Help me fall in love with my Instant Pot

I put "Instant Pot" into the Home Cooking search box and got almost 1000 hits, including this one https://www.chowhound.com/post/instan... . "Pressure Cooker" gave me about 3500 discussions.

I use my Instant Pot all the time; best rice cooker there is, foolproof for braises, stews, shanks, dried beans and lentils. I particularly like it for making yogurt; I make about a gallon of strained yogurt a week, two or three gallons of milks' worth. It's a brilliant yogurt maker.

Go to Pinterest. Lots of great recipes.

It is outstanding for making rice. I like it because I can get home from the gym at 6:30 pm and have a dinner of homemade meatballs and sauce or pot roast ready in an hour. I use it at least once a week for a meal and maybe once again for rice. It is definitely worth keeping, IMO, and I only use it for pressure cooking and rice making. I don't do the slow-cook or yogurt making features. Some people will say you can do a whole chicken in it. Don't believe them unless you want flabby chicken skin. Others rave about cheesecake made in the IP. I refuse to drink that Kool-Aid. =) It is a good device but it isn't going to replace everything else in your kitchen.

For recipes I just use the internet or wing it on my own. I like Skinnytaste.com. She has some IP recipes on there.

An IP is not going to give you unique flavors. It's a cooking tool, not an ingredient!

I already had experience with pressure cookers. The IP has completely replaced those in my kitchen; it's just simpler to use.

It has also replaced most of my oven braises. I still use the stove to stews and sauces that require closer watching or finer control of the temperature. The other day I made a pork ragu in the IP, and polenta on the stove.

The IP was my first slow cooker in many years. It took a while to get a feel for its cooking temperatures. I still don't use it for the traditional all-day slower cooker recipes. In part because I don't need to do that, and I don't like the idea of leaving uncooked food in a slowly warming pot for 4 hours.

Most often I use the simmer mode to saute the onions and diced vegies. I may pressure cook them for 5 minutes to ensure they soften. I'll add the meat but don't worry too much about an even browning (the pot is too deep for that, and my kitchen isn't vented). I'll do a pressure session to tenderize the meat. And then finish with a slow-cook session till supper. That last part lets me taste and adjust flavors, concentrate the broth, and loosen time constraints.

I got a set of silicon lids for Christmas. One of those works well on the IP, as does the glass lid from last year. The regular lid is required for pressure, but overkill for a lot of other cooking.

I keep the IP on a shelf in the hall way, convenient, but out of the way.

I really like my IP and use it regularly. I mostly use it to cook soups and beans. I did a pork shoulder in it which came out great in 40 min. I don't use the IP for cooking quick meals after work. I am usually going for 30 minute meals and the IP doesn't function well in that time frame. I use it on weekends and in the evenings after dinner to make things to eat another day. What I really love about it is the convenience. You put your items in, set the timer, and then you can forget it. Like a crock pot but instead of having to wait 5-8 hours, your food will be finished in 30-60 minutes, but then it can sit in the keep warm mode for quite a long time until you are ready to deal with it. So you can start your soup, run a bunch of errands, and come back 2 hours later to a finished soup (just did that a couple days ago w Melissa clarks red lentil soup, it was delicious!). I think it is ideal for cooking w babies because it gives you a lot of flexibility in the timing (babies are always calling you away at exactly the wrong time). I'd recommend trying to get comfortable w it now before baby is born. IMO results are superior to what you get in a slow cooker, but I have never had good luck w slow cookers.

bblonde, when you start looking though the hits you will find this, but to speed things up here is a long thread that will give you access to recipes, explanations and a source of people who will help out! https://www.chowhound.com/post/cookin... - though the title says "pressure cookers" it includes many, many discussions of the IP.

Also see this instant source of "tried and true" recipes: https://www.chowhound.com/post/true-e...

Hope the IP works out for you!

Hi bblonde,

Quick soups aren't going to wow you. It does excel at bean soups (I still soak, I think the beans are more evenly cooked that way) and this split pea soup from Kenji is terrific. It breaks a cardinal rule (no quick release for food that foams), but it works. http://www.seriouseats.com/recipes/20...

Try Kenji's tomato sauce that tastes like you worked at it: http://www.seriouseats.com/recipes/20.... It is easily tweaked to taste.

Cook some hard- or soft-boiled eggs. As soon as you peel the first one your life changes. This potato salad technique is genius (use your family's favorite dressing). https://www.pressurecookingtoday.com/.... I haven't made potato salad any other way in almost 3 years.

Potatoes (we love mashed potatoes, sweet potatoes cook in record time) and long-cooking grains are quick, easy and foolproof. Once you get the liquid and timing to your preference, it'll be exactly the same, every single time. Risotto is mostly hands-free and a strong argument for pressure cookers.

Pot roast can be risky, because cooking times are all over the map, running from 45 - 90 minutes for the same size roast. I found a 2¼ inch roast was perfect in 50 minutes, fork tender but not overcooked. I started with 45 minutes but it wasn't quite tender so put it back on for another 5 minutes. You can always add time, but there's no rescuing an overcooked roast. Use your family's favorite recipe, making sure to add 1 cup liquid (broth, water, Guinness, your call). Veggies go on top of the roast, unless they're only for flavoring, then put them under the meat if you like, your choice. Reduce the pot liquor for jus or make luscious gravy. Here's a quicker technique from ATK that is foolproof: Cut the beef into 1" slices and place them haphazardly in the pot, so they're not stacked right on top of each other. Cook time is 30 minutes. Works every time. Also, less chance of mushy veggies.

Although a lot of people swear by pinterest, I prefer trusted sites. I haven't had any full fails from random blog recipes, but I've had better, more tasty, results from the sites mentioned on Chow's "cooking from electric pressure cooker" threads. Now that I'm more familiar with cooking times for various things, I've begun venturing wider (I'll adjust cooking times to ones that I know are accurate), but still have problems with some of the seasoning amounts, they're too often on the bland side. Judging seasoning levels in recipes isn't my strong suit.

Give it more time, branch out to foods that show it's strengths, and you may come to love (or at least not be indifferent to) your Instant Pot. :-)

Duffy

I find that while it might not save me a lot of time (given the time required to get up to pressure and then release), it's hands-off, which means I can do other things - prep a salad, change out of work clothes, feed the dog, hassle the kid to start homework, etc. - while it's cooking.

Here are a few of my/our favorite IP recipes (we have a 5-6qt, I can't remember which):
Mac and cheese from Dad Cooks Dinner - https://www.dadcooksdinner.com/pressu... (I don't use the mustard though)
Mongolian beef - http://www.pressurecookingtoday.com/p...
Beer and mustard pulled turkey - http://www.epicurious.com/recipes/foo... (my notes: decrease cooking time to about 40 min, and definitely let the liquid reduce before adding the last few ingredients)
From The Instant Pot Electric Pressure Cooker Cookbook by Laurel Randolph: chicken enchiladas verdes (which is on the menu for tomorrow night), penne with turkey meatballs, and many other things I'm forgetting. This is my go-to cookbook.
I make a week's worth of quick steel-cut oats at a time (3min on Porridge setting) and then just reheat servings each morning
Rice! Just cut the cooking time in half (eg 35-40 min on stovetop = 17-20 min in IP, same ratio of rice to liquid).
Beans - eg ham and bean soup

Kenji's recipes are a good place to start, particularly his risottos:

http://www.seriouseats.com/2017/03/pr...

I do find he makes some things more complicated than necessary, but that's an easy fix as you play with your IP and decide what works and what doesn't.

One of the keys is to put far, far less liquid in than you would in stovetop or oven cooking. Your ingredients will release a ton of liquid during cooking. I usually end up using the saute function to cook down some of the liquid afterwards, or I just set aside some of the liquid for future use (making soups, cooking rice or beans, etc.).

It's great for reheating! I love it for reheating frozen tamales. It was done in 20 mins. Steaming them on the stove would take about 20 mins too, but the nice thing is you can put the tamales in the pot, then let it go, while you make something else, like beans and rice. You don't have to watch anything.

I also used it to steam my pastrami for St. Patty's day. Now that takes about 45 to an hour on the stove, but the Instant Pot tenderized and steamed it in 20 mins (including time to come up to pressure and time for the pressure to release). That was a huge time saver and it worked great. Of course, it took me 4 hours to smoke the pastrami... but hey, every min counts, right?

Remember, it's a pressure cooker. So...try the following for quick meals.

Fry up some onions when you have time. Make them the colour you want. Add some mushrooms if you want, some garlic, ginger, etc. Freeze those portions.

Keep some lentils readily available. Cheap if bought in bulk, but buy from a known-rotating inventory/store. New is good. Also, have a go-to for spice masalas and spice mixtures and individual spices. Make your own BBQ rub - mine goes into a lot of things and I make a gallon of it at a time. You can leave out the salt and add when cooking.

Here's a secret inside a secret: Use your IP to make stocks, meat and veg. Water and toss-aways. Roots, leaves, leftovers, bones, cartilage, skin, etc. Strain and portion/freeze. Vacuum sealers even work for this type of thing, if you get one that can handle low-vacuum applications.

Cook Time
IP on Medium-high heat. Oil in.

Toss in some diced carrots, other quick veg. Sautée for 2/3 minutes.

Toss in spices to warm up for < 1 minute, release oils (better flavour).

Toss in some frozen veg, stir. IQF (Individually quick frozen) bags of assorted veg are fantastic these days.

Toss in some stock. Reduce heat so this melts, or submerge sealed bag under warm water to thaw a bit before opening.

Butcher up a chicken (get good at this, takes maybe 6 chickens to get to the point you can rip one down in 2 minutes), de-skin most of it, cut into manageable portion sizes.

Toss in some lentils. Mix them up. This adds texture to your meal, and some serious nutrition. Not too much now. Practice will tell you how much to add.

Make sure water level is at proper height, covering min 2 inches from bottom and not over the top. You can vary this from a relatively dry recipe where most are steamed, to a hydrated version, where it's more of a soup or stew.

Seal IP, run up to high pressure for 20 minutes. The majority of your time won't be going into the chicken, but the hard veg and lentils. Look up your times.

Have a shower, fold laundry, do your taxes, come back in 20 minutes.

Natural release or however that thing releases.

Boom, a meal for two at least, or leftovers that taste great. Experiment with combinations, know your pressure times, and go to the max for the longest ingredient. Try masalas, different veg (Okra, Chinese purple yams, Asian leafy veg), different meats, toss in some nuts (I'm into almond slivers, full cashews, peanuts into soups and stews recently), go Indian, go Asian, go American, go Canadian. Hit up odd cuts of meat WITH the bone. Buy what's on sale and challenge yourself to complete this recipe with what you get.

first CONGRATS on the new baby!!

i just got the stovetop pressure cooker. i think as a busy parent, the IP is the better choice. you get to fire and forget.

google Vietnamese Pho, or Vietnamese Pho Ga. (beef and chicken soup, respectively). both soups were ridiculously fast and the richness in that short time span was mind blowing. so was Americas Test Kitchens chicken noodle soup. profoundly good!

sure there is "pre-cooking" but that should be a familiar routine coming from the slow cooker.