California have millions of invasive species brought about by millions of immigrants along with the illegal hitchhikers from ballasts of cargo ships to crevices in the airplanes, name it, we got it! Our list is several thousand pages long if you care to read about those legislative actions. Sometimes innocent looking super clean boats that were dipped in the lakes in the east would simply spread notorious lake weeds and zebra mussels all over. some of the exotics were already naturalized and have equilibrated, but there are those new species that are always disrupting the purported balance. according to some point of view, humans are the worst invasive species, followed by their exotic crops planted in native lands.... Look at how gulf courses became so invasive on prime lands! Along with it comes excessive consumption of water, excessive fertilizer and chemical applications ... What an ecological disaster of all time.

I'm glad you were able to do it and I do hope it lasts. I don't see, anywhere, how the absolute front of the cabinet structure is supported from weight focused at the front (most likely location), especially if that weight were to be left and right or twist-like challenging the joints (kid dancing or otherwise moving left and right) or up and down (kid jumping up and down). I see no triangles. But if that setup truly works long-term in real life, then you're a better man that me for conjuring it up. You may be able to stand on it when freshly installed, but can you after a couple years? I become concerned then and that's why, with this type of box construction anyway, I wouldn't put my name on that, ever... I mean no offense. Cheap particle board degrades over time with humidity, movement, weight. If we're talking furniture-grade MDF or plywood... okay, I'm more comfortable.

I don't usually pay close attention to TV commercials but I stopped and watched every time the TJ Maxx/Marshalls/Homegoods ad came on stating that "the only thing people should be wrestling for on Thanksgiving is a drumstick" and they should be "camped out at home spending time with family instead of in a parking lot." I am going to try to support those businesses this holiday season more than I might have because I support the message they're putting out. Many people who work as sales help in stores do so out of necessity. I think it's absurd to make them work on Thanksgiving. And the irony is people are bolting from family to buy stuff for them to show them they are loved....?? What a sad disconnect from what holidays are meant to be.

I get it, Sleevendog! I'm not good at brevity, and it gets worse when I'm tired, as I have been lately. So sorry to go on to the point of exhaustion. The actual cooking--or I should say prep and pre-cooking--was amazingly brief and casual. Could have been just as easily done on my stove, which can even be programmed to turn itself off, but easier from not having to figure anything out. Just dump, dial, push to start. I get it about reading manuals, too. I think that was part of why it took me so long to open it. But the manual is pretty clear and has all the information about how and how much and makes it easy to conceive of how to use it. You absolutely do not need one of these, unless, maybe at your other home if you have electricity and need something besides the wood stove. I was thinking this would be a great device for an RV, if we had a small RV. There's one I really like from Canada that's pretty much the size of a standard van, but has a full bathroom and a murphy bed, but only the most minimal of kitchens. The multicooker would be perfect for it, especially if it could be secured for cooking while driving. I haven't looked at the specs, but it might even be able to run off a battery without exhausting it. At home, I have all the equipment you mentioned and more, but no pressure cooker. I certainly didn't need this, but it was a gift, and not of the kind that one can dispose of. It worked so well, I'm sure I'll find uses for it. Cynic, The book says the maximum capacity is 4.5 quarts, but there are some things you're not supposed to fill past half way up--but that might be for pressure cooking, or dry beans/grains/legumes--I don't remember. Minimum is one quart for slow cooking. There are very clearly marked levels in the pot so there's no guesswork in the measuring. They're molded in, however, and dark, so it's best to check them and know what you're aiming for before putting the food in. They make a bigger model if you want to make more. This size took a pound of beans (weighed while dry), a pound of beef, 10 oz. of carrots, two baseball sized onions, four celery ribs, a can of tomato paste, a bottle of chili sauce and generous glass of wine, and was 2/3-3/4 full, which is kind of perfect for my purposes. I can't imagine wanting it for big cooking. In the end, there were about 6-8 servings. The inner pot is metal with a coating. The unit has a CA Prop. 65 warning, but I'm not sure about what. It could be the pot, or it could be the circuit boards for all I know. :) The description from the company on Google says: Ceramic-lined Inner Pot – PTFE and PFOA free ceramic coating with textured base. The steamer basket and rack are bare and shiny. The sensor underneath is indeed for temperature. Clean-up is easy. The pot cleans as easily as the old ceramic ones--it doesn't have the built in handles, however, just a small rim--but that probably is to encourage you to dish out the food from the unit, rather than trying to pull the pot out hot and full. Oh, yeah, and I'm sure it fits better for the pressure cooking seal of the lid. The manual says you can put the pot and lid in the dishwasher but advises not to. Probably because some dishwasher/detergent combos can etch. There is a rim around the edge of the unit for catching condensation dripping from the lid, and it even has a little overflow cup. The lid itself comes off and on easily, and it has a silicone gasket that is easily removed. It's a little harder to get on, and much easier while sitting at a table, than standing at a counter. There are instructions for cleaning out the valves and a recipe for clearing odors from the unit. For what I made yesterday, the clean-up is as easy as it would have been if I'd done it in a pot on the stove. The official name is Breville Fast Slow Pro. The one with a "6" is the bigger one.