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I opened my Instant Pot today!


DawnM
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Quite sure my husband is more excited about it than I am!  :laugh:

 

He is already planning to make our mashed potatoes in it for tomorrow's dinner.

 

If you don't know what an Instant Pot is, there are some threads about it, I actually learned about it on this forum.  It is an electric pressure cooker.

Edited by DawnM
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I got one too but I didn't wait to open it. I've made 2 dishes so far, pot roast with veggies and meatloaf. Getting reading to make some soup for lunch :)  It was dh's idea, I'd never heard of it but I'm very excited. I have the stuff coming to make me some coconut milk yogurt :)

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I got one too but I didn't wait to open it. I've made 2 dishes so far, pot roast with veggies and meatloaf. Getting reading to make some soup for lunch :)  It was dh's idea, I'd never heard of it but I'm very excited. I have the stuff coming to make me some coconut milk yogurt :)

 

 

 

OHHHHHH, that sounds wonderful!  Please share how.

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OHHHHHH, that sounds wonderful!  Please share how.

Which part?

 

I got the Great Food Fast cookbook and I used it for the Pot Roast and Meatloaf, both good recipes. I did add extra veggies to the pot roast as I needed it to stretch- my only complaint was that the time for the veggies was too long they were a bit overdone(although still delicious), I had to cook the meatloaf 10 min more but I'm sure a lot of the time is how you form the loaf. I really like that for both that you use the pot to make a quick sauce afterwards- both gave the dishes an extra special and yummy touch. 

\

Here is the yogurt recipe- I made coco milk yogurt ages before but I had mixed luck with it(I found it to be much more tempermental than regular yogurt so I'm anxious to see how the IP does with it)

http://www.flametofork.com/2014/12/coconut-milk-yogurt-with-strawberry.html

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Which part?

 

I got the Great Food Fast cookbook and I used it for the Pot Roast and Meatloaf, both good recipes. I did add extra veggies to the pot roast as I needed it to stretch- my only complaint was that the time for the veggies was too long they were a bit overdone(although still delicious), I had to cook the meatloaf 10 min more but I'm sure a lot of the time is how you form the loaf. I really like that for both that you use the pot to make a quick sauce afterwards- both gave the dishes an extra special and yummy touch. 

\

Here is the yogurt recipe- I made coco milk yogurt ages before but I had mixed luck with it(I found it to be much more tempermental than regular yogurt so I'm anxious to see how the IP does with it)

http://www.flametofork.com/2014/12/coconut-milk-yogurt-with-strawberry.html

 

 

The yogurt part!

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I bought one awhile ago (after reading threads here) but haven't gotten around to opening it. Maybe I should because I have a tri-tip in the fridge....

i just jumped right in and had that thing going the day it came in, the condensation catcher was a bit confusing to us(the picture was not clear as to where to put it) but all in all it was a total breeze.

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i just jumped right in and had that thing going the day it came in, the condensation catcher was a bit confusing to us(the picture was not clear as to where to put it) but all in all it was a total breeze.

 

Yeah, I feel kind of guilty for not having used it yet. I think I know where it is, but I'm not sure.

 

I've never used a slow cooker or pressure cooker before. I do braise a lot of items, but just in my cast iron dutch oven on low heat. 

 

Off to look...

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Yeah, I feel kind of guilty for not having used it yet. I think I know where it is, but I'm not sure.

 

I've never used a slow cooker or pressure cooker before. I do braise a lot of items, but just in my cast iron dutch oven on low heat. 

 

Off to look...

I've only used a stove top pressure cooker a few times, this is a million times easier, not quite as easy as the slow cooker but almost. I have Potato Bacon Chowder going now- except I used kielbasa for half of the bacon to make it a bit heartier. Ironically it will take longer to heat up than to cook- which is an annoying thing- they don't figure up the time to get to pressure and release pressure into the cooking times, which adds up quite a bit when it is 10 min to get to pressure and you need to let it release for another 10(for some recipes).

 

http://instantpot.com/potato-bacon-chowder/

I'm trying 4 min instead of 5 for cooking as my daughter sliced the chunks smaller than the pic. 

Edited by soror
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IIRC you are LC or paleo (if I"m wrong I think the recipes look good unless your vegetarian of course)-

 

http://nomnompaleo.com/post/125878339293/my-top-paleo-pressure-cookerinstant-pot-recipes

 

Thank you very much! Yes, I am LC although I've not been as strict with the holidays. But the rest of my family is not LC so non-LC recipes are great too. Thanks again!

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I made the Kalua Pork tonight from Nom Nom- amazing, served it with Papaya salsa from Bittman, and cilantro lime rice (my own thrown together imitation of Chipolte). SOOOOOO good. On my list this week is the Vietnamese Beef Stew, Mocha Rubbed Pot Roast and Braised Kale and Carrots. I cooked the cabbage 3 minutes- next time I'm only going to do it 2 minutes it was a bit overcooked for me.

 

 

http://nomnompaleo.com/post/111934821818/pressure-cooker-kalua-pig

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the recipes on my list this week are from Nom Nom Paleo. I think I may modify the meatball recipe from Hip Pressure cooker tomorrow as I have ground beef I need to use up. I was thinking I'd look to my Next Best Recipe book.

http://www.hippressurecooking.com/pressure-cooker-meat-balls-in-tomato-sauce/

LOVE the recipes!  Tell me MORE!

 

I made cabbage soup today but I think I did it wrong.  It still turned out ok, but it hissed the entire time.

Obviously not an expert but my mine will hiss a tiny bit that is it. I'm assuming you made sure the valve was turned all the way to the pressure side? I think perhaps it depends on the recipe how much it will hiss but I don't know. I find that every veggie I have made takes less time than stated.

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Our first dish!!!

 

DH made the Mexican beef from the included recipe booklet tonight. The beef was well-seasoned, but the sauce was quite watery. If you're going to make it, don't add the extra water to the sauce! I loved how tender the beef was after only 30 minutes.

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Would this be of much use to a vegetarian cook?

 

 

We made mashed potatoes in it for Christmas.  We have made a lentil dish (dal).  We have made a bean soup.  And yesterday I made cabbage soup.

 

So, we have made more vegetarian dishes than meat dishes so far!

 

Oh, and rice cooks in about 10 min.

Edited by DawnM
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Depends on what you cook of course but it is great for beans, legumes and grains and it is easy to find Veg pressure cookbooks and recipes.

 

 

I use it for beans, rice, soups, potatoes, eggs (shells peel off so magically!), sauces... I haven't made yogurt yet.

 

 

We made mashed potatoes in it for Christmas.  We have made a lentil dish (dal).  We have made a bean soup.  And yesterday I made cabbage soup.

 

So, we have made more vegetarian dishes than meat dishes so far!

 

Oh, and rice cooks in about 10 min.

 

Thanks!  It is currently out of my nonexistent budget, but my birthday is coming up in a month.  Is there one that people would suggest for a family of 6?

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Would this be of much use to a vegetarian cook?

 

 

YES!!!!!

 

We are completely plant based and I use mine multiple times a week to make beans (quickly from dry), heavy soup, and veggies/potatoes.  Just this morning I used it to make apple cinnamon steel cut oats. My husband is so happy, he encouraged me to buy a second one if I ever think I need it.

 

There are MANY recipes on YouTube and Pinterest.

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Starting the coconut yogurt now, really hoping it turns out because this could be a BIG deal for me. Waiting for it to get to a boil now, not sure that I wouldn't be better off to get it to boil in a regular pan as it would likely be faster.

 

reposting the link:

http://www.flametofork.com/2014/12/coconut-milk-yogurt-with-strawberry.html

 

How'd it go?

 

We made chicken stock yesterday. It was nice to not have to monitor the pot. It took about 4 hours, it usually takes longer than that. The stock was a bit thinner but I think that's due to a lack of evaporation.

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  • 1 month later...

Have you made this without the hot pepper sauce? I have one very picky eater. He loves Stouffer's mac n cheese though.

I put a few shakes in but not the full amount. There's no discernible heat. A pound of pasta and cheese and milk would absorb much more than that easily. :)

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  • 5 months later...

Instead of posting on the instant pot dislike thread, or starting another, I'm putting it here: made spaghetti sauce from fresh tomatoes this afternoon and love it. I put them in, with peel still on, for about 10 mins on steam but forgot to close vent. It was enough to cook them to make skins split. Waited for them to cool, peeled, chopped garlic and sautéed in pot. (Must watch garlic very carefully so it doesn't burn). Threw in tomatoes, salt, and oregano, pressure for 15 mins. Sauce watery but always is with fresh, so now on sauté with some tomato paste. And I've only dirtied one pot!! And even the ip doesn't stick things the way it happens on the stove so far. Made regular oatmeal the other day, not steel cut, and didn't have to worry about it boiling over or boiling dry. It's not faster than on the stove for regular oatmeal, but it's def cleaner! I have a major problem with following instructions and so I usually burn or boil over things like rice and oatmeal. Ip is more forgiving.

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Which part?

 

I got the Great Food Fast cookbook and I used it for the Pot Roast and Meatloaf, both good recipes. I did add extra veggies to the pot roast as I needed it to stretch- my only complaint was that the time for the veggies was too long they were a bit overdone(although still delicious), I had to cook the meatloaf 10 min more but I'm sure a lot of the time is how you form the loaf. I really like that for both that you use the pot to make a quick sauce afterwards- both gave the dishes an extra special and yummy touch.

\

Here is the yogurt recipe- I made coco milk yogurt ages before but I had mixed luck with it(I found it to be much more tempermental than regular yogurt so I'm anxious to see how the IP does with it)

http://www.flametofork.com/2014/12/coconut-milk-yogurt-with-strawberry.html

I made yogurt for the first time the other night (I did regular with local whole milk), and it came out great! I absolutely LOVE that I didn't have to worry about scorching the milk while bringing it up to 185, nor did I have to worry about it maintaining the exact temperature it needed to for the processing time. It was awesome! The only thing is, I like THICK yogurt, so I did dump it into my yogurt strainer to make a more Greek style, and I let it sit about 12 hours in there. It's amazing! It would be a great sub for sour cream or even a soft cream cheese. I've mostly been loving it with a very local friend's honey drizzled on top!

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I've had one of these for years and nothing I made came out great so I shelved it. I'm motivated to try it again now.

You need to look over some of the recent threads where people have shared recipes and put that thing into action! I balked at owning a pressure cooker for years, and didn't even buy this with the intention of using it as a pressure cooker (I got it for the rice cooker and crock pot because I wanted the stainless interior instead of Teflon or something with lead), and I use it almost daily for pressure cooking. It's just so easy!

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I think I'll try the boiled eggs. They're supposed to be easier to peel and peeling farm-fresh eggs is such a pain that I often don't bother with what could be a handy snack.

The shells nearly fall off after I do eggs - it's awesome! I just bop one end and the shells come off in huge pieces. It's not super fast because you have to wait for the pot to come to pressure then release (I only actually "cook" them 4 minutes), but I never have to worry about the water boiling over and they peel so easily it's worth it. I do a bunch, peel them right away, blot them dry and drop them in a ziploc or bowl (with lid), put salt and pepper on them and they're ready to go.

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Starting the coconut yogurt now, really hoping it turns out because this could be a BIG deal for me. Waiting for it to get to a boil now, not sure that I wouldn't be better off to get it to boil in a regular pan as it would likely be faster.

 

reposting the link:

http://www.flametofork.com/2014/12/coconut-milk-yogurt-with-strawberry.html

I love using the IP for the boiling process so I don't have to worry about scorching or anything. It takes a bit for it to get back down to 115 (I just stir it here and there to help bring the temp down), but I did it all starting around 8 at night so the yogurt was actually making while I was asleep and ready to dump in the strainer when I woke.

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Thanks! It is currently out of my nonexistent budget, but my birthday is coming up in a month. Is there one that people would suggest for a family of 6?

I have the IP Duo 7 qt I believe, and it's a good size. I know they have an 8 as well, and I know there are 6 qt also (but not sure about in the duo, and I definitely like the duo because it has the yogurt feature).

 

If you aren't interested in the yogurt feature, I think you can get an Instant Pot for less money. I just figured for that extra bit, I'd like to have maximum options, and I'm glad I chose the duo because making yogurt is awesome!

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