MorningPerson
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Posts: 2,506
Location: Central Pennsylvania
Jul 4, 2014 21:35:44 GMT
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Post by MorningPerson on Jul 29, 2016 15:21:23 GMT
Just wanted to jump in and say that I finally made our first meal using the Instant Pot a couple of nights ago. I made a whole chicken using this recipe: Fall off the bone pressure cooker chicken
It was delicious! It's been a crazy busy summer for us, but when things slow down I'm looking forward to reading these threads and participating more.
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Post by scraplette on Jul 29, 2016 15:23:17 GMT
I did more baby back ribs in the pressure cooker, finished off under the broiler. My husband called them "excellent." My husband is is mildly offended by the IP ribs They're so good they challenge his signature grille recipe. Not really, but our kids tease him. I pull out a cheesecake and all is forgiven.
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Post by scrapcat on Jul 29, 2016 15:23:42 GMT
Dinner. eta: The verdict was "omg Mom, this is delicious!" and "wow, this tastes just like Chinese takeout!" Not entirely sure that last one is a compliment, lol...but I suppose it is. -- What I love about this recipe is that the beef comes out melt-in-your-mouth tender, unlike when I would try to stir fry. Have I mentioned yet how much I love this pressure cooker?? What cut of beef did you use? DH insists I can only use flank steak. A friend lent me some pressure cooker books, and in the one I was reading the guy makes the case that you can use cheaper pieces of meat that would normally not be as tender bcz the pot holds in more moisture than in other cooking. Haven't tried it, but seems to make sense?!
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Post by elaine on Jul 29, 2016 15:23:54 GMT
Did you like it? Did you enjoy using it? Are you inspired to try other dishes in it? Inquiring minds want to know!
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MorningPerson
Pearl Clutcher
Posts: 2,506
Location: Central Pennsylvania
Jul 4, 2014 21:35:44 GMT
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Post by MorningPerson on Jul 29, 2016 15:42:07 GMT
Did you like it? Did you enjoy using it? Are you inspired to try other dishes in it? Inquiring minds want to know! I had accidentally hit "create post" before I finished typing, so I edited it to add that it was delicious! We've been super busy this summer and the IP sat in the box for 2 weeks before I had time to finally try it. I'm SO not a pro in the kitchen so I have to admit that it took me almost 2 hours of reading the manual and wandering around here and youtube before I felt comfortable enough to get started on the chicken. But dang, it turned out great and I'm looking forward to trying lots more.
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Post by crimsoncat05 on Jul 29, 2016 15:46:15 GMT
just gotta say, I've found the manual pretty much useless (which, as a Quality professional, annoys me: since it's a Canadian company, you'd think it wouldn't be so badly arranged / written) I now rely on elaine, other Pea's info, and Youtube to figure out what I want to know...
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Post by monklady123 on Jul 29, 2016 15:49:33 GMT
just gotta say, I've found the manual pretty much useless (which, as a Quality professional, annoys me: since it's a Canadian company, you'd think it wouldn't be so badly arranged / written) I now rely on elaine , other Pea's info, and Youtube to figure out what I want to know... Same here. In fact I tossed the manual after I tried a vegetable thing in there that turned out horrible -- total mush -- and then discovered that it was actually part of another recipe online that was intended to make a dip/tapande type thing. But the manual tried to pass it off as a vegetable recipe, i.e., a side dish. ugh. It was awful. Anyway, out the door that manual went. Haven't needed it at all.
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Post by Miss Ang on Jul 29, 2016 15:52:36 GMT
I didn't know what kind of chicken thing to make yesterday, so I took about 9 thawed chicken tenders and dumped them into the IP with a marinade we wanted to try. I put it on for 9 minutes high and QR. Next time, I think 8 minutes and marinade the chicken before cooking. It was still good but leaning towards dry (to me, not DH). We have dinners out tonight and tomorrow, so no cooking til Friday, unless DH wants sushi for dinner.
Still haven't found out if it's possible to make popcorn in the IP.
I have read on other forums not to QR meat because it doesn't allow the juices to absorb into the meat. I always leave my chicken to NPR for about 5-8 minutes and then QR the rest of the pressure. My chicken has always turned out juicy!
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Post by crimsoncat05 on Jul 29, 2016 16:04:43 GMT
^^^ Miss Ang, that is a good tip to know! (hopefully I'll remember it, lol!)
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Post by scrapcat on Jul 29, 2016 16:07:17 GMT
Can someone recommend a one pot meal? Not sure if this works that well in IP, it seems like you may need to do a few things in stages, which is fine.
Like if I had 2 frozen chicken breasts, rice and broccoli? Could I cook the chicken then add the rice & broccoli?
I may just try the beef & broccoli recipe from above, may be easier.
Thanks!
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imsirius
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Call it as I see it.
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Location: Floating in the black veil.
Jul 12, 2014 19:59:28 GMT
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Post by imsirius on Jul 29, 2016 16:09:44 GMT
Can someone recommend a one pot meal? Not sure if this works that well in IP, it seems like you may need to do a few things in stages, which is fine. Like if I had 2 frozen chicken breasts, rice and broccoli? Could I cook the chicken then add the rice & broccoli? I may just try the beef & broccoli recipe from above, may be easier. Thanks! Google instant pot all in one meals and you should get a ton. Or go to the Facebook instant pot community page and search their files for recipes..they have hundreds.
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oh yvonne
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Jun 26, 2014 0:45:23 GMT
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Post by oh yvonne on Jul 29, 2016 16:22:59 GMT
monklady123 - that beef and broccoli looks delicious - I'm not finding a recipe on this thread... is there one?? Here it is. Beef and Broccoli recipe
I did a couple things differently. I used her tip of browning the whole piece of meat before slicing. I'm not sure what that does -- the browning, I mean -- but I did it that way. If you slice it first and then brown, the entire piece will be browned vs. slicing it afterwards. I don't know enough about cooking to know what browning does. lol For the broccoli I decided to cook it in the pot so it would soak up the sauce. But I was afraid of broccoli mush. So I cooked the meat first, opened the pot, put the broccoli in (after I'd put the thickener in) and just set the lid back on. I hoped it might steam in there. But maybe I didn't leave it on long enough because that didn't work. So I sealed the lid and set it for 0 minutes. However it seemed to be taking too long to come to pressure and I got scared, lol. So I turned it off, took off the lid and stirred the broccoli around and set the lid back on again (but not sealed). Eventually it cooked in there and it was perfect, still with a little "bite" to it but not hard to chew. Also, sauteeing the onions and garlic in the beginning was a bit of a problem because it seems to me that the saute function is too hot. Again, I don't know enough about cooking to know why we need to do that. Maybe one of the better chefs in this thread can explain that. But my onions started to stick to the bottom so I just stopped and added everything else. I think next time I won't even bother trying to saute, I'll just dump everything in. The easier the better, in my opinion. I have to ask..how is browning the meat while its still whole a time saver? That seems like more work to me. So, you took the beef in one whole piece, browned it in the IP (that sounds hard to manage), then took the meat back out, hot..and cut it up while it's hot? That sound difficult to me. I think its much easier, (and better because smaller pieces brown quicker) to cut it up prior to dumping in the IP to brown. Browning gives the beef a lot of flavor, I wouldn't skip this step for a stir fried type meal, its important to build that crusty browned flavor. Then when the meat is nearly done, just dump in the green onion and the garlic in together towards the end, and continue with the rest of the recipe (add the sauce) I think you'll find this easy, and still tasting good. I hope this makes sense! Good on you for cooking, no matter what, it's all good in the end!
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marianne
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Jun 25, 2014 21:08:26 GMT
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Post by marianne on Jul 29, 2016 16:26:53 GMT
Thanks monklady123! I'm wanting to try this one. Now then, I bought a bundt pan because you said I needed one (back around Prime Day) for all the yummy quick breads I'd be making... can you direct me to a recipe or two for them? I've got banana bread and pumpkin... are there others I 'should' be trying?
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Post by monklady123 on Jul 29, 2016 16:27:29 GMT
Here it is. Beef and Broccoli recipe
I did a couple things differently. I used her tip of browning the whole piece of meat before slicing. I'm not sure what that does -- the browning, I mean -- but I did it that way. If you slice it first and then brown, the entire piece will be browned vs. slicing it afterwards. I don't know enough about cooking to know what browning does. lol For the broccoli I decided to cook it in the pot so it would soak up the sauce. But I was afraid of broccoli mush. So I cooked the meat first, opened the pot, put the broccoli in (after I'd put the thickener in) and just set the lid back on. I hoped it might steam in there. But maybe I didn't leave it on long enough because that didn't work. So I sealed the lid and set it for 0 minutes. However it seemed to be taking too long to come to pressure and I got scared, lol. So I turned it off, took off the lid and stirred the broccoli around and set the lid back on again (but not sealed). Eventually it cooked in there and it was perfect, still with a little "bite" to it but not hard to chew. Also, sauteeing the onions and garlic in the beginning was a bit of a problem because it seems to me that the saute function is too hot. Again, I don't know enough about cooking to know why we need to do that. Maybe one of the better chefs in this thread can explain that. But my onions started to stick to the bottom so I just stopped and added everything else. I think next time I won't even bother trying to saute, I'll just dump everything in. The easier the better, in my opinion. I have to ask..how is browning the meat while its still whole a time saver? That seems like more work to me. So, you took the beef in one whole piece, browned it in the IP (that sounds hard to manage), then took the meat back out, hot..and cut it up while it's hot? That sound difficult to me. I think its much easier, (and better because smaller pieces brown quicker) to cut it up prior to dumping in the IP to brown. Browning gives the beef a lot of flavor, I wouldn't skip this step for a stir fried type meal, its important to build that crusty browned flavor. Then when the meat is nearly done, just dump in the green onion and the garlic in together towards the end, and continue with the rest of the recipe (add the sauce) I think you'll find this easy, and still tasting good. I hope this makes sense! Good on you for cooking, no matter what, it's all good in the end! The original recipe said it was a time saver because if you slice it first then it says to brown the meat in batches so it wasn't overcrowded in the pot. So brown one batch, take it out to another plate, brown the second batch, take it out, brown third batch...etc. depending on many slices you have. Browning the one piece is just faster. I didn't have to slice it hot because I let it sit while I was doing the sauteing. By the time I got to it it was cool because the meat inside wasn't hot from that short time, just the outside was. So that cooled off quickly. I do understand about sauteeing and bringing out flavor, etc. But I question whether anyone would notice when it's covered in a brown sweetish soy sauce.
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Post by monklady123 on Jul 29, 2016 16:30:40 GMT
Thanks monklady123 ! I'm wanting to try this one. Now then, I bought a bundt pan because you said I needed one (back around Prime Day) for all the yummy quick breads I'd be making... can you direct me to a recipe or two for them? I've got banana bread and pumpkin... are there others I 'should' be trying? Well...no I can't, because so far I've just used a boxed mix. -- I was cleaning out a cupboard and found a box of Trader Joe's pumpkin bread mix in the back, from this past fall. That was such a success that I went out and bought a boxed banana bread and a boxed brownie mix. Haven't tried the brownies yet because in the meantime I've made a cheesecake and I didn't want to have too many desserts hanging around lol. Meanwhile I've used the bundt pan to hold my eggs last time I made hard boiled. lol
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Post by Miss Ang on Jul 29, 2016 16:38:08 GMT
Can someone recommend a one pot meal? Not sure if this works that well in IP, it seems like you may need to do a few things in stages, which is fine. Like if I had 2 frozen chicken breasts, rice and broccoli? Could I cook the chicken then add the rice & broccoli? I may just try the beef & broccoli recipe from above, may be easier. Thanks! I made THIS RECIPE (Honey garlic chicken w/ carrots) and it was so good! (Be cautious of the red pepper flakes if you don't care for spicy.) It has the carrots and chicken all together. It is suggested to serve with rice but it was late and I didn't want the starch that late plus I didn't want to dirty another dish or wait for the rice to cook in the IP once the rest of the meal was done.
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marianne
Pearl Clutcher
Not my circus, not my monkeys. . . My monkeys fly!
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Location: right smack dab in the middle of SC
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Jun 25, 2014 21:08:26 GMT
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Post by marianne on Jul 29, 2016 16:41:00 GMT
Haven't tried the brownies yet because in the meantime I've made a cheesecake and I didn't want to have too many desserts hanging around lol. lol - I hear ya - I darn near ate the whole cheesecake I made - I had to freeze the rest of it before I crossed over into excess poundage land!! But, when I find a good quick bread recipe, I'll be sure to pass it along... you know, sharing and all that stuff... if I'm gonna get fat-ter, I want my IP buddies to go with me!!
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Post by scrapcat on Jul 29, 2016 17:46:03 GMT
Can someone recommend a one pot meal? Not sure if this works that well in IP, it seems like you may need to do a few things in stages, which is fine. Like if I had 2 frozen chicken breasts, rice and broccoli? Could I cook the chicken then add the rice & broccoli? I may just try the beef & broccoli recipe from above, may be easier. Thanks! Google instant pot all in one meals and you should get a ton. Or go to the Facebook instant pot community page and search their files for recipes..they have hundreds. Yes I've done that a lot, have a whole pinterest board. But finding so many inconsistencies in the state of the ingredients (frozen, brown, thaw, etc) and the time to cook, etc. Was wondering if anyone had tried something that works well. Thanks @miss Ang, that seems fairly easy and could definitely change out with various vegetables. It's an adjustment for me bcz I am a throw this in, throw that in while I'm going cook, so having to sort of plan out how it will come out is different. Will just have to play around with it! Thanks all.
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MsKnit
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Jun 26, 2014 19:06:42 GMT
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Post by MsKnit on Jul 29, 2016 18:53:23 GMT
What kind of steaming basket is she using? Really, potato salad in the pressure cooker. Who knew? Not me. I think it looks like one of those telescoping ones...not sure how to describe it, I'll find a link in a sec. The kind that sort of fold up on themselves. That's what I used (except mine doesn't have that handle in the middle) and it worked fine, but the problem is getting it out. It's nicely nestled in the IP pot but when you pick it up using the loop thingy in the middle it opens up wider and potatoes fall off the edges. I know there's another steamer basket that people use. It comes with handles that can be snapped off. I haven't gotten that one mostly because I hate the idea of buying something new and then "breaking" it. Off to find the links... This is the one I think she's usingThis is the one that people break off the handlesThank you!
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imsirius
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Jul 12, 2014 19:59:28 GMT
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Post by imsirius on Jul 30, 2016 0:52:22 GMT
Google instant pot all in one meals and you should get a ton. Or go to the Facebook instant pot community page and search their files for recipes..they have hundreds. Yes I've done that a lot, have a whole pinterest board. But finding so many inconsistencies in the state of the ingredients (frozen, brown, thaw, etc) and the time to cook, etc. Was wondering if anyone had tried something that works well. Thanks @miss Ang, that seems fairly easy and could definitely change out with various vegetables. It's an adjustment for me bcz I am a throw this in, throw that in while I'm going cook, so having to sort of plan out how it will come out is different. Will just have to play around with it! Thanks all. I'm sorry I misunderstood. Please accept my apology.
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Post by crimsoncat05 on Jul 30, 2016 2:46:19 GMT
scrapcat, I just have to say I admire you for your 'a little of this, a little of that' approach to cooking! I never feel comfortable doing that; I have always needed some sort of a recipe to start with, and look at cooking more like a scientific experiment where I have to follow the directions as given, except for adjusting spice levels. (and this is probably why I'm a lot more comfortable with baking, lol!)
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imsirius
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Post by imsirius on Jul 30, 2016 14:33:07 GMT
Here is a popcorn recipe for you ToniW link
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Post by monklady123 on Jul 30, 2016 14:58:58 GMT
Last night was my experiment-with-the-IP night. lol. I did fish fillets on the stove because there's no way I'd risk thin fillets like that in the IP. Fish mush sounds totally disgusting! So I did them quickly on the stove, seasoned with Old Bay. Then I did some experiments. First I cut up a sweet potato into chunks. Did that for 2 minutes, quick release. It wasn't quite done so I did another minute. Perfect. Did the same with two regular potatoes only they were done after the 2 minutes. Broccoli florets -- I started with hot water and set it for 0 minutes. Did a quick release. It was a bit overcooked for my taste but not mush so that was a success. I couldn't think how I could do it for any less than 0 minutes but my son said "mom, just cancel it at some point while it's building up pressure." Duh on me. I've noticed that after the little thingy pops up to indicate it's at full pressure it still doesn't start the count down immediately. Mine says "on" for a bit before the minutes start. So I'll try broccoli again and stop the cooking right when the valve thing pops up. Green beans -- I made elaine 's southern style green beans. Her recipe calls for 1.5 lbs of green beans and 3-4 slices of bacon. I only had 1.2 pounds (because I didn't bother to weigh them at the store) but I still used 4 slices of bacon. Because...well, it's bacon! I had originally copied down her recipe with 5 minutes cooking time, then I see that I wrote over the "5" with a "4". But between when I copied it originally and now I've had more experience with vegetables, so I put that down to 3 minutes. And still they were too soft for dh. I liked them although I guess I'd prefer a bit less soft also. But dh still really liked them and wants me to try again with the timing. Ds said "omg Mom those green beans were excellent!" lol. Dd doesn't like green beans so her opinion doesn't count. And then baby carrots. After the Carrot Mush Debacle I tried 2 minutes. Perfect. lol. Sounds like a lot of food, but except for the green beans everything else was experimenting with small amounts. So everyone got full servings of fish and green beans, then small bits of potato, sweet potato, broccoli, and carrots. A successful meal all around. Have I mentioned at all how much I love this pressure cooker?? eta for Elaine's green bean recipe: 1.5 lbs fresh green beans, ends removed, snapped in half 3-4 slices bacon cut into 1-inch pieces 1 diced onion salt, pepper, garlic powder to taste 1/2 C broth Cook bacon in IP on saute for a bit, add onions, saute for another minute or so. Add green beans, stir to coat them with bacon grease. Add broth. Cook _____ minutes. elaine , I forget what your original recipe said for cooking time, because I'm not sure if that 5 minutes that I had written down originally came from you or if that was my thought based on you saying your family likes them really soft.
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Post by blarneygirl on Jul 30, 2016 15:07:52 GMT
Today, I'm going to make refried beans starting with dried beans. I can't wait for them! Also, has anyone used Frontier Soups? I love them, but could never remember to pre soak the beans. I would put them on my mental menu for the week, and then have to change gears because of the brain fart. I can't wait to put them into my meal rotation and have them done quickly and tasty!
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Post by monklady123 on Jul 30, 2016 15:09:28 GMT
Here is a popcorn recipe for you ToniW linkInteresting. Have you tried this? It doesn't say to stir at all (like when you do it on the stove you have to shake the pan). Why don't the corn kernals burn or stick to the bottom? Everything I've tried using saute seems to stick and start to burn if I leave it, so I'm scared of this one. lol But, it's worth a try. If I have popcorn in the cupboard I'll give it a shot later and report back. lol
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imsirius
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Jul 12, 2014 19:59:28 GMT
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Post by imsirius on Jul 30, 2016 15:44:27 GMT
Here is a popcorn recipe for you ToniW linkInteresting. Have you tried this? It doesn't say to stir at all (like when you do it on the stove you have to shake the pan). Why don't the corn kernals burn or stick to the bottom? Everything I've tried using saute seems to stick and start to burn if I leave it, so I'm scared of this one. lol But, it's worth a try. If I have popcorn in the cupboard I'll give it a shot later and report back. lol No, haven't tried it. Popcorn irritates my gallbladder right now. Hopefully if the surgeon decides to take it out, then I will. Lol. Can't wait to see your results.
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Post by gale w on Jul 30, 2016 16:34:10 GMT
Yesterday I put a pound of ground beef (already browned and drained), some minced dried onions, a1 lb box of whole wheat rotini, a jar of rao's spaghetti sauce and a jar of water in the IP. 5 minutes on high pressure and quick release and it was perfect. I warmed up frozen cooked rolls brushed with garlic butter in my ninja but I prefer them in the regular oven or toaster oven.
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marianne
Pearl Clutcher
Not my circus, not my monkeys. . . My monkeys fly!
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Location: right smack dab in the middle of SC
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Jun 25, 2014 21:08:26 GMT
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Post by marianne on Jul 30, 2016 18:11:46 GMT
Okay, what the hey - I'll ask here too. I'm going to try my crockpot recipe for orange chicken (the one with bbq and soy sauce and orange marmalade) in my IP. The only problem I'm having is how long to cook it. Every recipe I have looked at has a different time, ranging from 1 min at HP to 3 min to 10 min to 15 min to as long as 20-25 min!! Some natural release, some quick release. Unbelievable! There simply can't be that much of a difference for a few crummy chicken breasts, can there? It's really very confusing. So, my question is, how long would you cook 2-3 chicken breasts in about a cup of sauce? Anyone?
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Post by ToniW on Jul 30, 2016 18:41:26 GMT
imsirius thanks for finding popcorn for me! I will have to try it, but not sure when, maybe tomorrow.
For lunch today, I'm trying the pasta and meatballs from the FB group. Crossing my fingers it comes out!
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Post by Ryann on Jul 30, 2016 20:01:22 GMT
I'm another IP bandwagon jumper (purchased on Prime Day) and have made two dinners with it. My first was a one pot meal (spaghetti) - On sauté mode - sautéed onion, mushrooms, garlic and a couple shakes of italian seasoning with a tablespoon of light tasting olive oil (it has a higher smoke point than EVOO). Added ground beef and a couple more shakes of italian seasoning, sautéing until brown. Turned off sauté function. Added one jar of spaghetti sauce, one pound of angel hair pasta and maybe half a jar of water (just enough to cover the pasta up) and stirred it about breaking up the dried pasta clumps. Cooked on manual/high pressure for four minutes, even though I meant to only cook for three. Not sure how that happened. I had four in my head for some reason. I think three would have been perfect as far as the texture of the pasta. Four minutes was a little too done. I thought the flavor was a bit bland, so I would definitely increase the amount of seasonings in the sauce. I loosely followed this video tutorial by Flo Lum. My second dinner was going to be beef stew. Only I don't really like beef stew, so when it came time to cook it, I decided to try to find something else I could make with the meat and found Mocha-Rubbed Pot Roast. I only had 1.5 lbs of stew meat instead of the 2 lbs called for in the recipe, and my chunks were a little smaller, too. I reduced the cooking time to 25 minutes and I think it was a little too much. I would start at 20 minutes next time. I didn't have figs, so used apples instead and used chicken stock instead of beef stock. The flavor was good enough and DH seemed to like it. After I took the roast out I popped in a second insert that had vegetable oil, parsley and two cloves of minced garlic ready to go. After heating up on sauté mode, I added halved small yellow potatoes (one layer) and tried to brown them, but they didn't get very brown at all. After about 10 minutes (tired of waiting for them to brown and the meat was done and waiting to be eaten!) I added 1 cup of chicken stock and set it on manual/high pressure for eight minutes. I don't have a steamer basket insert, so they basically just boiled in the stock. They came out tender but boring and flavorless. Nothing a bit of sour cream can't fix, hah! I bought country style pork ribs and bratwurst at the store yesterday. Both things I have never made before but feel very inspired by the instant pot! I will try the method burningfeather posted about making brats in the IP. Not sure about the ribs just yet, as I feel I've only seen recipes for bone-in ribs.
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