Instant Pot Users.... Get in here

[VerbaVolant]

Just ordered a 3 qt one. Late to the party, I know, but hope to catch up. I have high expectations from the pot. I decided to get one for several reasons.
1. I spend the working days in my small residence, away from home. I do not like to use the stove much because it pumps up heat and cooking for one person is challenging for me. I expect this little thing to cook faster and "cooler" than the full size stove.
2. Being able to cook a meal in one pot, With my style, by the time you know it, the sink is full of pots and pans.
3. Looking forward to cooking tougher cuts of meat.
4. I hope this thing cooks fast because I want to spend as little time as possible in the kitchen. Now, that changes when I am home surrounded by family.
Basically, these are the main reasons I got one. OK, I admit, I wanted to try something new (due to boredom, maybe?)

 

[VerbaVolant]

Watching some of the videos on youtube is, sometimes, a painful experience for me. Like watching the fellow that cooks a ribeye steak in the pressure cooker, then wonders how tender it is. Or seeing a whole chunk of Boursin cheese going in mashed potatoes.

 

[pault]

If you decide to cook either a corned beef or beef brisket, they are tough cuts and need 75-80 mins for 4 lb chunk.
Then slice and it falls apart. great for a sandwich after the main meal. slice , nuke and it is tender again.
also 4 lb corned beef shrinks a lot and only put 1c water or broth in as there is a ton of brine in corned beef.

 

[Osborn Cox]

My wife eats 2-3 hard boiled eggs every morning for breakfast so I make a lot of them, trying many different methods,(sous vide, boil water first, start with eggs in cold water, vinegar, salt, etc, etc) looking for the best method. About 2 months ago I tried using my electric pressure cooker for the first time, never looked back. They are perfect every time and are consistently the easiest peeling eggs I have ever made. Doesn’t matter if they are fresh from the store or ones that have been in the fridge for a week or two, the shells practically fall off. I make 18-24 at a time, stacking them up works great. This use alone makes it worth the purchase for us.

 

[VerbaVolant]

Well, this thing turns out to be much more than I expected. I have been using it to cook beef, really really soft and tender.
Today I felt like having fish and I made my first seafood congee in the Plus Mini. It was exceptional.

 

[Wishoot]

Well, this thing turns out to be much more than I expected. I have been using it to cook beef, really really soft and tender.
Today I felt like having fish and I made my first seafood congee in the Plus Mini. It was exceptional.

View attachment 1011373

Do you have a recipe? I've tried cooking fish in the IP twice and both turned out a bit nasty.

 

[VerbaVolant]

Really easy to make.
For my 3qt pot:
1. 1/2 cup Jasmine rice, 1/2 tsp salt, fresh ginger (thumb size), 1 or 2 clove garlic, 3 or 4 cups water (thick or runny, up to you)
2. Set the pot on Porridge program, high pressure for 25min. Let pressure release naturally. Float valve should be down before attempting next step.
Enjoy a drink while browsing B&B.
3. When pressure down open the pot and drop the fish (I used snapper, cod the second time, and prawns if you wish). Cover with regular (glass) lid and set the pot for Saute for 10min or 15min (untill fish firm and cooked) on low.
4. Makes two large servings. Garnish with green onion. Soy sauce and sriracha sauce are a must for me.
Enjoy.
Next time I will drop some lemongrass, just because.

 

[VerbaVolant]

Reasons I like this pot:

1. One pot cooking very appealing now. No other pots used for cooking most recipes. What is left to wash is a cutting board, knife, ladle and stirring spoon.
2. The top lid gets hot, but a small area. The exterior round wall stays warm to touch. Not a heat pumping device.
3. No cooking smell. Barely noticeable when opening lid. No smell at all during pressure cooking. This means I don't have to use the hood and it stays quiet.
4. Programmable means set it and forget it.
5. Fast. Really fast.

Not sure I mentioned before, I really like this pot.

 

[Haggises]

I used the IP as a slow cooker for a couple of pork shoulders - worked really well, especially the set it and forget it overnight 8 hour cook.

The saute function needs work - I tried to reduce the liquid in the IP but saute is the only one that gets hot enough, and it has a max 30 minute setting.

 

[VerbaVolant]

Tamago Kake Gohan, first time here, served the famous Japanese breakfast for supper. It was delicious.
The rice didn't turn out well, but acceptable for the first try. Drizzle a bit of rice vinegar. Give it a light stir. Crack an egg and pour some soy sauce. Served it with nori snack, place on top of rice and folded with sticks like a sushi roll.
The rice turned a bit too sticky but will figure out why.

 

[Wishoot]

Tamago Kake Gohan, first time here, served the famous Japanese breakfast for supper. It was delicious.
The rice didn't turn out well, but acceptable for the first try. Drizzle a bit of rice vinegar. Give it a light stir. Crack an egg and pour some soy sauce. Served it with nori snack, place on top of rice and folded with sticks like a sushi roll.
The rice turned a bit too sticky but will figure out why.

Good job! Sounds delicious.

 

[KBShave]

broke mine out for the first time since last spring, made beef stew using up old pantry /fridge stock. Baby carrots I didnt get too, sprouting onions, some budding russets, expired can of tomato sauce, a guinness extra bottle from last superbowl. Came out great

 

[garyg]

Ok, I've dogged the thread a long while, last night I used up some stuff getting iffy in the crisper and a chunk of leftover grilled chicken to make some soup. Yeah, I know, 90° day, but using up stuff and without any extra heat in the house made sense

I've found out the best soup is not to measure, I make broth from veggie trimmings that are frozen, then chop up whatever fresh veggies are about .. carrot, celery, onion, garlic, scallions, shrooms and saute. Add the chicken, 4 minutes under pressure, 5 minutes to release, add noodles or rice or barley

 

[natenaaron]

Used mine as a slow cooker yesterday. Yes, I have read everything that said not to do this but I wanted to. One 4 pound pork sirloin roast Penzy's seasoning salt and Penzy's Italian blend. and put in the fridge overnight. Started it in the morning at 6:15 am with a box of chicken and set the timer for 12 hours. At 4:30 pm I was hungry so I dumped baby potatoes in and pressure cooked it for 15 minutes with natural release.

Very tender. Not as juicy as I wanted but still very tasty with jous.

 

[KBShave]

Used mine as a slow cooker yesterday. Yes, I have read everything that said not to do this but I wanted to. One 4 pound pork sirloin roast Penzy's seasoning salt and Penzy's Italian blend. and put in the fridge overnight. Started it in the morning at 6:15 am with a box of chicken and set the timer for 12 hours. At 4:30 pm I was hungry so I dumped baby potatoes in and pressure cooked it for 15 minutes with natural release.

Very tender. Not as juicy as I wanted but still very tasty with jous.

whats the reason for not being allowed to cook pork the way you did? Is the pork cut suppose to get too tough if overdone or does it breakdown in the pot?

 

[TexLaw]

whats the reason for not being allowed to cook pork the way you did? Is the pork cut suppose to get too tough if overdone or does it breakdown in the pot?

I expect he was referring to a discussion about how meat dries out when left in a slow cooker for very long times (like the 12 hours he did).

 

[natenaaron]

whats the reason for not being allowed to cook pork the way you did? Is the pork cut suppose to get too tough if overdone or does it breakdown in the pot?

Apparently the thermal mass of the crockpot sides are better at evenly cooking the ingredients and the heating element does not have to cycle on as often. The thin metal pot of the instant pot does not retain heat thus causing the heating element to fire up more often and not as evenly cooking. At tleast that is what I read on a few sites. Other sites just said it did not work well. I thought it was fine. The reason it was not as juicy as I expected really had nothing to do with the length of time. This was a particularly lean piece of pork which I did not expect of a sirloin roast. I found the Instant pot did quite well cooking wise.

 

[VerbaVolant]

The only limitation (albeit a major one, or shall I call it shortcoming?) is the fact that Maillard reaction cannot be achieved in a pressure cooker. Instant pot or not. At least not in my 3qt one. And not completely but one side only.

Apart from that, this is quite a useful gadget.

 

[natenaaron]

You can brown all sides of the meet on the saute setting. I do that with roasts.

 

[Wishoot]

Walmart has the 6qt Instant Pot for $49 yesterday.