Are there any household gadgets you found unexpectedly useful after you'd gotten them?
I was thinking about how I missed having an indoor thermometer that measures humidity. It's such a small specific thing, one I'd never think of getting unless pushed to it (which I was by one particularly dry winter). But I like having one now.
What are your small, "random" or "junk drawer" type of gadgets that you actually use or like having around?
InstaPot. I hate gadgets and things that have limited purpose so when this was gifted to me I planned to regift it. I use it so often I got an upgrade model. Totally worth the counter space!
As u/usernameblankface said, 8 minutes is the time it cooks while fully pressurized. It can take anywhere from a little over 5 minutes to a half hour or more to heat up everything inside enough to generate the steam necessary to pressurize.
Setting for 8 minutes means that it will heat up, build pressure, then start the 8 minute timer. It then beeps loudly when the time is up, so no need to set a separate timer or keep track of the thing.
We mostly use ours to make rice, potatoes, and artichokes. Not all at once but I guess we could. Oh, and for hummus we get the perfect chickpeas in like 45 minutes from dried. It's amazing.