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Post by elaine on Apr 26, 2016 19:19:42 GMT
So, I got back from Michigan Saturday evening and DH treated me to dinner out - the kids were in respite care. We picked them up on Sunday before dinner and had Taco Bell - awful, I know, but my eyes were killing me after our stop at Walmart for grocery shopping. All that looking around makes the muscles hurt. Last night I was back in action, however. It was an all-appliance dinner. Whole chickens were only $0.97 a pound if you bought a two-pack at Walmart, so I decided to make rotisserie chicken for dinner last night. My first trendy kitchen appliance gadget thing was a Ronco Showtime Rotisserie 15 years ago. That thing gets used at least once per month and is still going strong. It makes perfect rotisserie chicken and turkey, and I can even cook two 6 lb chickens in it at once. I think that is what ruined me in terms of thinking all kitchen appliances are going to be as awesome as that. I'm not sure what I'm going to do when it finally bites the dust, as they aren't making the big ones any more, just these fold-down versions that don't appear nearly as good, going by reviews. Anyhow, I seasoned the chickens with Penzy's Forward seasoning - yum! One side dish was the Southern Green Beans that I have made three weeks running in my Instant Pot. It is just bacon, onion, and green beans, but so darned good! The other side dish was sweet potato fries - frozen - made in the Air Fryer. So, all of dinner was made without turning on the stove or the oven! I made chicken stock out of the two carcasses in the 8qt pressure cooker after dinner and tonight we are having matzo ball soup with the homemade broth and leftover shredded chicken and also matzo Brie. So, no appliances tonight! Tomorrow I am going to make poached pears in my Instant Pot - I picked up the ingredients today. I love poached pears and they are supposedly fantastic and easy in a pressure cooker. How is everyone else doing?
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Post by gale w on Apr 26, 2016 19:26:07 GMT
I made chicken a la king last night. Easy recipe with no canned soup (my sister couldn't believe someone would make chicken a la king without canned soup. lol)
4 tbs butter 1/2 cup flour 1-3/4 cups chicken broth 1 cup milk 2 tbs minced dried onion 1 tsp salt 1 cup leftover cooked chicken (I use canned or cooked frozen diced) 1-1/4 cups frozen peas 1 small can of mushrooms (optional)
Melt butter in the ninja on high. Stir in flour until it's like a paste. Add broth and milk and whisk until smooth. It will seem lumpy at first-that's probably the butter re-hardening from the cold milk. Keep whisking and it will smooth out. Bring to a boil and simmer for a minute or two (I switch it to medium once it starts boiling). Add everything else and stir. Heat through on high (because I'm impatient). Serve over rice or biscuits.
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Post by straggler on Apr 26, 2016 20:28:19 GMT
Just looking for a way to improve spaghetti cooked in the Ninja. Seemed overdone, (I know, "don't cook it so long", duh!), but it didn't have enough sauce either...added more on each plate. But has anyone tried it and come up with any other tips to improve outcome? I really want to be able to use this recipe/cooker and love it!
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Post by elaine on Apr 27, 2016 11:54:06 GMT
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May 20, 2024 12:45:02 GMT
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Post by Deleted on Apr 27, 2016 14:00:06 GMT
I've been waiting for this weekly thread! I bought an instant pot last week while I was in MI and brought it back to Japan. Unfortunately it got dented in my suitcase, but it works just fine. I've been working all week, so I haven't really had time to play with it too much. So far I've had success with boiled eggs and cooking a whole chicken which I use for pasta Alfredo, then shredded the leftovers for tortilla soup. I also tried a chipotle chicken, black beans and rice dish from Pinterest which turned out like slop. I added extra rice and used it to make burrito filling, so it wasn't completely wasted. I also cooked dried black beans which worked out well. Canned black beans are expensive and difficult to find here. I watched a YouTube video about making yogurt, so I'll try tha a the weekend. I'm going to download the instant pot ebook and try some recipes. Thanks for the link elaine.
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Post by jenjie on Apr 27, 2016 14:13:08 GMT
I had an all appliance breakfast!
Eggs poached in IP - still working out that one, today I left the vent open accidentally
Bacon in air fryer
Toast in toaster
Hot water for hot chocolate from Keurig
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Post by gale w on Apr 27, 2016 23:59:55 GMT
another ninja recipe
cheeseburger macaroni
1 lb ground beef 1 small onion, diced 2 cloves garlic, minced 1 tsp dried oregano 1 tsp dried parsley 1 14-oz can diced tomatoes 1-3/4 cups beef broth 1-1/2 cups elbow macaroni 2 tsp dried basil 1 cup cheddar cheese, shredded
brown hamburger and drain. Add onions and cook until translucent (or use minced dried onions). Add garlic and cook for another 30 seconds or so. Add oregano, parsley, tomatoes, broth and elbow macaroni. Bring to a boil on high. Reduce heat to medium and cover. Simmer for about 14 minutes, stirring often. Stir in basil and cheese.
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Post by jenjie on Apr 28, 2016 2:12:12 GMT
Always an adventure! I got some fresh green beans and thought I would try to steam them in the PC. It was a comedy of errors because it shut off, I thought it was defective because Replugging it didn't help. Of course I tried plenty of times! The problem was with the end that plugs into the pot. LOL.
Then it was set to steam for too many minutes so I tried turning it off. It was still too steamy so the lid refused to open. I had to go somewhere and was worried about missing my dinner. It unlocked when the beans were perfect, and I had 5 minutes to eat them piping hot before racing out the door.
Just another day in the life! LOL
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Post by elaine on Apr 28, 2016 2:16:28 GMT
Always an adventure! I got some fresh green beans and thought I would try to steam them in the PC. It was a comedy of errors because it shut off, I thought it was defective because Replugging it didn't help. Of course I tried plenty of times! The problem was with the end that plugs into the pot. LOL. Then it was set to steam for too many minutes so I tried turning it off. It was still too steamy so the lid refused to open. I had to go somewhere and was worried about missing my dinner. It unlocked when the beans were perfect, and I had 5 minutes to eat them piping hot before racing out the door. Just another day in the life! LOL Yay! I'm glad that it worked out in the end. Here is my favorite green beans recipe:
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Post by jenjie on Apr 28, 2016 2:56:15 GMT
Always an adventure! I got some fresh green beans and thought I would try to steam them in the PC. It was a comedy of errors because it shut off, I thought it was defective because Replugging it didn't help. Of course I tried plenty of times! The problem was with the end that plugs into the pot. LOL. Then it was set to steam for too many minutes so I tried turning it off. It was still too steamy so the lid refused to open. I had to go somewhere and was worried about missing my dinner. It unlocked when the beans were perfect, and I had 5 minutes to eat them piping hot before racing out the door. Just another day in the life! LOL Yay! I'm glad that it worked out in the end. Here is my favorite green beans recipe: Yum!
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oh yvonne
Prolific Pea
Posts: 8,003
Jun 26, 2014 0:45:23 GMT
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Post by oh yvonne on Apr 28, 2016 16:48:07 GMT
So far this week I made yogurt in the IP. That recipe by Tidbit blog is failproof for me so far, perfect every time..
I made pasta/spaghetti sauce that just came out the best this week. I found it really helps to load it up with seasonings..like browned the beef with crushed garlic, Italian seasonings and an extra bit of basil. Pinch of red chile flakes. Then added a bag of small elbow macaroni, a jar of Prego, a jar of water and then a handful of frozen mushrooms. It is so good I don't make it on the stove top anymore. Easiest, quickest dinner ever..4 minutes to pressure cook!
We've got albondigas soup leftovers for dinner today, but I'll brine some chicken thighs tonight for dinner tomorrow. I'm thinking of making chicken mole in the IP, never have tried it before but I'm going to. The sauce is really thick though (from the carton), so I'll have to add broth I think to make it thin enough to come to pressure.
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Post by ghislaine on Apr 28, 2016 19:47:30 GMT
I made beef stew Tuesday night using the Instant Pot website recipe. I laughed about it saying fill with veggies up to the max line. I added aboutique 2 pounds of carrots because I knew that was the only thing my daughter would eat! I love being able to leave it on keep warm because I have been able to have the leftovers waiting nice and warm whenever I get hungry. I wasn't feeling very good yesterday so I just kept resetting the Keep Warm function.
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Post by jenjie on Apr 28, 2016 22:37:05 GMT
Tonight it was sweet potatoes in the PC. I just peeled and cubed. 4 minutes high pressure I could have Mashed them but just put some butter and cinnamon sugar.
I did roasted cauliflower in the air fryer. I don't know what Elaine does but I just tossed the florets with Italian dressing. They are addictive. I overcooked tonight they were a bit burned.
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Post by elaine on Apr 29, 2016 11:48:44 GMT
Tonight it was sweet potatoes in the PC. I just peeled and cubed. 4 minutes high pressure I could have Mashed them but just put some butter and cinnamon sugar. I did roasted cauliflower in the air fryer. I don't know what Elaine does but I just tossed the florets with Italian dressing. They are addictive. I overcooked tonight they were a bit burned. I toss my cauliflower with a tablespoon of oil and some dried seasoning - sometimes Italian, sometimes Mural of Flavor (Penzy's), sometimes lemon pepper. They are so good! I made bacon in the Air Fryer due to you this morning - I usually just make in the microwave for the boys before school. It was great! Perfect in 8 minutes. It worked best using the wire rack and putting the bacon on that.
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Post by jenjie on Apr 29, 2016 12:14:47 GMT
Tonight it was sweet potatoes in the PC. I just peeled and cubed. 4 minutes high pressure I could have Mashed them but just put some butter and cinnamon sugar. I did roasted cauliflower in the air fryer. I don't know what Elaine does but I just tossed the florets with Italian dressing. They are addictive. I overcooked tonight they were a bit burned. I toss my cauliflower with a tablespoon of oil and some dried seasoning - sometimes Italian, sometimes Mural of Flavor (Penzy's), sometimes lemon pepper. They are so good! I made bacon in the Air Fryer due to you this morning - I usually just make in the microwave for the boys before school. It was great! Perfect in 8 minutes. It worked best using the wire rack and putting the bacon on that. Isn't it great! Mine has an insert drip basket, any grease collects in the outer pan. Now I'm wondering if I can use it without the basket. Like if I wanted to make something batter dipped. There are recipes for it but I wondered about it dripping. I'll have to investigate.
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Post by elaine on Apr 29, 2016 14:34:49 GMT
I am making red wine braised lamb chops for dinner. It is an Alton Brown recipe, so I have yet to be able to convince myself to alter it for the pressure cooker. Maybe next time. Right now the seared lamb is marinating in the fridge.
I finally got around to making my poached pears for dessert to go with the lamb. it is a perfect dessert for the pressure cooker. They are cooling in the fridge right now. Here is the recipe I used from hi-pressure cooking.com:
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Post by jenjie on Apr 29, 2016 22:58:39 GMT
I have this bad cold and didn't sleep last night from coughing. spent all day on the couch. My friend dropped off a rotisserie chicken for dinner. What do I do? I heat up some for the kids and use some to make cream of chicken and wild rice soup. Start to finish 1 hour. This is someone who hasn't been doing much cooking beyond frozen pizza and Kraft Mac and cheese. I'll call it a win!
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Post by gale w on Apr 29, 2016 23:17:58 GMT
Feel better jenjie. Chicken soup should help.
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Post by jenjie on Apr 29, 2016 23:27:14 GMT
Feel better jenjie. Chicken soup should help. Thanks
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Post by elaine on Apr 30, 2016 1:16:24 GMT
I have this bad cold and didn't sleep last night from coughing. spent all day on the couch. My friend dropped off a rotisserie chicken for dinner. What do I do? I heat up some for the kids and use some to make cream of chicken and wild rice soup. Start to finish 1 hour. This is someone who hasn't been doing much cooking beyond frozen pizza and Kraft Mac and cheese. I'll call it a win! (((Hugs))). I hope that your chicken soup works it's magic and you feel better soon. I love soup and in the past typically bought several cans per week at the store. It is my go-to lunch and sometimes dinner for me. Since I've been religiously using my pressure cooker, I can't bring myself to buy canned soup any more. The kids even prefer what the Instant Pot cranks out. It is so fast and easy, and much tastier (and lower sodium) than canned stuff - even the expensive kind.
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Post by shescrafty on Apr 30, 2016 2:00:25 GMT
I made Elaine's green beans tonight-delicious.
I still have to get used to how long it takes the instant pot to pressurize and cook. I need to start earlier than I think.
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Post by jenjie on Apr 30, 2016 3:06:55 GMT
I made Elaine's green beans tonight-delicious. I still have to get used to how long it takes the instant pot to pressurize and cook. I need to start earlier than I think. There is an instant pot group on Facebook. It's very active. Anyway one of the tips I picked up there is if you start with hot water, it takes less time to come to pressure. I started using water from my Keurig.
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Post by jenjie on May 4, 2016 2:15:14 GMT
I made a pot roast today. I love pot roast. I don't know if I used the wrong cut of meat but it was kind of tough. I think it will be better tomorrow.
I also made mashed potatoes. No muss no fuss no mess! Best mashed potatoes I've ever made!
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Post by shescrafty on May 4, 2016 11:29:06 GMT
I saw a pot roast kit at ALDI the other day that had everything needed in ine package. I didn't buy it and last week they didn't have them I have made basmati rice twice this week in the instant pot-came out perfectly! I don't know why but we stink at making rice on the stovetop. Instant pot rice has been a Game changer, lol
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Post by jumperhop on May 4, 2016 21:12:14 GMT
I made chicken verde for dinner. I think I got the recipe here, sorry I can't give credit to who shared it. It was the first time that I haven't added water to my pressure cooker. We will see if the salsa verde had enough liquid. Chicken verde recipe link
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Post by jenjie on May 4, 2016 22:19:47 GMT
I had some cauliflower I needed to use up so I made cauliflower mash for the first time. In a steamer basket/on top of trivet for 3 minutes high pressure. I drained the pot, added in the cauliflower and mashed it with a hand masher. There was quite a bit of liquid so I put it on sauté with the lid off to evaporate some. Then added milk, butter and seasoning. I wouldn't want it all the time but it's ok.
I reheated last night's pot roast PIP method pot in pot. I did it on manual for just a minute and left it on keep warm. It was just right.
The air fryer action was a grilled cheese sandwich and I also cooked up bacon. Previously I had only done what would fit on the bottom of the pan, which wasn't much. This time I went for broke and decided to try more. It wasn't quite a half package but I layered pieces crisscross. Not like a weave, just each layer in a different direction. It worked great! Maybe 15 mins on high and I redistributed the bacon pieces with tongs a couple of times.
I love making bacon this way. I do make sure to wipe out the inside of the fryer each time so the grease doesn't build up.
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Post by gale w on May 4, 2016 23:18:55 GMT
I had some cauliflower I needed to use up so I made cauliflower mash for the first time. In a steamer basket/on top of trivet for 3 minutes high pressure. I drained the pot, added in the cauliflower and mashed it with a hand masher. There was quite a bit of liquid so I put it on sauté with the lid off to evaporate some. Then added milk, butter and seasoning. I wouldn't want it all the time but it's ok. I reheated last night's pot roast PIP method pot in pot. I did it on manual for just a minute and left it on keep warm. It was just right. The air fryer action was a grilled cheese sandwich and I also cooked up bacon. Previously I had only done what would fit on the bottom of the pan, which wasn't much. This time I went for broke and decided to try more. It wasn't quite a half package but I layered pieces crisscross. Not like a weave, just each layer in a different direction. It worked great! Maybe 15 mins on high and I redistributed the bacon pieces with tongs a couple of times. I love making bacon this way. I do make sure to wipe out the inside of the fryer each time so the grease doesn't build up. I wondered about not having stuff in a single layer in an air fryer. In an appliance group I'm in someone asked about them and everyone said to get the larger nuwave oven. I don't have room for that so I still want a smaller one. I'm going to look at Target and/or bed bath & beyond tomorrow.
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Post by jenjie on May 4, 2016 23:35:24 GMT
I haven't made enough things to say for certain but you will definitely need not just to shake it up like they suggest, but also redistribute. I made frozen fries. When I just shook the basket the ones on the inside didn't get crispy. But when I used tongs to move everything around it was fine.
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Post by elaine on May 4, 2016 23:52:03 GMT
I also use the little metal rack that came with my air fryer to let there be air between layers of bacon - one layer on the bottom of the main basket and then a layer on the rack. That helps a bit.
This week so far the instant pot has been used to make rice, and then today I used it to make a nice pot of fresh asparagus soup. I've discovered the joys of using evaporated milk instead of cream for cooking which has really been nice calorie-wise without sacrificing flavor. I had a bowl of soup for lunch and then divided the rest of it into 4 individual sized Tupperware containers for the fridge and freezer.
Tonight I made wings, but since my boys eat at least 15 a piece, I can't make them in the air fryer, but use the oven instead. So, nothing fancy schmancy.
Oh yeah, I did make salt and vinegar cauliflower in the air fryer over the weekend. You cut a head of cauliflower into small florets. Then toss it in a 1/2 cup of apple cider vinegar. Then shake the florets in a container with a lid with oat flour and salt to coat. Then mist with olive oil and roast - either on a baking sheet in your oven or in an air fryer. The boys loved it. The oat flour adds a nice touch and is gluten free for those that care about that.
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Post by Deleted on May 5, 2016 0:10:32 GMT
Why haven't I noticed this thread before? Maybe because I didn't have a pressure cooker or other similar appliance. But no more! One of my neighbors was selling a brand new Instant Pot still in the box for a steal, so I snapped it up. I made the absolute BEST potatoes tonight (I apologize if this is a repeat that someone else may have posted in earlier threads, but I'm just so happy to have gotten this and this recipe was easy and so so good) Roasted Potatoes in the Instant Pot4-5 Tbsp. Vegetable Oil 1-2 lbs (500g - 1k) Baby or Fingerling Potatoes (however many will just cover the base of your pressure cooker) 1 sprig, Rosemary 3 Garlic Cloves (outer skin on) ½ cup Stock Salt and Pepper to Taste INSTRUCTIONS In the pre-heated pressure cooker, add the vegetable oil. When it has heated through add the potatoes, garlic and rosemary. Roll the potatoes around and brown the outside of the raw potatoes on all sides (8-10 minutes). Then, with a sharp knife, make a small pierce in the middle of each potato (do not stir the potatoes, anymore). Pour in the stock. Close and lock the lid of the pressure cooker. For electric pressure cookers: Cook for 7 minutes at high pressure. For stove top pressure cookers: Turn the heat up to high and when the cooker indicates it has reached high pressure, lower to the heat to maintain it and begin counting 5 minutes pressure cooking time. When time is up, release pressure using the Natural method - move the pressure cooker to a cool burner and do not do anything, wait for the pressure to come down on it's own (about 10 minutes). If the pressure has not come down in 10 minutes, release the rest of the pressure using the Normal pressure release - push, twist or lift the button or valve to release pressure. Remove the outer skin of the garlic cloves (and serve whole or smash, to taste). Then, sprinkle everything with salt and pepper to taste and serve!
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