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| RIP Izzy Poo |
My beloved Instant Pot died yesterday. I am so sad. And annoyed. It didn't break. It just threw up gang signs and died. And this is what a dead Instant Pot looks like, apparently:
What???
I had finished cooking some rice earlier in the day for lunch. Later on, I decided to fix some beans to put up for the next day. I cleaned the inner pot and plugged in the Instant Pot back in and - it was like a bunch of bright, flashing Times Square "Nopes".
It took me three tries - unplugging and re-plugging it - to realize that this problem was not going away. The third try is when I noticed the code -
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| A "C6" error not good |
The first thing I did was find Instant Pot online and request some help. The next thing I did was ask Google if anyone else had experienced the same problem. Answer: Yep, you bet.
The first link that popped up was for Honest & Truly with this heading: "What To Do When Your Instant Pot Has A C6 Error". Maybe I should have started here? Maybe I can fix this situation?
Uh, that's a no. This is the very bad news I read on Honest & Truly:
"What is the Instant Pot C6 error?This means you have a faulty pressure sensor. Your Instant Pot can’t recover. This is a an error you can’t fix, but stop your tears."
Too late to stop the tears. The last few weeks have been pretty awful - my favorite Iowa doctor suddenly had to move away; I broke the seal on my favorite coffee mug; I have a knot on my head from when I fell against the door the other day; I've gained three pounds for some crazy unknown reason, and on top of all that. I'm scheduled to go in for a colonoscopy two days before Christmas. Yeah.
Luckily, Honest & Truly had some good news right after the bad:
"You may be ok. First, don’t throw away your Instant Pot. Yet. This is a manufacturer’s defect, not something you did."
Oh, thank you, Jesus!
I had already done the right thing by contacting Instant Pot. They got back to me pretty quickly and, just as Honest & Truly predicted, they wanted some photos. I sent them a photo of the Amazon order details, the silver label from the back of the machine, and the heating element inside the pot.
I've sent all this off and hope that I hear something back soon. My only concern is that my pot is from 2018 and they might try to use that as a reason not to help. I sure hope not. When I priced Instant Pots today on Amazon, they are running 10 and 20 dollars more than the 2018 price. And mine was a gift. (Well, the 6-qt was a gift that I returned and replaced with the 8-qt.)
Now, I do feel a little first-world-whiney for complaining about this. When my family asked what I wanted for Christmas 2021, I chose this:
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| 7 In 1 Toaster Oven Oilless Cooker Fryer |
I asked for it because I wanted an air fryer but don't like the small capacity of most I've seen and I didn't want to ask for anything super expensive. I had an air fryer once that was too heavy in weight and too small in capacity. And it was a one-trick pony. The Homuz is roomy (23-qt) and weighs just over 12 pounds.
Another thing I like is that, in between uses, I can stow this in the little bookcase storage setup I put together last month. Space is at a premium in this tiny apartment!
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| saves SO much room in the kitchen |
The first thing that caught my eye was the whole "7-in-1" highlight. A 7-trick pony? I can deal with 12 pounds for a multi-use appliance.
I like the idea of having so much more room in which to air fry things. Also, I cannot wait to do a small whole roast chicken in it. And there are times when I will be able to multi-task - using my regular oven to bake a cake or using my Dutch oven while I use the Homuz to fix other things. Another plus is being able to see the food I'm cooking. My oven doesn't have a glass door. And being able to keep food warm without running the oven. And roasting nuts and...
Yeah, I'm pretty excited about this year's gift. And I wonder if my Instant Pot didn't get a little bit jealous...
That's what I told my niece. I was on the phone with her when the Instant Pot blitzed out. She reminded me that I could have asked for a Ninja version of the Instant Pot this year. Yeah, yeah, yeah. But, honestly, I'm really happy that I've picked the Homuz. Send up some prayers for me that I'm not getting a lemon!
So, yeah. I shouldn't be such a whiny baby about the Instant Pot. But I do love that thing. After all, the Homuz won't pressure cook my rice, beans, and greens, will it?
I will update here when I find out more about the Instant Pot situation. And you know I surely will do a review on the Homuz!
Peace
-Free
P.S.: I will be going back over to the Honest & Truly site to check out some of the recipes.
UPDATE:
Okay, so "Instant Brands Customer Care" person got back to me rather quickly, as you know. I sent them the requested photos and they sent me their reply:
"Your unit is not functioning as intended and we are pleased to offer you a 20% discount on a replacement of your choice as it appears that your unit has passed the standard 1-year manufacturer's warranty." (my emphasis)
"Not functioning as intended"? Uh, yeah, that's why I was contacting them in the first place.
They gave me the 20% discount code - and okay, they didn't have to give me anything, I guess - but the code only works ordering from their online store. And it appears to only be good until December 21st.
I pointed out that a 20% discount is nice but that I would have to spend it back on an extended warranty - you know, since their pots can't be counted on to last more than a few years. (I didn't add that last part in my response).
They responded that they "understand the frustration." But slid right on to "Should you decide on the discount code in the future, please do not hesitate to email us back and we would be more than happy to help and assist you."
In other words, so sad, too bad.
by the way, anyone who got this far: the first one of you to email me can have the code.
Yeah, so, I will not be buying another Instant Pot. Ever. As a matter of fact, I learned a valuable lesson - other than that Instant Pot Brand doesn't stand behind their product for longer than a year. That lesson?
I don't need an Instant Pot!!!
Not to cook beans, soup, greens, etc. There are, after all, other pressure cookers out there. Not only is Instant Pot not the end-all, be-all, but they are kinda overpriced for something that might not last longer than a few years. If you buy one, you better tack on the price of an extra warranty.
True story: for about 70 bucks (including a 4-yr warranty and tax), I got this for Christmas:
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| Crock-pot 2109296 Express Pressure Cooker, 6-Quart, Stainless Steel |
The bottom line is, I think I got caught up in the Instant Pot rave back in 2018. After the bad experience with the durability of mine, it was good to take a look at other brands. I did look at Presto, Go Wise, Hamilton Beach, and some others, but I wanted to stay in a lower-price range and with a more established brand. Crock-Pot's parent company is Sunbeam so, yeah.
Of course, I will review the Crock-Pot when I have gotten it and had a chance to review it. My second choice, should I return it will be the one from Presto, most likely.
