfixation for growing mushrooms a while ago). But honestly, if you’re just using it for cooking a used instant pot or even a ninja pressure cooker will be fine. I’m partial to instant pot, because I’ve had a couple (upgraded to bigger sizes), and some of the old ones are clearly made to last a surprising amount of time (and have in my experience).
Are you suggesting the old Instant Pots are more durable than the new ones? If so, should I try to buy a used one? If so, from before what year?
I’d say they probably are, the later versions were redesigned with added complexity. Mine is the old Duo-60 (no airfry/sousvide function) bought 11 years ago, I use it several times a week and have never had a problem.The InstantPot Wikipedia page has a list of models. I’d avoid the ones with airfryer lids. iFixit has a handful of guides for disassembly and repair of a few multi-cooker models including the IP.
Link to iFixit guide directory for Instant Pot Duo:
Probably, yeah. It seems like the newer they got the more points of failure they had. Not really sure about a year range just noticed that stuff like how the power cords used to be standard replaceable ones changed to hardwired ones. My opinion is to get one used more to save money, because if you’re just using it to cook beans or the like there isn’t too much of a benefit to getting a commercial one. If you’re really worried about making it last decades (I wouldn’t personally), then getting a non electric one probably would be preferable. I’ve seen old sears pressure canners still in use, but they do need newer seals every now and again. They just aren’t as easy to break out if you’re just making a quick meal though.