Mount InstantPotuvius: Potato water eruption at the Guheerts'

[kitten18]

I have this stainless basket for steaming in my 6qt. It's frequently recommended in the IP group. You have to break the handles off for the 6qt but i think it fits in the 8qt with the handles just bent up.

 

RSVP Endurance Stainless Steel 3 Quart Wide Rim Mesh Basket https://www.amazon.com/dp/B007SPKR8U/ref=cm_sw_r_cp_api_HJMJzbZVVBAKD

[NoPlaceLikeHome]

I use a collapsible metal steamer basket in my IP all the time.

 

This morning I cooked a dozen extra-large eggs (just a hair more than soft boiled-- yolks light yellow and fluffy).  I put in 2 cups of water then the basket of eggs and set it to manual 7 minutes-- I let it slow release for 7 minutes then quick released. 

 

I've only had one 'volcano' with some soup-- not sure why it was perfect the other 99 times with same/similar recipe...  I had to replace the seal after that so maybe that was an issue...

 

LOVE me my Instant Pot!

I am surprised your eggs were not hard boiled with that recipe since I do 5 minutes on steam and then quick release and they are hard boiled. For soft boiled I have seen talk of 2 or 3 minutes. Heck I even saw a recipe with 2 minutes and not so quick release for hard boiled but I have not tried it yet.

[NoPlaceLikeHome]

So with the 3 cups of water were some of the eggs submerged in the water and some were not? The recipes I have seen all call for steaming by putting 1 to 1 1/2 cups of water and then the rack with the eggs on top.

Success! Two-dozen perfectly cooked hard-boiled eggs in about 20 minutes.

I did have a slight deviation from what I said: The eggs stayed at low pressure for about four minutes before I vented them. I was doing something outside and they got done before I came in. Here is what two dozen eggs look like in an 8-quart Instant Pot:



One egg had a slight crack, but it did not have any other eggs above or below it and nothing came out. You *might* be able to make it out on the left in the picture above.

I broke another egg while cooling them in a water bath. It's a bit tricky controlling that many eggs! I peeled it and sliced it to see how it was cooked:



As you can see, it is about as soft as you can get and still be qualified as "hard boiled". This is exactly how MomsintheGarden likes them, so I'll try to do them like this in the future.

Perhaps if I had only one dozen and vented them immediately I would have had soft-boiled eggs.

 

[RegGuheert]

So with the 3 cups of water were some of the eggs submerged in the water and some were not? The recipes I have seen all call for steaming by putting 1 to 1 1/2 cups of water and then the rack with the eggs on top.

No, in the 8-quart Instant Pot, 3 cups of water is below the level of the provided rack.

 

Here is a picture of our 8-quart Instant Pot with the rack and 3 cups of water:

 

 

Notice how inaccurate the scale on the side of the pot is: it reads about 2.5 cups.

[Halftime Hope]

Reg, a couple of finer points:

 

1) the markings on the side of the pot are the amount of water to add when you are cooking rice. As in, if you use the little white rice measuring cup that come with the pot, and you fill it three times, then add water in the pot up to the 3 line -- or something like that.  They are not cup measurements!  When it was explained on the FB community, it made my eyes glaze over, but it is specific to the rice feature, and for white rice only.  Brown and jasmine rice require different amounts of liquid than what works with the markings. I prefer to make rice using the tables that give ratios in parts of water to parts of the specific kind of rice I'm making.  I also prefer to cook it pot-in-pot so I can cook it, then pull out the inside pot and cook something else right away in the IP liner.  Otherwise, the rice "ties up" my IP pot, and I can't make anything else until I've cleaned it out.  Humbug!

 

2) There seems to be a slight variation in the diameters of the inside stainless steel liner pots in the 6 qt. size.  Some people are able to use certain springform pans, some are not.  That said, in the best case scenario, your inner liner for your 6 qt IP may be slightly different than mine.  Why do I care?  Well, I tried my 6 qt liner inside my 8 qt liner this morning, and if yours are exactly like mine, there is no way that you'll be able to use the smaller one inside the bigger. The rim of the smaller pot sits at the same level as the rim of the larger one; it won't drop down in far enough to allow the bigger pot to make a good seal with its silicone gasket. There is also NOT enough room around the smaller pot to allow steam to freely travel around it.  I tend to push things to their limit, and I would be comfortable if it even had an 1/8th inch clearance all the way around, but it doesn't. 

 

3) If you want to make the potatoes in a pot and then not have to transfer them, I'd suggest a SS bowl like a vintage 4 qt Sunbeam mixer bowl or a  deep stainless Tramontina bowl:  something with vertical sides.  You should be able to put that in your larger pot, steam the potatoes, pull it out and cool the potatoes, then mix and refrigerate directly in the bowl, with either a flat silicone lid or an elastic/plastic shower cap-type cover.

 

4) I tend to shop for IP accessories at thrift shops.  It's amazing what you can find that will work nicely. :-)

 

HTH!

 

 

Edited August 13, 2017 by Halftime Hope

[mathnerd]

I have this stainless basket for steaming in my 6qt. It's frequently recommended in the IP group. You have to break the handles off for the 6qt but i think it fits in the 8qt with the handles just bent up.

 

RSVP Endurance Stainless Steel 3 Quart Wide Rim Mesh Basket https://www.amazon.com/dp/B007SPKR8U/ref=cm_sw_r_cp_api_HJMJzbZVVBAKD

This one is also very good - STABIL boiling insert from IKEA. I can fit 3 into my 6 quart IP at a time:

http://www.ikea.com/us/en/catalog/products/50152345/

 

[RegGuheert]

Reg, a couple of finer points:

Awesome post, Halftime Hope!  Thanks for taking the time to explain these things to me!  :thumbup:

 

1) the markings on the side of the pot are the amount of water to add when you are cooking rice. As in, if you use the little white rice measuring cup that come with the pot, and you fill it three times, then add water in the pot up to the 3 line -- or something like that.  They are not cup measurements!  When it was explained on the FB community, it made my eyes glaze over, but it is specific to the rice feature, and for white rice only.  Brown and jasmine rice require different amounts of liquid than what works with the markings. I prefer to make rice using the tables that give ratios in parts of water to parts of the specific kind of rice I'm making.  I also prefer to cook it pot-in-pot so I can cook it, then pull out the inside pot and cook something else right away in the IP liner.  Otherwise, the rice "ties up" my IP pot, and I can't make anything else until I've cleaned it out.  Humbug!

Thanks for explaining that.  Interestingly, our IP did not come with a rice measuring cup.

 

I will note that the gradations are labeled "CUP" and "L", so even if they are intended for rice cooking, it is confusing, at best.

 

2) There seems to be a slight variation in the diameters of the inside stainless steel liner pots in the 6 qt. size.  Some people are able to use certain springform pans, some are not.  That said, in the best case scenario, your inner liner for your 6 qt IP may be slightly different than mine.  Why do I care?  Well, I tried my 6 qt liner inside my 8 qt liner this morning, and if yours are exactly like mine, there is no way that you'll be able to use the smaller one inside the bigger. The rim of the smaller pot sits at the same level as the rim of the larger one; it won't drop down in far enough to allow the bigger pot to make a good seal with its silicone gasket. There is also NOT enough room around the smaller pot to allow steam to freely travel around it.  I tend to push things to their limit, and I would be comfortable if it even had an 1/8th inch clearance all the way around, but it doesn't.

O.K.  Thanks for trying this!  I have asked several times on this board for someone to try that, but I got no reply, so I decided to give it a shot.  We'll pass that extra 6-quart liner on to our daughter for Christmas.

 

3) If you want to make the potatoes in a pot and then not have to transfer them, I'd suggest a SS bowl like a vintage 4 qt Sunbeam mixer bowl or a  deep stainless Tramontina bowl:  something with vertical sides.  You should be able to put that in your larger pot, steam the potatoes, pull it out and cool the potatoes, then mix and refrigerate directly in the bowl, with either a flat silicone lid or an elastic/plastic shower cap-type cover.

Thanks!  I'll look for those types of bowls!

 

4) I tend to shop for IP accessories at thrift shops.  It's amazing what you can find that will work nicely. :-)

Yes, we are avid thrift-store shoppers.  We'll have to keep our eyes open for items which can become IP accessories.

 

HTH!

It absolutely does!  Thanks again!

[Nicholas_mom]

My first thought is ---- You put too much water in!!!!  I use 1 cup max for pot of potatoes.  I just made stuffed cabbage with 3/4 c. water.

[Prairie~Phlox]

It was because you covered the potatoes with water. You should put them on a trivet with a cup or cup and a half of water underneath. If you fill it with water and do a pressure release, that happens. Same with soups. This is also great because it gets up to pressure much quicker. Essentially you should steam the potatoes rather than boil them.

 

This!  Too much water.

[Halftime Hope]

Awesome post, Halftime Hope!  Thanks for taking the time to explain these things to me!  :thumbup:   (Woman-'splaining?)

 

Thanks for explaining that.  Interestingly, our IP did not come with a rice measuring cup.  (My new 8qt didn't come with one either, nor did it come with the little red silicone mitts--I find those to be useful fairly often.)

 

I will note that the gradations are labeled "CUP" and "L", so even if they are intended for rice cooking, it is confusing, at best.   (Agreed.  I tested last night:  the liter markings are accurate.  The cup markings are ???)

 

O.K.  Thanks for trying this!  I have asked several times on this board for someone to try that, but I got no reply, so I decided to give it a shot.  We'll pass that extra 6-quart liner on to our daughter for Christmas.   (Sorry I missed that request, Reg. Your daughter can thank me.  ;-) )

 

 

 

[KungFuPanda]

That is a vat of potato salad! How many people are you feeding?

[Word Nerd]

I do 5-5-5 (5 minutes cook, 5 mins. NPR, 5 mins. in ice water) for eggs and they turn out great.

Edited August 15, 2017 by Word Nerd

[Melissa in Australia]

LoL

[Vida Winter]

Love this thread. We're about to buy an instant pot.

[RegGuheert]

I just placed an order with Amazon for $30 MORE than we paid for the entire 8-quart Instant Pot just for accessories.  Here's what I got:

 

- Instant Pot Stainless Steel Inner Cooking Pot - 8 Quart (Amazon Warehouse Deal)

- Instant Pot Stainless Steel Inner Cooking Pot - 6 Quart (Amazon Warehouse Deal)

- Instant Pot Tempered-Glass Lid - 10 inch -  8 Quart

- Instant Pot Silicone Cover - 8 Quart

- Instant Pot Sealing Rings - 2 Pack - 8 Quart

- Instant Pot Mini Mitts

 

I plan to insert the 6-quart pot inside the 8-quart pot on the provided rack for cooking potatoes and eggs for potato salad.  I'll adjust the water and time until it seems right for a large quantity of potatoes (4 quarts or over).

 

I don't understand why I cannot purchase a 6-quart silicone lid from Instant Pot.

I would love to report on how these things have worked out for me, but tomorrow will be three weeks from the date of order and Amazon HAS ONLY SHIPPED ONE ITEM: the Instant Pot Stainless Steel Inner Cooking Pot - 8 Quart.  The estimate for the Instant Pot Sealing Rings - 2 Pack - 8 Quart had reached deep into October, but they saw their way clear to reel it back into September as of today.  Not that I believe them.

 

eBay sellers who have fast, free shipping have been getting more and more of my business because of Amazon's crappy shipping.  I have placed (and received) orders for several items on eBay worth significantly more money than this order on Amazon in the time between when I ordered this stuff and when Amazon decided to ship (since they haven't, yet).

 

/rant

 

On a related note, I made a similar amount of potato salad in the Instant Pot again last Friday.  I poured a couple of cups of water in the bottom, but otherwise everything was the same (since I have no new accessories).  The result was bizarre:  No steam to release after it cooked.  I guess the seal may not have worked?  So I opened the pot and removed the eggs, which were cooked properly, but the potatoes were still a little hard.  So I put the lid back on (with the unit OFF) and it immediately built up pressure.  I left it one for a few minutes and the potatoes were great after that.

 

Bottom line:  I still don't have our 8-quart Instant Pot figured out for this recipe.  It's close, but it seems something went wrong with the seal last time.  I'll be making potato salad again soon, and will probably use a similar approach, perhaps with 3 cups of water.

[Lanny]

Reg: We have been buying more things on eBay and fewer things from Amazon. In particular, I do not buy from FBA (Fulfilled by Amazon) Sellers. 

 

One eBay Seller I bought from a couple of years ago, I think in TX, when I contacted them for a Tracking Number, I think they said they used a "Private" Shipper, which I think was Amazon. By the time I contacted them, the item had been delivered in FL to our Receiver/Forwarder.

 

[prairiewindmomma]

PM Ellie. She does the combined method for potato salad often.

 

I cook eggs 2-3x/week in my IP. I only use 1 c of water, and use anywhere from 12-18 eggs/pot.