NYT holiday gift guide

This item about gift ideas seemed most interesting on NYT front page. Your mileage may vary.

Then, on the gift page, this item about new pressure pots seemed most interesting. Again, YMMV.

The article is titled Instant Pot Ultra.

The model that's pushed through links on Instapundit is a more inexpensive, simpler model.

These pots are like Aerogardens. They'll offer you more than you care to have. Additional functions for more specific things that you might not use. Both Aerogarden and Instant Pots offer a model that allows communication with your smartphone. Do you even want that? Maybe you do.

Off NYT and on to Instant Pot site to compare models and features. Four models are shown.

* Duo 7-in-1 combines the functions of as pressure cooker, slow cooker, rice/porridge maker, steamer, sauté/browning, yogurt maker and warmer.

* Duo Plus 9-in-1 combines the functions of a Pressure Cooker, Slow Cooker, Rice/Porridge Cooker, Cake Maker, Yogurt Maker, Sauté/Searing, Steamer, Warmer and Sterilizer.

* Ultra 10-in1 Designed for the home chef looking for a greater degree of customization and control for even greater precision cooking.

* Smart Bluetooth  with Bluetooth® allowing programming and monitoring from smartphones or tablets.

Good Lord. When you click on "more information" for any of these then another array of models appears. Similar category names in different sizes.

Duo Mini, Duo 6 Qt, Duo 8 Qt
Duo Plus 6 Qt, Smart BT, Lux Mini 3 Qt
Lux 5 Qt, Lux 6Qt, Lux 8 Qt,
Gem (a flat oval shape), Accu SV800 (an immersion soux vide),
Ultra 6Qt.

So the first decision to make is the size.

The reason this pressure pot seems like a good gift idea is because I use my own pressure pot quite a lot. And the pot is useful as a regular pot.

At first I kind of wished the pot was smaller than it is, 8 Qt.

But now I find that I use it more because of its larger size. The thing is tremendous for making stock. For cooking dry beans without soaking them first. For tenderizing tough cuts of meat. For baking a genoise cake with steam that otherwise fails at altitude. Without pressure, to cook spaghetti noodles or large batches of anything.

So then, I'd avoid smaller sizes. I'd resist thoughts about downsizing for whatever reasons there are about thinking smaller: they don't cook that much, they don't cook for a family, they don't entertain, they have a small apartment, whatever.

I think you can get a really good deal and give, or keep for yourself, an impressively useful appliance, even if you don't live at high altitude. While a thing like this is perfect for a condominium at Breckenridge, Vail, Aspen, Telluride, you name it. You might be surprised. Denver residents have condominiums all over the place and I cannot think of a single one who even thought of having a pressure pot stored up there. And when I think about all the dinners we put together all over at high altitude that's just plain ridiculous. It means we hadn't a clue what we were doing. Things worked without one. But just getting potatoes to cook by boiling takes hours.

These pots would remove the fear of pressure that that old style pressure pots provoke. Plus they do a lot more. I think it would be a good idea for newly married. Young people without much experience preparing meals. New cooks. I'm thinking about one for my niece. I'm trying to visualize her using one. While she might not use it to cook dry beans directly, she might use it to steam rice. Or unlikely, to make yogurt.

So now, which model. Product comparison chart.

* 11 models are listed.
* First 4 models have high pressure only. The rest have two pressure settings.
* The chart is arranged by series then size within series.

Lux Series = 3 Qt, 6 Qt, 6 Qt, 8 Qt
Duo Series = 3 Qt, 5 Qt, 6 Qt, 8 Qt
Duo Plus = 6 Qt.
Ultra = 6 Qt.

Wattage comports with size. From 700W for 3 Qt. to 1200W for 8Qt.

Forget Bluetooth. Like the Aerogarden, just sit there and do what is programmed. No need to overcomplicate things electronically. Unless it's for a genuine geek. Like my nephew. He'd like it better just for that.

Off the Instant Pot site and on to Amazon for comparison pricing. Their array of offerings does not match the array as presented on the Instant Pot site. This is more of hodgepodge. And they seem more interested in 6 Qt. And there are other manufacturers.

For the two 8 Qt. sizes.

* Lux 80 = $109 Prime
* Duo 80 = $82 Prime (reduced from $130)

))) ding ((( winner. Save 37% $48.

Smart built-in Programs = 12 vs 14
Plug = 2 prong vs 3 prong
Pressure = high pressure only vs high and low pressure
Keep warm = 10 hours vs 100 hrs
Yogurt = not checked vs checked
Bean chili = not checked vs checked
Poultry = not checked vs checked
Cake = checked vs not checked
Egg = checked vs not checked
Lid holder = = not checked vs checked

These models look very much alike. The noted differences appear irrelevant. Eggs, for example. I think you can do hard boiled eggs in both. Whether or not there is a setting for them. Like a microwave, you're not restricted by the pre-settings offered.

But still stuck on a 6 Qt idea?

Duo 60 = $75.32
Lux 60 = $65.00 (reduced from $79 save 18% $14.)

You can give (or keep) a very nice multi purpose pressure pot for $65.00. And I am positive this will change someone's cooking-life. Possibly your own.

The NYT link has a lot of other great ideas too. It's a very well thought out list. Credit where it's due, NYT are very good shoppers.