Anything with a heating element has a limited lifespan. OTOH, a hand-held mixer or a battery-powered kitchen scale are things that seem to last and last.

I have the same qualms about induction cooking - anything electric seems more prone to problems. I do have a portable induction burner, and although it is only 2-3 years old, it looks much older. I do like that it turns itself off, however, but my gas range will work when the electricity is off.

In college I had a house mate from Hong Kong whose mother had given him a rice cooker, and rice was the only thing he ever cooked, but then he let me be in charge of meals anyway. This was when I was getting my second degree, and I was in my late 30s while he was in his early 20s. He was the prima donna of the architecture school, which is one reason I wanted him as a house mate. I do not even know what an instant pot is.

I don't buy expensive electric gadgets for that reason although under 75 or so and I want it, sure, I have loved my KA food processor and mixer and those are over 20 years old. A good investment. I expect my waffle makers will last a long time but the small chopper I bought to replace an Oskar, won't.

I don't buy much on a whim, so if I really want it, then, it's worth it.

I dunno. What's a "gadget"? My mother won a roaster oven from a door to door rep for a coffee company when I was a tiny tot. It doesn't get daily use, but it works fine. I have digital equipment from the 1970‘s that works. The digital boards are supposed to be the most bothersome part of current appliances, but it's the mechanicals of computers which go first. Some appliances are made with better parts and wiring than others. Sometimes price will tell you something, like the Instant Pot is lower in price than similar other multi-cookers. Did they use quicker to burn out parts to make that price point? Or is the quality the same, but they figure to make their profit shipping more units for less rather than getting a higher price for fewer? Hard even to guess. As far as I'm concerned if you're getting enough pleasure out of it before the warranty expires, you've gotten your money's worth. Sure, my cast iron pots will outlive me. Sure, I can cook anything in them. But I've come to appreciate the multicooker I was given, and use it too. Self-abnegation is not my thing.

Ever read the reviews of electric toasters these days. Even big name, expensive ones do not last.

I know several who have that Insta Pot and they are love it!

I have digital equipment from the 1970‘s that works

Yes, I still have the Sharp Elsimate solar-powered calculator I was given as a high school graduation present in the early 70s and it still works every bit as well as ever. I suspect the industry has brain-washed us into believing that anything electronic is necessarily fragile so that we just shrug instead of complaining about the shoddy quality when they fail.

I think quality and reliability of modern day electronics
are miraculously high, Absolutely unbelievable.

Just think, each pixel on your LED TV has three LEDs, R, G
& B, each LED has to be connected with two wires. Millions and millions of
connections without one single mistake ----------Just mind boggling!

Take a look at your cell phone camera, how do they cramp 12
mega pixels on a chip smaller than ¼ of a cornflake and wire up each one
without one failed connection?

Solid state electronics lasts almost forever. Nothing to
wear out. However, over voltage, static charge, moisture and high temperature
can kill them instantly.

dcarch

I am on the fence on a lot of electronics. For slow-cookers, it is the crock that gets broken. I would be happy to replace just the crock but after shipping, it costs more than a new set up all together. On my hand-mixer that is not very old, the beater broke. Oster never seems to have the replacements in stock. I had an instant-pot like device that my mother was getting rid of. I used it for several years. The electronics worked fine on it but the bowl was coated in Teflon that had been scratched and I was not comfortable using it any more. I would have no problem replacing it with an instapot since the instapot has a stainless bowl and I live at an altitude of 6500 and thus can appreciate the quicker cooking times for mashed potatoes.

I think some people are replacing skill with gadgetry, but I think many of those people who have no desire to develop the skill. I also have to wonder though if sometimes the gadgetry allows a different level of efficiency, too. For instance, electric kettles heat water quicker, using less fuel than a kettle on the cooktop. Trade offs, I suppose.

I bought into the Instant Pot craze earlier this year. It's quite a nice tool, much better than a crock pot, especially for a family with a busy chef! It's handy, but in my realm, it's not as useful, since I can't eat stews or soups where it excels. People LOVE it for making their own yogurt, especially with Fairlife milk. I"ve not done it, so I have no personal experience with it. Defintely nice when you don't want to heat up your kitchen on these hot summer days.

BTW AMAZON PRIME DAY should have some good deals happening on Instant Pots, they're super popular. There are Facebook groups, blogs and cookbooks dedicated to them too!

Tishtoshnm, good point about the crock! My Breville multicooker has a non-stick steel crock (with all the disclaimers about not having the bad for you chemicals, but who knows what's in it that we don't know is bad yet?). It doesn't break but it does have a texture in the bottom (I assume to prevent burning and sticking) and collects odors. It comes with a recipe to get rid of odors (lemon, etc.), but you can brown meat in it (it has a "sear" function, but it's more a "brown function").

The thing I like about a slow cooker, or slow cooking in a multi cooker, is I don't feel bad leaving it going while I'm out of the house the way I would an oven. It's probably just as safe with the electric oven, but that qualm is too old a trick to unlearn. :)

For some reason, I seem to have an awful lot of electric kitchen gadgets. I have four slow cookers, ranging from Baby Bear sized (rarely used), one Teenager sized (used a lot), one Mama Bear sized (used a lot) and one Papa Bear 6 qt (only used for company). I've been through a lot of waffle irons over the years, and now have my mom's (circa 1958?) that works beautifully. The best toaster in our house is also from the 50s, and the man who put a new cord on it after a mouse chewed the cloth cord, said "don't get rid of it, they don't make them like that any more!" I have a fondue pot that I have never, ever used. We have three ice cream freezers -- electric, hand-cranked, and individual sized.

My most used electrical gadget is the fry pan. I use it ALL the time. The second most used as the Teen- and Mama-Bear sized Crock Pots. Third most used is the rice cooker, and lately, the fourth most used is the new steamer (though I probably could use the rice cooker for that).

Donna