Thank you very much, ePressureCooker! Your information is always very detailed and great! We appreciate you sharing all the tips and all...

For added notes from a completely amateur (LOL) and very beginner for EPC, also I have IP (I got another one for my daughter and her BF for house warming gift, and they love it!). I LOVE IP for several reasons, but of course I don't have any experience with other brands...
Although I haven't cooked various recipes YET, here are my thoughts:

Pros:
- Love the stainless steel pot, very sturdy, easy to clean, food taste great.
- Super quiet! I cook 2 (American standard size) cups of rice at least twice a week, I cook often even after we finish our dinner (I bring my rice for lunch at work), quick & quiet! It's amazing...

Cons:
- The recipe book is not much of help in my opinion... kind of little too fancy recipes... I want more like basic home cooking recipes... I know they have lots of recipes on their website, but I wish they ARE in actual cookbook format WITH PICTURES (well, it's my preference. I'm a visual person).
- You need to try and learn how to cook to your preference, kind of. There is quite big learning curve, which probably go with ANY PC.
- The silicon sealing ring absorb food odor, especially if you cook with strong smell foods, in my case, meat sauce with lots of garlic, onion & tomatoes. I tried to wash as much, but the smell just doesn't go away... but the smell hasn't been transferred as much as thought. But it DOES bother me every time I smell it... :(
- There is no beeping or sound to let you know it reached the highest temp, meaning it started pressure-cooking, but when the cooking is done, it beeps. Especially when I cook rice, my preferred cooking time is 4 min, so it finished so quick! I do have a timer with me to set 10 min Natural Release, thou.

Anyway, these are the, so far, my opinions for IP. I think it'll be hard to find the PERFECT one, as each one of us has our own criteria, preferences, purposes, etc... I spent a LOOONG time researching, starting from go with stove-top PC or electric PC, then WHICH brand??? That's I found this site, and I started my own threads to help others who are going through the process as WE were...

So, I hope the information will help you for your HAPPY kitchen! :)

You are welcome. :)
I posted this to help others as I was searching a lo~ng time for the information! Hopefully people would understand WITHOUT getting confused... (lol)
I seems kind of complicated from just LOOK of my method, but actually no. It's super simple!
For Japanese, having a very tasty yummy (not with sauce or butter, but PLAIN) rice is VERY important... at least for me. That makes such effect on the meal!
If you have an opportunity to visit Japan, and you would understand it. My fiancee would've never thought of visiting Japan, but he did after we met. Although he is not so much into Japanese food, he understood & appreciate my mom's EVERY DAY RICE! :)
So, in my opinion, if you have gas stove & stove-top PC, that's the best combination for cooking the best rice...
I got Instant Pot, because I wanted Slow Cooker option, and have glass-top electric stove... But I'm pretty happy with IP! :)

Hi Tia,

I am so sorry for my poor English...
I count 54 time for scrumbing in circle when I cook 2 cups of uncooked rice (108 times for 4 cups), then rinse with clean water for about 4 times changing water.

And the rice/water ratio is tricky part...
You could try with simply ADD 1/3 cup more for the water for whatever the rice measurement...
i.e. Rice: 1 cup/Water: 1 1/3 cup
Rice: 2 cup/Water: 2 1/3 cup...
Originally I used the RATIO method of Rice: 1/Water: 1 1/4, Rice:2/Water: 2 1/2... but it was too wet.

And like I said, it is also depends on the rice and where you live at (humidity, etc.). I live in Arizona, also little bit higher than other part of the cities around...

I hope this helps!

So, please use my technique as a guidance and try out. :)

UPDATE:
For wonderful people who has help me make the decision to buy Instant Pot IP-Duo 7-in-1, thank you very much. Although I haven't had much chance to LEARN how to use for my cooking, but so far it's showing the good promise.
I have tried the several ways to cook my Japanese rice (Brand: Matsuri) with the great help from some of you, it's getting there, but not quite perfected yet...
I'm going to continue tweaking and I will inform you once I find out the BEST way to cook good Japanese rice (it's different quality than regular American or even Asian store Japanese rice brands).
:)

Tonight I'm making a beef stew with combined recipe, meaning most of the ingredients are from my own "FIANCEE-PROOFED" (LOL) recipe, but as I checked out several beef stew recipes for pressure cooker, especially the tips for the timing and the amount of the liquid (obviously got to be much less than normal or slow cooker method?). I'd probably incorporate Miss Vickie's "TWO-Phase" technique, especially I freeze leftover for my fiancee (He just LOVES my beef stew, he says he can eat it every night!). But the recipe I got from her website is for stovetop PC, so I need to adjust the time... It says cook meat for 12 min with 15 psi, but my Instant Pot goes up to 12 or 13 psi highest, right? So, should I cook for 15 min? Would that be enough?
Then do the quick release by turning the release vent, let it cool down for what 5 min before open? This is my second time to use my IP, and never done quick release with it (although I used to do it with my OLD aluminum stovetop PC eons ago).
Open the lid, add all the veggies and more beef stock to JUST cover it, colse the lid, cook for 5 min/stovetop PC, so 7~8 min with IP? Then do natural release, or let it go into "KEEP WARM"?
I'm kind of apprehensive because I know how my NORMAL beef stew supposed to be, AND my fiancee has THAT expectation! And I invited my daughter & her BF for dinner as well! LOL
I have all the veggies cut and waiting... I'm guessing I would need about total of one hour or 1 1/2 hours from the browning the meat, cook phase ONE, then quick release, add the rest, cook phase TWO, and natural release...? And it's about 1:30 pm now, dinner is at 6 pm. So, I plan to start 4 pm (start coating the meat)...

P.S. I haven't forgotten about rice. I still have little bit of leftover, so I'll be cooking sometime soon... And I'll definitely update my report! :)

OK. I usually brown the meat with SPICED flour coating with olive oil & crushed garlic cloves, then add all the liquid, cook one hour. Then add veggies and flavors/spices, cook another hour... and my fiancee LOVES it.
Now since I have Instant Pot IP DUO 60, I really want to use to cook my beef stew... TOMORROW.
But I'm still confused of HOW... I found some recipes, which I could use with my ingredients, but I need to organize my head around for the STEPS/TIMING...
- http://www.williams-sonoma.com/recipe...
- http://instantpot.com/not-julia-child...

Due to he doesn't drink alcohol I need to substitute with like apple juice... I think.

Any suggestions?

Hi ePressureCooker,

First of all, I really appreciate your help SOOO MUCH!

Well, I know most Westerners don't really know what Japanese Rice could be when it's properly cooked... Of course outside of Japan you can't get the same quality rice... By the way, Japanese rice is SHORT-grain, and for some reason Westerners call "Sushi Rice".

Another thing is I don't want cooked rice to be SEPARATED (that's more for actual rice FOR SUSHI making, not for eating as a meal/sorry if I confused you), I want it to be sticky, but not too much. Westerners call, or I should say in English, Japanese or I guess Eastern Asian region rices are called "Sticky Rice." But actually for Japanese, that'll be for SWEET RICE, which IS very STICKY...

I found some good information of how to cook perfect Japanese rice in rice cooker:
http://www.instructables.com/id/Perfe...

Although it's for rice cooker, but Pressure Cooker should do MUCH better job by the way... it did for me when I used to use an old aluminum Stove-top PC long time ago...

So, I'd like to recap on what I did:
1. I measured the rice (Japanese rice/short grain harvested in CA, much better brand than Grocery Store short grain rice) for 3 cups with the cup that came with the PC, "Polished"(I call Rinsed) about three time, then drain right away on the strainer.
2. Left it there for 15 to 30 min.
3. Place the rice in the PC pot, added 4.5 cups (used same plastic cup).
4. Closed the lid, selected "RICE" auto-setup, then started.
5. Once the pressure cooking was done, and let it go to Keep Warm, then started 10 min on my timer.
6. When the timer went off, I canceled the Keep Warm, then I turned the Vent Release to let the pressure out.
7. I opened the lid, and found out it was too heavily sticky/too wet, not shiny which I totally expected to see...

I'll be honest, I stopped reading your suggestion half way through when you started suggesting of adding butter or vinegar... :(
When you read the information in the link I mentioned, you would (hopefully) understand...

Rice in Japan, or for Japanese is totally different than for Americans/Westerners. We do not pour soy sauce right over before you eat the rice... Often I feel offended to even seeing at the restaurant, especially if I cooked THE RICE for sure. LOL

As we use rice in the bowl as a dish often, whatever the sauces/flavors on the SIDE dish (meat, fish or veggies) get on the rice, that's how we CAN add some taste on the rice.

You see, we categorize rice and bread as MAIN... well guess what? I just looked up and found out there is NO concept for "SHUSHOKU"=Staple Food in Western world...
We, Japanese say "BEI-SHOKU"=rice-based diet or "PAN-SHOKU"=bread-based diet. All the meat, fish or vegetables are SIDE dish/meal.

Yeah, I guess it's weird, but that's the way we think of rice and meal...

Anyway, I apologize for going off the topic. But, I'm going to modify the amount of water, polish the rice right before cooking, then also select High Pressure cooking. Then see what happens.

I so desperately want this PC works for what I really want!!!

P.S. I'm going to make my beef stew this weekend with Instant Pot this weekend. I'll update the result, too. I DO want Very Good Pot Roast with veggie recipe thou if anyone has it! :)

Well, I received my Instant Pot IP Duo 60.
As I mentioned I purchased this PRIMARILY (but have intention to cook more recipes eventually) to cook my Japanese Rice. I cooked 3-cup of rice with 4.5-cup of water, no pre-soaking but riced & drained, then left it on the strainer about 30 min prior to cook.
I cooked with the automatic time for rice (it was 12 min), after cooking was done, timed 10 min before vent out the pressure...
I was so looking forward to see Shiny & Fluffy Rice, which used to do when I cooked with Stovetop PC a long time ago (it was just aluminum one) and also cooked with Queen Cookware (previous version of iCook by Amway)... but it was too mushy, wet, not shiny... :(
I'm definitely going to reduce the amount of water, but the look of DULLNESS... That was VERY disappointing... Would it improve if I manually select High Pressure?
Or should I went with Japanese made rice cooker with slow cooker feature... :(

Thank you for sharing your experiences. I purchased this PRIMARILY (but have intention to cook more recipes eventually) to cook my Japanese Rice. I cooked 3-cup of rice with 4.5-cup of water, no pre-soaking but riced & drained, then left it on the strainer about 30 min prior to cook.
I cooked with the automatic time for rice (it was 12 min), after cooking was done, timed 10 min before vent out the pressure...
I was so looking forward to see Shiny & Fluffy Rice, which used to do when I cooked with Stovetop PC a long time ago (it was just aluminum one) and also cooked with Queen Cookware (previous version of iCook by Amway)... but it was too mushy, wet, not shiny... :(
I'm definitely going to reduce the amount of water, but the look of DULLNESS... That was VERY disappointing... Would it improve if I manually select High Pressure?
Or should I went with Japanese made rice cooker with slow cooker feature... :(

Thank you very much your recommendation.

I'll be cooking other "American" meals as well.
Of course I do like Japanese brand, but do they have stainless steel interior? That's one of my main criteria...
I like the idea of i can prep/set up the night b4, then it'll cook with timer, and ready in the morning... but most of the case leaving cooked rice in the warmer for extended time, ruins the flavor & texure. So i usually take out, cool it, then put ib the fridge. Then i reheat by steaming b4 i eat.

Hi ePressureCooker,

Thank you very much for your assistance! You are awesome! I really appreciate yoru offer to help me.

Here is my preference:
- stainless steel interior
- with slow cooker
- pressure setting
- possibly come with: steamer tool, glass lid?
- Not too noisy while cooking
- less annoying alarm sounds (is it possible to set the volume? cuz I'm thinking to set up my rice cooking the night before and it will ready by around 6 am, but we don't want the alarm to wake us up!)
- reasonable priced parts/replacement if that happen
- I'll be using primarily to cook Japanese short-grain rice, but would like to cook corn on a cob, pot roast, chicken adobo...

Which third party warranty do you recommend? What is usually covered? Will it worth to get it?

Which one is better quality in your opinion? I'm assuming they are both made in China?

Thank you SO very much! :)

I'm also shopping for pressure cooker with US/Europe-made... I read that nowadays Fagor products are manufactured in China... :(
I understand that easy of getting the parts/replacements is important... but cookware that will be heated to very high temp... my fiancee has been very adamant about not-getting-any-cookware-made-in-China...
We recently changed our stove to Viking Glass-top type, and my beloved Amway Queen Cookware had to go... (the bottoms had gotten all wavy... after 22 years use :( ). So we got Calphalon cookware set, which my fiancée loves (made in USA, btw), but I'm used to cook with less-water, less-oil pots and pans... also I used to own old aluminum-made (my father was into selling them many years ago) which I loved the quick and easy way to cook as well...
So, addition to our Calphalon cookware, he agreed to get a pressure cooker (mainly for my Japanese rice), plus a med-size stainless steel saucepan to heat the cooked rice up with steamer...
Anyway, so I have been researching the BEST (but reasonable/Viking stove & Calphalon dented our finance quite a bit already!) and preferably "Non-Made-in-China" stovetop pressure cooker... I was thinking of getting T-Fal Clipso pressure cooker (since we can't get TeFal Nutricook in America), then I found the articles on MissVickie.com & America's Test Kitchen...
Fissler PC is too expensive, and WMF Perfect Plus is also little too high... so I was thinking of Kuhn Rikon. Fagor sounds good, but they are made in China vs. Kuhn Rikon is in Switzerland...
But now, I'm also considering for Electric Pressure Cooker (I know it's weaker than stovetop ones...), my search continues... :(