Please join us in cooking with your electric pressure cooker and posting about your experiences here. You can cook from any book or any recipe and any model or kind of pressure cooker, but please note the following in your post:
- NAME OF THE RECIPE (in caps, please!), a link to the recipe if you have it, page number if you'd like.
- Title and author of the cookbook (or other publication)
- The model and capacity of pressure cooker you used
- Which variation of the recipe you used, if applicable (for instance, if the recipe gives you options for natural release or quick release or whatever, please note which you tried)
- Any modifications you made to the recipe
- And, of course, your thoughts about the process and the outcome and what you might change next time.
Note: while we will inevitably end up discussing the merits of various cookbooks and authors, this thread isn't intended to be for asking for cookbook recommendations. Rather, this is intended to be a gathering place for a communal cooking effort, where we report back on our specific experiences with specific pressure cooker recipes.
Also, if you'd like to use this thread to report back on using your pressure cooker in one of its other modes (rice cooker, slow cooker, yogurt maker, etc.) please feel free to report back on that here, too.
And of course, although this thread is slanted towards electric press cookers, all are welcome to post their thoughts and share their results.
Links back to parts 1 and 2:
https://www.chowhound.com/post/cookin...
https://www.chowhound.com/post/cookin...
TWO-DAY INSTANT POT HAM AND BEAN SOUP
(No cookbook)
6 quart Instant Pot (IP-DUO60)
I had frozen my spiral ham bone from Christmas and wanted to use it to make soup. I decided to make stock first, then cook soaked dried beans and cubed smoked ham in the stock. A two-step process - definitely more time-consuming, but for a specific set of reasons.
I chose this two-step method because (a) I hadn't made ham stock before and wanted to taste it *and* skim it before making soup with it, and (b) I had never made beans in my IP before, and desired a firm (not broken down) bean texture. The long cooking time for the stock would've been too long for the beans.
Ingredients:
Stock:
1 ham bone (mine was from a spiral ham)
Water
Soup:
1 cup dried cannellini beans
2-3 cups (any amount works) smoked ham steak, cubed
1 carrot, diced
1 stalk celery, diced
1 onion, diced
1-3 TBS fat of choice for sauteeing the mirepox (I used olive oil)
1 sprig fresh thyme (I don't like dried)
Salt and pepper
Method:
DAY 1
1. Put the ham bone in the IP and fil lit 2/3 with water. (I removed most of the meat from my bone because the ham had been glazed and I didn't want peach jam in my stock.)
2. Bring to pressure and cook for 45 minutes. I let it natural release for 10 minutes, then quick-released it.
3. Allow to cool, strain out the bone and any other pieces of solid matter. Refrigerate overnight.
4. Put the beans to soak covered in cold, salted water.
DAY 2
1. Remove the stock from the fridge and remove fat from the top.
2. Dice the mirepoix and cube the ham.
3. In the IP, heat your fat of choice and sautee the mirepoix (celery, carrot and onion) until the vegetables have softened. Add more fat or a few spoons of stock to prevent them from browning too much if needed. I chose stock because the soup is already kind of rich.
4. Drain the beans and discard the water.
5. Add beans, stock, ham and thyme, plus at least 1 TSP salt (I used 2, I like salt) and pepper to taste, close the lid, and turn on the pressure.
6. Process 15 minutes, natural release for 5 (or until you're comfortable quick-releasing) then quick-release.
7. Adjust seasonings to taste. Serve!
Soup is good on day 1, and as with almost everything, better on day 2.
Hi migmigmig,
Thanks for giving us all the details on that marvelous soup. I have to admit, I'm terribly lazy and very last-minute. I often use a ham steak and add ham base to amp up flavor in bean soups. Yours sounds so much better. How was the ham broth, worth making? Would you change anything next time?
Duffy
The stock is good - i think it helped enrich and deepen what was otherwise a simple soup. If I had just used water, it could've been quite bland.
I wish I could think of more uses for ham broth other than bean soup - I would make it more (I always have bones I am throwing away.) I just can't handle bean soup on the reg.
My Google feed gave me a link to a New Yorker article about Indian Instant Pot cooking, highlighting the "Butter-chicken Lady", Urvashi Pitre.
Thank you, Paul, for that great recommendation. I also googled "Instant Pot Urvashi Pitre New Yorker" and found a link to that great article, with the recipe. I plan on making it tomorrow!
Great article! Thanks for sharing. The recipe sounds delish but I can't imagine feeding my kids any sauce w 1 tsp cayenne pepper in it. Has anyone made this? I am curious about the spice level.
I made Urvashi's Butter Chicken over the weekend and it was delicious. I cut the cayenne back to 1/4 tsp since I wasn't sure if the pressure cooker would intensify the spice level or not. I would use a little more next time, but definitely not the full teaspoon! The sauce was a little thin, but it was super tasty. I cut the butter back a little bit as well, and used bone-in thighs instead of the boneless. I will make it again - it came together really quick and we were eating within 30 minutes.
Thank you for this report! I'd really like to try this recipe soon.
BUTTER CHICKEN, from Urvashi Pitre's Indian Instant Pot Cookbook, p. 98 and also at her blog:
https://twosleevers.com/now-later-but...
Been meaning to make this for a while and last night's family dinner was just the occasion for the debut of this recipe, which has received a lot of good press on the internet. I agree with Jimizu that it was just delicious. Very unctuous with the amounts of butter and cream (4 oz of each) and full of flavor. (In the blog's version Pitre suggests subbing coconut oil and coconut milk if you wish to avoid milk products). I could see serving this dish at a dinner party or buffet. I had a 12-year-old at my table so I used 1/2 tsp of cayenne rather than the full tsp, and this amount was just right: the creaminess of the full-fat additions really smoothed out the spiciness and gave the sauce a wonderful mouth-feel. I used large boneless, skinless thighs and cut them each into three pieces before cooking them. It's really easy—you just layer everything in, and the chicken becomes meltingly tender in a short time. I made the dish slightly ahead and rewarmed it, which was very convenient. Served it with my Instant Pot version of a Jamaican rice and beans dish (mostly rice) steamed with coconut milk and some other spices and herbs. Steamed green beans completed the meal. Nan, of course.
For butter chicken, I think this recipe is tastier than Pitre's:
https://www.jayssweetnsourlife.com/pr...
I have been making this once a month since September. I'm curious to hear what you guys think though! I made it again a few days ago, using homemade stock and it was absolutely delish. No cream was necessary.
I have made Pitre's only once.
Not just 15 minutes cooking - there's 10 minutes natural pressure release, too! I can't imagine what would be left of 1/4 inch diced chicken breast after 25 minutes. Interestingly, the chicken is not diced up tiny in the photo accompanying the recipe.
¼-inch dice is diced veggie size! I think the recipe needs to be re-written, because the photos don't match the description. It looks like chicken breast cut into strips, or uncut tenders.
Still, 15 minutes with 10-minute NPR is way too long! Tenders/strips take about 3 minutes with 5-minute NPR.
xiaobao12, next time try it with reduced timing and see if the chicken isn't better. I'm pretty sure you'll like it a lot.
I thought it was kinda funny how the author talked up garlic and curry powder for cholesterol lowering benefits but didn't mention how coconut will elevate your levels. My old man ate curry powder every night and had a angioplasty and a quintuple bypass . . .
I used the full teaspoon and LOVED IT. My 7 year old is getting broken on spice NICELY
just made this dish and I have become OBSESSED
PEANUT BUTTER CUP CHEESECAKE, The Electric Pressure Cooker Cookbook, Schieving, page 284
I had oreos left over from making the cheesecake with strawberries a couple of weeks ago, so I thought I'd try this. It was good. Not overly peanut-buttery. My husband preferred it that way, while l could have gone with more peanut flavor. It's quite dense and rich. The chocolate ganache on top is very easy and tasty. When reading over the recipe, I realized it was not going to come out looking like the photo in the cookbook, which clearly has chocolaty bits in the middle. But these are not called for in the recipe. So I chopped up a few more peanut butter cups and put them in the middle of the batter (poured half, put cups, poured rest). Now it looks like the photo. I used the Trader Joe's milk chocolate peanut butter cups in this. They were a bit loose and I wished I had refrigerated them before trying to chop them. All in all I'd say it was a success, though.
INDIAN CHICKPEAS WITH TOMATOES AND ONIONS (CHANA MASALA) from Dinner in an Instant by Melissa Clark, p. 104.
Also: https://books.google.com/books?id=0ic...
My first foray into Clark's book. I admit I felt some trepidation after becoming informed by helpful 'Hounds that Clark's editing could be a bit "off." In fact, I did find that the requirement for 7 cups of water to 1 pound of dried chickpeas produced a LOT of excess liquid after cooking and draining the chickpeas, and I'd reduce this by a third next time. However, I did wind up with about 3 cups of flavorful excess broth this time and as the recipe's instructions noted, "extra chickpea broth can be frozen. . . and is an excellent substitute for chicken broth." which is what I did.
Anyway, I really liked the flavor of the finished dish, and the timing instructions (40 minutes under high pressure, natural release) worked fine for producing tender chickpeas. Ingredients are the usual suspects for this sort of Indian dish: sliced onions, minced garlic, fresh grated ginger, a minced green chili, tomatoes, garam masala, cumin, chili powder, and turmeric. This was an impromptu pantry-production: I didn't have quite enough onions, any fresh ginger, or a fresh green chili, so I subbed some minced dried onions in the chickpea braising-sauce, powdered ginger, and a couple of TBS of salsa verde. The flavors were still very savory and I had a very satisfactory vegetarian dinner served over some rice!
INDIAN CHICKPEAS WITH TOMATOES AND ONIONS,, Dinner in an Instant, p. 104. A Revisit:
Second foray into this particular recipe. The flavors this time were even better—lots of depth, spicy and rounded. As suggested in my original review, I reduced the liquid by 3 cups for the initial braising of the chickpeas. You just don't need all that liquid left over, though the extra makes a flavorful broth for soup. I also used fresh versions of the ginger, onions, and a small habañero pepper rather than dried herbs and aromatics. I also had previously whipped up a batch of garam masala from Urvashi Pitre's Indian Instant Pot Cookbook (much simpler than I had thought) and I think this made a difference.
The recipe specifies a green chile like a jalapeño. I chose to use the hotter habańero pepper, but I stole the Caribbean trick of cooking it whole in the stew and then removing it, rather than chopping it into the stew. I think this gives more flavor and less really hot taste!!
Anyhow, this is going into my archives. Clark also has a similar recipe in her book: Moroccan Chickpeas and Kale, which includes similar spices but adds cinnamon, dried apricots, preserved lemon, plus fennel and kale. I'm going to try it next.
BLACK BEAN AND SAUSAGE CHILI, Pressure Cooker Perfection, America's Test Kitchen, p. 48-49.
I made this recipe as the listed variation for the original vegetarian version for the chili on p. 48. This meat-version included 1.5 pounds of sausage: 1 pound of kielbasa and 1/2 pound andouille sausage. To my mind it was a good chili, not a great chili. The ingredients featured the usual suspects: onion, garlic, chili powder, ground cumin, two bay leaves, a can of crushed tomatoes, two chopped red peppers, minced cilantro for garnish, plus a pound of dried black beans (NOT pre-brined), cooked in 2.5 cups of vegetable broth and water. Oh yes: plus 1-3 minced canned adobo chilis in their sauce, which adds umami.
My guests liked this recipe but I felt it needed lacked something, despite the addition of the sausage. I think I'd rather repeat the Cuban Black Beans recipe on p. 156 of this book (I'll add the link below). I liked the texture and shape of the beans in the Cuban recipe better—in contrast to this recipe, those beans were brined overnight before cooking. Thus they only needed cooking under pressure for 25 rather than 45 minutes. The ingredients of both recipes weren't that different: the Cuban Black Beans recipe used chicken broth rather than vegetable broth and water—perhaps this is what made the Cuban Black Beans richer-tasting even though it didn't have the addition of diced tomatoes.
Here's a link to my previous review of the Cuban Black Beans recipe I mention above:
Hi Goblin,
Thanks for the review. I think you nailed it, that the longer cooking time is part of the problem here. It tends to muddy and mute seasonings, at least in my experience.
Duffy
Well said, Duffy—do you think that this is an argument for ahead-of-time brining of beans in IP chili recipes, to make for a shorter cooking time in general?
Hi Goblin,
I think it could have an impact, yes. Bear in mind that I'm one who cooks almost everything in 30 minutes or less. I cut a roast down to 1" slices that are uniformly fork-tender in 30 minutes, and I always soak beans.
Past experience has taught me that parts of a whole roast cooked for 45+ minutes may still be chewy when other parts are overcooked and beginning to dry out. The same holds true for beans, texture varies unless I pre-soak.
RED LENTIL SOUP [WITHOUT MINT OIL], Dinner In an Instant, p. 122
My first recipe from Melissa Clark's Dinner in an Instant, and it went off without a hitch. Many of you may already be familiar with Melissa Clark's excellent red lentil soup with lemon, which is in the NYT and included in one of her cookbooks. Here she converts that same soup recipe for the Instant Pot. She also adds "mint oil" to freshen up the recipe, but I skipped that part. This is a traditional red lentil soup with onions, garlic, tomatoes, carrot and middle eastern spices, finished off with a lot of lemon juice to brighten the flavor. It's very homey and good, and quick to make even in the stovetop version. As MC says in the intro, the Instant Pot version of the soup turns out identically to the stovetop version, and it takes about the same amount of time. However, making the soup in the instant pot is more convenient. However you make it, it's a great soup for any time of year.
DUCK CONFIT, Dinner in an Instant, p. 67
Melissa Clark says that making duck confit is one of her favorite uses for the instant pot. I had never tried it before but somehow the recipe captured my imagination and I decided to go for it. Even though making duck confit, even with a pressure cooker, is a bit time consuming and I can easily buy it ready made from the same place I buy my duck legs. But I digress. I had plusses and minuses from this recipe, some of which may have been my fault. She calls for making four duck legs at a time, and I decided to halve the recipe and make two, and that could have been the source of my problems.
First step is to prep your duck legs by rubbing them with salt and aromatics (garlic, bay, thyme, black peppercorns, and allspice (which i omitted) and leaving them uncovered in the fridge for at least 24 hours.
Second step is to make the confit, which is done by first using the saute function to sear the duck legs for about 10 minutes on each side, then pressure cooking on the flesh side for 40 minutes, quick release, pressure cooking on the skin side for 30 minutes, followed by a natural release. There is no way that four duck legs would have fit in the pressure cooker at the same time prior to searing, but they did shrink a lot during that stage.
So here's the bad part: I for the life of me could not get my IP to maintain pressure during the cooking. A lot of (irresistibly good-smelling) steam kept pouring out the top, even though the pressure cooking countdown was on and the machine kept working. I'm not sure whether this was my fault (gaskets not on correctly? machine not properly cleaned? not enough liquid with only two duck legs?).
Here's the good part: At the end of the cooking time, even though the pressure cooking had not functioned properly, the duck legs were clearly cooked, extremely tender, crispy skin, etc. I followed directions to put them in a separate container, cover with fat, and let cool completely, and two days later when I crisped them up in a cast iron skillet for dinner they tasted SO GOOD. Much better actually than any commercially-prepared duck confit I have purchased. They had shrunk a lot though and two legs were not nearly enough for my family.
I assume that MC is using the exact same duck legs that I am (since I know where she shops, and it's the same place I shop) so I would like to ask her some follow up questions about this recipe and if I do, I will post a follow-up here.
How much liquid was there in the pot when doing the pressure cooking?
A couple of things about the gaskets and pressure:
- I make sure the gasket is seated correctly; in particular that the retaining wire fits the groove, and the gasket moves freely all around.
- when waiting for the pressure interlock to rise, it may help to press down on the lid momentarily. The stops steam from escaping around the gasket, so it can lift the interlock.
- replacing the gasket. It's probably about time I do that again. I may get the 2 color pair next, since gaskets do pick up odors of time.
There's no liquid other than what is released from the meat. However the meat releases a lot of liquid. I am thinking though that perhaps doing only two instead of four legs meant that not enough liquid was in the pot for it to maintain pressure. Either that or there is something wrong with my IP. There was a ton of liquid fat but perhaps not enough meat juices. My steam was just pouring out the top, not the sides, which I think means the gasket was fine but the steam valve couldn't seal for some reason.
Do you have the ultra version? I’ve been having problems with the metal rod that pops up and down to show that pressure has been reached. It’s been inconsistent as to 1) whether it locks out so the steam stays in and 2) sometimes the timer beeps to show pressure has ebeen reached even though I know it hasn’t bc the metal thing hasn’t popped up.
I think there is either something wrong with my lid or I am missing something. I used my friends regular ip (duo I think) with no issues.
I might. Not sure what kind bought bought it at sur la table bc I had a gift certificate there to use up. I appreciate these tips!
On mine (a 3 yr old Duo), the timer doesn't start until after the interlock rises. A small amount of pressure lifts that valve, which closes off further steam release. Now the pressure can rise, and along with it the temperature. At the target temperature it reduces heat and starts counting.
Also, I’ve found when the steam valve was all the way up and steam still escapes, I use a fork to jiggle the metal part and it locks out, keeping the steam inside.
How apposite! I’m making the pressure cooker duck confit today for dinner tonight but with six not four duck legs. I’m slightly worried now! Will report back.
IT could totally be my pressure cooker and not the recipe st all. MC says duck confit is one of her favorite uses for the PC and she has shared the recipe with st least one cooking mag so I assume it works. The taste was very good in the end which is the important part! Please report back and let me know how it goes w six legs! Are you planning to do the initial browning in batches?
I did the initial browning in a large sauté pan in two batches and that worked fine. I did initially have problems getting to pressure and the countdown started without the lid having locked but that issue resolved itself after about ten minutes and didn’t happen for the second cooking time.
These came out amazingly well! It would have been better I think if i’d Cooked them well in advance as suggested but my schedule this week didn’t allow that to happen. So I refrigerated the whole pan for a few hours then crisped up the skin under the grill as directed. Honestly this is a genius recipe which will allow me to impress my friends for years to come! Meltingly delicious meat and crispy skin, with most of the work done in advance. Just perfect.
I served my confit with braised lentils for a very traditional French meal. First course was roasted pear and blue cheese salad from Raising the Salad Bar, and dessert was an amazing blood orange ice cream from Patricia Wells’ The Paris Cookbook.
I'm seeing more reports of bad pots lately, and my new Mini failed after 2 uses. I water-tested it again this morning and it failed that. It came to pressure (after allowing some steam to escape from one spot around the rim), then immediately began to expel steam from the release valve. I'm sending it back to Amazon for replacement, because I really like the size. Fingers crossed!
I think it's possible that, with so many new models coming out in rapid succession, QC may be slipping a bit. Or it's just as likely that there are so many millions of them out in the world that bad pots only appear to be more common, while the lemon percentage has remained constant.
Interesting you should post this, because I've just had my first rice fail (IP or otherwise) in over 30 years of cooking. I was trying to make a coconut cilantro rice in my mini. I'm pretty darn sure I've made this in the IP before. Anyway, it just wasn't coming up to pressure. I opened the pot, checked the gasket, started over. It still didn't come to pressure. After waiting way to long, I opened the pot and realized that it had been cooking, in a way, even though the valve hadn't come up and it wasn't counting down. Grrr. The bottom was scorched and the rest of the rice was a mix of overcooked and undercooked grains. I transferred it to a pot on the stove and finished up the best I could (added some water and cooked yet again). I now have the worst pot of rice I've ever made. Well, it tastes fine, but the texture is not acceptable.
Tomorrow I'll look into this further and do a water test with my pot. It worked fine last night.
Oh no! Sorry to hear this Mel. My pot started counting down but was spewing steam out the top which sounds like a different issue.
Hey Mel,
The Mini seems more prone than other models to fails like yours and mine. I ran a water test just before Christmas and all was fine. When I retested last weekend it failed. UPS picked it up yesterday, the replacement from Amazon arrives today. Fingers crossed the new one behaves.
Update - The replacement Mini fails the water test, with steam leaking from the release valve during cooking countdown. Not a lot, but it's there, and enough that my hand held about 1" from the valve gets hot and slightly moist within a few seconds. By contrast, my 6qt DUO has zero leaking. I can lay my hand right on the valve and feel nothing, not even warmth. I opened a support ticket this morning, we'll see how IP responds.
Hmmmm. Duffy, please keep us posted on your progress with the Mini and what the IP folks say. I haven't had problems with my Mini and it just "passed" the water-test (which I'd been too ignorant even to do before!) But as you said above, your Mini initially was fine, and then failed.
Did a water test on the mini and it seemed fine. So perhaps it was the recipe... used more coconut milk than water.
And following-up on the mini situation... I made basmati rice in it last night through one of my usual methods and it worked fine. So I guess it was the recipe and the lesson here is that full-fat coconut milk does not count for liquid. In the failed recipe, I used two parts coconut milk to one part water.
I subsequently used my IP to cook some chickpeas and it worked fine. So I think the issue is the recipe, very likely my fault for not using the correct quantities.
PANERA’S COPYCAT BROCCOLI AND CHEDDAR INSTANT POT SOUP
https://www.adventuresofanurse.com/20...
This was an easy and delicious chop-and-dump recipe, one we'll make again and again. I made it as written, using fresh (peeled) stems and florets, half and half and mild cheddar. My only addition was a little garlic (because garlic). A quick hit with the immersion blender and it was smooth as silk.
I reduced the hot sauce to about 1.5 teaspoons Sriracha, because Mom is very sensitive to heat. It was the right move, because there was no heat, just a little extra flavor. When it's just the Dude and I, I'll add more, about half the specified amount.
For my stovetop version of this soup, I sauté the aromatics and broccoli stems and wondered if we'd miss the extra depth here, but we didn't. It was every bit as tasty as the more labor-intensive version. I think it would work equally well with frozen broccoli.
Duffy
Thanks for posting this. My mom just loves their broc/cheddar. I have regularly made the Cook's Illustrated broc/cheese and frozen it for her in small portions, but I'd love to try this as well. It's significantly less labor.
I hope she'll love it, it felt like almost no work at all, with under 10 minutes prep, just peeling and chopping. I didn't bother shredding the carrots, because I knew I'd be blending the soup. I even thought about using my food processor for the chopping, but since I had to peel the broccoli anyway it seemed like overkill, so I just left everything rough chopped. The cheese gets grated while the soup boils, so I don't count it as prep. If it doesn't add time, it doesn't count, right? Or is that just me?
We all liked the soup, so I knew it was an easy repeat that I'd probably change up a bit over time, but I didn't realize that it was THE ONE (not to be messed with!) until my dude hoovered up the entire quart of leftovers last night for dinner. He likes soup as much as the next guy, but never eats the leftovers. I love that feeling when you've nailed a recipe and don't need to look or tweak any further. There's a certain smugness, like "Yup, I did that. Bow before me, recipes!" :-D
UPDATE - Because I can't leave well enough alone, I tweaked this recipe a bit and we like it better with small changes. First, I reduced the cooking time to 10 minutes, and it still blended beautifully. I'll try 5 minutes next time and see if it still blends. This may be be pushing it, because I always include stems with broccoli soup.
While it was cooking, I diced and sautéed some carrots and celery. I added them after blending the broccoli, onion and garlic. I settled on 1 tablespoon sriracha, which was just right. We really liked the combination of silky broccoli soup with bits of carrot and celery. Why don't I leave the broccoli chunky, too? Florets. I hate florets. Stems are fine, but those flower heads just annoy me.
Duffy
CARNE DESHEBRADA ENCHILADAS
This is a Rick Bayless recipe that I adapted for the IP and posted about in the "Part 2" thread. But I made it again last night for enchiladas, so I thought I'd post my recipe adaptation and show some of the steps here, particularly just how much liquid is left after cooking.
Pics:
1. All the ingredients in the pot -- it's full!
2. Post cooking, beef removed. You can see there are over 2 quarts of liquid and aromatics left in the pot (there is no liquid added in the recipe, other than the can of tomatoes).
3. After reducing the liquid by at least a cup (you can see the line is under 2 quarts now), I pureed everything in the pot with an immersion blender. In this case, I did remove the dried guajillo chiles before pureeing, but left the jalapeno and thai chiles in (they were mostly invisible at this point anyway.
4. The shredded beef with black beans, spinach, and broccoli. I've already added in the sauce. I leave it pretty dry for enchiladas, and save the sauce for the top.
5. Enchiladas out of the oven.
6. The filling.
===========
Carne Deshebrada (Mexican Shredded Beef)
3 lbs blade roast/chuck roast, cut into roughly 2" chunks
3 medium white onions, roughly chopped
6 garlic cloves, peeled
1 (28-ounce) can good-quality whole tomatoes
2-3 serranos or jalapenos (or chiles of your choice), stemmed, seeded and roughly chopped
1 t. kosher salt
Throw all the ingredients into the IP (if you're feeling fancy, you can saute the onions, chiles, and garlic first, but it's not necessary). Stir to mix ingredients in the pot. Set IP to high for 30-35 minutes. Allow a 15-20 minute natural release. Open IP, remove the chunks of beef to a cutting board to shred. Transfer the shredded beef to a large bowl. In the meantime, use the saute function to reduce what's left behind in the pot. Puree the reduced sauce with an immersion blender. Add as much of sauce to the shredded beef back as you would like*. Add salt to taste.
Use as taco or enchilada filling, as a stand-alone stew over rice or potatoes or corn bread. Or just eat it out of the bowl.
*You will have far more sauce than you need for the amount of beef you'll have. Reserve the remaining sauce for other uses. It makes an excellent enchilada sauce and/or Mexican rice.
Well done, Jo! Thanks so much for adapting the recipe. And with it's chop-and-cook ease, it's just the kind of thing I want to cook now.
I'm pretty sure that cooking tough cuts of meat is what I love most about the IP. And the formula is the same every time: chunks of meat, aromatics of choice, some sort of moisture (either tomatoes, tomatillos, or a cup of broth), and go. Remove meat, reduce liquid, serve together. The end result never ceases to make me happy.
I made this yesterday and used the meat for enchiladas - it was awesome!
A few tweaks:
1 onion + 1 shallot (because I didn't realize we were almost out of onions...)
1 jalapeno instead of the poblanos I had planned (because Wegmans had no fresh poblanos!), which I removed after cooking. I added about 1 T ancho adobo sauce (https://www.wegmans.com/products/inte... ) to the final sauce, and that gave it a very subtle kick. The kid didn't notice.
1 can crushed tomatoes (because I forgot to buy whole...)
After shredding the meat (and getting rid of a lot of lumps of fat/connective tissue), I added about 1 C sauce, 1 can black beans, drained and rinsed, and a ton of cheese - probably 1 C Jack and 1/2 C queso fresco. Rolled into enchiladas, topped with sauce, and more cheese. Baked at 350 for 30 min, covered. YUM. This made a very full 9x13 pan.
Next time, I may transfer the sauce to a fat separator cup after reducing and pureeing; it was a little greasy (may have been the meat I used).
Yay, I'm so happy! It's the type of recipe that's easy to adapt to what you have on hand.
The way I handled the fat without transferring it to a fat separator: after taking the meat out to shred, I let the liquid settle a bit, then took a paper towel and gently lay it across the top to absorb some of the fat (I held the two sides of the paper towel -- I didn't just drop it down completely). I did this a few times until I started soaking up juice and not fat. I was able to get most of the fat off this way. Then I pureed.
CHICKEN VINDALOO, page 102, Indian Instant Pot Cookbook, Urvashi Pitre
This was so easy and so good. I made the marinade the night before and had the chicken ready to go, so in the morning all I had to do was add the chicken to the marinade. It has some vinegar so you don't want to marinate more than 8 hours (although mine went about 10). The sauce isn't heavy at all and has great flavor. It was a bit spicy but you can use less cayenne. I actually used Indian ground chili powder, which is spicier, but it was fine for us.
I think I have to have this book.
I was so pleased with how the chicken vindaloo turned out that I'm making one of the kheemas on Saturday.
I've totally been tempted to buy it too. I am going to do a test run with the butter chicken soon.
By the way! This morning while working from home I turned my rotisserie chicken bones into a very nice chicken stock with very little effort. I actually got busy and forgot to check on it for several hours, but thanks to the keep warm function all was well!
When I went to make tonight's dinner, (see below), I couldn't believe how clean the inner bowl of my Instant Pot was. Then I realized the last thing I had cooked in it was the chicken vindaloo. The vinegar and tomatoes did an amazing job on the stainless steel. It looked brand new! Another good reason for making this recipe.
CHICKEN VINDALOO, P. 102, Indian Instant Pot Cookbook, by Urvashi Pitre
(Here's the recipe from the Web):
https://twosleevers.com/instant-pot-l...
Thanks to AmyH's positive recommendation, I did order the book and start cooking out of it last night. The Chicken Vindaloo was excellent—everything AmyH says is accurate. It's quick to make once you've microwaved the aromatics for 5-7 minutes and whirled them, the tomato, and the spices (plus a bit of water) briefly in a blender. After this you just let the chicken pieces marinate, and then cook at pressure for 5 minutes, with 10 minute natural release and quick release. To thicken the sauce just a bit I also simmered it as directed for a few minutes.
The only changes I made were to use 1 pound of boneless skinless chicken breasts (which I cut into about 2 x 2" pieces) instead of boneless thighs, and I reduced the cayenne pepper to 1/4 tsp for the kids at my table. Cooked for the same 5 minutes under pressure. I made the recipe a bit ahead and reheated it gently to serve—then froze the leftovers and defrosted them for lunch today and they were just as good!
Everyone liked it, even the kids. My daughter suggested some cucumber raita for next time and I think I will do this.
Thanks, AmyH!
I made this last night too and we really enjoyed it. I would probably increase the cayenne next time to make it spicier for my tastes. Loved the vinegar tang!
KHEEM NARIYAL SAAG (GROUND BEEF COCONUT CURRY AND SPINACH), Indian Instant Pot Cookbook, page 112, Urvashi Pitre
Holy moly was this ever good! The only change I made was to use ground turkey instead of ground beef. There's a lot of chopping but it goes together very quickly. The flavors were amazing. Almost tasted like Thai because of the coconut milk. It's soupy, so I served it in bowls with brown basmati rice. Really, really good. I'm so glad I got this cookbook!
LOADED INSTANT POT POTATO SOUP - https://www.adventuresofanurse.com/20....
Add chopped carrots, potatoes, some crumbled cooked bacon, onion/garlic powder and broth to the pot, cook for 30 minutes. 30 minutes is way too long, I stopped it after 15. A few quick pulses with my immersion blender thickened it nicely, while leaving some decent little bites of potato and carrot for texture. Milk and cheese finish it off.
After having good results with her Broccoli Cheddar Soup and Chicken Pot Pie Casserole, this seemed an easy fit when the Dude requested potato soup for dinner. And let's face it, I'm into dump recipes lately. I don't mind veggie prep, but I just don't want to cook. Since I've been in this funk since last May, I'm afraid it may never pass. Thank goodness my dude is good at the grill and likes a nice salad. As written, this is a little flat, but after adding a teaspoon of sriracha, black pepper and some kosher salt, it was pretty damn tasty. Next time I'll incorporate the bacon fat into the soup for more flavor.
One thing I've noticed, either the author lacks an immersion blender, or believes in thin soup. Neither this soup nor the broccoli cheddar suggest blending, although both are pretty watery after cooking, with chunks of veg just waiting to be blended into a warm hug in a bowl. Why she omits this step is beyond me, so make the soup and get out your immersion blender. You'll be glad you did. And don't forget the hot sauce.
KHEEMA MATAR (SPICED GROUND BEEF) P. 114, Indian Instant Pot Cookbook by Urvashi PItre.
Another winner from this cookbook. Made it last night for my dinner table of three adults and two kids, and it was really savory and pretty quick. The recipe calls for one pound of lean ground beef (apparently you can also use ground lamb, goat, and no doubt ground turkey) plus 1 cup of (thawed) frozen peas, plus a lot of spices of course. It makes a surprisingly hearty dinner meal. (I also made Chicken Vindaloo from this book lest you think 1 pound of ground beef was enough for six of us!)
I couldn't find a recipe for this in the Web so I will paraphrase:
Preheat IP to sauté function. Heat 1 TBS of ghee or peanut oil and simmer 3-4 cinnamon sticks and 4 green or white cardamom pods very briefly; then add 1 cup chopped onion, 1 TBS minced garlic, 1 TBS minced ginger and and sauté together for 3-5 minutes till onion is softened (mine went pretty fast.) Sauté the 1 pound ground beef and break into clumps, about 3-4 minutes. Add 1 tsp Garam Masala, 1 tsp salt, 1/2 tsp ground turmeric, 1/2 tsp ground cayenne (I used 1/4 tsp for the kids), 1/2 tsp ground coriander, 1/2 tsp ground cumin, and 1/4 cup water to IP. Set pressure to High on Manual. Cook at pressure for 5 minutes, use natural release for 10 minutes, then quick-release. Unlock, mix in peas and heat through, and serve. We used whole-wheat Nan to sop up the juices.
It was very savory and the left-overs were great today.
I was actually wondering how you had enough leftovers of the chicken vindaloo to freeze after feeding a family. But it makes sense if you made two entrees. Glad you liked the chicken vindaloo as much as we did. I'll have to try this kheema, too.
Made this tonight as part of a little Indian feast. I used ground lamb but otherwise made no modifications; it was delicious. I might stir in a little cornstarch slurry next time to make the sauce a little thicker.
BROCCOLI CHEESE SOUP, The Electric Pressure Cooker Cookbook, page 96, Barbara Schieving
So I actually had started out making the one DuffyH posted above from the internet. I had put the vegetables into the broth as instructed, but then I noticed it called for 15 minutes at high pressure. My goodness, I don't cook big pieces of chicken that long! Way too long for chopped up broccoli. I imagined my house stinking like when I was a kid and my mom cooked broccoli in the pressure cooker. So I looked in Barbara Schieving's book and her recipe called for 1 minute at high pressure. Much better! Actually, most of the ingredients and amounts were the same. But I couldn't sautee the onion in butter because I had already added everything to the broth. So I just cooked it a minute and then blended half of it with the immersion blender. I had bought half and half because the internet recipe called for milk or heavy cream. Schieving's recipe actually calls for half and half. It also calls for 1/4 cup cornstarch in 1/4 cup water. I did that and I felt like I could taste the cornstarch. Next time I'll do 2 Tbsp. But we all liked this soup very much. I served it in bread bowls from Panera.
Hi Amy,
I was torn between the 2 recipes, and chose the Panera version for the laziest of reasons; it was already in my Paprika app so I didn't have to look it up in the cookbook and I could cross out ingredients as I used them. That's pretty damn lazy! I went with the full cook time because it was my first foray into IP broccoli soup and wanted to make sure the stems would easily blend. But you've got to love the IP, there was no broccoli stink because it seals completely, unlike pressure cookers of old that continuously emit steam.
I used half and half in my soup and wonder why Barbara's recipe adds cornstarch, the Panera recipe came out thick and creamy without it. If it's not the longer cook time that's responsible (breaks down the stems better or releases more starch from the carrots??), then I think you could omit the cornstarch.
Duffy
Thanks Duffy. How was the broccoli after 15 minutes of cooking? Could you still tell it was broccoli? Was the soup good? We really liked the Schieving version. I'll just use 1 or 2 Tbsp of cornstarch, or maybe 0, next time.
Amy
Hi Amy,
Yes, the broccoli looked like broccoli, although very limp and pale green. The soup was delicious, it's broccoli and cheese, what's not to like? It tasted like broccoli, but not as much as my stovetop recipe, which uses half the milk/cream and only ¼ the cheese. It screams broccoli, with the celery adding a really nice note. I'm planning to make that in my IP the next time we want broccoli soup. https://hilahcooking.com/broccoli-che...
I cut down on the hot sauce (Sriracha) because Mom is very sensitive to heat, but ended up adding a bit more at the end. So I'll start with half the amount next time, which might be just right. I know dairy really mutes heat, but 2 tablespoons seems like a lot.
Duffy
BUNDH GOBI MUTTER (CABBAGE AND PEAS), Indian Instant Pot Cookbook, Kindle Edition
This is a simple, economical dish which is so much more than the sum of its parts. I loved it and can’t wait for the leftovers. The only thing I would say is that the specified quarter cup of water wasn’t enough as the dish caught on the bottom a little.
To make, sizzle cumin seeds in a Tbsp of oil using the sauté function. Add minced ginger and garlic and fry for about thirty seconds before adding sliced red onion. When browned add some turmeric, then the cabbage, salt to taste and quarter of a cup of water (I would add at least half a cup next time). Cook at high pressure for 1 minute, quick release, then add some peas to warm through. I used frozen petits pois.
Cheap, easy, healthy and oh so tasty. My cabbage had seen better days too (it was a type of green cabbage, can’t remember the variety). Can’t wait to try this with some fresher cabbage! Served as a side dish to the chicken vindaloo.
INSTANT POT LAMB SHANKS, from NomNomPaleo
A very good recipe I've made at least twice before.
Recipe: https://nomnompaleo.com/post/36962406...
I had grass-fed lamb shanks from my meat CSA and home-canned chopped tomatoes, plus it's freezing here in the Northeast again so this is exactly the kind of food I want.
This is both a fairly standard recipe (mirepoix, chopped canned tomatoes, tomato paste) and kind of unusual (no red wine, but the somewhat strange additions of fish sauce and balsamic vinegar. Tam LOVES fish sauce in savory dishes.) I have, in the past, refined the sauce for this dish with some combination of reducing, blending and straining, but for this pass I didn't do a darn thing to it other than stick it in the fridge overnight and then skim and heat it up the next day.
I have a mildly weird thing about lamb where I don't love reheated lamb leftovers, but this conflicts with my equally fervent desire not to eat this dish if it hasn't rested overnight to allow for fat removal on day 2. The sauce is incredible after resting for a day and losing its thick layer of congealed grease.
My favorite way to reheat this (the photo was totally staged and shot with cold food) is to put the sauce in a saucepan and get it hot, uncovered. Then I dice the meat off the bone and stir that in, and let the whole thing heat way up and thicken a tiny bit.
I put more fish sauce in than I should have, but as I suspected, the result was a delicious umami bomb (not a fishy mess.) To finish, it really needed some acid, so I made a parsley/lemon gremolata.
If you want to clear off some of the grease without resting and chilling the sauce, pull the lamb out and set it aside then run an ice cube over the surface of the sauce. The fat will congeal and grab on to the ice cube. If the ice cube gets thoroughly covered in fat before you get enough fat out of the sauce, grab another ice cube and do it again. It's a pretty reliable trick.
If you don't want to risk a teeny tiny bit of water getting into the sauce, you can also stick a large, heavy metal spoon in the freezer to use the same way. Just skim the back of the well-chilled spoon over the sauce, and the fat will latch on to it. May take a few spoons to get it all, though, which is where the ice is rather advantageous, since one usually has several ice cubes around.
I know that the Instant Pot has a great number of fans. It is probably more comfortable for people who are new to pressure cookers and who are a bit nervous about using them. I would like to point out that cooktop models can achieve higher pressure than electric pots. You do not have to be worried about the tales from the bad old days of exploding cookers. The cooktop models are safe and are UL rated.
I think we all know that. And you shouldn't assume we are new to pressure cookers or nervous about them. In addition to my Instant Pots, I have 4 stovetop pressure cookers, that I have used for a long time. The IP offers an advantage that stovetops don't - hands-off cooking. With a stovetop, you still can't leave the room, you still have to monitor the heat and adjust. The IP removes that. You make ignore it and make something else on the stove while your rice, beans, or whatever cook in the IP.
I first started using a cooktop pressure cooker/canner in the '80's. I lived and wandered in an old airstream. You become acutely aware of energy use when you have to lug a tank for refills. Plus a small space can heat up fast. A pressure cooker was a perfect fit. Still have it, still use it. I've since added a larger pressure canner since I now have space for more canned items.
The Instant Pot gets used more since I don't have to be there watching the plume, listening for the jiggle to reach the right beat, etc. Am I going to get rid of my cooktop pressure cooker? No! But if I only had space for one I'd keep the IP since it is simpler/less hands on and easier to clean due to size of my sink.
Edit: I now have significant hearing loss which results in a shorter leash when using the cooktop pressure cooker and canner. I simply can't monitor the sound from any useful distance. The IP allows me more latitude with that issue.
Perhaps you might invest in a 21st century PC...
The new ones don't rattle...
SeaEagle - nice name but it is hard to understand your comment, unless you don't consider the Instant Pot a pressure cooker (as in "The Instant Pot gets used more..." in the earlier post). Which would be odd, given that the IP has been the PC used in a large percentage of the posts in this thread. In fact it might be possible to argue that it is more "21st century" than a lot of the PCs around today...
I meant that most stove-top PCs now do not rely on rattling jiggling regulators. One can choose from a number of models that have visual indicators.
For the record, I was canning ALOT in the 60's and 70's with giant All-American PCs, so I am am familiar with rattling regulators. I am on my second Instant Pot and like it. I *love* my stove-top Fissler.
meatn3 did invest in a 21st century PC... it's called an Instant Pot. You should try one and join us in the 21st century!
Jiggle is different than rattle. You want the regulator to jiggle at a specific rate.
INSTANT POT SPLIT PEA SOUP, Food Network Magazine (https://www.foodnetwork.com/recipes/f...)
DH made this (for himself, I hate peas), and dictated the following review: "It made my tongue dance across my teeth and my belly do backflips of joy. This was a cinch; the hardest thing was chopping up stuff. It was a delightful green color, not unlike Shrek. I would recommend a little more ham and a little more veggies, but overall, two enthusiastic thumbs up." I should also note that he is an IP novice, so if he says it's easy, it's truly easy.
CASHEW CHICKEN, page 193, The Electric Pressure Cooker Cookbook, Barbara Schieving
I suppose this wasn't too bad for faux Chinese. It smelled good and my son was very happy with it. I felt like it was missing something, maybe ginger and garlic. I'll add those next time. And maybe I won't cook it for the 2 minutes after adding the cashews. I also used 1 Tbsp of cornstarch instead of 2. She seems to call for about twice as much cornstarch as necessary. In any case, it made a reasonably good, quick dinner. I served it over rice with steamed broccoli on the side.
I'm in the hospital and my husband is home cooking for our 16 year old daughter. He has found he really likes the instant pot so I would like to get him some accessories for it. What are your most used accessories and where did you get them?
My most used accessory is a silicone steamer basket. This one isn't exactly the one I have, but I actually think I like this one better because of the handle.
https://www.amazon.com/Vegetable-Stea...
I use it for doing hard boiled eggs and steaming potatoes.
I hadn't seen the silicon steamer basket when I ordered this stackable egg and vegetable 2-piece steamer rack :
https://www.amazon.com/NeoJoy-Stackab...
I use mine all the time because I like the versatility of steaming up to 7 (or up to 14) soft-or-hard-boiled eggs at once and NEVER having to say I'm sorry as I attempt to peel them!
Haven't tried it yet for steaming vegetables.
I bought that basket about a year ago but only used it a few times. My problem with it is that it's terribly tippy, tending to dump food out of it unless you balance it just right as you lift it.
Then I tried this one https://smile.amazon.com/gp/product/B..., thinking it would be more stable. I was wrong.
An Epicurious article in my bookmarks has a couple of steamer-items. I didn't include it because steam accessories had already been mentioned (and other items it covers didn't seem applicable to the OP). However, these do look stable - one is a straightforward rack for eggs; the other is 2 stacking steamer pans (design resembles Chinese bamboo steamers), which I'd hope would not tip:
https://www.epicurious.com/expert-adv...
However - Duffy, I have the idea that you've written about combining e.g. eggs and potatoes, though don't have a link - so probably you have better solutions for those -
Hey medlar,
Yes, I make Barbara's potato salad (using my family's sauce) and the method is pure genius: https://www.pressurecookingtoday.com/....
She's recently adapted Macaroni salad, which I'm anxious to try: https://www.pressurecookingtoday.com/....
I’ve been using this steamer basket as I had it pre IP and it works very well. The bottom is raised and very stable, easy to get in and out even without handles. The carrots were in the bottom with the kale on top, 3/4 c. water in bottom of IP, high pressure 3 min. with a quick release.
Why, I have that very wire steamer basket! Thanks for reminding me that it's available for my IP.
Huh. I have 3 of those in graduated sizes, only they were sold as colanders. I use the smallest as a steamer basket in a couple of my saucepans. It fits right on the rim of my 2.75qt pan, with the pan lid on top of the basket.
I'm off now to see how it fits in my IP. :-)
The "pot-in-pot" method has been discussed here - see https://www.chowhound.com/post/cookin...
In the discussion following that comment some containers to use are discussed, including both stainless and pyroceram. Maybe you already have something at home that will work? Otherwise Target, Walmart or eBay will surely have sizes that will fit inside your IP -
All good wishes for feeling better soon -
These two styles are quite popular:
https://smile.amazon.com/Hatrigo-Acce... (I like the covered feet, no chance of scratching the ceramic insert)
https://smile.amazon.com/dp/B000HCBDF... (a few say it can be tippy, but otherwise has really good reviews)
I have this one, with handles removed. It requires a pair of tongs to lift the basket, but once it is lifted above the pot rim, it is easily removed by hand (with gloves or silicone finger mitts). No rust after 2 years. https://smile.amazon.com/gp/product/B...
TRIPLE CHOCOLATE CHEESECAKE, p. 288-89, The Electric Pressure Cooker Cookbook, by Barbara Schieving.
Barbara Schieving has a second Triple Chocolate Cheesecake recipe which appears on her blog and is much admired:
https://www.pressurecookingtoday.com/...
But this isn't that recipe. I was disappointed in the one from her book because we found that the texture was too stiff and dense. More like eating a piece of refrigerated chocolate candy—nice and chocolatey, but not creamy enough. The white chocolate frosting was equally rigid.
I'll describe Schieving's Electric Pressure Cookbook's recipe because I can't find it listed on the internet. A cup of crushed oreo cookies and 2 TBS melted butter is pressed into a crust (in a 7-inch springform pan) into which is poured a thick chocolate layer of 16 -oz of cream cheese beaten together with 6 oz of melted semisweet or bittersweet chocolate, plus a pinch of salt, 1/2 cup of sugar, 1 TBS of flour, 1 tsp of vanilla, and 2 large eggs.
This mixture is steamed under pressure in an 6-qt. IP for 20 minutes. Pressure is released naturally for 10 minutes. The chilled cheesecake is topped with 4 oz of white chocolate melted with 2 TBS of heavy cream is then dripped over the top of the chocolate filling. Shaved chocolate curls decorate the finished cake. It's quite pretty.
The blog-recipe cited above is slightly different with 18-oz of low-fat cream cheese plus the addition of 1 cup sugar, 3 large eggs, and 1/2 cup of greek yogurt to thin it a bit (also mixed with 2 TBS cornstarch and 1 TBS vanilla.) The resulting batter is then divided into three parts, one part mixed with 4 oz, of melted milk chocolate, one with 4 oz. of melted white chocolate, and the final one with melted bittersweet chocolate. Did the addition of some yoghurt and an extra egg make the chilled cheesecake creamier? The three mixtures are carefully layered into the 7-in. springform pan and steamed under pressure for 45 minutes with 10 min. natural release, and then refrigerated for several hours. But perhaps the most important difference is that before serving, the cheesecake is allowed to stand at room temperature for 30-60 minutes. This must have softened the layers and improved the texture. A suggested addition of sugared cranberries on top also sounds really good.
I would try the blog's website recipe.
CARROT COCONUT CAKE, https://www.washingtonpost.com/recipe... , adapted from “The ‘I Love My Instant Pot’ Recipe Book: From Trail Mix Oatmeal to Mongolian Beef BBQ,” by Michelle Fagone
This was just ok. The flavor was pretty good, but the texture was more like those no-bake cookies you make with oats. The lack of any moistening ingredient beyond coconut oil and an egg probably contributed to this. Definitely not moist like a traditional carrot cake. The instructions say to pour it into the pan after the pan is in the IP. Well, there was no pouring of this stuff. It was too dry. So I scraped it into the pan, then used the trivet that comes with the IP to lower it in. I did put a piece of foil loosely on top to keep out dripping water but to allow steam in. Perhaps that's why it wasn't moist?
You could definitely taste the coconut in this, more than a typical carrot cake. I made the cream cheese icing, too, but only used half a stick of butter along with the 4 oz cream cheese. It still was much more icing than the cake needed. If I make it again I might only use the cream cheese. But the cake definitely needs some icing to offset the denseness. Not sure if I'll make this again or not.
I have been craving congee and want to give it a whirl in my IP. I first looked up a recipe in The Great Big Pressure Cooker Book, which sounds good - EXCEPT for the 55-minute pressure-cooking time for electric pressure cookers. That sounded excessive so I started doing some research and other recipes recommend 20-30 minute cooking times. Anyone have any recent experience doing congee (jook) in the IP? I found some other threads but they are a few years old.
I don't have experience making congee, but I do have experience with The Great Big Pressure Cooker Book and I can tell you that all of their suggested times for electric pressure cookers are WAY out of whack. A few years ago, a blogger (I think it was Miss Vickie) put on her blog that because the pressure in electric pressure cookers was 1/3 less than stove top, then the recipes had to be cooked 50% longer. While that might make sense in algebra, it doesn't make sense in thermodynamics. My husband is a mechanical engineer so I asked him to do the calculations for me. With the caveat that he had to do the calculations based on water and the properties of foods can vary by density and size, he calculated that the difference would only mean an additional 1 minute for every 10 minutes of stovetop cooking time. Therefore, as an example, if I have a recipe that requires 30 minutes cooking at high pressure, I'll cook it for 33 minutes (unless it was specifically written for an electric PC, of course). For recipes that only cook 10 minutes or less I don't bother adding any time. All of my recipes come out fine and meat comes out tender. Unfortunately, the authors of TGBPCB followed Miss Vickie's advice and apparently didn't test their recipes using an electric PC or they would have quickly figured out how far off they were. So just use their stovetop PC time and add a minute for each 10 minutes.
Why thanks! That is extremely helpful :-).
I found the exact same problem with that book. I can't recall the last time I cooked from it. I think I may have only tried one recipe before discovering the timing errors.
I noticed that too with the Great Big Pressure Cooker Book, unfortunately after I started cooking more with my IP. So now I refer to Barbara Schieving's recipes and choose similar ones, then make adjustments. Her recipes and methods are like Joy Of Cooking for Instant Pot users! I like her recipes so much that I have her latest book on order.
I make congee in the IP fairly regularly, I do 25 to 30 minutes.
With the time it takes to bring the IP up to pressure, actual cooking time and for the pressure to go down, It also also need a few more minutes of boiling/stirring after pressuring cooking to get to the right consistency.
I don't find it any faster then making it on the stove top (in a regular pot). Using the IP IS easier to me though, no need to watch for boil over, or splattering.. Just make sure to adjust your regular stove top congee recipe to use less liquid in the IP.
CHICKEN CORDON BLEU "BAKE", page 155 The Electric Pressure Cooker Cookbook, Barbara Schieving
This was really quite good. Definitely comfort food. It's an interesting recipe where you slightly brown the chicken, add liquid and spices, then put the steamer basket in and put the potatoes on top. High pressure 4 minutes. Then you take the potatoes out (because I have the floppy kind of silicon steamer basket I scoop them out with a big spoon and then take out the steamer), add sour cream and swiss cheese to the chicken, then add back in the potatoes, some diced ham and some optional (I added them) peas. Put it all in a 13x9 pan, put buttered panko with parmesan on top, and broil it for 2 minutes. The only problem was that the swiss cheese didn't really melt, it just became stringy and glommed up the chicken while the rest of the sauce was loose. I think next time I might use 1/2 cup broth instead of 1 cup. With the chicken juices that might be enough. The guys in my house really liked this.
I must pont out that electric pressure cookers cannot achieve the pressure a cooktop cooker can so it does take longer. If you are okay with that then fine. I would not trade either of my Fagor cooktop pots for electric.
VEGETARIAN CHILI, https://leitesculinaria.com/101697/re...
This was really good. Despite the presence of tomatoes, the beans cooked up nice and soft. I brined them overnight per America's Test Kitchen so they held their shape, too. Stem and chop the chipotles with some of the adobo sauce. It didn't come out too spicy at all. Had a very good flavor.
INSTANT POT BACON BARBECUE MEATLOAF WITH MASHED POTATOES
https://www.365daysofcrockpot.com/ins...
This recipe is pretty close to Ree Drummond's (adapted by Barbara Schieving) but includes the half the barbecue sauce and the bacon right in the mix. I made it as written, subbing in fresh breadcrumbs + Italian seasoning and changing the potatoes to 3 med-large russets, halved then quartered. Mom hates sour cream, so I used butter + half and half in the potatoes. It was delicious and I loved the ease of cooking the potatoes and meatloaf together. One of the best we've ever had, honestly.
I left it under the broiler for longer than the specified 2 minutes in order to get a nice crusty glaze, and I think that made it just a little less moist than it would be otherwise. Don't get me wrong, it wasn't dry, just a tiny bit less moist than ideal. We liked the crusty glaze, so next time I may add a little grated carrot or zucchini to increase the moisture, or maybe add a little milk (I let the barbecue sauce moisten the breadcrumbs). The flavor is delicious, the barbecue sauce is barely noticeable (I used Stubb's Sticky and Sweet), and using the same Costco microwave bacon that I used in Drummond's recipe, it was both easier and better-tasting. That's a win! Sorry, Ree, you've been voted off the island.
Here's the link to my original report on Ree's meatloaf https://www.chowhound.com/post/cookin... and Barbara's recipe http://www.pressurecookingtoday.com/b....
So the weather turned crappy cold again (well, by my standards), so I decided to revisit this recipe. I thought I might up my veggie quotient by adding some carrot, celery and onion, increasing the moisture content at the same time, but sadly, no. Don't do it. The veggies threw the flavor off, making it taste a lot more like a run-of-the-mill, nothing special meatloaf. Just make it as written and add a little water if you like a moister meatloaf. Because the flavor of this thing as written is too good to screw around with. If you must have veggies, steam some broccoli or something, but leave the meatloaf alone.
I'm also not the biggest fan of garlicky mashed potatoes, so this time I fished out the cooked garlic cloves rather than mashing them into the potatoes, and I think they were perfect, just a bare hint of garlic. But if you love garlic mashed potatoes, mash them right in. You'll be in heaven.
The real genius of this recipe, aside from the killer flavor, is cooking the potatoes right along with the meatloaf. I mean, seriously, one pot meatloaf and mashed potatoes? Brilliant!
Duffy
Hi Duffy, I liked your report on this recipe (and your "update" below) so much that I went to the 365daysofrockpot website for the Instant Pot meatloaf recipe. It sounds perfect for the cold and blustery second-wave of Nor'Easters that we're having here on the Cape this week. And the video(s) of Karen's cute young daughter making the meatloaf was so engaging—she also does other videos for the website—that I immediately signed up for the website! Thanks for bringing the recipe and website to our attention!
I looked around on her website, too. I noticed she has a broccoli cheese soup that looks really good, uses flour instead of cornstarch, and only cooks for 1 minute (see above discussion on broccoli cheese soup variants). I'm definitely going to try it.
https://www.365daysofcrockpot.com/ins...
Thank you so much, Medlar, for the citation to these recipes! They all look so good! And it's still cold enough in my part of the country to serve choucroute garni—I lived in southern Germany as a young bride, and loved the hearty flavors of the sauerkraut and sausages together, but haven't made the savory recipe for some years because it takes a long time! But the IP and Bittman have encouraged me to repeat the dish and bring back happy memories.
Just for general interest:
An interesting update on Instant Pot usage from Kitchn.com:
https://www.thekitchn.com/instant-pot...
CARROT CAKE STEEL CUT OATS, page 34, The Electric Pressure Cooker Cookbook, Schieving
We had these for breakfast this morning. I thought they were excellent, the guys were a little less excited but still said they were good. They came together very easy. The hardest part was grating the carrot. I used a little less raisins (probably closer to 1/2 cup instead of 3/4) and in addition to the chia seeds I added some flax seeds. Very healthy and very tasty. And very warming on a raw, cold, rainy February morning. I'm looking forward to trying the other steel cut oat recipe in her book (very berry) and also the ones in the Great Big Pressure Cooker Cookbook. I did notice that in the other book, they only do 1/2 cup oats and say not to double it because of the sputtering, but in Schieving's book she uses 1 cup in this recipe and 2 cups in the very berry recipe. Perhaps it's her use of butter that prevents too much sputtering.
CHICKEN NOODLES, http://www.geniuskitchen.com/recipe/c...
This recipe has been a favorite in our house for a long time. I made it again tonight and figured I'd post it here. Very warming and filling. The frozen egg noodles can be found at WalMart. At least that's the only place I've found them. They're thick and chewy and really make the soup good.
BBQ PORK RIBS AND SPINACH-BEAN SALAD, https://www.hippressurecooking.com/pr...
I subbed quick-soaked navy beans for the cannellini beans, and had to MacGyver a steamer basket using the steamer rack and aluminum foil - no other changes. Initial cook time 23 min on high.
I liked the idea of a one-pot meal, but this didn't quite satisfy us. It took WAY longer than expected (more like 80 min than 45), and the beans were still crunchy even with 2 more minutes of cooking time post-rib-removal. They also had the overall flavor profile of baked beans, which I don't care for. The ribs were tender, but not as tender as my usual "low and slow" in the oven. So this was not a keeper. (But I did like the idea of cooking beans in the IP and then stirring in spinach, so I may do that in the future.)
GARLIC RICE (p. 85) Dinner in an Instant by Melissa Clark (made in 6 quart Instant Pot)
This is the first recipe I've made from this book. You smash a couple of garlic cloves and saute them in "oil" in the pot for a couple of minutes until they just start to get golden. Then you remove the garlic. Add 1.5 cups of rinsed short-grain rice, 1.5 cups of water, and a teaspoon of kosher salt. Stir and set on high pressure for 3 minutes. Natural release for 10 minutes and then fluff. At that point you can chop and stir in the garlic if you want.
This was easy enough. I didn't rinse the rice. There is no amount of oil stated anywhere so I just did a big drizzle across the bottom of the pot. I had a few burned little bits of garlic that escaped from the smashed whole cloves because the darned saute setting is so hot. Luckily, this did not ruin the flavor of the oil or the rice overall. Finally, the chicken I was cooking for dinner took waaaaaaaay longer than I had anticipated so the rice wound up on the "keep warm" setting for almost an hour and a half. It was still perfect even after all of that time--not sticky at all and, again, I didn't bother rinsing the rice. I was impressed!
I will say that I didn't add back in the garlic cloves so there wasn't much of a garlic flavor to the rice. Next time I will reserve them so I can chop and return them to the rice when it is finished cooking.
Thank you for the review, Nichicaa. Reminded me that I had also made this with arborio short-grain white rice and found the garlic aroma and finished texture to be very satisfactory. Like you, I just glugged in about 1 TBS of oil to sauté the garlic. You made a good point about how hot the sauté setting is—a reminder to watch the garlic carefully and remove it before burning.
I go against the “norm” when sautéing garlic in the IP. Cold pan, cold oil, swirl oil in pan, add garlic cloves and turn on sauté function. They will brown quickly, well before it gets to “hot”. I found this method reduces the risk of burning.
Edited to add... I put the garlic cloves along the edge of the pan where the oil settles.
DAL MAKHANI, ‘Indian Instant Pot’, p. 50
I recently received an IP Duo Mini for my birthday, so I’ve been poring over these threads with great interest. Seeing a good many friendly and familiar faces, I’ll offer my report on this dish.
Urad dal, bay leaves, minced ginger & garlic, and water go into the IP for 30 minutes. After natural release, you stir in a tarka of ghee with tomato paste and whole cumin. Then yoghurt blended with cream, salt, ground spices: turmeric, cayenne pepper, cumin, coriander, and Garam Masala, is mixed in. Garnish with chopped cilantro. It was a very satisfying and warming dish, on a rainy day. Thanks to AmyH and others who’ve recommended and reported from the book!
A lot of positive reports on this book so far. I have on my iPad on the Kindle app - it's available to borrow for free on Kindle unlimited, if any of you have that and want to preview the book.
‘Indian Instant Pot Cookbook’ by Urvashi Pitre
I was able to get a Kindle Matchbook for just $.99, since I’d purchased the hard copy on Amazon. I’ve since made in the IP Duo Mini:
MURGH MAKHANI (butter chicken), p. 98
Boneless chicken is placed atop a puréed sauce of canned tomatoes, fresh garlic, ginger, and ground spices in the IP. Then butter, cream, and cilantro are blended into the sauce. Heavenly, velvety, and nicely-balanced.
BEEF CURRY, p. 110
A sauce of puréed fresh tomatoes, onion, garlic, cilantro, and spices is poured over cubed beef in the IP. I had a London broil, and while it tasted great, it was a little too lean. Next time, I would go with chuck, as called for in the recipe, or even brisket.
MARATHI RASSA, p. 82
Reconstituted shredded coconut, onion, fresh tomatoes, garlic, ginger, and cilantro are puréed with spices. The paste is sautéed in the IP, before mixing in a choice of vegetables chopped into large pieces. I went with green beans, cauliflower, and sweet potato. Instructions are to pressure cook on low for 3 minutes and quick-release, but thinking this would be insufficient for the green beans, I cooked on medium for 5, and all vegetables were perfectly cooked. My default vegetable bin clean-out used to be minestrone, but now, maybe it’s this!
CREAMY MACARONI AND CHEESE (p. 87 Dinner In An Instant made in a 6 quart Instant Pot)
I followed the recipe exactly. You blend up milk, heavy cream, softened cream cheese, a pat of butter, a clove of garlic, dry mustard, salt, pepper, cayenne, a pinch of nutmeg and put that mixture and the dry pasta into the Instant Pot. Cook on high pressure for 6 minutes. Then release the pressure manually, mix in cheddar cheese, and serve immediately.
I was underwhelmed by this stuff. I had to add some extra milk (as suggested) to make it creamier but the flavor still wasn't that great. The sauce even felt almost grainy to me despite the fact that there was no flour in the sauce.
I like the idea of making mac and cheese in an Instant Pot in just a few minutes. I might try it again but with some changes to the sauce. The cream cheese seemed to be unnecessary. More dry mustard, maybe a dash of hot sauce, I don't know what else. . .
Perhaps you can take a look at the Dad Cooks Dinner site, he has a much less complicated version that seems to get good reviews.
Thanks!
Here is a link to DadCooksDinner:
https://www.dadcooksdinner.com/pressu...
Dad mentions the option of a panko topping. His cooking liquids are water and evaporated milk, and he uses yellow mustard, and Parmesan cheese along with the cheddar. I plan to try MC’s first, and based on Njchicaa’s comments on flavor, I may use different cheeses.
The DadCooksDinner recipe is my go-to for mac and cheese. I keep pasta and evaporated milk on hand just for this. I skip the yellow mustard and hot sauce, and usually use cheddar with either Parmesan or Romano (whatever we have). I've also used shells instead of elbows, whole wheat pasta, etc., etc. I have not found a way to mess up the recipe, except to add the evap milk while the pasta is cooking... DO NOT do this! Cook the noodles in water, then add the evap milk after you release pressure. Unless you feel like cleaning up a gigantic mess... :)
Cook the macaroni in 4 cups of water, not dairy. Cook for 4 minutes (I cook for 3) QR
Add dairy (milk, half and half or evap milk), seasoning (hot sauce, mustard, nutmeg, etc) TIR
Then add hand shredded, full fat, tasty cheese (the type of cheese matters very much) OFF THE HEAT in handfuls till it melts. Then turn on saute if needed to get hotter.
So just curious, I am a fan of my IP but why is it better than the stovetop for this preparation? Seems like it might actually take longer to make in the IP when you consider the time needed to come to pressure ....
I'm not big on the set-it-and-forget it factor for the IP but that's really the only way that its easier.
Also, I make a bechemel when I do it on the stovetop and this method avoids that and uses one pot.
Its purely convenience. It doesn't taste as good as my stovetop.
Similar to cooking chicken breasts in one. Just convenience.
I agree with C. Hamster - it's convenience. I find it's very hands-off, and I like that. I get frustrated with making a bechamel, or with baked m&c recipes that use eggs. Also, unlike stovetop recipes I've tried, this one works just fine with pre-shredded cheese (which may be packaged with anti-clumping agents).
The only reason I can think of for cooking this under pressure is to avoid draining the pasta. But honestly, after draining the pasta and dumping it into the bowl with the milk/cheese mix, I immediately rinse the colander and set it on the drainboard, so no washing is needed.
No question it will take longer than cooking it on the stovetop. I cook about ⅓ pound of elbows in 4 cups of water, and the water boils in about 3 minutes on induction. Still, the ability to walk away while it's doing it's thing is and avoid the whole draining step is reason enough to try it. It's just convenient.
In addition to fix-it-and-forget-it convenience, cooking in the IP is FUN! I sort of get a rush, like I'm six years old, cooking up a storm in my Easybake Oven, or something. :^)
I agree, RainyRamone: I suspect a big part of my enthusiasm for my IP is that it's fun! Well, it's also quick, and only uses one pot, and preserves flavor. . . all those practical advantages. . . but there's something engaging about assembling the ingredients and then setting it up and performing the various different steps . . . you're right; it IS like the EasyBake!
CREAMY BANANA OATMEAL, page 22, Great Big Pressure Cooker Book, Weinstein and Scarbrough
We enjoyed this for breakfast this morning, but with some significant modifications:
1. Based on the Schieving recipes, I sauteed the oats, in a bit of butter first.
2. The recipe called for 1/2 cup brown sugar. That seemed an awful lot with 1/2 cup oats, so I cut it down to 2 Tbsp. I thought it could have gone down further to 1 Tbsp, but my son thought it was just right.
3. Similarly, the recipe calls for 2 tsp vanilla. I used 1 tsp and it was plenty.
4. The recipe calls for 1/4 cup heavy cream so I used 2 Tbsp since I knew the two of us would eat it all in one sitting (which we did).
5. Also based in the Schieving oatmeal recipes, I stirred in a bit of chia seed and flax seed at the end.
The oatmeal had great banana flavor. It almost tasted like bananas foster. I'll definitely make it again, but with those modifications.
Pressure Cooker Black Bean Soup With Sausage and Cumin-Lime Sour Cream
https://www.seriouseats.com/2016/03/p...
This was delicious! My only quibble was that the recipe calls for 40 minutes cooking, so I did 44 minutes to make up for it being an electric PC (wasn't sure what it was tested in) but the beans were still a little firm so I had to cook it for 10 more minutes. Then they were fine. The mushrooms are a nice addition. I used Trader Joe's Chicken Andouille Sausage and it gave it a great flavor. I also threw in a jalapeno because I had one that needed to be used. The sour cream topping adds great flavor, too.
GARLICKY CUBAN PORK (p. 35 Dinner In An Instant made in 6 quart Instant Pot)
You make a marinade in a blender or food processor with garlic cloves, grapefruit juice, lime juice and zest, cumin, oregano, brown sugar, salt, and olive oil. You cut up a boneless pork shoulder into 4 pieces and then marinade it for an hour to 6 hours. A Cuban coworker told me to marinate it for a couple of days at least so I did it overnight. I didn't think that citrus juice would be good for pork for much longer.
Anyway, brown the pork pieces on all sides in the IP using the saute function in batches. This created a lot of brown funk by the end of the browning process. Then you return all of the pork to the pot, put the reserved marinade back in, and cook on high pressure for 80 minutes. Let the IP release pressure naturally. You are advised to cook down the remaining sauce if it tastes too "bland or thin". I put it back on saute and let it cook for another 15 minutes or so. Then I put about half of the sauce back onto the pork which I had shredded with 2 forks.
I ate this pork in a medium-sized flour tortilla with fresh tomato salsa, sliced avocado, and freshly chopped cilantro with a squeeze of fresh lime over the top. Soooo good!
Probably next time I'd stick to the 6 hour max marinade suggestion. The pork felt a bit mushy in my mouth which could have been from sitting in the acid for so much time. Really great flavor though and super-easy to shred after that much time in the IP.
oh and MC suggests making the marinade in a blender or "mini food processor". The mini food processor is NOT a good idea. I used it b/c I had already used the blender to make the sauce for her Creamy Macaroni and Cheese recipe last night. I followed the proportions exactly (juice of 1 grapefruit, 1 lime, 2 tablespoons olive oil, etc) and it overflowed the damned thing.
COCONUT, MANGO, AND BROWN RICE PUDDING, page 297, The Electric Pressure Cooker Bookbook, Schieving
This was a very tasty, somewhat healthy, riff on rice pudding. You're basically cooking the rice in the pressure cooker, then add coconut milk and sugar. Then you mix eggs and milk and mix them in and cook in saute mode until it is thick. After refrigerating you serve with mango and toasted coconut. I may have cooked it a few seconds too long (hard to control on saute mode) so there may have been micro scrambled egg throughout. It was hard to tell. But it still tasted good.
CHICKEN AND DUMPLINGS (p. 58-59 Dinner In An Instant by Melissa Clark made in 6 quart Instant Pot)
You toss 3.5 pounds of bone-in chicken with salt and pepper and let it sit for 20 min. Melt butter in pot on saute function and brown chicken in batches. Remove chicken and add diced onion, carrots, celery, and turnip to pot and cook until softened. Add flour and cook for a couple of minutes. Add chicken stock and chicken pieces to pot and cook on high pressure for 13 minutes. Release pressure manually.
Remove chicken to a plate to cool. Mix up dumpling batter (flour, cornmeal, salt, pepper, baking powder, milk, melted butter) and drop balls of batter on top of liquid in pot. Cook on high pressure for 10 minutes and let pressure naturally release for 15 minutes. Then release manually. (Remove chicken from bones and tear into pieces while dumplings are cooking) Stir chicken back into pot to warm it up and serve.
I followed the recipe except I forgot to add the flour to the vegetables so the broth was thinner than it should have been. Oops. The dumplings were a complete and total disaster. They were gluey golf balls of nastiness. I had to add a bit more than the 3/4 cup of milk called for in the recipe just to get all of the dry ingredients to come together into a wet batter. Then they didn't cook after 10 minutes of cooking and 15 minutes of sitting in the pot.
I ate half a bowl for dinner. The rest got tossed. Not even interested in trying to redo this one.
SMOKY BARBECUE CHICKEN (p. 57 Dinner In An Instant by Melissa Clark made in 6 quart Instant Pot)
online recipe: http://www.kcchronicle.com/2017/11/24...
You season 2.5 pounds of boneless skinless chicken thighs with kosher salt and let them sit while you make a barbecue sauce in the IP. With it turned to "saute", you combine ketchup, brown sugar, molasses, worcestershire, chipotle chile, ACV, garlic, smoked paprika, black pepper, and dry mustard and cook it down until darkened and thick which takes a couple of minutes. (You also can use 1/2 cup of bottled sauce instead if you want)
Add chicken, mix into sauce, and cook on high pressure for 15 minutes. Let pressure release naturally. Remove chicken from sauce and turn pot back to "saute" to reduce sauce so it is thickened again (5-10 min). Shred chicken while sauce is reducing. Toss with some of the sauce and serve extra sauce on side.
I wasn't sure if I was going to like the sauce after smelling it as it cooked. The molasses and chipotle together made for a bit of a strange combination. The finished product, however, was fantastic. I didn't bother to shred the chicken. We just took whole pieces and then drizzled some of the sauce over top of them. My husband normally hates boneless skinless thighs and will eat like half of one just to be polite but he went back for seconds and then thirds because he thought that these were incredible.
This recipe is a keeper!
Thanks for sharing this one. I would not have thought it would reach pressure with thick BBQ sauce as the only liquid. Can't wait to try it myself.
I'm also happy MC included slow cooker instructions, as I find slow cookers much more forgiving for breast meat. I've got pressure cooker times pretty well dialed in for breasts and tenders, but the option is nice to have.
SMOKY BARBECUE CHICKEN, p. 57 Dinner in an Instant
This one was a success for me too. I had 1.5 pounds of thighs and decided to make only a half recipe of the sauce (it thickens to a paste before you put the chicken in, so i figured the sauce quantity was not critical to pressure cooking). It had no problems reaching pressure -- plenty of liquid comes out of the chicken. I left out the optional chipotle because of the little people at my table. Im sure I would have liked it better with the chipotle. But even without it the BBQ sauce was very tasty. It only took a few extra minutes to throw together and it was way better than the stuff in a jar. I served the chicken with cornbread and sauteed kale.
Last night I improvised some chicken soup, using the stock I made in my Instant Pot last week as a base. I make stock without salt, of course, but I am still always surprised how incredibly much salt chicken soup needs. I didn't measure it, but I kept salting like a crazy person as I cooked and tasted.
All I did to make the soup was reheat my stock, and then in a separate pot, sautee onions, celery and carrots. Then I added the hot stock and seasoned that.
I made the egg noodles in a separate pot of water. I dithered on whether to boil them in the soup directly, but decided I wanted to store the finished soup with the noodles separate, in an attempt to keep them from getting mushy.
Meanwhile I diced some chicken breasts that I had steam-sauteed according to the Kitchn method (https://www.thekitchn.com/how-to-cook...) and threw them into the soup. Finally, when all was heated through, I put some drained noodles into a bowl, topped with soup, and showered it all with parsley.
INSTANT POT TACO PASTA, http://foodyschmoodyblog.com/instant-....
With only 6 ingredients, this came together quickly. Brown lean ground beef (I used 88%, which was perfect, no draining needed), then stir in taco seasoning, tomato sauce, beef broth and pasta. Cook for 5 minutes, QR, and stir in cheese. So easy, and as written, better than the boxed stuff.
But... it needs help. It lacks zing. More taco seasoning would help, as would some diced fresh jalapeño (I keep them in my freezer). Or sub Ro-Tel or salsa for the tomato sauce. The add-ins (black beans, corn?) and swaps are endless.
Anyway, it's so easy, and uses what I've got on hand, that it's an easy repeat with minor changes. I made a half recipe in my Mini with room to spare.
Duffy
Thanks DuffyH. I'll definitely be trying that one. I noticed that the one you linked is actually based on a different one which might have a bit more zing to it. https://chattavore.com/instant-pot-ta...
Also, the Trader Joe's taco seasoning is known to be quite zingy, so you might want to try that.
Thanks, Amy. I'll give the Chattavore version a shot. I really liked the ease and the flavor profile of the pasta, no question.
Trader Joe's? Stop teasing me. I've got to drive 30 minutes and hassle with a tiny parking lot to shop there. Not quite as bad as when we lived in the Great White North and had to take a ferry to get there, but not nearly as handy as when we lived in SoCal and had 3 TJ's within 15 minutes.
Duffy
INSTANT POT CHICKEN BARLEY SOUP, https://www.365daysofcrockpot.com/ins...
I found this recipe when looking around the site that someone else linked to on this thread. It was very easy and really very good. I used farro instead of barley because I have a lot of farro in the house (over bought) and used raw chicken thighs. It was quick to throw together. It had a nice amount of vegetables (onion, garlic, carrot, celery), crushed tomatoes, and the chicken and farro. Not too heavy.
PINEAPPLE UPSIDE DOWN CAKE, page 488, The Great Big Pressure Cooker Book, Weinstein and Scarbrough.
This cake had great flavor. The texture was a little dense, like most pressure cooker cakes seem to be, but it was good. The instructions call for using low pressure on a stove-top cooker, so I used the low pressure on the instant pot and the timing they said for stove-top. It cooked fine. I think it would have been more dense at high pressure. I used a 2 qt ceramic souffle dish, not my metal 7 inch cake pan. The diameter on the souffle pan is larger, so there was more room for the 4 pineapple slices (one 8 oz can). I would probably make this again, but there are some other cakes in that book that I want to try first.
HASH BROWN BREAKFAST CASSEROLE, page 40, The Electric Pressure Cooker Cookbook, Schieving.
I made this for dinner, not breakfast. It takes 20 minutes at high pressure plus 10 minutes natural release, so it would only be possible for breakfast on the laziest of mornings. You cook bacon in the pot, take it out and add onion and cook it. Then mix the bacon and onion with frozen hash brown potatoes in the casserole dish. Then you mix up 8 eggs with a little milk, salt, and pepper plus some grated cheddar. Pour that over the potato mix, top with more cheddar, and cook on a trivet over water. I don't use pork, so I used 2 thick slices of turkey bacon plus a tablespoon or two of oil. The turkey bacon doesn't cook down like regular bacon so you can use less. I also used scallions instead of the onion because I needed to use some up. I cooked it in a ceramic souffle dish. I had a bit of a problem when the silicone sling came off, but I served it out of the pot and then got the souffle dish out later. Anyway, bottom line is a big MEH. It tasted like nothing. I had even added a bit of cayenne because I was worried it wouldn't taste like much. The eggs did cook up nice and fluffy, so I thought maybe using trader joe's frozen potatoes with peppers and onions might work better. Or maybe I just won't make it again.
Did you all see the teaser on the new Instant Pot set to be released in early summer? https://www.thekitchn.com/instant-pot....
Take a look at the new, sleek interface. Fewer buttons! And look at the 3rd one down on the right... canning!
now that is tempting. . .
Be still my heart. . . I really love the new screen, and am I right the the temperature can be dialed in from that little knob? I'm wondering if the new ability to go to 15 psi will change the Instant Pot cooking time. . .
Hi Goblin,
Yes, it can (along with time, elevation, venting mode and more), and yes, it does (no need to modify stovetop recipes).
Here's more on what we can expect from it. https://thewirecutter.com/blog/whats-...
Duffy
SHAKSHUKA WITH HERBED YOGURT SAUCE (p.26 Dinner in an Instant by Melissa Clark made in 6 Quart Instant Pot)
https://books.google.com/books?id=RpJ...
You saute a sliced onion and diced red bell pepper until softened and then add sliced garlic, paprika, cumin, and cayenne. Add a can of chopped whole plum tomatoes with juice, salt, and pepper. Cook on high pressure for 5 minutes. Release pressure manually. Make indents in sauce, crack 4 eggs into sauce, cook on low pressure for 1 minute. If you want eggs cooked more, leave lid on for 2-5 minutes.
Combine 1 grated garlic clove, 1/2 cup yogurt, and 1/2 cup of finely chopped herbs (parsley, cilantro, dill are suggested) to make herbed yogurt sauce.
Spoon eggs and sauce into bowl and top with yogurt sauce.
This was easy to make and delicious. I used 2 cans of diced fire-roasted tomatoes instead of a 28 ounce can of whole peeled tomatoes because that's what I had on hand. There's plenty of tomato/pepper/onion mixture and yogurt sauce for me to have with additional over-easy eggs. I really enjoyed it. I'll definitely make this again.
CHICKEN KORMA, 'Indian Instant Pot Cookbook', Urvashi Pitre, page 104
So far, we've been happy with every dish I've made from this book, and this was no exception. A sauce is made by purée-ing in the blender almonds, onion, tomato, Serrano chile, garlic, ginger, salt, garam masala, ground spices - turmeric, cumin, coriander, cayenne pepper, and water. Chicken pieces go into the IP on top of the sauce, and are cooked at high pressure for 10 minutes, and pressure is released naturally.
Next, chicken is removed and cut into bite-size. Coconut milk, tomato paste, and more garam masala are stirred into the sauce. Chicken is returned to the pot, and topped with slivered almonds, cilantro, and saffron soaked in milk. I upped the Serrano and cayenne to suit our taste, and served over turmeric rice. Wow - this korma exceeded my expectations! I could eat this every week.
TURKEY BREAST WITH MUSHROOM GRAVY, page 310, GBPCB, Weinstein and Scarbrough.
I needed something to make for "Eastover" dinner and this fit the bill perfectly. The only change I made was using turkey tenderloins because I couldn't find a boneless turkey breast. I looked in Lorna Sass's Pressure Perfect for the timing on whole tenderloins, but she only had them cut into 1" cubes. So I decided they were sort of like large chicken breasts and cooked them 8 min plus 4 min natural release. They were slightly overdone but not too bad. It was much quicker to make than the original recipe at 25 min plus 15 min natural release. Also, I used 10 oz cremini mushrooms instead of 8 oz because that's the size of the packages. We really enjoyed this dish with mashed potatoes and some roasted carrots.
Thanks, Amy. This is just the kind of simple, straightforward poultry w/mushroom recipe I've been looking for. No fuss, few ingredients, and it will work easily with whatever poultry pieces I have on hand with the proper timing. It's essentially the same as the stovetop version I've made for years, but I was always worried the mushrooms would turn rubbery under pressure, and was afraid to try it.
Anyone who doesn't have the book, here's a link to a virtually identical version: https://magicskillet.com/recipe/press....
Note it calls for 35 min then QR. Don't believe it, that's too long for the 2 pound cut it uses, and QR for poultry? Please! Laura P calls for 20 minutes with natural release, which is much better. Also, IP states 7-9 minutes (I think this is per pound, although they don't say so).
Duffy
Yes, that's pretty much the same recipe. Oddly, it calls for adding chicken broth in the steps, but doesn't call for the 3/4 cup chicken broth in the list of ingredients. The mushrooms didn't get rubbery.
I can't imagine what that turkey would be like after 35 min then QR! I just know it wouldn't be good. With the browning step, 7-9 min plus NR might actually be enough for a 2 lb piece of turkey.
CHICKEN POT PIE FOR TWO
http://www.geniuskitchen.com/recipe/c...
This is a winner from Cook's Country that I attempted to cook in my IP Mini. I followed the directions to the letter, subbing chicken tenders for boneless breasts. I served it over biscuits, because I had some in the freezer. Pie crust would have been better, but the biscuits were easy and baked in my Breville oven while I prepped and cooked the filling.
For the filling, sauté onion, carrot and celery in butter, then add in flour, broth (I reduced the amount to 1.5 cups), cream and soy sauce. Add the chicken, cook until done and that's pretty much it, aside from baking with the crust. I didn't make any mods to the technique for the filling on this first attempt and set the cook time for 3 minutes. It never reached pressure (too thick with the flour always added), but the tenders were perfectly cooked by the time the clock counted down, so no harm done. I'll prevent this next time by adding a flour slurry after releasing pressure.
The celery wasn't quite as tender as we'd like, but the carrots were just right. Using whole breasts and longer timing, the celery would be tender, but the carrots would be mush, so it's a trade-off. The easy solution is to slice the celery thinner and use tenders or sliced breasts. I had to add a little cornstarch at the end to thicken the filling, so broth could probably be reduced to 1 cup. The filling was easy and tasty, and the whole thing was ready in about 30 minutes, so a good weeknight dinner for two, or doubled for four.
The filling would also make for a nice chicken pot pie soup with more broth. Frozen peas would be a nice addition, don't know why I didn't think to add any, as we missed them.
I guess by serving it over biscuits you made Chicken Ala King! Thanks for sharing the link.
Update - As I was adding notes to this recipe last, I recalled that a little something was missing from the flavor. It needs a touch of acid, preferably white wine. That would really elevate the dish, taking it from good to really good. Maybe not great, but really good!
CHICKEN TORTILLA SOUP, Chow
https://www.chowhound.com/recipes/chi...
This is a stovetop recipe that I adapted for a pressure cooker. The photo and ingredient list sucked me in, because it seemed a lot like our very favorite soup from BJ's Brewhouse, arguably the best tortilla soup on earth. The first time I made it, I slaved over the stove and fell in love with the flavor, but it was much too loose, had too many veggie pieces, and it took closer to 3 hours for the tortillas to dissolve. I should have read the comments first, because a blender makes it much better. So I fiddled with the recipe, and tonight I tried it in my IP Mini.
Dice onion, carrot, celery, and red pepper. I added a poblano pepper, because I thought it would improve the flavor, but I'm not sure it added anything. Sauté them in the IP. Add chili powder, coriander, cumin, oregano (I used Mexican), paprika and cayenne until they've bloomed. I used granulated garlic here instead of minced. At this point I left the instructions in the rearview mirror. I turned off the IP and removed about 2/3rds of the veggie/spice mix and blended it with 1 cup of the chicken broth. That went back into the pot with the remaining veggies, along with corn tortillas (blitzed in my food processor) and the rest of the chicken stock. I also added some charred corn because it's in BJ's soup and we like it. Make sure the pot is completely deglazed before you cook the soup. Side note - My Mini didn't reach pressure but did start counting down, so I turned it off, scraped up the bottom of the pot really well and tried again. Bingo. This may be peculiar to the Mini, because it's never happened in 3 yrs in my 6QT. Cook at high pressure for 20 minutes, QR. Add cream and shredded chicken (cooked with last night's chicken pot pie because I'm a planner) and stir.
While the soup was cooking, I fried the tortilla strips, diced an avocado, shredded some cheddar and grabbed a cube of fresh lime juice from the freezer (the acid hit is a must, but it's not in the original recipe). I also had time to wash the skillets, grater, blender jar and food processor bowl, which made me happy. I hate it when my kitchen looks like a bomb went off in it.
I'm pretty proud of myself, because the appearance, texture and flavor was almost spot-on to BJ's. It's a bit labor intensive, but worth it. If you've got a favorite *easy* tortilla soup recipe, please share. I love the stuff, but this one is like Bolognese sauce. Sure, it's very good, but most of the time a basic meat sauce is just fine.
Duffy
https://themodernproper.com/posts/ins...
I got a smokin' deal on a kilo of bone-in beef shin the other day and wanted to do it up right in the Instant Pot. I couldn't find any interesting recipes for shin online so I went for this one calling for chuck. I used veg oil instead of olive, added fresh rosemary, used 2 tsp of dried thyme, and only had one 400g can of plum tomatoes. I cooked under high pressure in my 7-1 Duo 6L for 40 mins, with a 15 minute 'natural' release. I also browned and cooked the marrow bones along with the chunks of meat!
It turned out great! I served it with cream cheese sweet potato mash and crispy kale. I can't wait to get another shin!
SHRIMP SCAMPI WITH WHITE WINE AND FENNEL (p. 70 Dinner In An Instant)
You melt butter and oil in IP on saute and then add garlic and fennel. I omitted the fennel as I detest it. After 2 minutes you add white wine, salt, red pepper flakes, and black pepper and cook until wine is reduced by half. Then you add shrimp and cook until they are about half-cooked which should take like a minute. Remove shrimp with a slotted spoon.
Pour out liquid into a heat-safe measuring cup and add enough water to have 1.5 cups. Return to pot and add 8 ounces of thin spaghetti, broken in half. Add a glug of olive oil and stir pasta well so it doesn't stick together. Cook on high pressure for 6 minutes. Release pressure manually and add shrimp to the cooked pasta. Let them sit in pasta for 5 minutes to finish cooking. Squeeze lemon over pasta to serve.
This was an okay dish. The pasta was overcooked and I would have liked some more lemon flavor. I'd say that it is a good way to make a fast dinner but it took me quite awhile to peel and de-vein the shrimp. I don't think I would make it this way again.
GARLIC CHICKEN AND RICE, sort of
Tonight, when I refused to cook real food, the dude suggested Chicken and Garlic flavored Rice-a-Roni with chicken tenders. Since spending all of 5 minutes sautéing the chicken was just too much time spent over a hot pan, and 20-odd minutes on the stove for the rice out of the question, I cooked it all in my IP Mini for 5 minutes (QR). Easy? You bet. Fast? Yup, 20 minutes from fridge to plate, 15 of which was couch time. Delicious? Well, it's not going into my favorites file, but there's potential for people like us who use boxed rice mixes 3 times a year. This particular mix had been sitting in the pantry so long the seasoning packet was a flat brick.
After halving the tenders (I slice them down either side of that tendon because it skeeves me out), I nestled them on top of the well-mixed rice, 2 cups water, seasoning (it dissolved nicely) and 1 tablespoon butter. My hope was that the chicken tenders would pick up some of the seasoning. Didn't happen. The rice was perfectly cooked, and the chicken was moist and tender, but bland. Salt and pepper fixed the chicken but I think if I'd brined them or rubbed some of the seasoning in and let them sit for a while, it might have worked better. Or maybe if I'd picked a more strongly flavored mix, like Mexican? Still, not a complete fail. And after last night's epic way too many steps chicken tortilla soup, with all the dicing, frying, the food processor, blender, etc... I deserved some time off. Tomorrow night feels like tuna sandwiches, or if it's too much trouble to make the tuna salad, I'll reheat the soup.
I wonder if there's any drawback to burying the chicken in the rice and seasoning instead of placing it on top?
I've been experimenting with (non-PC/IP) steam, and at the moment my guess is that as long as chicken steams (as I assume it does when on top of the rice) instead of boiling, burying it will be fine. My guess is that the liquid level will have a lot to do with how the chicken comes out. Maybe others will take this on, though; thinking about what happens inside a PC/IP with respect to steam versus boiling seems complicated!
However, to increase flavor in the chicken pre-marinating it would probably be even better, if you have time...
Hey medlar,
I think you're right about the marinating. Even a simple brine with a touch of soy sauce for umami would have boosted the flavor. In all fairness, though, the rice didn't have a strong flavor, not even as strong as the basic chicken flavor IIRC. It's been years since I've used the straight chicken one, but that's my memory, anyway. I was expecting more garlic, too.
PC chicken does boil when submerged, and I generally won't do a full submerge unless I'll be shredding it, when texture is less critical. Partially submerged still yields moist, tender, sliceable chicken. It's not quite as good as elevated/steamed chicken, but it's pretty close if done right, with about 1 cup of liquid. Err on the side of undercooking, because it's easy to pop the lid back on and let it simmer in the hot liquid for another minute or two if need be.
I love swapping the water for broth with oregano, thyme, pepper and bay leaf. Then I use the seasoned broth to make chicken gravy. It's not as good as pan-seared breasts simmered in wine, broth, shallots, garlic and fresh herbs, but it gets me about 85% of the way there with a ton less work. Perfect when all I want is chicken with mashed potatoes and gravy. Cooking it all in one pot, in under 20 minutes? Priceless.
Duffy
Hi TJ,
I don't think so. I've cooked plenty of things where the chicken is buried with no ill effects (Kenji's Chicken Chili Verde comes to mind). In this recipe, the liquid for the rice pretty much guaranteed those halved tenders (small and light weight) sank most of the way into the rice.
D
PRESSURE COOKER QUICK CHILI WITH CANNED BEANS -
https://www.dadcooksdinner.com/pressu...
I used my own chili recipe, which is similar to Mike's with one notable change and a few minor ones. I subbed a 6-oz can of tomato paste for the crushed tomatoes, making me think it would need a lot more liquid than Mike's. I cooked the tomato paste a bit before adding beans and liquid. My spice ratio is a little different, 2.5 tables chili powder, 2 tbls cumin and 1 tables crushed Mexican oregano, but our techniques are identical, aside from the toasted tomato paste. I use the same 4 cans of beans, but 2 of them are always undrained chili beans, because the sauce adds to the flavor of the chili. Finally, I include 1 diced jalapeño chile and 1 tsp vinegar, for fruity brightness.
On the stovetop, I add 2 (15-oz) cans of water and did the same tonight, unsure how wet it would be. Mike uses 1.5 cups along with the liquid from the tomatoes, so I thought it best to stick with my usual. I think I can easily reduce it to 1-1.5 cans with no burning. A few minutes on Sauté (low) took care of the excess liquid.
On the stove I simmer it for 2 hours. This one was ready in an hour, start to finish, with only 15 minutes hand's-on time. The dude said it was delicious, and I thought it was every bit as good as the stovetop version. So that's one more recipe converted to the IP. I swear, I can't recall the last time I cooked dinner on the stove.
Duffy
BLACK BEAN SOUP from "How to Instant Pot" by Daniel Gritzer. (Apologies, I don't have the cookbook in front of me at the moment to confirm exact title or page numbers, but it's in the pressure cooker section.)
By way of introduction, this cookbook is split into sections based on the required functionality of the InstantPot - pressure cooker, slow cooker, saute, etc. Many of the recipes include suggestion modifications in addition to the base/core recipe. I like this approach!
The soup was souper (ha) easy: saute some chopped celery, carrot, onion, and garlic, then add dried beans (rinsed but not presoaked or brined) and liquid: 1 lb beans, 5 C liquid (mostly chicken broth). Cook on high 30 min, natural release. Top with pico de gallo, tortilla chips, and a squeeze of lime. We also stirred some browned and sliced chorizo into our serving bowls.
The verdict: YUM. The beans had a great texture, but they didn't really remain intact, and the resulting product was quite thick. A perfectly easy soup for the winter that just won't quit!
Truman, this looks vey good and I have all the ingredients already in my pantry which is great because it's still soup-weather here on the Cape as well (raining but at least it's 51 F today, which is practically tropical compared to what we've been having!)
Also, i didn't know about that cookbook by Daniel Gritzer. I will check it out!
Okay, apparently I have Serious Eats on the brain - the correct author of the cookbook is Daniel Shumski, of Will It Waffle. https://www.amazon.com/How-Instant-Po... Sorry, Daniel and Daniel!
PUNJABI LOBIA (BLACK EYED PEAS WITH SPINACH), page 60, Indian Instant Pot Cookbook, Pitre
These black eyed peas were so good! They cooked up nice and tender from dry with only 10 min cooking and 10 min natural release. I wasn't sure they would because there was fresh tomato and salt in with them, but they did. It was really easy to make. You saute some cumin seeds and black mustard seeds in the ghee, then add a lot of minced garlic and ginger. Then add diced tomato, turmeric, cayenne, cumin, coriander and salt. Throw in the black eyed peas, water, and a bag of spinach on top. Then just cook. The recipe says it served 4 (1 cup dried beans) and that was very accurate. I almost wish I had made 1 1/2 x or 2x of the recipe so there would be leftovers. I have yet to hit a bad recipe in this book!
AmyH, thanks for this recommendation. I have everything in my pantry except the black-eyed peas and they're going on my shopping list for tomorrow because the dish sounds so flavorful
and healthful.
I think this may be one of the few spinach recipes in this book that actually *needs* spinach. We tried it with a mix of chard and beet greens (no spinach in our CSA for a while!) and it was just too earthy for my taste. Think I may sneak some cream into the leftovers.
(It's also entirely possible that I don't love black eyed peas. In retrospect, I've never been crazy about anything I've had with them, though up here in the frigid north I don't run into them much. I am generally a bean fanatic so I'd be slightly surprised.)
I was similarly skeptical about the cook time, but the beans were nice and tender.
EASIEST MASHED POTATOES,
Instant Pot Obsession, Kindle (page 59 paper)
I didn't think mashed potatoes could get any easier than steamed over a cup of water, but Zimmerman takes easy to the limit. And breaks one of the cardinal rules while she's at it.
Cube russets, add salt, milk and cream. Cook for 8 minutes. Release. Mash. It's the IP version of Jamie Oliver's stovetop potatoes. The result is very creamy spuds. As written, they're too loose for gravy, and not quite buttery enough, but these are 1st world problems, very easily fixed. Equal parts milk and cream, more butter = great mash, and no steamer basket to wash. I also think these would be delicious made with cream and chicken or veggie broth. And the extra butter, of course.
PRESSURE COOKED BAKED POTATOES
https://www.hippressurecooking.com/sh...
This is pretty simple; wash russets, prick with a fork or knife, then cook on a trivet for 10 minutes. Transfer to a 450º oven for 10-15 more minutes.
I baked them off in my Breville Smartoven Pro, which worked fine, but took longer than expected (set to 450º + convection fan), especially as they were smaller bagged spuds, about 3-3.5" in length. The skins were good, holding their shape very well with the guts scooped out. This cuts total time for baked potatoes to about 30-35 minutes, a big improvement over the usual 1 hour. That hour of oven time is the primary reason I seldom bake potatoes, so it's nice to have this method in my back pocket.
I used them to make Chow's EASY POTATO SKINS, https://www.chowhound.com/recipes/bas.... They're really good and very easy. With a simple BLT side salad (bacon, tomato, ranch), this was a nice dinner. These worked really well in the Breville. I toasted the skins on the center rack with the broiler on so they'd need less monitoring, then moved them up to the top rack to melt the cheese. The butter, salt and pepper both inside and out is what elevates these skins above most homemade versions.
Duffy
Late to this -- but did you find the IP "baked" potatoes were better than potatoes par-cooked in the microwave and finished in the oven? I've done that for years to cut down the cooking time on weeknights. Works particularly well with sweet potatoes, though I could imagine the IP doing better with something fluffy like a russet.
BUTTERNUT SQUASH SOUP WITH CHICKEN AND ORZO, page 85 The Electric Pressure Cooker Cookbook, Schieving, also at https://www.pressurecookingtoday.com/...
This was very good. It comes out a very bright orange because in addition to the butternut squash it also has a can of diced tomatoes and a diced carrot. Green onions, celery and garlic are the rest of the vegetables. You roast the squash first. Saute the other vegetables in butter, then add the tomatoes, chicken stock and squash. It has a bit of italian seasoning, red pepper flakes, nutmeg and pepper. It needed salt at the end. After it cooks you use an immersion blender to puree it, then add diced cooked chicken, cooked orzo, and half & half. It was sort of a pain to have to cook the orzo separately, but not too bad. It might have been better with some cooked barley or farro, actually. And you can't really buy a cup of cooked chicken (maybe at a salad bar?) so I got a package of the trader joe's grilled strips of chicken. It only used about 1/3 of it, but I'll find something else to do with the rest of it. I'd make this again. My husband thought it was like tomato soup and said a grilled cheese sandwich would have gone well with it.
SPICY ORANGE CHICKEN, page 161, The Electric Pressure Cooker Cookbook, Schieving
This one got a "meh" from the family. I should know better than to try to cook Chinese food in the pressure cooker. Maybe it was the orange marmalade in it that gave it a funny taste. You cook cut up bits of chicken breast with soy sauce, sesame oil, brown sugar, rice vinegar and sriracha for 3 min. Then you add the marmalade and then some cornstarch slurry. The recipe calls for 3 Tbsp of the cornstarch but I knew that would be way too much and used 1 Tbsp. I served it over rice. It was ok but I probably won't make it again. Nobody was a fan of it.
Hi AmyH,
I'm wondering if the difference in this recipe and the Orange-Chicken from below is when the marmalade is added. Maybe adding the marmalade to the stir fry sauce at the start mellows it out and makes it taste more like orange?
Duffy
Hi DuffyH,
That's possible. Or the marmalade I was using could have been more bitter than other brands. Or maybe we just don't like stuff like that in chicken. Hard to say.
Amy
You're right, it's hard to pin down. It took me years of 'meh' reactions to salsa chicken tacos, chicken cacciatore and chicken parm to realize that I'm just not a fan of chicken/tomato combos. I love those preps with other meats, so it's not like I'm missing anything. In fact, it's made me happier.
Lorna Sass' updated 2013 edition of Cooking Under Pressure is available to borrow on Kindle Unlimited. If you haven't been using this service to explore new cookbooks, you should. For $10/mo, you get unlimited downloads (but only 10 at a time) from the Kindle Unlimited library. Big names come and go with maddening unpredictability, but there are always a few gems to discover. The first month trial is free.
I highlight recipes I want to make and send them to myself via email or Notes. When I've finished doing that, I return the book. If I see a lot of recipes I want to try, I pick a few, make them and then decide whether to buy it or not. It's just like borrowing it from the library, but without having to drive anywhere. And no worries about getting Bolognese all over the pages.
ETA: Some of the current offerings include Kitchen Confidential, The Haven's Kitchen Cooking School, and a few Lonely Planet volumes.
RISOTTO - based on two recipes in Laurel Randolph's cookbook (https://www.amazon.com/Instant-Electr...)
The cookbook includes recipes for an asparagus risotto and a mushroom/chicken sausage risotto, neither of which were what I wanted... so I followed the basic technique: saute an allium (a finely chopped leek, in my case) in butter, add wine to deglaze the pot, then add rice and broth. Overall proportions were 1 part wine, 4 parts rice, 8 parts broth. Cook on normal pressure for 6 min, then sort of quick release (I let it sit for a few minutes first), then stir in 1 part cheese and season to taste. I put the lid back on and let it keep warm (turned off) till we were ready to eat.
The verdict: super easy, just like making it in the oven, and pretty dang close to stovetop (not that I've done that in a really really long time!). We have lots of leftovers and I will be experimenting with arancini this weekend!
Have you made sopa seca de fideos in your IP? I'd like to make it in my classroom if possible, and would appreciate any suggestions for adapting it to be made in the IP. Here is a typical standard recipe for sopa seca, but it doesn't have to be this same one:
http://sweetlifebake.com/2013/02/15/s...
Hi RainyRamone,
Fideo are closest to vermicelli, which cooks on the stove in 5-7 minutes. So in step 7 I'd cook it for 3 minutes at high pressure, with a quick release, unless frying it increases the cooking time, then maybe 4 minutes. Any remaining liquid should be absorbed pretty quickly once you open the lid.
Duffy
PRESSURE COOKER PUMPKIN STEEL CUT OATS WITH PECAN PIE GRANOLA
https://www.pressurecookingtoday.com/...
I made this for breakfast yesterday and it was really tasty, especially the granola. I find her oats recipes too sweet and too cinnamoney, so I cut back the maple syrup to 2 Tbsp and the cinnamon to 1/2 tsp. There's already a teaspoon of pumpkin pie spice, so 2 additional tsp of cinnamon seemed like way too much for 3-4 servings, plus I use Penzey's cinnamon so it's very strong. While the oats were cooking I made the granola in the toaster oven. I only made 1/4 recipe of the granola and it was still more than enough to top the bowls of oats. But if you like to eat granola, make the full recipe because this stuff was delicious. They were both done at the same time and it made a great breakfast. We had lots of energy for a day of gardening.
BARBECUE BEEF BRISKET, "The Instant Pot Electric Pressure Cooker Cookbook" by Laurel Randolph (pg 111)
I've always made brisket in the oven - low and slow - so was curious to try this out. Unlike my usual Jewish and Texas style recipes, this one contained brown mustard and Worcestershire sauce (as well as chili powder, smoked paprika, cumin, brown sugar, and tomato sauce). Also unlike my usual recipes, this one starts out by directing you to sear the meat (in chunks) first. The basic technique: brown meat on Saute mode, remove from IP, add onion and garlic, add rest of sauce ingredients, return meat to IP, and cook. I have learned that I need to decrease cook time/pressure from what she recommends - not sure if this is a factor of my IP or personal preferences... The recipe called for 90 min on High; I did 63 min on Normal (4lb brisket, just under 2 C liquid), with an accidental 2-hour natural release on Keep Warm, and I should have pulled it out a little sooner.
After removing the meat, I reduced the sauce for about 30 min so it got nice and thick, then took a taste... YUM. It's definitely different from my usuals, and not a likely replacement, but a nice addition to the repertoire. Also a great option for the coming summer when nobody wants the oven on for 3 hours! This will be dinner later in the week so I don't have a full report yet.
It's not you, truman, it's the recipe writers. Far too many recipes for both slow cookers and pressure cookers have cooking times that are too long. 90 minutes is not an uncommon cooking time for large roasts. It's just wrong. I've also seen IP boneless chicken breast recipes that instruct us to use the Poultry setting (without adjustment). That's 20 minutes, way too long for even bone-in breasts.
For slow cooker recipes, some writers seem to think that anything can be cooked all day, or almost all day. Chicken thighs for 6-8 hours, boneless breasts for 4-6 hours, etc... This has really gotten out of hand. I get shreddable chicken breasts from my IP's slow cooker normal setting (low) in 2 hours flat, and the IP isn't exactly known as a fast slow cooker. In my slow cooker, it only takes 1-1.5 hours, depending on whether I want to slice it or shred it.
Now, when I see an IP cooking time that looks suspicious, I check with Amy & Jacky or Laura P, because their times are normally spot-on. I really like that Amy & Jacky usually do multiple time tests and show their results, a la Serious Eats.
Duffy
Thanks, Duffy. I had that same experience with slow cooker recipes when I was first trying them out, and I think that's why I never really got into slow-cooking. Sure, you can cook [fill in the blank] all day... but it might be stringy tasteless mush when you pull it out! And then everyone would start looking around for my Grandma Edith, who cooked everything to well-done, and then for a few minutes longer...
For what it's worth: We liked the brisket (last night's dinner); next time I'd probably cook for 60-65 min with a 10-15 min natural release. This technique/cooking time would probably work for any other brisket recipe. I also learned that it's much easier to slice four 1-lb chunks of brisket than it is to slice one 4-lb brisket.
I totally agree with you on this, Duffy. Some of the Pressure Cooking times are inconsistant and it is very frustrating. So. like you, I also double check the cooking times of a similar recipe with Pressure Cooking Today as Barbara Schieving is usually spot on like Amy & Jacky or Laura P. The other night I made a pulled pork recipe from Pinterest that was tasty but cooked a bit too long. It was over 100 minutes with a 30 minute release time. I think I could've achieved better results with a shorter cooking time.
In Lorna Sass's books there are tables that show cooking times for different cuts of meats. They are very helpful when adapting recipes from regular or slow cooking to pressure cooking and I've always found them to be spot-on.
TURKEY SAUSAGE AND POTATO STEW, page 299, The Great Big Pressure Cooker Book, Weinstein and Scarbrough
This was really good! It was so simple I wasn't sure how good it would be, but the flavors all worked together really well. It has an onion, mild Italian turkey sausage (in 2 inch pieces), garlic, 2 Tbsp white wine vinegar , a big can of whole tomatoes drained and cut in big pieces, chicken broth, 2 Tbsp dried basil, salt and pepper, and a pound of small white potatoes, sliced. You brown the onion, throw in the sausage and brown it, add the garlic right at the end, deglaze with the vinegar, then add everything else and cook 10 minutes (as usual, ignore their times for electric pressure cookers), and quick release. That's it! It made a very nice dinner. They suggest serving with braised collard greens on the side but I just served broccoli with it.
Today I read that amazon is having a deal-of-the-day sale ($89) on the IP Duo Plus 6-qt. 9-in-one:
https://smile.amazon.com/Instant-Pot-...
I have the 6-qt. IP Duo model and like it but am thinking about giving it to my daughter and springing for one of the newer ones, like the Ultra or the Max. .
I have been awaiting the new IP called the Max, which is supposed to have higher psi for the pressure-cooking function, plus some other features. It is due to be released Aug. 1 for $200. Unfortunately, despite some new settings and advantages, the Max-reviews aren't great: it has been faulted for actually taking longer to cook under pressure, as well as not achieving the reliable temperatures for sous-vide or for canning.
The Ultra 6-qt. is available on Amazon for $149 and the reviews are generally positive (though it's quite a price increase)—I wonder if anyone has the Ultra and would recommend me upgrading to that one (and skipping any idea of awaiting the Max)?
Thanks!
Hi Goblin,
I was suffering from Ultra, then Max, lust, but like you the reviews for the Max put me off. There are a few upgrades on the Ultra that I like, most prominently the float valve/steam release and the (semi) sous vide function. I think the float valve change is a REALLY big deal, because it pops up above the lid level, so you can see at a glance whether it's come to pressure. And if you've ever burned your fingers (I haven't), the pressure release button is a pretty big improvement. Custom sauté temps are nice, too, because the high temp is now 200-something, not nearly good enough for searing.
I'm not sure how annoying I would find turning the dial to get from Sauté to Pressure (manual) modes (I use those the most), but why couldn't they have put Sauté in the number 1 or 2 position right next to Pressure on the dial? It would have killed them to do that?
I've still got Ultra lust, but likely won't upgrade for some time, because I'm so used to my DUO that I'm not sure how much of an improvement it would be. No help at all, sorry, but that's my 2 cents. I don't envy you the decision.
Duffy
But you have helped me, Duffy, and I appreciate you taking the time to explain your thinking. I especially like that you concur with general opinion that the Max reviews just aren't convincing enough to spend the high $$$. I do like your detailed list of things that you like about the Ultra. But I may just wait—my Duo is behaving just fine—until the Ultra comes down a bit in price.
Thanks again!
BEEF BARBACOA TACOS from "How to Instant Pot" (pg 29) by Daniel Shumski - recipe here, https://musthavemom.com/instant-pot-b...
This was really easy to put together and get cooking: brown beef in chunks, add vinegary sauce, cook, then shred and put into tacos.
There were no chuck roasts at my grocery store (who wants to make stew in July??) so I ended up using a top round roast instead. Unfortunately it was too lean and ended up tough (even with 25min at normal pressure, based on what I found from other IP/PC sites) and hard to shred. I served the shredded beef with some of the cooking juices, which helped, as did the homemade salsa.
RED CURRY BEEF BRISKET, https://en.christinesrecipes.com/2017...
I'm not sure where I had gotten the link to this recipe. Maybe from this thread, maybe not. Anyway, I had about 2/3 of a can of coconut milk to use up and happened to have 2 lb of brisket in the freezer. It came out very tasty. Sort of a mash-up of Chinese cooked beef (oyster sauce and star anise) and Thai curry. It could have used a bit more red curry paste, maybe 3 or 4 Tbsp. I used 3 carrots and 3 potatoes. I added the carrots with the potatoes for the second cooking, not at the beginning. The instructions are missing some sentences, but I did a natural release after the second cooking. We liked this and if I ever need to use up coconut milk and a piece of brisket again, I would make it again.
CHICKEN BIRYANI, page 96, Indian Instant Pot Cookbook, Pitre
Yum! This was another great recipe from this book. Very easy to make. A bit spicy from the jalapenos, but we like it like that. My house smells wonderful, too!
DUMP AND START INSTANT POT ALFREDO
https://cookingwithkarli.com/dump-and...
Add chicken broth, heavy cream, garlic (I used fresh instead of dried), salt, pepper and broken linguini to the pot. When finished cooking, let it sit for a minute, then add parm. That's it. This is even easier (and way more hands-off) than stovetop versions. I amped up the flavor at the end with a little nutmeg and a few red pepper flakes. Next time I'll dump them in at the start.
Quick, easy, and delicious. It is every bit as rich as my butter-laden stovetop sauce. Best of all for small families, it can be halved in the Mini (I only used 1.5 cups liquid/4 ounces pasta) or doubled in the 6-8qt with no worries. It's the first time I've had success with long pasta in the IP. I used spaghetti and adjusted the timing. No clumping at all and cooked to perfection! My new go-to.
Duffy
INSTANT POT CHICKEN BREAST, https://cookingwithkarli.com/instant-...
Instead of poaching the breast, you season it, sear it, then steam it on a rack. I used a 12-oz breast in the Mini that i pounded to make more even, subbed homemade chicken broth for the water, and made gravy at the end. My seasonings on the meat were salt, pepper, thyme and a little oregano. So good it's displaced all others and earned a coveted place in my "Essential Recipes" folder.
Note that I didn't wait the full 5 minutes to release the pot, more like 2 minutes, because I felt the full time might be a bit too long. I intend to keep fiddling with the timing until it's my perfect level of doneness, although it's very close as I made it.
Duffy
Head's up, Potheads! There are new cookbooks coming next month from This Old Gal and Martha Stewart:
https://smile.amazon.com/This-Gals-Pr...
https://smile.amazon.com/Martha-Stewa...
Barbara Schieving and Marci Butters have a dessert book due out in October:
https://smile.amazon.com/Instantly-Sw...
PARMESAN GARLIC NOODLES
http://www.happilyunprocessed.com/201...
Following my success with Alfredo Sauce, last night I converted this stovetop recipe to the IP, to go with some ham steaks and broccoli. Back when my kid was a kid and I wasn't a cook, we were huge fans of Pasta Roni's Parmesan Cheese with angel hair. It's sort of a lighter, cleaner, Alfredo, but subtly different, and makes a great side dish. This recipe mimics it pretty closely and I've been making it on the stove for a year, always to raves. It's one of our favorite side pastas.
As written, infuse olive oil with garlic and red pepper flakes, add chicken broth, cook pasta. When done, add milk or half and half and parm. I cooked the pasta with the broth and whole milk, then finished with parm and parsley, So good and even easier than the stovetop version. And it doesn't leave you feeling all logy like Alfredo can. Unless you eat a crap ton of it, but that's on you.
Duffy
This sounds so good. So far, I have not cooked pasta in my Mini IP. For how long did you cook this in the IP, Duffy?
I used thin spaghetti, cooked for 4 minutes. I waited a couple of minutes, then did a slow controlled release to make sure it wouldn't spew starch. The trick with long pasta, at least what works for me, is to make several layers, crosswise to each other. I think I did 3 layers for 4 ounces of pasta. Just make sure they're not crowded, then push them down to make sure they're pretty well covered, with none sticking out. You'll have to break it in half, obviously. For angel hair, I think I'd start with 2 minutes. You can always let the pasta sit in the pot for a minute longer to finish cooking before adding the parm. Note that it will look like the dairy has separated in the pot, but stir it up and it all comes together. I wouldn't do it with less than whole milk. Half and half and cream work equally well.
I've also done this with ATK's Creamy Carbonara, browning the bacon, deglazing with wine, adding the eggs, parm and cream at the end. http://www.cookscountry.com/recipes/2.... It would work as well with any carbonara recipe, I think. For regular spaghetti noodles, cook for 5 minutes.
Someone asked me why I would do this in the IP, when it's so quick on the stove. It really takes about the same amount of time on my induction range but it's definitely faster than a normal stovetop, and I like being able to completely ignore the pasta while I do other things.
I do dried pasta for half the cooking time indicated on the package, rounded down if needed, on normal pressure with quick release. So noodles that would cook for 7-8 minutes would get 3 min in the IP (I have a 6qt IP Duo). If you want the water to be fully absorbed, 4C water to 16oz pasta or 3C to 12-13oz works well.
The same timing rule (half the indicated time) seems to apply for other carbs, eg rice and grains. I don't remember where I saw this guideline but I've had success with it for regular dried pasta, whole wheat/whole grain pasta, veggie pasta, white rice, brown rice, quinoa, farro, etc. For rice and grains, use the same proportion of rice:water as for stovetop cooking. Hope that helps!
Hi truman,
I do the same thing, except for this recipe and the Dump and Push Start Alfredo recipe it's based on. At first I was surprised to see the delayed pressure release in the Alfredo recipe, but finally figured out it's probably because of the cream. Dairy and quick release is not usually a good combination. Anyway, the noodles for both recipes came out perfect.
Duffy
Hi Duffy, thanks for the comment. After a very messy mishap with the Dad Cooks Dinner mac and cheese recipe, where I cooked the noodles with the evaporated milk and then watched it spray all over my kitchen, I edited my Pepperplate entry to read as follows: "Stir the macaroni, butter, salt, and water in the pressure cooker pot. DO NOT ADD EVAPORATED MILK HERE!! Lock the lid on the pressure cooker and cook..."
ROFL! When I made that recipe I discovered that evaporated milk in mac and cheese isn't a taste I like. So now I do as you do, adding the milk with the cheese. It's no more effort, and no extra time. My favorite thing about mac and cheese in an IP is that there's no need to stir and watch the noodles while they cook. And no need to drain it, either. Less pot-watching and only one thing to clean is my idea of an easy dinner.
PORK SAAG, Indian Instant Pot Cookbook by Urvashi Pitre, p116
Appears to be the same as https://twosleevers.com/pork-saag/
I have been neglecting these threads despite using my Instant Pot several times a week for three years -- hoping I can remember to change that!
This was the first recipe I tried from this book, and it was a good start. The recipe requires marinating the pork in half-and-half, garlic, ginger, and spices. I used some pork from the end of the ribs (kind of an odd cut I ended up with by accident from BJ's). You then cook twice -- ten minutes for the pork, QR, and then an additional 2 minutes with the spinach added.
My only significant modification was to change the greens; I used a mix of stuff from my CSA share (I think radish, turnip, and "adult" spinach). Consequently, I reduced the first cook to 9 minutes and increased the second cook to 3 minutes.
This was a big hit in our (admittedly Indian food loving) house. With the full 1/2 tsp of cayenne it had a pretty good kick, but not overwhelming, and the dish was rich and earthy. It's also great for prepping ahead -- basically "dump and cook" after the meat has marinated.
That said, this is a rich dish -- not really an every day meal given all the half and half.
I served it with rice patterned after the BASMATI PILAU on p42, but cooked in my rice cooker.
INSTANT POT PORK CHOPS IN HK TOMATO SAUCE by Amy+Jacky
https://www.pressurecookrecipes.com/p...
Cooked in my IP DUO 60.
Here's one from an online source I've generally liked a great deal -- we've made these pork chops a couple of times now, and they have a comfort food quality to them that we really appreciate. They're sort of a Chinese-British hybrid dish that is common in cha chaan teng cafes in HK.
The pork chops are pounded and quickly marinated in a simple sesame-sugar-soy mixture, and browned. Onions and mushrooms are browned, and then the pork chops are re-added along with the sauce ingredients (most notably, ketchup, tomato paste, and Worcestershire). The sauce is thickened with a cornstarch slurry at the end.
I know many people are anxious about tomato paste in the IP, but I mixed it in well and there was no scorching. They do note that you can leave it on top, unmixed, and stir it in at the end.
We found these incredibly tasty and they're a very easy weeknight dish. The sauce only has a few pantry ingredients but ends up tasting quite well balanced, and it makes a good meal over white rice with a simple vegetable (e.g., microwave steamed gai lan in oyster sauce).
The recipe looks good and so do lots of others on that website. Thanks for posting the link. I also need about $100 worth of IP accessories since I haven't even bought a 7" springform pan yet.
I've had the thing for three years and I don't know if I have $100 in accessories!
The one essential is some kind of steamer basket -- look at Goblin's post upthread on 2/10 for some good links there; I have the cheap one and like it.
The springform is helpful for cheesecake, though I've never used it for anything else.
But nearly everything else you can do with things you probably already own. Any heatproof bowls or containers you already have will work in the IP -- my most frequently used bowl is the small mixing bowl from my mother's old Mixmaster. Ramekins, custard cups, mason jars all work well too.
I have my Amazon cart on hold. I think the silicone Egg Bite molds are the most expensive of 7 items at $19.75. Yes, the strainer is inexpensive. Heck, I still have the glass mixing bowls from my first stand mixer which might have been a Mixmaster but thought it would be nice to have a set of pyrex with lids so I don't use plastic storage containers so often. And some website has me convinced I need a silicone whisk for making lemon curd. I also decided I better get the 7" round parchment paper. I should try the egg bits in mason jars before I order. Thanks for trying to encourage me to be sensible.
"I should try the egg bits in mason jars before I order."
Preach! I ordered a set of English muffin rings so I could make homemade English muffins. After trying 3 different recipes from trusted sources I went back to Thomas', because none of them had the nooks and crannies I wanted. I'm determined to try again soon with the no-knead recipe from the April DOTM.
I'd also given up on homemade burger buns, but last week I found a few promising potato bun recipes, But I've learned my lesson. No special baking pan until I test them!
a lot of people rave about the English muffin recipe in Bravetart. I haven't tried it so I can't give my opinion on it. https://www.seriouseats.com/recipes/2...
Quite some time ago I read a tip to use large mouth canning jar rings for English muffins. My husband is a big fan of Thomas' cinnamon and raisin but I think the muffins are too flat to easily split in two to toast. But, there's a bakery outlet where I can buy Thomas' cheap so I'll probably keep buying them.
Amazon order in in the cart. But, in the meantime I spent about $18 at the Asian market for the ingredients to make Chinese barbecue pork in the Instant Pot. I have GOT to make it this week.
Is it a new recipe for you? Can't wait to read your review. I've grabbed a few really promising recipes from some bloggers that are new to me, I'm looking forward to making them. And I'll be reporting on last night's dinner after we have the leftovers for lunch. I want to see how it tastes a day or 2 later.
Yes, new recipe to me. I might have made barbecued pork once. This looks simple enough now that I have all the ingredients. https://www.pressurecookrecipes.com/c...
I've used the little 4oz ball jars for a lot of stuff in the IP -- great for yogurt as well, as you can use the plastic lids at yogurt temperatures.
For the egg bite molds -- there are also a million vendors selling identical molds at different prices (different price per color, even!). I got mine for $14.99 for a set of two 7-bite molds; the brand was "Suntake." It looks like they're now $13.99 in blue.
Have you tried (Moomie’s) Beautiful Burger Buns? They make up well on a sheet pan...I make 9 rather than 8 as they are very large. (King Arthur)
That was the first recipe I tried, Nannybakes. They were just ok for us, a lot like basic supermarket buns. We used to buy brioche buns from the bakery, then switched to Martin's when Kenji praised them. I think we're spoiled for ordinary buns.
Hmmmm.....we really liked them, and I’ve made brioche hamburger buns and didn’t find them to our liking....and Martin’s are what I’d call supermarket buns....what’s a burger eater to do :). There has got to be the perfect one somewhere out there!
Martin's are indeed the size and thickness of most grocery store buns, but they're egg buns, and that makes a big difference. We toast all burger buns as a matter of course to prevent them from getting soggy, but we prefer brioche and Martin's because we think the flavor and crumb is superior to all others, and they're never dry. We use Martin's for smashburgers and brioche for thicker, pub-style burgers where a more substantial bun is key. We rarely make pub burgers, because they're just too much, unless we're really hungry and craving a big, juicy slab of meat on a bun.
We're just picky eaters, I guess. :-)
Martin’s are certainly very good, the best of the bunch for sure...but eggs, I don’t think they have any. It’s the potato flour that gives them a good mouthfeel and keeps them moist. If they are good enough for Shake Shack and other restaurants, that’s a pretty big compliment....along with your very positive review! (I’ve used their slider buns as well.) I’m making a new version today after an overnight rise....toasted of course!
But picky....no! By the way, if you happen to have muffin top pans, I find them very useful for burger buns. In fact, better than the tins sold specifically for the buns.
You're right, Nannybakes, no eggs. I meant to say potato buns. Thanks for the recommendation of muffin top pans. I've been looking at them along with bun pans on amazon, but I'm confused about the varying sizes. Which one do you have?
I think they are the Cuisinart silver...6 to a pan. No markings on my tins, I also use them for corn muffins....lotsa’ crispy edges. They are 4” across at the top, almost straight-sided, a little more than 3 3/4 on the bottom.
Thanks Nannybakes. I checked it out on Amazon and it look like the best choice. The other 3 light-colored pans, including Fat Daddio ($47, yikes!) have slanted sides. The photo of the USA Pan mini cake pan looks promising, but the description shows there's a half-inch flare in the walls. I was surprised by the number of critical reviews for the Cuisinart, but then I saw that there are 3 major complaints, and none of them (pan too big, sticking, no flare) apply to burger buns.
If I find a recipe that I love it looks like that's the one I'll be buying, unless my English muffin rings work well. I hope they do, because none of the muffin top pans will fit my Breville, and I can bake 6 buns on a quarter sheet pan in it.
I was lucky to score the Hartigo basket on Prime day, but this link shows quite a few others in the same design, for about half the price. I like this style better that the lotus design, because there's no danger of food tipping out when I lift it.
LANGAR KI DAL, The Indian Instant Pot Cookbook by Urvashi Pitre, p52
(This one doesn't appear to be on the website)
Yet another easy, good recipe from this cookbook.
This recipe uses a 2:1 ratio of whole urad dal and chana dal, cooked in the IP (bean mode, 30 minutes + 10 minute NPR) in water w/ just salt and turmeric.
Meanwhile, you saute onions/garlic/ginger in a small amount of ghee or oil, and then add spices, chopped tomatoes, and water. This is reduced and stirred into the dal in the IP when it's done.
I really enjoyed this, and my partner said it was the best dish of the night (alongside the palak paneer, kheema matar, and aloo jeera). Rich despite a minimal amount of fat, and pleasantly spicy.
It uses what seems like a ton of water (5 cups for 1.5 cups of beans). I was worried it would be too soupy. It turned out just fine. I might reduce the water slightly next time, but only as a matter of preference.
PALAK PANEER, The Indian Instant Pot Cookbook by Urvashi Pitre, p88
Also online at https://twosleevers.com/palak-paneer-...
I feel like a broken record, but this recipe was excellent as well. The hardest part was cleaning the greens, and with one slight exception the spicing was on point.
Basic technique is to saute garlic/ginger/chile briefly, then add in tomatoes, onions, spices, water, and a pound of spinach. Cook 4min with QPR. Stick blend greens to your taste, mix in paneer cubes, serve.
This recipe is a great example of the detail the author has put into her recipes -- she notes that when stick blending this amount of greens, tilting the pot makes it easier. I might not have thought of that had she not mentioned it, but it helped.
I substituted a mix of greens from my farm share for the baby spinach -- mainly the tops of some golden beets, with some turnip and radish greens to round out the weight. I increased the cooking time to 6 minutes, which worked well. I did find the result a tiny bit more bitter than I wanted; I think I might halve the turmeric when working with more substantial greens in the future. (I also subbed canned tomatoes for fresh, but I can't imagine that changed much.)
(Made in an IP DUO60.)
INSTANT POT STICKY RICE, from PressureCookRecipes.com https://www.pressurecookrecipes.com/i...
I am very new to a pressure cooker and tried a green curry chicken from Serious Eats tonight and it was an epic fail with soggy vegetables and curdled coconut milk. I had been looking forward to eating it with sticky rice, and even though I didn't eat much of the curry, I made the sticky rice and finished it with some sweetened coconut milk and sliced mango after it came out of the IP. Without comparing traditional steamed and this version side-by-side, I have to say the IP one is very good and I'll be making it often--so much easier without having to soak it in advance. I used a 6-quart IP and pressure cooked for 12 minutes with natural release.
Are you talking about the Thai Green Chicken Curry with Eggplant and Kabocha Squash from Serious Eats? I made that once and thought it was excellent. I wonder what we did differently?
Yes, that's the one. Not sure what happened, as I followed the instructions exactly as it was my first savoury IP dish. I looked at the comments and nobody else had this problem. Weird. Anyway, did some reading and saw that coconut milk can curdle without stirring while cooking, but the initial simmer is supposed to help with this. I probably won't try that dish again as I don't find it takes long to make on the stovetop and I can control the amount of cooking of the vegetables better. I had really wanted to make the green chile chicken but my grocery store was out of just about everything I needed. Next time!
Hi pavlova,
I've never made sticky rice at home because of the bother, so I'll give this one a try, thanks.
Kenji's chicken chili verde is delicious, and bullet-proof, too. Just remember that if you're planning to use it for tacos or burritos, do NOT add the shredded chicken back into the liquid in the pot, it'll be way too wet. Instead, add a bit of liquid to the chicken. I like to add another fresh mild chile and some lime juice at the end, just to brighten it up.
Duffy
Sorry it didn't work out for you. If you ever make it again you can decrease the cooking time. Looking at my notes (I stored the recipe in Pepperplate) I used boneless skinless thighs and cooked it for 15 minutes. Thinking back, I do recall the veggies, particularly the eggplant, being quite soft and the squash almost disintegrating. Perhaps 10 minutes with b/s thighs would be sufficient. The Asian eggplants in my garden are coming in fast and furious, so it might be time for me to make this again. I'll let you know if I do.
Hi Pavlova,
I made the Thai Green Chicken Curry with Eggplant and Kabocha Squash again last night. I used boneless/skinless thighs and cooked it for 10 minutes. The chicken was cooked just fine. A lot of the eggplant had disintegrated, especially after I stirred it. The coconut milk didn't curdle, maybe because I used reduced fat coconut milk (our Trader Joe's was having warehouse problems and that's all they had). It didn't look great, but it tasted great.
VEGETARIAN BLACK BEAN CHILI, American's Test Kitchen "MultiCooker Perfection," p. 51.
A savory and satisfying recipe with lots of flavor if you use my recommended amount of spices! The first time I made this I was a bit too shy with them.
NOTE: This recipe ALSO appears in the ATK previous book, "Pressure Cooker Perfection (p. 49) and there's only one real difference in the two recipes: the second recipe in "MultiCooker Perfection" recommends using pre-brined dried black beans. I have made both recipes, and I think that using the pre-soaked and brined beans (1 # beans soaked overnight in 4 qts. water plus 3 TBS salt, then rinsed) made a big difference in the resulting flavor and texture. (You can make a big batch of soaked beans and freeze them with no problem.)
Here's the skinny: You sauté a finely-chopped onion in 3 TBS veg. oil in the IP till soft (3 - 5 minutes) then stir in 9 cloves (yes!) minced fresh garlic, 2 TBS ground cumin, 1 -2 TBS chili powder, and one whole minced canned in adobo sauce chipotle pepper (about 1 TBS). Cook briefly until fragrant, then stir in 1 28-oz. can crushed or diced (what I had) undrained canned tomatoes and 1 cup chicken or vegetable broth (for vegan version) and 2 bay leaves, plus the drained and rinsed black beans. The recipe also includes one pound halved or quartered white mushrooms and two stemmed and seeded red bell peppers cut into pieces to be added at this time, which makes for a more hearty dish. The second time I made this I did not have these additions, which was OK too.
Cook under pressure for 40 minutes, then use quick release. Check consistency to see if a bit more broth is needed (I didn't think so) and stir in 1/2 cup chopped cilantro. Adjust seasoning. Serve with lime wedges and sour cream for a delicious accompaniment!
Hi Goblin,
This sounds like a good recipe, thanks. I've found that I'm more of a black bean soup person, and have likewise been sorely tempted by their very similar Slow Cooker Vegetarian Black Bean Soup from The Complete Slow Cooker (and also one of the Slow Cooker Revolution volumes, IIRC), which differs largely in the omission of chili powder, tomatoes and extra veggies. It also doubles the amount of chipotle in adobo (this seems excessive and I think I'll go with 1 tablespoon the first time I make it). And there's more liquid, duh.
But alas, it was 93º today so it will have to wait...
By the way, I've always, always had better results from an overnight brine with all my beans, unless I slow cook them. I wanted to love them cooked from dry in the IP, but they've never had consistent textures. Some are always under/over-cooked. Even a quick soak didn't solve the problem.
Duffy
Agree regarding the beans, the bottom layer is always softer. My new method is to undercook them a bit and then mix them and turn on low sauté until done to your liking. I put a silicon lid on top with a couple of chopsticks underneath so it vents a bit. Sometimes the stove is the way to go ;)
Thanks, Duffy, for the affirmation of my positive reaction to over-night brined beans! It's SO easy to drain them afterwards and toss them in 1-cup (or whatever you wish) portions into the freezer.
I can get beans out of my pressure cookers that are completely fine -- and often do cook them that way as an ingredient for other recipes. But they never come out as well as the "Russ Parsons method" of cooking beans in the oven. I'm linking to his article, but it doesn't describe the method as well as I'd like.
The basics: unsoaked beans go in a Dutch oven, covered with water by a half inch or inch, depending on how much water is needed. Preheat oven to 250F. Add aromatics and salt; bring the contents of the pot to a boil, and put them in the oven. I usually start checking them after an hour, add hot water from a teakettle if they're on the dry side, and give them a stir. They're typically done in 75-90 minutes.
If I'm not in a rush to make beans after work, this is typically my method of choice.
I'm curious about your pressure-cooker beans and how they differ from what others are doing (I don't want to brine, since I try to keep salt down). Are they supermarket or "fancy" (e.g. Rancho Gordo)? Are there particular varieties that you typically cook? How do you treat them in the IP?
The Russ Parsons link looks interesting too.
Thanks!
Hi medlar,
If you're not following a severe salt-restricted diet, brining might be worth trying. If the science editor at CI can be believed, brined beans only absorb 52 milligrams of sodium per 3 ounces of brined beans. It's important to rinse them well after brining, of course. His CV includes a PhD in organic chemistry from Brown. http://beaninstitute.com/cooking-with....
medlar - I'm not sure I'm doing anything anyone else isn't doing; I've cooked most kinds of beans (both varieties and sources -- I am a big fan of RG, but often use supermarket beans for recipes where they're not the focus) and have tried soaking / not soaking / more water / less water / quick release / natural release / etc. I've never had a terrible bean from the IP, but also haven't had any I'd call excellent. And the bean broth is usually pretty forgettable.
It does occur to me that I often end up cooking beans twice -- a lot of times I'll cook to a chart, and then realize when I open the cooker that they need a few more minutes. I then give them a stir and put them back under pressure for a few minutes. I think that maybe helps with the uneven cooking, though obviously at a time cost.
In any case, pressure cooked beans are perfectly serviceable as an ingredient, and a nice time savings there -- but I'll probably be sticking to the oven for my nice Rancho Gordo beans. (I, uh, might have recently joined their bean club.)
Thank you! The interim stir is interesting - and might your line about the broth be a clue? Maybe nutty, but it seems possible that with stovetop or oven more beans will break down during cooking, blending into the liquid, which evaporates more than in the IP and makes a nicer broth.
Tomorrow after I understand it better I will post a link I just looked at briefly about the coming "Max" - it is said to include a mechanism that agitates the food in short bursts; I'm guessing that might improve the beans.
My money was on evaporation. I've always meant to strain and reduce the IP broth to see if it helps any, but never get around to it.
I think the "agitation" mechanism in the Max is achieved by pulsing the release valve -- I've often seen people say not to quick release certain kinds of foods because they "boil" in a conventional sense when the pressure is released. I wonder if we can wiggle the valve with tongs and do the same?
I have a sneaking suspicion that I'm going to end up doing a big comparison of IP bean methods. Wonder what the smallest quantity I can get away with is for each batch? I've done 1/2 lb before, but not sure about 1/4 lb.
You can do short bursts manually. Hold the valve release, move it to vent, then right back to sealed. Repeat as the spirit moves you. I also do a slow controlled release for pasta by holding the release halfway open to release steam at a slow, steady rate. I'm not sure how easy either of these would be with tongs, as it takes a certain level of control, but it's worth a try.
Side note - it just occurred to me that I may have an edge in the avoiding burns competition, by virtue of being left-handed. Because it's my dominant hand, there's no awkwardness that comes from using my right hand for precision stuff. When I hold the valve for a controlled or burst release, my left hand naturally rests along the lid's plastic rim, bracing the hand so those muscles are relaxed, giving me even more fine motor control. This has the added benefit of naturally placing my fingers and hand below the level of escaping steam.
I have done 1 cup in the 3qt mini several times, and after a 10 min. NPR, gently toggle the valve with a chopstick, then wait a few seconds before opening.
Hi Goblin,
I've been wondering, if I have PC Perfection is MC Perfection different enough to make adding it to my collection worthwhile?
Not a recipe review, but Costco now has the IP Nova Plus 6Qt (https://instantpot.com/portfolio-item...) for $119.99 member-only price, and it appears to be a Costco-only model. The multiple "keep warm" functions have me tempted...
INSTANT POT GOULASH, https://www.idonthavetimeforthat.com/....
Start by sautéing ground beef, onion (instructions don't specify diced, but it seemed obvious) and garlic (also non-specific, so minced), S&P in the IP. Add tomato sauce, diced tomatoes, Italian seasoning, soy sauce, water, elbow mac, and bay leaves (I'd add salt here, too, for the pasta; we had to add a lot before eating it). Cook on high for 4 minutes, quick release. Give it a stir, add S&P to taste, top with grated parm. Simple.
TBH, I changed this up quite a bit, emboldened by the many reviewers who played fast and loose with the types of tomatoes and sauces used. Also, I've never had American Goulash before so had zero expectations. I had a cup of pizza sauce and a half pound of ground beef that needed to be used so settled on this recipe. I made half the recipe in the Mini using the pizza sauce and 1 (15-oz) can of whole tomatoes, chopped in my mini FP. I omitted the Italian seasoning (my homemade pizza sauce is spicy and well-seasoned), added enough water to cover the elbows and cooked for 5 minutes (IME, that's what it takes for al dente elbows). Word to the wise, the portion sizes are huge, and we had enough to feed 4, though the scaled recipe said it would feed 3 (the full recipe feeds 6, but I'd call it 8). After eating half of it last night we still had 5 cups left.
It was just ok, and nothing I'd bother to make again. I learned that I like my elbows softer than al dente, and it was all just sort of meh. Wondering if it would improve overnight as most tomato-based pasta does, I saved the leftovers for lunch today. Bingo. It was really good and I happily gobbled a bowl of it. I might eat the rest tomorrow if the dude doesn't beat me to it. I'm planning to make it as a make-ahead meal whenever I have leftover tomato/Bolognese/pizza sauce that needs using. It may not be company-worthy, but it's a great way to use bits of this and that and it's seriously good the next day. Well, it is if you make it with my pizza sauce, but whatever you've got in the back of the fridge should work as well.
Duffy
Edit - That photo above from the blog is the reason I wanted to make this recipe. It showed up on my Pinterest feed and I thought, "Yes, please!"
At our house we call it American chop suey and the original recipe is a long time family favorite. This dish is so embedded in our local culture that it is usually served at public church/grange suppers as an option if people don't care for the main dish. The original recipe uses far less seasoning so I was interested in your comments about flavor. I've pinned it to try although I'm doubtful family will like the IP version.
I'm not very experienced with the IP but wonder how difficult it is to drain the extra fat during the cooking process. Do I need to find those little silicone finger mitts that I have someplace? So far, I have liked the saute function but haven't needed to drain fat.
Sometimes I "drain" fat by wadding up several paper towels and swishing them around the pan with tongs - the towels absorb the fat/grease and are very easy to dispose of.
Hi dfrostnh,
For this recipe I used 88% lean and there wasn't enough fat to bother removing it. When I use meat with more fat, I grab a potholder (or those little silicone mitts) and tilt the pot, Then I soak up the excess using tongs and a wad of paper towels, as truman and Nannybakes do. I've always done the tilt method, just like I learned to do for a skillet. My guess is that swishing it around would be really effective in the IP, with it's smaller floor space.
By the way, you should absolutely go find those silicone finger mitts; they're the best thing I've found to hold the pot while stirring, and the easiest way to lift it without any risk of getting hot wet food on your oven mitts. Go ahead, do it now. We'll wait.
Thanks for the history lesson on this dish, I had no idea. Maybe it comes of growing up in SoCal? I'd never heard of "hotdish" until I read about it here or at SE. In fact, there weren't a lot of casseroles in evidence at our church potlucks. Jell-O salad bizarreness, OTOH, that we had in abundance. Also a lot of truly ugly pasta salads.
Why don't you think the fam would like it from the IP? Do you usually bake it? Frankly, I think the recipe as written would be pretty bland, and I'd never attempt it without amping up the flavor. That first night the flavor was a bit off, and more spicy-hot from the red pepper in the pizza sauce than anything else. But the leftovers were delicious, nuked with a couple of tablespoons water to loosen it up.
D
Duffy, I grew up in So Cal too, and like other terms ("pop"? What's pop? Oh, you mean a soft drink! ) "hot dish" was not a term we used. And I had never ever heard of American Chop Suey till I moved to Cape Cod. I see if with some regularity on grocery store hot-tables and church potlucks. I have to admit, it is great comfort-food, and I look forward to making it in my IP with an up in seasoning, and an overnight-rest, as you suggest.
Bland is probably an appropriate adjective to some of New England cooking. I can't find any fact behind the history of American chop suey as something cheap Chinese cooks made for Canadian railroad workers. I usually cook it up on top of the stove. Long simmer improves the flavor and, of course, leftovers are even better.
I am amazed I didn't know about the paper towel trick so thanks to everyone who testified to its merit but I will love for the little silicone mits. Right now I have to learn which way to turn the pressure release valve to avoid more burn notices.
It's also called "goulash" in some parts of the country -- not sure why this dish is so adept at appropriating unrelated dish names!
Kenji's recipe for it is great, though I find it has waaaaaaaaay too much cheese (which is not a phrase that escapes my lips often). And it doesn't actually fit in my saute pan:
https://www.seriouseats.com/2014/09/a...
Wait what? Kenji developed a recipe for this? Off to read it now!
Edit - Read the article, saved the recipe. Kenji's version looks more promising than the one i made the other night, even if it does require a little more hands-on time. Thanks, dtremit!
How funny that there's a Serious Eats version. One I raised my children on long ago in California before I really started cooking was renamed Spanish Slop by me, the "Spanish" part presumably the bottled Heinz-type chili sauce and bell pepper.
To my surprise I actually found what has to be the original recipe on the web, Spanish Noodles with Ground Beef, recently. I looked after I was laughing to my daughter, who now cooks for her children in the lower midwest, about "do you remember," and she said, "Oh, people bring hotdish to potlucks all the time." First time I ever heard the word/term also.
ORANGE-GINGER CHICKEN, https://ourbestbites.com/28172/
This is a stupid simple, but delicious, dump recipe. Combine marmelade, rice vinegar, soy sauce, honey, water, ginger and garlic and in a small bowl. Pour it over the chicken, secure the lid, cook for 6 minutes (15 frozen, which I question). Shred chicken (I sort of half-shredded it, in chunks, which worked really well), thicken sauce with cornstarch, toss the chicken in the sauce and serve.
We served it over jasmine rice, with cabbage slaw. Delicious, fast and easy, and not nearly as sweet as take-out orange chicken. I used Polaner marmalade, which out of the jar doesn't seem as sweet as Smuckers or store brands, maybe because it's loaded with zest. I chose to use the slow cooker instructions in the recipe, because I didn't want to deal with 2 quick-cooking pressure cooker recipes at the same time. In my IP Mini on Slow Cook, High, an 11oz breast was done in 1 hour. The sauce gets pretty thick using the full amount of cornstarch, next time I'll back it off by 1/3rd.
This recipe would be easy to make using the slow cooker function for 4 in the 6qt, or even 6 in the 8qt, because the chicken won't need to be stacked up and all the heat coming from below won't be a factor. 11oz was plenty for the 2 of us. The dude called the chicken and the slaw keepers.
BTW, here's the link to the slaw. The base dressing is nice and light, perfect. I added a drizzle of soy sauce to give it an Asian profile for tonight. You can read a discussion between Nagi and I in the comments. I post there as SandyToes. https://www.recipetineats.com/everyda...
Thank you for recommending this! We tried it tonight and it was delicious. I used 1 package of Costco chicken breasts ( I think about 1 1/2 pd) cut into 1" cubes. I cooked it in the instant pot 10 min at high pressure + 10 min natural release and served it over rice. This might be a little longer than necessary but this is the timing that I usually use for chicken breast. I agree that the sauce was pretty thick and next time I will use less cornstarch. I used all of the honey (1/2T) and it was sweet, but not too sweet.
Hi cascabelpepper,
I'm glad you liked them! Don't you just love a really simple dump recipe that actually tastes good? For some bizarro reason, I've gone completely off stir-fry. I used to make it at least a couple of times a month. Now I'm just not interested in cooking or eating it. Even going out for it is a hard pass. This has caused the dude no end of disappointment, since he could happily eat stir fry anything and some kind of pasta on alternate days. I'm willing to accommodate his pasta love every week or so, especially if it's a side, but stir fry? Nope, won't even go there.
This recipe helped with his Asian cravings, and I didn't mind it at all with the jasmine rice and Asian slaw. I think with a thinner sauce it would be nice with carrots, too. Because who doesn't love orange-glazed carrots? With ginger? Yes, please!
Duffy
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"In my IP Mini on Slow Cook, High, an 11oz breast was done in 1 hour."
This recipe is going on the list and I really appreciate that you give your hints as to portions and times for using the Mini-IP. I'm cooking for 1 -2 people and am much more apt to try recipes sized for this amount of eaters!
Hi goblin,
Thank you, you're very kind. I knew I wasn't the only 'Hound who cooks for 1-2 people. I'd love to hear how you've altered techniques and times to get the results you want. I've been cooking for 2 for over 20 years, but it's only in the last year that I feel I've gotten a firm grip on how to make recipes work for me and the way I want to cook now (read: not standing on my feet for 45-60 minutes at a stretch). Learning the hard way that the IP does a much better job slow cooking relatively thin cuts of meat that can fit on it's floor, like 1-2 chicken breasts, has really helped. ATK's Complete Slow Cooker (https://smile.amazon.com/Complete-Slo...) is the first book I've found that gives accurate times for things like boneless breasts and pork tenderloin, which most recipe authors still treat like a tiny chuck roast, recommending cook times of 3-5 hours or more. This was literally a game changer, because now I can get truly moist chicken that isn't overcooked from my slow cooker. I used to scoff at the idea of quick chicken sautés in the IP or slow cooker, but most of them still require almost 45 minutes all in, with prep work. If I can reduce that to 5-10 minutes at the front, another 5 at the back end and still end up with properly cooked chicken, sign me up!
That pressure cooked sautéed chicken breast recipe I made a couple of weeks ago was really good, too. Much better than others I've done in the IP under pressure. Not quite as succulent as the slow cooker meat, but a little fiddling should get it there. It's really handy when we're in a hurry. I like being able to sear the meat in the pot with either cooking method.
My cooking is a work in progress. Just this morning I came across a sheet pan dinner that I know will appeal to both of us, chicken Milanese with roasted potatoes and green beans (https://cafedelites.com/sheet-pan-lem...). It sounds really good, but I don't want to wait for winter make it. So I've spent my free time today searching the web for roasting times for sheet pan suppers in a Breville oven. If they're out there, someone is going to a lot of trouble hide them. I figure I'll try it at 375º and monitor the chicken closely, It's all about the trial and error, isn't it?
Duffy
Duffy, I have found that my Breville oven works well to turn it 50 degrees below that stated in the recipe. So for 400 it would be 350. Seems to work for me.
Great post, Duffy, with interesting information AND encouragement about 1-2 person cooking in the IP. And I had to order the new cook book, ATK's Complete Slow-Cooker DESPITE the fact that I own the previous incarnations called ATK's Slow Cooker Revolution, because the reviews say there is not a whole lot of recipe repetition and I really like updated techniques. And I'm a total soft-touch about new cookbooks anyway.
And I am also a devotée of making sheet pan suppers for 1-2 persons because they are so easy to reduce from more servings! I just use my quarter-sheet pan and pop it into my DeLonghi countertop oven and voilá, a complete meal! I appreciated that recipe for chicken Milanese you cited from cafedelites, too. I love that my countertop oven has a convection function and that it heats up so quickly—but I also need to keep a close watch on it because I find that the temperature-setting is a bit unreliable. "Trial and error,"
Quarter-sheet's a little too big for my counter top oven. But I recently got a couple of eighth-sheet pans which are handy for all sort of things around the kitchen.
The Breville (the newest is even larger) easily holds quarter sheets, with lots of room for circulation. My 10 Staub 10" CI skillet fits, too. But you're right about how handy 1/8th-sheets are. Mom gave me a really thick one from Pampered chef that I use all the time, especially for broiling. I'm thinking about adding a few more inexpensive ones for general kitchen use.
Good morning Goblin,
I'm weak, too. I already owned Vol 2 of SCR before I bought the new book. Yesterday I scored a like new copy of Vol 1 for cheap. Did I *really* need it? Likely not, but it had some recipes I wanted that aren't in the others, nor online. So, yeah, I did that.
Mine holds quarter sheets, too. So handy. And my 10" Staub skillet fits, that's nice.
Duffy, this is a sheet pan dinner that we love and is easy to decrease/increase. It's one of the few that distant relatives took my advice and made. They really enjoyed it, too! I use BLSL thighs for ease and put them on the pan halfway through roasting the veggies to avoid overcooking, using any veg combo you like. My mom used BLSL breasts, of moderate size, with great results putting them in halfway through. I marinate overnight or for the day, but not sure how impactful it is.
https://food52.com/recipes/69720-one-...
NomNomPaleo's INSTANT POT (PRESSURE COOKER) CARNITAS
https://nomnompaleo.com/2017/04/18/20...
I used to make crockpot carnitas with literally no flavoring (pork butt, crock pot, go) and they were fine, so I was skeptical about doctoring the pork up like this recipe instructs. Mistake! The flavor is great.
I also took her advice to reheat the pork by sizzling it in a cast iron pan until there were crispy bits. Totally worth the effort!
Mini IP owners, take note:
Laura Pazzaglia has updated her timing charts to include the Mini. Yay!
https://www.hippressurecooking.com/pr...
EDIT - I also noticed while browsing the charts that she has links from the listed ingredients to recipes. Nice touch.
D
smitten kitchen blog's KOREAN BRAISED SHORT RIBS
https://smittenkitchen.com/2018/02/ko...
my CSA gives me quite thick flanken-cut short ribs. i once tried to grill them, which didn't go well - very tough. so i tried this instead.
this is the first recipe for the Instant-Pot that I've made that required me to quick-release after a certain interval, add more ingredients, then seal and bring to pressure again.
it was ultimately worth it. making a braise in this heat would've been impossible without a pressure cooker. i liked the flavored paste quite a bit, even though I didn't have enough garlic. it needed quite a lot of salt, too.
and WOW was the liquid fatty! i poured off so much fat after separating it. some people boil the ribs first to remove some of the fat - i skipped this step, but i can totally see why it would be a good idea.
Hi migmigmig,
I've had the same experience with short ribs, the fat was impossible to ladle off, and made dinner far too greasy to eat. Thank goodness I bought them on sale! Thanks for the boiling tip. I'll definitely do this next time.
Duffy
Boneless short ribs were on sale so I made this tonight. I find them too rich and fatty most of the time, so I trimmed them, soaked them and boiled for 5 minutes. Other changes were to replace the mirin with sake, as I knew the pear would make it sweet enough. I added salt, extra garlic and ginger, along with 1/4-1/3 cup kochujang. I didn't add the carrots etc so just cooked for 35 minutes. The results were fantastic! I skimmed off maybe 6 tablespoons of fat and the meat had a nice texture--tender, but not mushy. I just had a taste tonight but can hardly wait to have this tomorrow.
Thanks, pavlova, that's helpful info.
Thanks for that from here, too. I also found the recipe missing sufficient salt - by a lot.
I pulled out the reserved sauce from mine made a few days ago. i had poured off as much of the grease as I could, then refrigerated, and had to skim an inch-thick layer of solidified fat off again! Wow.
My batch was also made with bone-in short ribs, which always produce a fattier and more collagen-y liquid.
I scraped maybe another tablespoon off the top this morning. Was also pleasantly surprised at how thick the sauce was. Going to pick up a few more packs of boneless short ribs for the freezer.
That missing salt is a surprise, because normally the soy sauce would carry enough to flavor it. I've noted the recipe.
Boneless beef short ribs at my local supermarket are cooked like steak after a few hours marinating. They aren't fatty at all. It seems meat cuts vary but are can be called the same thing. This supermarket also sells flanken cut which do look fatty.
At last, success! STUFFED PEPPER CASSEROLE
https://www.pressurecookingtoday.com/...
I'm still a newbie and this time was more careful about the pressure release control. I'm using the 6 quart ultra 10-in-1 chosen because I thought I needed all those options and I had a 40% off coupon from Kohl's which only had a couple of choices of pots.
My family likes "exploded pepper casserole" and I wanted to try the Instant Pot version. This came out perfect with good flavor and I finally understand why people like to cook with an Instant Pot in summer to keep the kitchen cool. I love the saute function and then adding rest of ingredients and changing pot to high pressure cook. The control panel still mystifies me but I got it right after a couple of tries. This meal could have been served out of the pot without the cheese but I cooked in the morning and put it in the refrigerator to serve later since the family was coming for dinner and I was short on time.
I was able to use frozen peppers from last year's garden. They were already sliced but I cut into pieces. Otherwise, I followed the recipe exactly. I thought there might be too little rice to meat ratio but the result was fine even if a bit on the meaty side.
I'm reasonably intelligent but I think the control panel has a learning curve and I warn new users that recipes rarely include the time it takes to build pressure. It sounds great, only 4 minutes at high pressure and 10 minutes Natural Release (another technique that needs to be understood) but you really need more time for the gadget to build pressure. Also, I might not understand the saute timing yet. Mine seems to have an automatic default to 6 minutes. I had to give it another 6 minutes to get the ground beef cooked well enough. I had time left but I just added the rest of the ingredients and re-read the instructions about which way to twist that little valve to do high pressure function.
Congratulations! I'm glad you worked it out.
I think I can explain the sauté time problem. Out of the box, Sauté should default to 30 minutes. But your IP also has a memory, and when you change the time on one of the settings, it will bring up that time as the new default the next time you select it. I don't ever change the Sauté setting, I use it as long as I need it, then hit Cancel.
One nice benefit to this feature is that if there's a certain recipe you make frequently, say steel cut oats... you can set the Porridge timer to your preferred cook time and it will default to that time until you change it.
I normally use the Manual (Pressure Cook) button for literally everything I make under pressure (and adjust time and pressure as needed), but when I found myself using Cooking with Karli's recipe for Sautéed Chicken Breasts all the time, I set my Mini's Chicken timer to 5 minutes. It's the only thing I cook with that button, so there's never a need to adjust it.
Duffy
BARBECUE PORK SHOULDER from "How to Instant Pot" (pg 43) by Daniel Shumski
To summarize: take a bone-in pork shoulder (ours was 4lbs), briefly brown all sides on Saute mode, then add 1/2 C water and 3/4 C bbq sauce. Cook 25 min on High, natural pressure release. Thinly slice or shred.
The verdict: well, this wasn't exactly pulled pork like what I'm used to. The meat was tender, and DH (the chef du jour) did a great job shredding it. But the flavor was a bit lacking. I prefer Laurel Randolph's recipe (recipe here: https://welcomeheart.com/journal/2018... and my review on part 2 of this thread: https://www.chowhound.com/post/cookin...) so perhaps next time: Laurel's recipe, Daniel's cooking instructions.
Thank you for posting your experience with these recipes. I made this recipe and thought it was cooked perfectly - 40 minutes high pressure, 10 minutes natural release then quick release. Very tender. Easily shredded.
https://thesaltymarshmallow.com/insta...
PULLED PORK
Salty Marshmallow.
I had to saute chunks in three batches. I over bought some locally made rubs so I used one that was based on maple sugar rather than following the recipe. Then, since I also overbought maple balsamic vinegar, I used that instead of apple cider vinegar. Flavor was on the sweet side. My husband said he liked the flavor of my old recipe better. The biggest different was I didn't add the second cup of barbecue sauce (Sweet Baby Ray). Just put it on the table for people to use if they wanted. Cooking down the sauce in Truman's linked recipe would have been a good idea. I like to put the shredded pork and liquid in the fridge over night because I think the meat absorbs more moisture but at that point the sauce was very watery.
I think I will try the other recipes but use this one's cooking directions.
BUT question !!!: If I don't cut the boneless shoulder roast into chunks, will it take more time to cook?
I am not the expert on cooking times (Duffy, I'll let you chime in here!) but I find the tendency to overcook is much greater with smaller pieces... almost like some of these cookbook/recipe authors are adapting "big hunk o' meat" recipes to include a quick sear in the IP, and therefore recommend cutting into chunks to fit, but not decreasing the cook time accordingly. And as we've previously discussed on the Part 2 thread, recommended cooking times vary widely for the same cut of meat and liquid volume!
"If I don't cut the boneless shoulder roast into chunks, will it take more time to cook?"
The short answer is yes. This will always be true because, just like stovetop or oven braising or roasting, cooking time is dictated by the distance the heat needs to travel to reach the center of the meat. I'll post the TL/DR version of how I choose the chunk size and my timing tomorrow afternoon. I just got home from a late travel hockey game and have to take Jedi to practice at 8:30am tomorrow. I'm off to bed!
As promised, here's the excruciatingly long and equally boring breakdown of how I treat big-ass pieces of meat. Well, not necessarily big, I handle 1 pound the same as I do 3-4 pounds.
Because I'm after speed when pressure cooking, I don't cook the whole piece of meat. Instead, I cut it into chunks ranging from 2" (pulled) to 1" (carnitas) and ½" (stew/soup, tacos). For pot roast, I slice the meat into 1" slabs, then arrange them in the pot so they're not stacked right on top of each other. The goal is to avoid the equivalent of thick slices, which would happen if they were sitting one atop the other. I slice it like I'm slicing a roll of refrigerated cookie dough. I'm sure there's a technical term for "down from the top, cuts parallel to the short side" but I have no idea what it is.
My general timing rule for pork butt and chuck roast is 25 minutes for stew pieces, 30 minutes for 1" pieces/slices, 40 minutes for 1.5"-2" pieces and 50 minutes minimum for a whole roast, possibly more depending on thickness. Natural release is a given.
I've only cooked the whole piece of meat once, so don't take that time too seriously. My notes on that recipe are "For 1st time I used a 2lb roast that was 2¼ inches thick. Cooked 45 minutes and could have gone a little more." The recipe, from ATK, called for 90 minutes for a 3-4 pound roast! Why can't their pressure cooker timing be as accurate as their slow cooker timing?
I'll increase the time by 5 minutes if cooking in the 3qt Mini, because it comes to pressure faster. My last pot roast was cooked in it for my usual 30 minutes, and a few slabs weren't as tender as the others, so it makes sense to add a little time. The nice thing about pork butt and beef chuck is that they're pretty forgiving. If you've had good luck at 50 minutes for 2" pieces of meat, keep doing that. Just know that you can shave a few minutes off if you're in a bit of a hurry and it'll still be fine. You can also push the release, letting pressure come down naturally for 10 minutes, then releasing remaining pressure.
I used to follow Kenji's advice and sear both sides of the whole piece of meat, then cut or slice it into smaller pieces. I got the benefit of searing without the tedium of browning multiple batches. Like I said, I'm all about the speed. But recently I noticed that some of ATK's slow cooker recipes suggest browning the first batch of meat, then tossing the rest into the slow cooker. I've since tried it with pressure cooking and like it, because I can trim and cut up the meat all at once.
Give yourself a cookie if you read the whole thing! I'm about to hit the road again for another hockey game. This boys are lucky we love them, or their cheering section would be really small.
Duffy
TURKEY BREAST AND GRAVY
I saw turkey breasts on sale this weekend for $.99/lb, so decided this was a good time to try it in my pressure cooker. But by the time I got to the store, there were only 4 left, the smallest being 7.25 pounds. Since it wouldn't fit in my IP, I decided to slow cook it (it barely fit in my 6qt HB oval slow cooker). It came out very nice, tender, moist, and not at all overcooked or dry. Since it was 90º today, I was doubly happy. I got some really nice turkey on the cheap, and my house stayed cool. Here's my report: https://www.chowhound.com/post/crock-...
I'm almost glad I don't want to spend hours in the kitchen anymore, it's got me discovering just how good some of today's slow cooker recipes can be. I think we need a new Cooking From thread for them, the old one is closed.
Hey Potheads!
Melissa Clark has a new cookbook coming in October! It's available for pre-order now. https://www.amazon.com/Comfort-Instan...
I need your help! Hockey season has begun and Logan is now skating for the Tampa Bay Jr. Lightning travel team (yay, Logan!). This means games every other weekend, usually 2 games each day, both morning and evening, with 1-hr drives to the various arenas around town. Naturally the evening games are scheduled at dinnertime. Last night he played an hour away at 7;45. Tonight his game is at 7pm, 45 minutes away. The dude suggested I make chili in the afternoon and it was perfect. He picked up some corn muffins at Sam's when he went to gas up the car, and we ate right before we left, with basically zero cleanup. No stress, no rush!. We'll have the same thing tonight, again right before hitting the road.
Because we don't like to eat dinner in late afternoon, weekend meals just got harder. I'm in need of recipes that can be cooked earlier in the day and held to be eaten right before we leave or after we return from the game. I've got a few soups in my back pocket (split pea, Senate bean, broccoli, chicken tortilla), but can use more of your favorites along with other meals that fit this description.
The only thing I don't want is food made with curry, and anything (like tacos) that has a lot of other components. Soup is all I can think of, and I'm hoping you've got some other ideas. From the bottom of our tummies, Thanks!
Duffy
Pasta al dente with marinara/ bolognese/ veggie sauce. Green salad.
Place pasta in bowls, top with sauce, micro bowls at time of service.
Pulled pork on rolls, cole slaw.
Chicken Chile verde on rice, micro bowls ...tomato salad on side.
Meatloaf plated with veg, barley/Farro...micro when desired.
I’ll keep thinking :)
Sausage and peppers on rolls of choice...easy to reheat.
Redbeans and rice.
Thanks Nannybakes,
Those are good ideas. Reheating in the microwave something we do a lot, but it works well for pasta, and I always make extra sauces. I could cook the pasta earlier in the day and reheat it before heading out. Good one! Pulled pork is usually something I save for times we're feeding the grandkids (I'm ambivalent about it), but other hot meat on a bun will work equally well. I can make a quick salsa during the day and serve chili verde or colorado with tortillas or (even faster) chips. Kenji's chicken chili verde holds well on Keep Warm. You've got me heading in the right direction!
Late last night we got text notification that today's game was time-shifted to tonight, so we're scrapping the planned white pizza with balsamic tomato salad and going with ham and cheese sandwiches. We'll add some lettuce leaves and sliced tomato and call it a veg. Look at me, being all flexible. Go, me!
I’ve been making a “small” version of pulled pork using country style ribs from Aldi. They are much leaner than Costco country ribs and the last package from Aldi was 1.38lbs. I did it slightly Asian style with Hoisin sauce, ginger, garlic , sesame oil in the mini. I served it with Tortillaland tortillas and Asian flavored slaw, but like it equally well over rice.
Sounds delicious! When I want a small batch of pork, I usually grab a pork blade steak. It's about 1.25 pounds on average. I always wait until pork butt goes in sale for $1.50/lb or less, because Winn-Dixie charges the same for blade steak as butt.
I've been known to use a pork tenderloin, cut into chunks and shredded. I've done both of them as carnitas and pulled with BBQ sauce. I've got a Hoisin pork tenderloin (not for pulling) on deck for next week. Overcooking is the big danger with tenderloin, but it does well in a slow cooker on low for 2-3 hours.
Thanks, I’ll keep my eye out for a blade steak. Re: tenderloin, I do a less complicated version of TOG Balsamic pork tenderloin. IP at low pressure 0 minutes, NPR four minutes, have gotten consistenly good results with that timing.
Hi Nannybakes,
We both love work tenderloin, because it works well with all kinds of simple and easy sauces, and any cuisine. But I've never even considered pork tenderloin in the IP, because it's so lean. Now I want to try it, and I've got to make it twice this week, because *someone* got lazy and didn't repackage a pair before freezing. I was going to slow cook one for a roast and punish him by making him grill the other as kebabs. It'll either be 90º outside or raining. Either way, he won't be happy, but he'll do it. Maybe I'll cook them both in the IP and let him off the hook.
Will you share your recipe? TOG's looks like a PITA to make. Less complicated usually means less specific to the stated ingredients, and more easily adapted to different flavor profiles, just what I need this week.
Maybe it's her photography, but her tenderloin looks close to med-well. I'm not surprised you prefer 4 minutes NPR.
Duffy
Sure..1/2 or up to one onion diced,in saute mode ....but I start it in a cold IP with 1 to 2 T. Oil. While the onion is getting translucent in Ip, ( add chopped clove garlic after onion is started) .......in another skillet, sauté trimmed and seasoned tenderloin, cut in half, my usual is s/p and herbs de Provence . Sauté lightly in non stick skillet,in the meanwhile, peel apple(s) and dice. When meat is browned, add to IP along with 2/3 Tablespoons liquid ....I use sherry for this one. Place apples around pork, switch to low pressure and cook from zero to one minute depending on size of tenderloin . NPR for 4 minutes, then vent. Remove pork, rest a minute, thermapen to 145*....this will be pink inside, tender and juicy. To the IP , I add several “squirts” of TJ Balsamic glaze and then blitz all with the immersion blender until smooth, adjust seasoning....a tablespoon of butter would not be amiss. This makes a lot of gravy, I think one apple is sufficient. We usually make sandwiches with one half sans gravy.
(I’ve not had the onions get over browned or stick to bottom as long as pork is browned quickly.)
I’m working on a version with tomatoes and a different flavor profile.
Hi Duffy! A Hockey-Mom! I just read your "bio" information on Chowhound and you're from Florida! In my provincialism I thought you must be from New England because I know so many Hockey-Moms here here on the Cape, but obviously I was wrong.
Are you interested in IP Slow Cooker recipes because they can be started earlier and then served later in the day, or IP Pressure cooker recipes that can cook relatively quickly and then reheated? Or both?
Hi Goblin,
Tampa is a bona fide hockey town, no lie. There are 12 sheets of NHL or Olympic ice in 5 venues here. The closest and newest, where Jedi plays, has 4 of them. That's a lot of ice. Poor Orlando, with 80% of Tampa's population, only has 3 NHL rinks and most residents don't even know they're there. Every year the Tampa Bay Lightning give away thousands of sticks and pucks to elementary school kids. They provide Lightning logo jerseys to rec-level ice hockey leagues, sponsor the high school hockey league and hold free street, ball and roller hockey clinics all year long. Jedi was in the NHL Learn To Play program. For $80 per child, former Lightning players spend 8 weeks teaching kids 4-8 to play ice hockey and the Lightning outfits them head to toe in spanking new Lightning Made-branded equipment. He's outgrown all but his helmet and gloves, but what a bargain! It costs about $1000 to buy gear and hockey lessons for a child. The natural result of all this largesse is that almost every kid in town is mad for hockey. Excite the kids and their parents will follow. That's how you turn a resort city into a hockey town.
Back on topic, I'd prefer one-pot slow meals, but fast is fine, as long as it'll hold until we're ready to eat. I hate the last-minute frenzy, when everything needs my attention Right Now. Slow cooking takes the entree out of that game, because it will happily wait while I finish other things and then go right onto a plate. But on game nights I don't even want to sauté a veg or cook pasta. Something that we can literally just eat and run is what I'm after, with no worries about it needing another 5-10 minutes, or facing dishes to clean when I get home. I know we could eat earlier and it would all be fine, but that's not us. We may be senior citizens, but we don't like early bird specials.
Duffy
Thanks so much, Duffy, for dispelling my ignorance about hockey-loving towns in Florida. What an inspiring story! How lucky the kids and parents are to benefit from the Tampa Bay Lightning's generosity of spirit and equipment. I can see why you need some slow-cooker meals at the ready for your hungry hockey player and family.
I've been cruising around my many Slow-Cooker cookbooks for meals that would satisfy your needs and not require a whole lot of last-minute attention. Do you have access to the America's Test Kitchen Slow-Cooker Revolution, vol. Two? These recipes are admirably streamlined for ease of prep, but still very flavorful. I have had good luck with the following "comfort-food" type recipes:
Easiest-Ever Beef and Potato Stew, p. 75
Chicken Pomodoro, (a family favorite), p. 91
Chicken Mole, p. 107 (surprisingly complex-tasting sauce yet simple list of ingredients), p. 107
Street Fair Sausages with Peppers and Onions, p. 136
Beef Ragu with Warm Spices (not that spicy), p. 192
(If you want any of these summarized, just let me know.)
The only problem with these recipes is that they are not technically one-pot meals. I would add a quick green salad with some fresh sliced veggies, or a quick prep. of a fresh veggie like green beans, etc. And I, bread lover that I am, would aways add some bread-type accompaniment to sop up the good sauces.
I also note that the new 2017 America's Test Kitchen "The Complete Slow Cooker" (which I just bought; thank you very much!) has a chapter called "Classic Comfort Foods." Some great-looking recipes in it for chicken enchiladas, chilis, pot pies, meatloaf, and various pasta-recipes. I just haven't made any so can't recommend personally.
PS: Have you read "Beartown," by Frederik Backman (of "A Man Called Ove" fame? It's about a hockey-mad town in Sweden.
Hey Goblin,
Why, yes, I do have both volumes of Slow Cooker Revolution, and The Complete Slow Cooker, too. They're only the best slow cooker cookbooks I've ever seen. Thanks for recommending some of your favorites. Just this week I started going through my copies looking for game night recipes. Beef and potato stew sounds just too good to pass up, and what do you know, it's already bookmarked! I just bought some chicken andouille sausages from Costco that will be perfect in the Street Fair Sausage recipe. I've never had a Brat or Italian sausage I liked liked (too fatty)but these chicken sausages are delicious and have opened up a whole new recipe category for me.
I'm happy enough to forgo a complete meal from time to time, because we make up for it on other days with veggie-centric meals. But Street Fair Sausages have protein, veggies and bread. Sounds like a meal to me. Looking for the Chicken Mole recipe I saw Rustic Braised Chicken with Mushrooms (p. 102). Chicken, mushrooms, tomato paste. Served with the eggs noodles they show (egg noodles reheat really well) or hunk of crusty bread, I say close enough. Easy "Baked" Potatoes (vol. 2, p. 276) is a favorite here, and if we add bacon, scallions and sour cream we're hitting all the food groups. Scallions aren't much in the way of veggies, true, but who really cares? Loaded baked potatoes are a delicious meal.
Thanks also for recommending Beartown. I hadn't heard about it, but the reviews are so good I bought a Kindle copy. And I never pay full price for Kindle books.
Best,
Duffy
RICE PILAF WITH CARROTS, PEAS AND PARSLEY
https://www.pressurecookingtoday.com/...
This is a simple, straight-forward pilaf recipe. Sweat onions, carrots and celery in butter. Toast the rice. Add chicken broth, water and salt. Cook at high pressure for 3 minutes with a 5 minute NPR. Stir in thawed peas, parsley and toasted almonds. Serve.
This was very tasty and so easy to prep. I made a half recipe in the Mini with parboiled rice (cooked for 5 minutes), and omitted the almonds. It makes a nice change from plain white rice.
If you're wondering about parboiled rice, it lies somewhere between white and brown rice in color. We like it because it has a mildly nutty taste and is lower on the glycemic index than both white and brown rice, making it a healthier option than either. There's a common misconception that parboiled, or converted rice, is instant rice. It is decidedly not, as evidenced by it's longer-than-white-rice cooking time.
I did not know that about converted rice!
~TDQ
We love the stuff. The dude has non-insulin dependent diabetes that's well controlled on low dose oral meds, but we like to be proactive, and this rice helps keep his glucose levels steady.
There have been discussions about parboiled rice here on CH, and some people still contend it's Instant, because the brand that introduced it to the US is Uncle Ben's. Not sure why, but they assume that all Uncle Ben's = Instant. Turns out it is very popular in other parts of the world, and a lot of those international brands like Goya, Iberia and some I can't pronounce are now widely available here.
BALSAMIC PORK TENDERLOIN
I made Nannybakes' adaptation (https://www.chowhound.com/post/cookin...) of the recipe from TOG (https://thisoldgal.com/pressure-cooke...).
Sweat diced onion in pressure cooker, bloom garlic. While that happens, brown pork in a skillet. Add diced apples, sherry and pork to pressure cooker pot, LOW pressure for 0-1 minutes with 4 minute NPR. Remove the pork, blend the sauce, add balsamic glaze, finish with butter and serve.
It's a simple prep that yields the most tender pork tenderloin I've ever eaten, and we love this cut. Ours came out almost med-well (I forgot to start the veg before cooking the pork, oops, so turned off the IP and let meat sit after browning), but it was still nowhere close to overdone. Fork tender and very nice. My sauce was rather dull-looking and blonde, which was completely unappealing, but I determined that it could use more balsamic glaze and a liberal hand improved the color enough to differentiate it from the pork. The flavor was better, too, but I want to find a way to make it lovely and dark like TOG's. There wasn't enough of it in the pot to allow for easy stick blending, so I'll pop it in the blender next time.
Anyway, the dude said it was really good, loved the sauce, and I'll definitely make it again. Just need to work on the sauce appearance. Suggestions?
Please forgive the photo, I'm no food artist. Also, I've translated Nannybakes' adaptation into a recipe format, if anyone wants it.
Duffy
EDIT - Interesting perspective in the photo. The rim on the plate appears to be about 3-4", it's really 1.5", and the food is centered on the plate, not shoved to back. This is what happens when I try to take a pretty picture. But I like the shine on the beans, that's nice. And it doesn't look like it was taken with a yellow filter, like the photos taken in my kitchen with my old iPhone 4.
I need to add a big THANK YOU! to Nannybakes, she was right. The IP cooks a really lovely pork tenderloin. We normally grill this cut, or sear it and toss it in the slow cooker for a couple of hours. I really hate using my oven, although I'll happily roast veggies and sometimes chicken in the Breville. I'd never have pressure cooked it if not for her showing me the way!
I want to try the technique for seared chicken breast that I reported on in July (https://www.chowhound.com/post/cookin...) on pork. I've got just the recipe to try it with, and the next time I make it, I'll let you know how it comes out.
I cut my tenderloin in half to make it fit the Mini, because if I can cook it in the Mini, I do. It takes up less room on my counter, and the smaller pot (half the size!) is easier to wash by hand or toss in the dishwasher. I'm lazy that way.
So happy it worked out well for you! Puzzled by the color of your gravy...mine was burgundy colored, and I did not use that much of TJ Balsamic glaze? My granddaughter also made it and her’s was also dark colored. As for using the immersion blender, I tip the pot a bit to gather the juices in one spot....you probably have done the same?
I made a plain Jane version yesterday, onion, garlic, a lot of fresh herbs, but this time I pushed the onion to one side after sautéing a bit and added the two pieces of pork for a very light sear...used some white wine for a little liquid as there were no apples in this one. Same timing (3qt. mini) as before, I was making this for using with a Tonnato sauce...at least half of it , anyway....the other half to be determined. It’s about as close to instant food as can be. I had less remaining liquid in this one but had no intention of making any gravy from it.
Hey Nannybakes,
What color was the sauce before adding the reduction? Mine was blonde, roughly. Basically what you'd expect from apples and onions. It took quite a lot (almost 2 tablespoons) of glaze (Alessi brand, looks very dark, like all the rest) to get any change in color.
Yes, I tipped the pot, but with so little liquid to begin with, it didn't help much. Maybe after I blitz the sauce to completely smooth it will take the color from the glaze better.
I'm hoping to score another pair of tenderloins soon, and will repeat this version with one, and give the other a Mexican twist. I think it would be bang with a cumin-chili rub, seared, then cooked with salsa verde and lime. I see it chopped up for tacos.
Two more points on tenderloin-in-sauce: first, another variant that maybe could be converted for an Instant Pot. The sauce would take a more time in any case but looks as if it produces a beautiful glaze - it's another Kenji recipe:
https://www.seriouseats.com/recipes/2...
On the other hand, when I saw that awhile back I thought it looked delicious but was in a hurry to get it going (stovetop), so I did something more in the direction of what you and Nannybakes have been discussing - onion and apple (and though I don't see it in my notes probably some allspice) - with a small jar of applesauce replacing that bit of chopping. Worked well, I thought.
I agree, it seems pork tenderloin is a versatile meat for pressure cooking. Just like the Sautéed Chicken Breast from Karli, I think most any sauce or rub combo will produce good results. Sometimes you'd want to sear it first, others will work better if the pork is slightly undercooked (no sear, 0 minutes) and finished under a broiler with a glaze.
Since it's the perfect size cut for two people, I'll be using it a lot more, for sure.
that looks like a good recipe as printed. It only takes 30 minutes pan-roasting. What would be the advantage of using an Instant Pot for this recipe? I'm a newbie. I was surprised at how much more tender pulled pork was made in an IP instead of slow cooker but that's a big time difference between the two cooking methods.
The answer lies in your question. There's seldom one best way to cook something, because different methods will hold appeal depending on what's going on the day of. When we've got a day with several hockey games, for example, I'm not likely to have time to pressure cook pork butt, so I'll toss it in the slow cooker in the morning before I leave for the first game. It's almost as good as the fast version, and that's all I require.
I don't know how well this recipe will translate to pressure cooking, not everything does, but it's worth a try. I once thought it pointless to cook pasta Alfredo in a pressure cooker, but the results were really good and I found it even easier than stovetop Alfredo, something I didn't think was possible. It needs no monitoring, freeing me to watch the garlic bread so it doesn't burn, which is always a possibility when I've got several things going at once. In the end, I only have 1 pot to clean, instead of the 2 plus a colander used for stovetop cooking, so that's another bonus.
Some recipes can really surprise you, right? I'm all for whatever works that day, as long as I'm getting about 90% of the flavor of my "best" method.
Hi Duffy, sorry I was unable to get back to you sooner, my Internet was down for ....gasp...24 hrs. In regard to the sauce color, mine was blonde as well. Perhaps TJ’s balsamic glaze is just more intense in color as I used only a few squirts and it was quite dark. I’ve been thinking plums instead of apples would be a nice change up and add a hint of sharpness to the sauce. I’d rather not deal with a blender but would consider a little extra liquid and placing the pieces of tenderloin on the trivet. I’ll have to try plums the next go around and see if the immersion blender will purée the skins. Now if we could only work in a carb for that short cooking time!
Certainly this method allows for a lot of innovative flavorings. Janet Zimmerman’s book, “Instant Pot Obsession” has a recipe for cabbage, noodles and pork tenderloin with a cook time of 4 minutes and a quick release. It achieves everything in one pot but for my cooking tastes, it’s a little over complicated ; it might also be very good.
I think your Mexican variation sounds delicious. Please post if you get to trying it.
First-time poster/medium-time lurker/3+yr IP owner - I'm a huge fan of pork tenderloin in the IP. I've made this ATK Pork Tenderloin w/Apples & Cranberries several times, including for Xmas Eve dinner, to rave reviews - https://www.surlatable.com/product/RE... I serve it with a wild/brown rice pilaf, also made in the IP (https://www.dadcooksdinner.com/pressu... - ok to skip the cranberries if it seems like too much of a good thing).
Too many of the tenderloin recipes out there cook it for far too long, IMO. Nice to see another recipe that gets it right. TY.
Thanks for sharing that. Is the pork tenderloin tender when you do it in the IP? What are your timings?
For the ATK recipe I linked to, the tenderloin was gloriously tender. Timing is as soon as PC reaches high pressure take it off the burner and let it sit for 15 minutes. If using an IP, set the timer on high pressure for 0 minutes - yes, you read that right - and then let it sit (on warm - don't turn it off) for 15 minutes. [Note: the recipe says to use low pressure and turn it off if using an electric PC but I've found it works just fine on high pressure and then letting it sit on warm.]
Hi xiabao12,
Even though my first tenderloin was a little past medium, a bit more done than we prefer, it was still incredibly tender, among the best we've ever made. I think it will be even better cooked to 140º-145º.
Duffy
The pork tenderloin is very tender and juicy provided you cook it for zero minutes with a 4 minute NPR. See upthread for more detailed information regarding the process. I’ve had consistently good results with that timing.
Welcome mikidee!
Thank Nannybakes, she's the one who recommended it. And thank you for sharing your favorite tenderloin recipe. I hope you'll post more.
Duffy
In my inbox this morning - a shiny, sparkling, brand new recipe from Amy & Jacky for (drum roll, please) Pork Tenderloin! Are these kids timely or what?
It's seared, then rubbed, and at the end, there's pork gravy. Easy peasy. You know I'll be making this as soon as I score one on sale. Maybe the next time the dude has to drive to McDill AFB I'll make him go to the commissary, they're usually about $3/lb there.
I made the corn risotto from Serious Eats tonight and it was delicious. I did not 'rinse' the rice in the chicken broth to capture all the starch as that seemed like faffing about too much. I did use a bit of extra broth and it was still quite thick, but delicious. When I went to put the leftovers away it had really solidified, but that's always the way with risotto. I know it's not meant to be reheated but one person can only eat so much and this was a huge recipe. https://www.seriouseats.com/recipes/2...
Hi pavlova,
If you see this in time, would mind editing your post to show "corn risotto" in all caps to make it stand out?
I've been really tempted by that recipe, but the dude has an aversion to corn in soups and doesn't like creamed corn at all, so I figured a risotto was really pushing it. Too bad for me, because I'll take corn any way I can get it, and this looks really tasty. Want to send me your leftovers?
Duffy
So a strange thing happened today when I tested my slow cookers (including both IPs) to see what temps they reach. But since we use this thread to report on all cooking modes in our pressure cookers, I thought I'd link back to it and get your thoughts on what the hell is going with my 6qt DUO and my Mini.
https://www.chowhound.com/post/instan...
Although the temps listed by IP are supposed to translate directly to the same settings on dedicated slow cookers, I'd always followed the recommendation of most recipes written for IPs, and switched to High (More) to get the same temp as Low in other slow cookers. Clearly, this isn't good advice, at least, not for my 6qt. The Mini seems to really, really like Low. I'd love to know what your experience has been.
Duffy
Hello! I see there's a Kindle deal today on Martha Stewarts "One Pot" Cookbook that includes a pressure cooking section. Has anyone experience cooking from this book? Worthwhile at all?
Thank you!
~TDQ
https://www.amazon.com/One-Pot-Skille...
Hip Pressure Cooking is $2.99 https://www.amazon.com/dp/B00IWUI6HY/
I cooked from the Martha Stewart book a bit when I came out. I recall that I did not have particularly good experiences, I would give this one a pass.
Thank you so much! I will pass.
~TDQ
Hi TDQ,
If you're at all interested in slow cooking, ATK's Complete Slow Cooker is also on sale today. It is really good, and the recipes lack the fussiness of so many ATK recipes. As I mentioned over on the Kindle thread, the timing is a revelation, rather on the order of the pressure cooker pork tenderloin Nannybakes turned me on to here.
https://smile.amazon.com/Complete-Slo...
Duffy
If you want an Instant Pot and can't get enough of Pioneer Woman, here you go: https://www.thekitchn.com/pioneer-wom....
Me, I'm not into florals. I'm more subtle. Apologies for the photo quality, I could not get rid of the light glare.
ASIAN CHICKEN THIGHS
https://www.fagoramerica.com/my_fagor...
This recipe from Fagor was really good! I wasn't sure how it would turn out with the odd mix of ingredients (apple cider, chili sauce, brown sugar, soy sauce, powdered spices) but it had great flavor. You mix some of the spices with flour and coat the thighs, then brown them in the PC. The rest of the spices go in the sauce, which gets poured over. Then diced carrot, celery and onion are sprinkled on top. It cooks for 8 min with QR. I served it over kasha for a pre-Yom Kippur dinner, but it would be good on rice or noodles, too.
5 MINUTE PRESSURE COOKER SALMON AND RICE PILAF
https://www.healthstartsinthekitchen....
I made this last weekend in my 6 qt. IP - it was pretty good - darned good considering how fast and flavorful it was. Add rice, dried veggie soup mix, butter, salt, and water or broth to the pot. Place trivet in pot and frozen wild-caught salmon on trivet. Sprinkle with S&P. High pressure - 5 minutes, then quick release. Done! The only change I made was I left out the pinch of saffron because I'm not enough of a fan to put out the cash for it. Served with roasted cherry tomatoes and bread. Pardon the phone-photo quality but here mine is:
Hi mikidee,
That looks and (more important) sounds like a delicious easy meal. My dude loves salmon and he'd go for this with only a lemon wedge added for serving. I'm not a huge fan, so I'll drizzle some balsamic glaze or teriyaki over mine.
One question - what brand of soup mix did you use? It's not something I keep on hand.
Duffy
Edit - I love that the author specified ¼ teaspoon sea salt (real salt). What does she think table salt is?
Hi, Duffy - I used a Knorr mix (it's what was available at my local grocery store). I'm not a big fan of the dried soup mixes, and think adding some favorite dried herbs instead of the dried soup mix would be just fine. But I I did kind of like the re-constituted pieces of dried carrot from the mix for color.
Re: "real salt" - sigh.
If you happen to have an Amish MKT. near you, they sell Dried Soup Mix in clear plastic containers. I add it to rice, Farro, etc. to make it look a little more interesting. If I add it to couscous, I reconstitute in a little water and nuke it before adding to the couscous.
Thanks, mikidee. I was thinking that with a dried supermarket mix, it would be best to use water and omit the real salt.
Another cool thing with this recipe is it's adaptability. It looks like a really good building block recipe that could be used with any thick filet and any cuisine. Top the fish with a mango or pineapple salsa, and make cilantro lime rice under it, things like that.
https://foodfornet.com/slow-cooker-po...
POCHERO
Instead of beef shanks, I use ham hocks. And pressure cook till spoon tender. It really cuts the cooking time using the IP
In case you need a second (or third) pressure cooker, the IP DUO 60 is on sale today on Amazon for $80, the same price as the Mini.
CLASSIC POLENTA, Dinner in an Instant, 6Q IP
This was a total flop. My IP stopped before reaching pressure and gave the 'burn' message. There was no mention of this in the recipe header, so I looked online and found lots of advice to stir, add more liquid etc. Anyway, I got the message 4 times, and only twice did it reach pressure and cook. What came out was bland and so not worth it, as I could have made it faster in the oven/on the stove. I don't know how long I cooked it for, and once I didn't notice it was on low pressure. Won't be making that again in the IP, but I stuck with it last night because I had a craving.
So disappointing. :( Do you think it was something about the recipe or ingredients that prevented your IP from maintaining pressure?
~TDQ
Apparently it's because the polenta settles on the bottom and gets very hot before the pot comes to pressure, triggering the burn message. Perhaps if I had started with very hot water? Also, I realized that I didn't have any more chicken broth so used water, which would have added to the blandness. I don't make polenta that often, but I will just stick to a stovetop recipe that I know will work, despite the inevitable spattering, or try it in an oven--a friend raves about making it in the oven but I've never tried it that way. Although now I wonder if putting the ingredients in another container over the steaming rack with water would work? That's how I make sticky rice.
Very interesting! What if you heat it (in the instantpot so no extra dishes) before putting it under pressure?
~TDQ
I love my PC, but oven polenta is just way too easy (and mess-free) to switch from.
This Paula Wolfert recipe works for me:
https://www.finecooking.com/recipe/ov...
You can speed it up by starting with hot liquid.
Serious Eats gives yet another approach to polenta - soak in cold water for some time before cooking. I've wondered if that would also help with the problems in the IP, since the cornmeal has absorbed some water before you start cooking. It still settles to the bottom, but maybe a long soak would be worth trying. In any case, soaking cuts cooking time and when cooking on a stovetop the cold water start seems to prevent lumps.
I found this part hilarious re oven method:
“you still have to stir the polenta from time to time to prevent lumps. It works fine, but doesn't result in much effort saved”
Stirring 2-3 times total vs stirring constantly on the stovetop doesn’t result in much effort saved? Ok then... :D
(Agree re soaking.)
Actually I totally ignored that, as I had used the oven once before and concluded that with my oven and pans, I preferred stovetop - but in fact I agree that using the oven is quite low effort. The interesting discovery for me with respect to lumps was that cold water works so well, but being able to cut cooking time by letting it just soak is nice too.
Pot in pot will definitely take care of the burn notice for you. I say go for it. Use a pretty serving bowl and it can go right to the table after cooking.
There's a recipe in Pressure Cooker Perfection (p. 134) that uses coarse polenta. (1.5 cups, with 6 cups water and 1 teaspoon salt). Cook for 10 minutes with quick release, Stir in parm and butter for about 1 minute, scraping bottom of pot, until thick and creamy.
They're pretty picky about specifying coarse ground, saying it should be about the size of couscous. I haven't tried it so can't say how reliable it is, but it sounds pretty easy.
maybe i'll play in this thread. my stovetop PC is super fun!
here is my first EVER attempt!!
chicken (noodle) soup in 20 minutes! well about plus 15 mins to shred a rocket hot chicken carcass.
Owners of Coco Morante's Essential Instant Pot cookbook, do the recipes work as written? Would you say she has a particular focus, as Laurel Randolph does with meatless meals? She's got a new, much larger book (200 recipes) coming out at the end of the month, and I'm wondering if it might be worth my money.
https://smile.amazon.com/gp/product/0...
D
What was the cooking time, and which veggies didn't work out? Sometimes it's better to cook in 2 stages, use foil packets, or just steam the veggies separately.
less than five minutes after putting veg in. i basically got it up to pressure and shut it down. i should have done a quick release on the pressure.
Hey seefoo,
Absolutely, quick release is best with veggies, but most meat doesn't respond well to it. Do you have a link to the source?
In future, if you post the recipe name (in caps to make it stand out), and the source (website, cookbook w/page number, etc...) and a link if you have one, it will really help us. We use them help each other troubleshoot problems, and to make it easier to find that dish we hard read someone raving about.
Duffy
:) Regardless, I'm now craving caldo de res. I have the wonderful IP our daughter bought me and would be in the kitchen if I had the meat, even frozen solid in the freezer. Sigh.
INSTANT POT CHICKEN ALFREDO TORTELLINI SOUP
https://www.365daysofcrockpot.com/ins...
Yum! This was really good and easy. I made half of a recipe and it was plenty for 2 of us for dinner with some left over. I used fresh tortellini (my Hannaford had it in a 10 oz package which was perfect for the half recipe). I will definitely make this one again.
BANANA BREAD STEEL CUT OATS
This is a recipe of my own design. I started off wanting to make this: https://www.365daysofcrockpot.com/ins...
but I quickly realized it was for old-fashioned oats and not steel cut. Also, there was too much cinnamon. And there were several comments about it burning on the bottom. I had already bought the 2 bananas it called for, so I went to some other recipes I knew that worked and designed my own.
1 cup steel cut oats
1 Tbsp butter
1/2 to 1 tsp Penzey's baking spice
1 Tbsp dark brown sugar
1 1/2 c water
1 c almond milk
2 bananas, sliced (divided)
1/3 c chopped walnuts
some chia seeds and hemp seeds
cinnamon sugar
Saute the oats in the butter for 4 minutes. Add the baking spice near the end. Add the brown sugar, 1 sliced banana, water and almond milk. High pressure 10 minutes, quick release. Stir in the chopped walnuts, and seeds. Divide into bowls and top with the other sliced banana and sprinkle with cinnamon sugar.
It was delicious!
INSTANT POT CAJUN SAUSAGE, POTATOES AND GREEN BEANS
https://www.365daysofcrockpot.com/ins...
This was really very good and easy. Just throw the potatoes, green beans, andouille sausage and mushrooms in the pot with some chicken broth, top with cajun seasoning, salt, pepper, and butter, and set the pressure cooker for 3 minutes. We all liked this very much. The only changes I made were to use less butter and less green beans. It looked like so many green beans when they were raw! But I should have stuck with the original amount because when they were cooked it didn't look like that many. Next time I'll put the green beans on top of the other ingredients and maybe use a little less cajun seasoning.
I can't believe I didn't report on this, I thought I did, but nope, there's nothing posted. Anyway, I tried it back in September and thought it was ok, but with was far too much cajun seasoning. I like some heat, but this was over the top for me. I recall thinking it would be improved if the potatoes were roasted and there was a thicker sauce.
BTW, here's a link to part 4 of the thread, it's been up for a few months. ;-)
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