If anyone had told me a few years ago that the trendy home gadget was going to be a pressure cooker, I’d have nodded sagely, congratulated them on their out-of-the-box thinking, and drifted quietly toward the exit.

But look at me these days, making lentils, buttered chicken, pulled this, stewed that. And I get the impression the Instant Pot holds a particular appeal for geeks (“It’s a kitchen appliance.” “Pass.” “It has glowing red numbers on it.” “I’m listening.”) Certainly a lot of my geekier friends have snapped them up like thumb drives at a tech conference.

If you’re thinking of diving in, do yourself a favour and connect with some folks who already own one. And if you don’t have anyone like that in your circle, you can do a lot worse than checking out the Instant Pot Community group on Facebook — a thriving, supportive gang of folks as ready to cheer each other on as they are to share a great recipe for daal.