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Post by nana2callie on Nov 30, 2016 15:04:53 GMT
How about a thread with your favorite and easy recipes for the Instant Pot. Considering all the black Friday deals and so forth - there has to be a lot of new owners including myself thinking now what...
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Nink
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Location: North Idaho
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Post by Nink on Nov 30, 2016 15:30:22 GMT
Great idea! Because I'm a beginner.  |
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styxgirl
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Post by styxgirl on Nov 30, 2016 15:36:09 GMT
I'm not new to pressure cookers. I've had a stove top for years. I'm new to the Instant Pot though. Just got mine on Monday and used it for the first time last night! ;-)
I made meatloaf. You just use your regular meat loaf recipe (1 lb of ground beef) and make the loafs into 2 long rectangle/squares. Use the saute feature to brown the loafs on all sides with a little vegetable oil.
After they are browned, take out any extra oil and add a cup or two of beef broth (beef base and water) to the bottom and cook the loafs on the rack for 20 minutes on high pressure.
You can quick release one the are done.
I stir corn starch slurry into the beef broth after I take the meatloafs out to make a nice brown gravy.
I make mashed potatoes in my stove top pressure cooker while the meatloaf was cooking in the instant pot. Super-fast, super-good dinner!
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Post by krc11 on Nov 30, 2016 15:38:11 GMT
Can someone explain to me what an Instant Pot is and why it's so great? What is the difference between it and a crock pot?
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styxgirl
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Post by styxgirl on Nov 30, 2016 15:53:40 GMT
Can someone explain to me what an Instant Pot is and why it's so great? What is the difference between it and a crock pot? Instant Pot is a pressure cooker. It cooks food much quicker than a regular slow cooker. The Instant Pot also has a slow cooker feature so you can use it like a slow cooker too. The cool thing about the Instant Pot is that it is very versatile. You can saute, pressure cook, slow cook, and keep warm. There are lots of pre-set cooking features to make it easy to use. Clean up is nice too! |
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Post by Meri-Lyn on Nov 30, 2016 15:54:43 GMT
Saving my place!
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Post by lynnek on Nov 30, 2016 16:27:48 GMT
I got one on Black Friday too and was hoping for a nice starter recipe to try tonight. After the water test, which I read is the very first thing to do.
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Post by Prenticekid on Nov 30, 2016 16:42:48 GMT
Can someone explain to me what an Instant Pot is and why it's so great? What is the difference between it and a crock pot? Instant Pot is a pressure cooker. It cooks food much quicker than a regular slow cooker. Please be aware, however, that as it is a pressure cooker, the pressure needs to come up before the cooking time starts. For some reason, this confounds people and they get pissed off when they learn that a "30 minute" dish actually takes longer. Think of it as pre-heating your oven. Or refrigerating a cookie dough prior to baking. Or anything else that adds time to a task. |
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Post by lucillebluth on Nov 30, 2016 16:53:24 GMT
Instant Pot is a pressure cooker. It cooks food much quicker than a regular slow cooker. Please be aware, however, that as it is a pressure cooker, the pressure needs to come up before the cooking time starts. For some reason, this confounds people and they get pissed off when they learn that a "30 minute" dish actually takes longer. Think of it as pre-heating your oven. Or refrigerating a cookie dough prior to baking. Or anything else that adds time to a task. That confounded me at first! I wasn't sure what was going on. Also, natural release can take some time. I tried a bean recipe that turned out badly, I think because I got impatient and released the pressure manually? Anyway, I'm still hopeful that I'll fall in love with this thing someday! |
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Post by scrapcat on Nov 30, 2016 17:02:42 GMT
I got mine in July and I will say it's not as "solves every dinner problem" as much as I thought it would. There is still planning and steps required to have good meals. And like pointed out above, it's not necessarily time saving for some things. I generally try to use it at night after dinner to prep the next night's meal, sometimes being able to just stick the bowl in the fridge then reheat.
I don't use prepackaged seasonings or soups and stuff like that, so I've had to be a little more creative to get one-pot type meals.
That said, I do really love it and like how it keeps moisture in so you don't really have to worry too much about burning or drying out. And the saute feature is great because you can brown chicken and meats without having to dirty another pan. I like making soups and chili the most.
My favorite recipe so far is a stuffed peppers recipe, in which I brown ground turkey, then add cous cous and tomatoes in, pressure cook that for about 4 minutes. Then use that mixture to stuff peppers, put back in with tomato sauce and pressure cook another 6 minutes.
The roasted potatoes recipe in the book that comes with it may be a good one to start with, fairly easy and comes out good.
It's a great appliance, but like anything, takes a little playing with and practice.
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styxgirl
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Post by styxgirl on Nov 30, 2016 17:05:24 GMT
Instant Pot is a pressure cooker. It cooks food much quicker than a regular slow cooker. Please be aware, however, that as it is a pressure cooker, the pressure needs to come up before the cooking time starts. For some reason, this confounds people and they get pissed off when they learn that a "30 minute" dish actually takes longer. Think of it as pre-heating your oven. Or refrigerating a cookie dough prior to baking. Or anything else that adds time to a task. Very good point! When recipes call for "natural release" I often use that time to finish other side dishes or clean up the kitchen. It doesn't take too long for them to come up to pressure to start cooking. Maybe 5 minutes? Depends on how full the pot is ... |
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Post by Zee on Nov 30, 2016 17:08:00 GMT
Instant Pot is a pressure cooker. It cooks food much quicker than a regular slow cooker. Please be aware, however, that as it is a pressure cooker, the pressure needs to come up before the cooking time starts. For some reason, this confounds people and they get pissed off when they learn that a "30 minute" dish actually takes longer. Think of it as pre-heating your oven. Or refrigerating a cookie dough prior to baking. Or anything else that adds time to a task. Yep. I just finished my water test. I'm going to call it my "Inawhile Pot". The name's a bit of a misnomer, but I can see how handy it will be once I get the hang of it because you can walk away and leave it once you get the stuff in there. I'm making steel cut oats next, after the pressure comes down. And OMFG I just released the pressure manually and if you don't know what to expect, it's terrifying. Thankfully I have a pressure canner so I knew a ton of steam was going to come out, but they maybe should warn a fellow a little more clearly in the recipe book. |
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Post by mtscrapper on Nov 30, 2016 17:08:01 GMT
My first day owning the IP I made ribs. I have never made ribs in my life (I hate cooking anything that takes time and lots of preparation or thought), but I wanted something that would wow my husband and for him to understand why I needed the IP. It definitely didn't disappoint, and he loved them! I watched a lot of Youtube videos while I was waiting for my pot to come to find out what I needed to do to make them, but there are a lot of recipes out there.
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Deleted
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May 21, 2024 16:01:26 GMT
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Post by Deleted on Nov 30, 2016 17:09:56 GMT
My favorite easy recipe is Italian Sausage and Tortellini: Italian Sausage and Tortellini 5 Italian sausages, casings removed 1 cup water 19 oz frozen tortellini 24 oz jar (or larger, depending on how saucy you want it) spaghetti sauce Grated Parmesan cheese, optional Break up the sausages and brown using the saute feature, then turn off. Drain as much grease as you can (I just use paper towels to soak it up). Pour in the water. Add the tortellini. Pour the sauce over all but don't stir. Lock the lid in place and cook on high pressure for 1 minute. Quick release, then stir together. Sprinkle some Parmesan cheese over top if desired. There's also a recipe thread on the recipe board if you want to take a look. |
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Post by monklady123 on Nov 30, 2016 17:14:51 GMT
How about a thread with your favorite and easy recipes for the Instant Pot. Considering all the black Friday deals and so forth - there has to be a lot of new owners including myself thinking now what... Everyone needs to come into Elaine's bi-weekly pressure cooker thread! We have a lot of recipes there, and tips of course. And if you have a question it won't get lost on the board because we all check in there regularly.  |
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imsirius
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Post by imsirius on Nov 30, 2016 17:17:09 GMT
There is also an instant pot recipe thread in recipes.
Also this old gal.com is great and easy.
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lisaknits
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Post by lisaknits on Nov 30, 2016 17:26:59 GMT
One of my favorite SUPER SIMPLE recipes (found on YouTube) is the Instant Pot Salsa Chicken. You take two jars (16 oz. each) of Black Bean and Corn Salsa and 2 - 3 pounds of boneless chicken breasts. Place the contents of one jar into the Instant Pot. Next, put the raw chicken breasts in, and then pour the contents of the second jar in. Put on the lid, lock it in place, make sure the valve is set to the closed position. (Personally, I rarely use the pre-set food designations, but they're a good starting point if you're unsure how long something takes to cook.)
I press the manual button and set the time to six minutes. After it comes to pressure and cooks, I use the quick release method and release the built up steam pressure. When the float value goes down, open the lid, remove the chicken and shred it. Put the shredded chicken back into the salsa and serve in burritos, tacos, burrito bowls, etc. I usually make a big batch and freeze it in smaller portions.
Check out YouTube for lots of recipes and inspiration. Don't be afraid of this great cooking method!
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Post by lynnek on Nov 30, 2016 18:41:01 GMT
Thank you @nicksmom and lisaknits I think those will be my first two recipes! I have perused that other thread but will do it now more thoroughly. Thanks! |
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Post by crimsoncat05 on Nov 30, 2016 20:29:39 GMT
FYI, I save a bit of time by adding a cup or two of water to the pot and turning it on to the sauté setting on High while I'm cutting vegetables, etc. to prep the actual meal I'll be cooking. Then I pour out the hot water and do my recipe thing, whatever I'm going to make. This means when I'm starting out with my recipe, the pot is already hot and it's a bit quicker for the IP to come up to pressure once I close it up and start it.
(this isn't my idea, btw; I read about it somewhere online...)
ETA: if you have cats or dogs, be aware that releasing the pressure on the IP can make for some good amusement!!  Our cats jumped up like popcorn and hissed at it the first time they heard it, lol!! And our dogs still don't like it- they bark every time. |
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Nink
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Post by Nink on Nov 30, 2016 20:41:43 GMT
I guess I missed the part to do a water test the first time I used it. Hope I didn't screw it up.  |
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Post by crimsoncat05 on Nov 30, 2016 21:10:35 GMT
whatever you do, GOOGLE the 'instant pot water test' online, or ask elaine , or someone else here about it!!
Basically it's just a test with water in the pot to make sure it's working correctly. But I think the manual says to use 3 cups of water, or 3 Liters, or some screwy amount like that it takes about a million times longer than the directions say it should... so you might end up thinking it's not working right, or that you're going to blow up your kitchen, or something like that!! LOL!! (you don't really need THAT much water to do the test, apparently.)
I learned this the hard way, after we had already stood there staring at the IP for at least 45 minutes or longer, waiting for it to do something, already!!
eta: so if you've already used yours successfully to cook in, you probably don't need to do the water test, I wouldn't think. |
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Post by Zee on Nov 30, 2016 21:12:21 GMT
I guess I missed the part to do a water test the first time I used it. Hope I didn't screw it up. No, it's just to get you familiar with it and see how it works. |
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Post by annaintx on Nov 30, 2016 21:35:39 GMT
My first day owning the IP I made ribs. I have never made ribs in my life (I hate cooking anything that takes time and lots of preparation or thought), but I wanted something that would wow my husband and for him to understand why I needed the IP. It definitely didn't disappoint, and he loved them! I watched a lot of Youtube videos while I was waiting for my pot to come to find out what I needed to do to make them, but there are a lot of recipes out there. I could have written this word for word...except that I haven't made the ribs yet. I'm really sick with a sinus cold. I hope to do the water test tomorrow or Friday and then make the ribs for Friday night. |
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Post by Zee on Nov 30, 2016 22:28:31 GMT
Well, I have a pot of rice, chicken, water, and rotel going. Hopefully I'll end up with something edible. I'll add a can of black beans after it's done and I'll shred the chicken and top with guacamole.
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ellen
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Post by ellen on Nov 30, 2016 22:59:49 GMT
Macaroni & CheeseMy kids love this and we make it at least once a week. You could add some ground mustard or some other spices, but this is a good basic recipe. I've put some in a baking dish and topped it with buttered panko crumbs and baked it in the oven and that was really good. I make soup in it, spaghetti and meatballs, roasts, ribs, mashed potatoes, chili. I've cooked chickpeas for making homemade hummus. It takes you a few times using it before you feel totally confident with using it, but we've never had a recipe fail with it. When we first got it we said we were going to make a point to use it once a week and we did. We now use it at least three times a week.
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Post by Zee on Nov 30, 2016 23:48:23 GMT
Dinner was a win! And I've used the pot twice today, three times if you count the water test. I think I'll make potato soup in it tomorrow.
Glad I took the plunge. It's not "instant", but it is pretty simple.
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Post by sleuthgirl on Nov 30, 2016 23:57:55 GMT
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Post by georgiabeachbum on Dec 1, 2016 0:06:08 GMT
I haven't had mine IP long but everything I have made turned out wonderful. I just made this tonight and DH is on his 2nd bowl. I sauteed 1# of ground beef and drained. I did NOT drain the veggies and added a Rotel can of water. Hit soup button. 30 minutes and slow released for about 10 minutes. Served with shredded Mexican cheese on top and Fritos on the side. Delicious!  |
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Post by hdoublej on Dec 2, 2016 19:11:23 GMT
I'm marking my spot. I'm HOPING my DH took the quite obvious hint I gave him about wanting one for Christmas!  |
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styxgirl
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Post by styxgirl on Dec 2, 2016 20:00:05 GMT
FYI, I save a bit of time by adding a cup or two of water to the pot and turning it on to the sauté setting on High while I'm cutting vegetables, etc. to prep the actual meal I'll be cooking. Then I pour out the hot water and do my recipe thing, whatever I'm going to make. This means when I'm starting out with my recipe, the pot is already hot and it's a bit quicker for the IP to come up to pressure once I close it up and start it.
(this isn't my idea, btw; I read about it somewhere online...)
ETA: if you have cats or dogs, be aware that releasing the pressure on the IP can make for some good amusement!! Our cats jumped up like popcorn and hissed at it the first time they heard it, lol!! And our dogs still don't like it- they bark every time. This is great advice! And a great anima PSA too. LOL |
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Our cats jumped up like popcorn and hissed at it the first time they heard it, lol!! And our dogs still don't like it- they bark every time. 
