We had all but talked ourselves out of replacing our rice cooker and slow cooker with an Instant Pot after hearing some sub-par things, then we had dinner with friends who served us this recipe:
http://www.healthstartsinthekitchen.com/recipe/pressure-cooker-lemon-olive-chicken/
With the addition of the minced rind of a quarter of a preserved lemon, as well as the pulp. It was spectacular when served over couscous with some roast broccoli and cauliflower.
So we promptly gave in and got an instant pot. Now we need more awesome recipes.
As an aside, kudos to our friends for finding that recipe. After a few minutes on that site, I don't think I'd have tried any of it, and I'd have missed out.
This guy is responsible for me creating my website, but more importantly, so much deliciousness from my pressure cooker.
I'll give you some tips though:
Liquids don't reduce. Pasta doesn't always come in a 1lb box.
If you cook pork(like a tenderloin or butt), you can cook rice under it at the same time. Do not do this with chicken that still has the skin on, while the rice is delicious, that much chicken fat is really bad for your body.
Use the sear function. This helps to preheat the container so it gets to pressure faster, but also allows you to get all the good bits stuck to the bottom.
Beer works great as a liquid 90% of the time.
You can do turkey thighs in 1 hour instead of several that's the most viewed recipe on my site, for good reason.
Obviously, I love the thing. Anything you would traditionally do all day in the crock pot, takes 45 minutes to an hour with the pressure cooker. They can do things you'd never expect, and actually do them well. I always use the little metal stand inside as a guide for liquid level. You need at least one cup of liquid to boil and create the pressure, but you can use any kind of liquid.
One more thing, watch the infomercial. There are 2 of them for the Power Cooker Pro XL, and they make some pretty inventive recipes and show off some different capabilities that apply to all electric pressure cookers.
In reply to RevRico :
Pulled pork in 1:35? I'm liking this. Thank you!
I've done ribs and pulled pork in mine. Pretty much Marty proof - stuff tends to just turn out. Liquid smoke for these gives them a better chance at tasting more like barbecue. If you like your ribs with some chew to them, you'll have to do some experimenting. I like mine to fall apart. :)
Be mindful of potatoes as they don't take very long at all to cook in there. I did a pot roast once where the potatoes were a lot softer than ideal.
I'd like to try pasta in it, but I haven't worked up the nerve to try it yet.
In reply to Ransom :
It can get even quicker.
At my local grocery store chains anyway, they have 1 to 1.5lb boneless butts pretty often, sometimes marinated sometimes plain. A can of beer or some apple juice, chop an onion and some garlic, set the timer for 45 minutes and enjoy.
For the tenderloins they have I cut back to 25-30 minutes.
We bought an Instant Pot after a friend kept posting pics of their meals on FB. We've used it twice - too much work for me, I'm going back to pizza & fast food. Cheaper anyway.
The pot roast we tried first was meh, plus in hindsight the recipe called for WAY too much garlic. We did ziti & meatballs next, which turned out ok, but honestly wasn't any easier or faster than cooking it on the stove.
For someone who enjoys cooking this may be great, but that's not us.
I hate cooking plus I’m terrible at it. I love my instapot because I spend less time making crappy food. It takes a little over an hour to make stew compared to all day in the slow cooker.
Keep the recipes coming!
Bump on this.
We picked up one of the instant pots, and I'm a convert. It's smaller than the crock pot, but that just means I won't be eating the same thing for a week in a row.
World's easiest beef brisket. Equal parts beer and ketchup, 12 oz of each if you want a lot of thin sauce to put on the mashed potatoes which are a perfect side dish. Trim the fat pretty aggressively to minimize fat in the sauce. Cook under pressure 60 - 90 minutes. Slice thinly across grain like any other brisket. Unfortunately the Instant Pot is the perfect way to cook potatoes for mashing, so some planning is required if you're trying to do both for the same meal.
TJL
HalfDork
2/10/20 3:15 p.m.
All i use mine for is rice and hardboiled eggs and im plenty happy with that. Perfect rice every time and eggs done just how i like with the yolks still wet inside.
we tried other meals but i really dont like the consistency of meat that comes out of it. Maybe im just expecting the consistency of the meat to be like a croc pot that cooked for 10 hours. Cant fake that.
Since this was bumped anyway...if I were to purchase an instant-pot, which one would I want. Is there an 'answer' in the instant pot world?
Instant Pot is a brand, but there are probably a bunch of knockoffs.
I used to either work with or for the guy who's behind Instant Pot. He's done better than I have since we went different ways.
I've got one (I didn't hit Jiwei up for a discount, maybe I should have) and I've found a rib recipe I like with it. I've also done shredded pork both with the Pot and crock pots and they're pretty similar once you've worked out how to use the Pot. I know you can do pinto beans without a pre-soak, but I haven't tried that yet. It's just a pressure cooker, really.
Ooooh, Kalua Pig... Hawaiian food is one of those things I really shouldn't have any more often than I do. Then again, if I don't serve it with huge piles of white rice and a giant side of macaroni salad, it's just tasty, tasty pork. But now I want spam musubi, too...
I don't like using pans or what not with the deadly nonstick surfaces so my PC has a Stainless steel pot. I'll have to check what brand it is.
Looks like a gentle failure *or* somebody put it on a hot burner on the stove.
Do you have the details behind it?
What are you Canadians going on about? Instant Pot? Sounds sketchy.
A Ninja Foodi found its way into our home over the Christmas holiday. Is that similar? I've dabbled with it a time or two. Definitely looking for recipes.
Kramer
Dork
2/10/20 10:32 p.m.
In reply to Brett_Murphy :
Wife was cleaning the control panel on the stove after using the instapot, and bumped the ceramic burner to high. Oops!
Pressure cooker ribs, any meat in general, then crisping in an air fryer is where its at.
Cooter
UltraDork
2/11/20 5:09 a.m.
Pete Gossett said:
We bought an Instant Pot after a friend kept posting pics of their meals on FB. We've used it twice - too much work for me, I'm going back to pizza & fast food. Cheaper anyway.
The pot roast we tried first was meh, plus in hindsight the recipe called for WAY too much garlic. We did ziti & meatballs next, which turned out ok, but honestly wasn't any easier or faster than cooking it on the stove.
For someone who enjoys cooking this may be great, but that's not us.
I would probably be in the same boat, but my wife loves to cook. I'll have to show her this thread. Fast Food is (not very) slowly killing me.
slefain
PowerDork
2/11/20 8:17 a.m.
I'll add our favorites:
Saurkraut, sausage and potatoes. The cooker does a great job on this one, giving it that "next day melded" flavor on the first night.
https://paleopot.com/recipe/paleo-instant-pot-kielbasa-sauerkraut-potatoes/
I love pad thai chicken, stupid simple and makes a ton for leftovers:
(I hate recipe sites) https://thegirlonbloor.com/instant-pot-chicken-pad-thai/
Any suggestions on instapots for a family of 4? I bought a small one that met it's maker and looking for a decent one that is cheap.
