Instant Pot cooking

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quantAndHold
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Instant Pot cooking

Post by quantAndHold »

Our much loved Cuisinart yogurt maker died the other day, and isn’t made anymore, so we replaced it with a 3 qt Instant Pot. The first batch of yogurt came out yesterday, and it works great for that. But I have no idea how to learn how to use it for anything else. It came with a 3 page pamphlet explaining what the different buttons were for, but didn’t really explain anything.

So, let me have it. What’s it good at? Are there any good cookbooks? We have a crockpot and know how to use that, and apparently I figured out how to use the yogurt setting, but we’ve never had a pressure cooker or rice cooker. We intend to use it to make beans, so if anyone has any bean cooking wisdom, I’d love to hear that, too.
balofagus
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Re: Instant Pot cooking

Post by balofagus »

Time you met Amy and Jacky.

ETA my favorite beans.
Last edited by balofagus on Tue Dec 12, 2023 6:19 pm, edited 1 time in total.
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Re: Instant Pot cooking

Post by cjcerny »

amindfullmom.com
dukeblue219
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Re: Instant Pot cooking

Post by dukeblue219 »

Honestly, just Google it.

There are ten trillion Instant Pot recipes online, and if all else fails, just use it as a generic pressure cooker or a generic pot.

There's not really a secret to it.
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quantAndHold
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Re: Instant Pot cooking

Post by quantAndHold »

dukeblue219 wrote: Tue Dec 12, 2023 6:18 pm Honestly, just Google it.

There are ten trillion Instant Pot recipes online, and if all else fails, just use it as a generic pressure cooker or a generic pot.

There's not really a secret to it.
That’s what I’m saying. I’ve never used a pressure cooker. Other than “it takes less time”, and “don’t let the steam valve get clogged”, i really have no idea how to use one.
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Re: Instant Pot cooking

Post by CAsage »

It's quite good (though that's a pretty small size, not sure what fits) at cooking meat with moist heat (very tender chicken), lots of killer stews soups etc. Hit your local library for some ideas, or I've really liked America's Test Kitchen cookbooks - they have a Mediterrean Instant pot and some other....
Salvia Clevelandii "Winifred Gilman" my favorite. YMMV; not a professional advisor.
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Re: Instant Pot cooking

Post by mkc »

quantAndHold wrote: Tue Dec 12, 2023 6:14 pm We intend to use it to make beans, so if anyone has any bean cooking wisdom, I’d love to hear that, too.
Our go-to for beans Mexico in my Kitchen Instant Pot Black beans. Pintos and white beans work well using this method as well (you can leave out the epazote, use a chunk of parm rind for cannellini, etc. I use bacon fat or smoked olive oil (Holy Smoke brand) at the end. A tip - a pinch to 1/4 teaspoon of baking soda in the water helps ensure the beans soften while cooking. This is especially useful if you want to make refried beans, hummus, or a pureed bean soup.

BTW, cooked beans freeze beautifully, so I always cook a pound of dry beans and portion/freeze the leftovers.

Mike Vrobel has some reliable recipes (love his steak chili) at Dad Cooks Dinner

Serious Eats has a fair number of electric pressure cooker/multicooker recipes, in particular Kenji's Green Chile Chicken, which we've made many times.
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Re: Instant Pot cooking

Post by mhalley »

Almost anything can be cooked in an instant pot. I have made cheesecake and pineapple upside down cake in it. Just google say beef stew instant pot and you will find multiple recipes.
Six sisters stuff has some recipes here to get you started.
https://www.sixsistersstuff.com/categor ... stant-pot/
snic
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Re: Instant Pot cooking

Post by snic »

Instant Pots are great for beans, because one doesn't always have time to cook a pot of beans for 2 hours on the stove. It still helps to pre-soak them, though, so they come out more evenly cooked.

It's also good as a slow cooker.

One hint - if you're using it to make yogurt, don't use the same lid to cook beans with, or anything else with a strong flavor. The silicone seal absorbs the flavors and then imparts them to the yogurt - yuck. I bought a glass lid to use for any non-pressure cooking I do with the pot. There are a million of them available on Amazon.
Domadosolo
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Re: Instant Pot cooking

Post by Domadosolo »

Costco chicken carcass and skin and wings and the jelly from the bottom of the package.
Optional - Add a small onion and a few leftover aging veggies
Cover with water
Instapot 30 mins on high

The broth is just exceptional!
If you have the patience to pick the meat off the bones, your dog will love you even more

:sharebeer
AlwaysLearningMore
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Re: Instant Pot cooking

Post by AlwaysLearningMore »

If it has a sauté function, it's nice to sauté aromatics, then add lentils or beans. broth (or water), addition vegetables of choice. Pre-soaked beans quickly and even unsoaked beans cook quickly. Makes an excellent, quick healthy soup.
Last edited by AlwaysLearningMore on Wed Dec 13, 2023 4:49 am, edited 1 time in total.
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Re: Instant Pot cooking

Post by JAZZISCOOL »

mkc wrote: Tue Dec 12, 2023 7:08 pm
quantAndHold wrote: Tue Dec 12, 2023 6:14 pm We intend to use it to make beans, so if anyone has any bean cooking wisdom, I’d love to hear that, too.
Our go-to for beans Mexico in my Kitchen Instant Pot Black beans. Pintos and white beans work well using this method as well (you can leave out the epazote, use a chunk of parm rind for cannellini, etc. I use bacon fat or smoked olive oil (Holy Smoke brand) at the end. A tip - a pinch to 1/4 teaspoon of baking soda in the water helps ensure the beans soften while cooking. This is especially useful if you want to make refried beans, hummus, or a pureed bean soup.

BTW, cooked beans freeze beautifully, so I always cook a pound of dry beans and portion/freeze the leftovers.

Mike Vrobel has some reliable recipes (love his steak chili) at Dad Cooks Dinner

Serious Eats has a fair number of electric pressure cooker/multicooker recipes, in particular Kenji's Green Chile Chicken, which we've made many times.
mkc: FYI, the bolded link is for a document re: Javelina tank sensors, not beans. :happy
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Re: Instant Pot cooking

Post by mkc »

JAZZISCOOL wrote: Tue Dec 12, 2023 8:24 pm
mkc wrote: Tue Dec 12, 2023 7:08 pm
Our go-to for beans Mexico in my Kitchen Instant Pot Black beans. Pintos and white beans work well using this method as well (you can leave out the epazote, use a chunk of parm rind for cannellini, etc. I use bacon fat or smoked olive oil (Holy Smoke brand) at the end. A tip - a pinch to 1/4 teaspoon of baking soda in the water helps ensure the beans soften while cooking. This is especially useful if you want to make refried beans, hummus, or a pureed bean soup.

BTW, cooked beans freeze beautifully, so I always cook a pound of dry beans and portion/freeze the leftovers.
mkc: FYI, the bolded link is for a document re: Javelina tank sensors, not beans. :happy
Oh goodness - that's what I get for working on two things at the same time. I believe it's fixed now. Thanks for letting me know.
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Re: Instant Pot cooking

Post by Alfonsia »

At 3 qt, you probably will use it very little. I use a 6 quart for yoghurt as I drain it, but what I do is only have a yogurt dedicated pot, I use the other one for curry etc . My yoghurt one only is off brand and was like $30, your 3 qt would have been on sale for very little, right? If you like the idea, just wait on sales and buy a 6 qt for real cooking. As above I don't use the lid on yogurt, I just have a muti sized silicone lid I use.
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Re: Instant Pot cooking

Post by quantAndHold »

Thanks everyone! I now know what an Instant Pot is good at, how to read an instant pot recipe (thanks for the Amy & Jacky link, that was super helpful), how to make beans, and how to calibrate my waste tank sensors. I have a different brand of waste tank sensors, but it was entertaining to click the link.

Anyway, about the size. I intentionally got the 3 qt, because there are only two of us, we already have a large crockpot, and we don’t have much storage space in the kitchen. My wife used it in slow cooker mode to make soup last night, and the size was perfect for that. I already got a second pot and lid to have a clean one just for yogurt. We eat a lot of yogurt, so we’ll be making that a couple of times a week.
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Re: Instant Pot cooking

Post by stoptothink »

snic wrote: Tue Dec 12, 2023 8:05 pm Instant Pots are great for beans, because one doesn't always have time to cook a pot of beans for 2 hours on the stove. It still helps to pre-soak them, though, so they come out more evenly cooked.

It's also good as a slow cooker.

FWIW, we're on our 3rd pressure cooker, in our experience they are not good as slow cookers. I don't really understand why, but our slow cooker has proven time and time again to be much better at slow cooking than any of our pressure cookers. If time isn't an issue, the majority of the time we use the slow cooker because the results are better.
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Re: Instant Pot cooking

Post by Nver2Late »

stoptothink wrote: Wed Dec 13, 2023 11:14 am
snic wrote: Tue Dec 12, 2023 8:05 pm Instant Pots are great for beans, because one doesn't always have time to cook a pot of beans for 2 hours on the stove. It still helps to pre-soak them, though, so they come out more evenly cooked.

It's also good as a slow cooker.

FWIW, we're on our 3rd pressure cooker, in our experience they are not good as slow cookers. I don't really understand why, but our slow cooker has proven time and time again to be much better at slow cooking than any of our pressure cookers. If time isn't an issue, the majority of the time we use the slow cooker because the results are better.
Definitely +1. We use both and the slow cooker just provides the time needed for the flavor to meld. Its kind of like how chili is always better the next day. Time matters. That being said, DW uses the insta-pot extensively to allow for quick preparation of meals we otherwise would not have time to consider.
"Better is the enemy of good." Good is good.
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Re: Instant Pot cooking

Post by stoptothink »

Nver2Late wrote: Wed Dec 13, 2023 11:17 am
stoptothink wrote: Wed Dec 13, 2023 11:14 am
snic wrote: Tue Dec 12, 2023 8:05 pm Instant Pots are great for beans, because one doesn't always have time to cook a pot of beans for 2 hours on the stove. It still helps to pre-soak them, though, so they come out more evenly cooked.

It's also good as a slow cooker.

FWIW, we're on our 3rd pressure cooker, in our experience they are not good as slow cookers. I don't really understand why, but our slow cooker has proven time and time again to be much better at slow cooking than any of our pressure cookers. If time isn't an issue, the majority of the time we use the slow cooker because the results are better.
Definitely +1. We use both and the slow cooker just provides the time needed for the flavor to meld. Its kind of like how chili is always better the next day. Time matters. That being said, DW uses the insta-pot extensively to allow for quick preparation of meals we otherwise would not have time to consider.
I'm talking about using the pressure cooker "as a slow cooker", meaning cooking foods at low temperature (with no pressure) for multiple hours. Whether it is meat or beans, always comes out better in this scenario using our slow cooker. Don't understand why they would be different, but it just seems to be.
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Re: Instant Pot cooking

Post by Alfonsia »

I think the slow cook temps are quite high on these multi cookers (elf and thafty) especially if you compare to an old slow cooker (modern slow cookers are also very hot). You could look at the keep warm setting on the IP (usually adjustable, apparently 133-172 vs 175 -210 on slow cook for adjustable models). These are just settings though, the actual temps if tested with water will likely vary.
Last edited by Alfonsia on Wed Dec 13, 2023 11:36 am, edited 1 time in total.
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Re: Instant Pot cooking

Post by stoptothink »

Alfonsia wrote: Wed Dec 13, 2023 11:30 am I think the slow cook temps are quite high on these multi cookers (elf and thafty) especially if you compare to an old slow cooker (modern slow cookers are also very hot). You could look at the keep warm setting on the IP (usually adjustable, apparently 133-172 vs 175 -210 on slow cook for adjustable models).
Probably the most likely reason. As far as I know, you can't adjust the temperature of any of the settings on our Instant Pot.
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Re: Instant Pot cooking

Post by Nver2Late »

We tend to slow cook in the slow cooker, pressure cook in the Instant Pot, and can in the large pressure cooker.
"Better is the enemy of good." Good is good.
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Re: Instant Pot cooking

Post by lazydavid »

Domadosolo wrote: Tue Dec 12, 2023 8:10 pm Costco chicken carcass and skin and wings and the jelly from the bottom of the package.
Optional - Add a small onion and a few leftover aging veggies
Cover with water
Instapot 30 mins on high

The broth is just exceptional!
If you have the patience to pick the meat off the bones, your dog will love you even more

:sharebeer
You don't specify, but if you're starting with a Costco rotisserie chicken rather than a raw one, please don't give the bones to your dog. Cooked chicken bones are hazardous to dogs because they're brittle, and extremely sharp when they shatter. Uncooked ones are ok because they're gummy and flexible.
Ret2018
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Re: Instant Pot cooking

Post by Ret2018 »

quantAndHold wrote: Wed Dec 13, 2023 9:36 am Thanks everyone! I now know what an Instant Pot is good at, how to read an instant pot recipe (thanks for the Amy & Jacky link, that was super helpful), how to make beans, and how to calibrate my waste tank sensors. I have a different brand of waste tank sensors, but it was entertaining to click the link.

Anyway, about the size. I intentionally got the 3 qt, because there are only two of us, we already have a large crockpot, and we don’t have much storage space in the kitchen. My wife used it in slow cooker mode to make soup last night, and the size was perfect for that. I already got a second pot and lid to have a clean one just for yogurt. We eat a lot of yogurt, so we’ll be making that a couple of times a week.
The 3 quart size is also perfect for making overnight steel cut oats (and other hot grains) for breakfast. And for hard boil eggs! Makes them perfectly and they're easy to peel. It's worth getting a silicone trivet to hold the eggs when cooking.

The yogurt setting is good for proofing small batches of dough.
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Re: Instant Pot cooking

Post by snic »

stoptothink wrote: Wed Dec 13, 2023 11:35 am
Alfonsia wrote: Wed Dec 13, 2023 11:30 am I think the slow cook temps are quite high on these multi cookers (elf and thafty) especially if you compare to an old slow cooker (modern slow cookers are also very hot). You could look at the keep warm setting on the IP (usually adjustable, apparently 133-172 vs 175 -210 on slow cook for adjustable models).
Probably the most likely reason. As far as I know, you can't adjust the temperature of any of the settings on our Instant Pot.
There are "high" and "low" temperature settings for slow cooing on the IP. I read somewhere that they are actually different from the temperatures used by most regular slow cookers, which could be why one of the posts above reports poor results using an IP as a slow cooker. I rarely use it for slow cooking so I'm far from an expert.
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Re: Instant Pot cooking

Post by quantAndHold »

snic wrote: Fri Dec 15, 2023 8:12 am
stoptothink wrote: Wed Dec 13, 2023 11:35 am
Alfonsia wrote: Wed Dec 13, 2023 11:30 am I think the slow cook temps are quite high on these multi cookers (elf and thafty) especially if you compare to an old slow cooker (modern slow cookers are also very hot). You could look at the keep warm setting on the IP (usually adjustable, apparently 133-172 vs 175 -210 on slow cook for adjustable models).
Probably the most likely reason. As far as I know, you can't adjust the temperature of any of the settings on our Instant Pot.
There are "high" and "low" temperature settings for slow cooing on the IP. I read somewhere that they are actually different from the temperatures used by most regular slow cookers, which could be why one of the posts above reports poor results using an IP as a slow cooker. I rarely use it for slow cooking so I'm far from an expert.
Modern slow cookers are too hot as well. Food safety regulations. Most people report that they have to reduce the cooking time by a couple of hours.
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Re: Instant Pot cooking

Post by stoptothink »

snic wrote: Fri Dec 15, 2023 8:12 am
stoptothink wrote: Wed Dec 13, 2023 11:35 am
Alfonsia wrote: Wed Dec 13, 2023 11:30 am I think the slow cook temps are quite high on these multi cookers (elf and thafty) especially if you compare to an old slow cooker (modern slow cookers are also very hot). You could look at the keep warm setting on the IP (usually adjustable, apparently 133-172 vs 175 -210 on slow cook for adjustable models).
Probably the most likely reason. As far as I know, you can't adjust the temperature of any of the settings on our Instant Pot.
There are "high" and "low" temperature settings for slow cooing on the IP. I read somewhere that they are actually different from the temperatures used by most regular slow cookers, which could be why one of the posts above reports poor results using an IP as a slow cooker. I rarely use it for slow cooking so I'm far from an expert.
Yes there are "high" and "low" settings, but they aren't adjustable as Alfonsia suggested.
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Re: Instant Pot cooking

Post by FlamePoint »

I do tons of Instant Pot cooking, however, you really need a 6 quart to take full advantage of all the recipes out there. My favorite online recipes are from “Jeffery” at pressureluckcooking.com. I have yet to find a recipe I don’t like from this website.

If you’re going to do a variety of items (i.e. meats, soups, yoghurt, desserts) make sure to buy a couple different seals (available on Amazon). The seals tend to take on the flavor of whatever you are cooking, and if garlic heavy can seep into your next dish. I use different colored seals for my recipes (one for meats/soups, one for yoghurt, one for desserts). Also, I always wash my seals in the dishwasher between use. You can buy different accessories as well….cheesecake pans, hard boiled egg holders, glass lid (for use when making yoghurt, etc).

My Instant Pot is my go to appliance at least 1-2 times per week. A true timesaver, particularly when feeding a family.
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Re: Instant Pot cooking

Post by tuningfork »

quantAndHold wrote: Fri Dec 15, 2023 9:46 am
snic wrote: Fri Dec 15, 2023 8:12 am
stoptothink wrote: Wed Dec 13, 2023 11:35 am
Alfonsia wrote: Wed Dec 13, 2023 11:30 am I think the slow cook temps are quite high on these multi cookers (elf and thafty) especially if you compare to an old slow cooker (modern slow cookers are also very hot). You could look at the keep warm setting on the IP (usually adjustable, apparently 133-172 vs 175 -210 on slow cook for adjustable models).
Probably the most likely reason. As far as I know, you can't adjust the temperature of any of the settings on our Instant Pot.
There are "high" and "low" temperature settings for slow cooing on the IP. I read somewhere that they are actually different from the temperatures used by most regular slow cookers, which could be why one of the posts above reports poor results using an IP as a slow cooker. I rarely use it for slow cooking so I'm far from an expert.
Modern slow cookers are too hot as well. Food safety regulations. Most people report that they have to reduce the cooking time by a couple of hours.
Ahhhh, that may be why the first time we tried a slow-cooked roast in the Instant Pot it was horribly overcooked an hour or two before it was supposed to be done.

I use the Instant Pot every morning to cook oatmeal. I cook it in the serving bowl placed on the trivet, with just water in the pot, so no mess is made. No watching the pot to make sure the oatmeal doesn't boil over as it frequently does with other cooking methods. It does take longer to cook, but I do other things while it's cooking.

We also use it as a rice cooker. Not a whole lot faster than cooking on the stove top, but again, no need to watch it, and the rice comes out perfectly every time.

Hard boiled eggs are also great in the Instant Pot, and come out more consistently than stove top. Search for the 5-5-5 method. However, the cooking time is dependent on elevation. I'm at high altitude and have to cook them for 7 minutes.

Soups and stews are the best. We adapt "normal" soup recipes to use the Instant Pot. Flavors seem to meld better and it cooks faster.
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Re: Instant Pot cooking

Post by Point »

Just did 4 pounds of pork the other day. Get a shoulder of some other clump of pork. Garlic powder, salt, paprika, pepper, cumin. Put it on thick. Set pot on brown and nicely brown each surface of the pork. Add 1/3 cup water. Set to pressure cook high for 90 minutes and let er rip.

Do pretty much the same with a chunk of beef chuck. Don't add the cumin. Add some quartered onions and carrots. 90 mins.

Brown rice: 1-1/3 C water to each cup rice. Add the same spices, no cumin, some spicy paprika. Cook for an hour.

Black or pinto beans: 1#, soak for 6 hours, drain and rinse. Add to cooker, spices (salt, garlic powder, 1 C onion dry flakes, pepper). 2 Tbl olive oil. Fill to line with water, or a bit less. Beans setting.
Turbo29
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Re: Instant Pot cooking

Post by Turbo29 »

snic wrote: Tue Dec 12, 2023 8:05 pm Instant Pots are great for beans, because one doesn't always have time to cook a pot of beans for 2 hours on the stove. It still helps to pre-soak them, though, so they come out more evenly cooked.

It's also good as a slow cooker.

One hint - if you're using it to make yogurt, don't use the same lid to cook beans with, or anything else with a strong flavor. The silicone seal absorbs the flavors and then imparts them to the yogurt - yuck. I bought a glass lid to use for any non-pressure cooking I do with the pot. There are a million of them available on Amazon.
You can definitely use the same lid. What you have to do is order some extra gaskets (you'll need to replace your gasket eventually anyway) and reserve one gasket to use for non-spicy foods. It's the silicone gasket that holds the strong flavors, not the lid.
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Re: Instant Pot cooking

Post by snic »

Turbo29 wrote: Fri Dec 15, 2023 5:27 pm
snic wrote: Tue Dec 12, 2023 8:05 pm Instant Pots are great for beans, because one doesn't always have time to cook a pot of beans for 2 hours on the stove. It still helps to pre-soak them, though, so they come out more evenly cooked.

It's also good as a slow cooker.

One hint - if you're using it to make yogurt, don't use the same lid to cook beans with, or anything else with a strong flavor. The silicone seal absorbs the flavors and then imparts them to the yogurt - yuck. I bought a glass lid to use for any non-pressure cooking I do with the pot. There are a million of them available on Amazon.
You can definitely use the same lid. What you have to do is order some extra gaskets (you'll need to replace your gasket eventually anyway) and reserve one gasket to use for non-spicy foods. It's the silicone gasket that holds the strong flavors, not the lid.
Right, I actually tried the "extra gaskets" trick first, but found it to be a pain to replace the gasket every time I switched from yogurt to beans or vv. A glass lid is really all you need for any non-pressure use of the IP, and it's easier to use than the heavy pressure cooking lid.
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quantAndHold
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Re: Instant Pot cooking

Post by quantAndHold »

snic wrote: Fri Dec 15, 2023 9:04 pm
Turbo29 wrote: Fri Dec 15, 2023 5:27 pm
snic wrote: Tue Dec 12, 2023 8:05 pm Instant Pots are great for beans, because one doesn't always have time to cook a pot of beans for 2 hours on the stove. It still helps to pre-soak them, though, so they come out more evenly cooked.

It's also good as a slow cooker.

One hint - if you're using it to make yogurt, don't use the same lid to cook beans with, or anything else with a strong flavor. The silicone seal absorbs the flavors and then imparts them to the yogurt - yuck. I bought a glass lid to use for any non-pressure cooking I do with the pot. There are a million of them available on Amazon.
You can definitely use the same lid. What you have to do is order some extra gaskets (you'll need to replace your gasket eventually anyway) and reserve one gasket to use for non-spicy foods. It's the silicone gasket that holds the strong flavors, not the lid.
Right, I actually tried the "extra gaskets" trick first, but found it to be a pain to replace the gasket every time I switched from yogurt to beans or vv. A glass lid is really all you need for any non-pressure use of the IP, and it's easier to use than the heavy pressure cooking lid.
I already got a glass lid, since we need a lid when we put the pot of yogurt in the fridge to cool. I got a second inner pot and extra gaskets as well. I can see where this is all leading… We don’t have enough space in the cupboards for the Instant Pot, and now we have all these accessories.
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Re: Instant Pot cooking

Post by Alfonsia »

You can try a lamp dimmer on a crock pot and apparently an instant pot on the slow cook setting to help with temps, I use one on my mini crock pot for tempering chocolate, obviously understand ratings for wattage/amps etc. Google, reddit, etc. I haven't tried it so YMMV.
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Re: Instant Pot cooking

Post by Sandtrap »

quantAndHold wrote: Tue Dec 12, 2023 6:14 pm Our much loved Cuisinart yogurt maker died the other day, and isn’t made anymore, so we replaced it with a 3 qt Instant Pot. The first batch of yogurt came out yesterday, and it works great for that. But I have no idea how to learn how to use it for anything else. It came with a 3 page pamphlet explaining what the different buttons were for, but didn’t really explain anything.

So, let me have it. What’s it good at? Are there any good cookbooks? We have a crockpot and know how to use that, and apparently I figured out how to use the yogurt setting, but we’ve never had a pressure cooker or rice cooker. We intend to use it to make beans, so if anyone has any bean cooking wisdom, I’d love to hear that, too.
Over the years, DW and I have repeatedly tried various sizes and versions of the "Instant Pot" and, for the foods we eat and how we cook, the "Instant Pot" changes the texture of the foods, even Oatmeal, so we ended up giving them to our children who have more "on the go" lifestyles, and children to cook for.
The "Instant Pot" seems to do very well for very specific dishes and cooking.

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Re: Instant Pot cooking

Post by watchnerd »

Old school pressure cooker is superior because you can use it during a blackout on top of a wood burning stove.
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Re: Instant Pot cooking

Post by dukeblue219 »

watchnerd wrote: Sat Dec 16, 2023 8:25 am Old school pressure cooker is superior because you can use it during a blackout on top of a wood burning stove.
That's a lot of convenience to give up for an extremely uncommon scenario...
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watchnerd
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Re: Instant Pot cooking

Post by watchnerd »

dukeblue219 wrote: Sat Dec 16, 2023 8:30 am
watchnerd wrote: Sat Dec 16, 2023 8:25 am Old school pressure cooker is superior because you can use it during a blackout on top of a wood burning stove.
That's a lot of convenience to give up for an extremely uncommon scenario...
Not really.

It's not like pressure cookers are hard to use.

You just need to know water ratios and cooking time.

And it's not that uncommon where I live -- happens several times every winter.
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protagonist
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Re: Instant Pot cooking

Post by protagonist »

quantAndHold wrote: Tue Dec 12, 2023 6:14 pm Our much loved Cuisinart yogurt maker died the other day, and isn’t made anymore, so we replaced it with a 3 qt Instant Pot. The first batch of yogurt came out yesterday, and it works great for that. But I have no idea how to learn how to use it for anything else.
I can relate.
I bought an Instant Pot a few years ago on a deep Black Friday sale.
I played around with it for a couple of months. It made good oatmeal, hard boiled eggs and a few other things, but given the amount of time it took to heat up and come to pressure it wasn't a time saver. The meals I made were OK and a fair amount of hassle, with fits and starts. I didn't bother with making yogurt since yogurt from the store is cheap and good anyway.
It's been buried in a cabinet ever since.
I suppose it is my fault for not sticking with it. Given how people rave about it, I perceive there is a learning curve. I just didn't have the patience.

On the other hand, I started with sous vide 5-10 years ago and I was off the ground running from day one. I still use it regularly.
Last edited by protagonist on Sat Dec 16, 2023 11:14 am, edited 3 times in total.
dukeblue219
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Re: Instant Pot cooking

Post by dukeblue219 »

watchnerd wrote: Sat Dec 16, 2023 8:25 am Old school pressure cooker is superior because you can use it during a blackout on top of a wood burning stove.
watchnerd wrote: Sat Dec 16, 2023 8:37 am And it's not that uncommon where I live -- happens several times every winter.
You have a wood burning stove? Granted I'm a Southerner by birth... But I have never seen one outside of old movies :)
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watchnerd
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Re: Instant Pot cooking

Post by watchnerd »

dukeblue219 wrote: Sat Dec 16, 2023 9:19 am
watchnerd wrote: Sat Dec 16, 2023 8:25 am Old school pressure cooker is superior because you can use it during a blackout on top of a wood burning stove.
watchnerd wrote: Sat Dec 16, 2023 8:37 am And it's not that uncommon where I live -- happens several times every winter.
You have a wood burning stove? Granted I'm a Southerner by birth... But I have never seen one outside of old movies :)
It's not in our kitchen, we have a regular electric stove in our kitchen.

The wood burning stove is in the living room. We don't normally cook on it, but during blackouts, we have.
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quantAndHold
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Re: Instant Pot cooking

Post by quantAndHold »

watchnerd wrote: Sat Dec 16, 2023 8:37 am
dukeblue219 wrote: Sat Dec 16, 2023 8:30 am
watchnerd wrote: Sat Dec 16, 2023 8:25 am Old school pressure cooker is superior because you can use it during a blackout on top of a wood burning stove.
That's a lot of convenience to give up for an extremely uncommon scenario...
Not really.

It's not like pressure cookers are hard to use.

You just need to know water ratios and cooking time.

And it's not that uncommon where I live -- happens several times every winter.
Well, the last time the power was out here for more than an hour was in 2011. Before that it was … thinking…thinking…thinking…never.

I do still have a gas stove, a Blackstone griddle, and an assortment of pots and pans. So I don’t think I’ll starve.

I have no intention of using the Instant Pot for all of my cooking. But it makes fabulous yogurt, which we eat a lot of, and apparently does some other things very well. I’m trying to learn what those things are and how to do that.
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Re: Instant Pot cooking

Post by quantAndHold »

protagonist wrote: Sat Dec 16, 2023 9:18 am I didn't bother with making yogurt since yogurt from the store is cheap and good anyway.
The Greek yogurt we like is $3.99 for a little container, and we eat a couple of those per day. We found if we use that as the starter we can make a week’s worth of amazingly good yogurt for the cost of a gallon of milk. So if we use that Instant Pot for nothing else, it’s still going to be out on the counter most of the time.
Last edited by quantAndHold on Sat Dec 16, 2023 9:40 am, edited 1 time in total.
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Re: Instant Pot cooking

Post by watchnerd »

quantAndHold wrote: Sat Dec 16, 2023 9:31 am
watchnerd wrote: Sat Dec 16, 2023 8:37 am
dukeblue219 wrote: Sat Dec 16, 2023 8:30 am
watchnerd wrote: Sat Dec 16, 2023 8:25 am Old school pressure cooker is superior because you can use it during a blackout on top of a wood burning stove.
That's a lot of convenience to give up for an extremely uncommon scenario...
Not really.

It's not like pressure cookers are hard to use.

You just need to know water ratios and cooking time.

And it's not that uncommon where I live -- happens several times every winter.
Well, the last time the power was out here for more than an hour was in 2011. Before that it was … thinking…thinking…thinking…never.

I do still have a gas stove, a Blackstone griddle, and an assortment of pots and pans. So I don’t think I’ll starve.

I have no intention of using the Instant Pot for all of my cooking. But it makes fabulous yogurt, which we eat a lot of, and apparently does some other things very well. I’m trying to learn what those things are and how to do that.
During bad winter storms, we've lost power a few times for days.
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protagonist
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Re: Instant Pot cooking

Post by protagonist »

quantAndHold wrote: Sat Dec 16, 2023 9:39 am
protagonist wrote: Sat Dec 16, 2023 9:18 am I didn't bother with making yogurt since yogurt from the store is cheap and good anyway.
The Greek yogurt we like is $3.99 for a little container, and we eat a couple of those per day. We found if we use that as the starter we can make a week’s worth of amazingly good yogurt for the cost of a gallon of milk. So if we use that Instant Pot for nothing else, it’s still going to be out on the counter most of the time.
What Greek yogurt do you like? I'm curious.
I've gotten hooked on Oikos....the one with zero everything. It's not that expensive- more than the 99 cent ones like Trader Joe's but not bad..... but then again, I usu. don't eat more than one little pack per day.
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Re: Instant Pot cooking

Post by quantAndHold »

protagonist wrote: Sat Dec 16, 2023 10:08 am
quantAndHold wrote: Sat Dec 16, 2023 9:39 am
protagonist wrote: Sat Dec 16, 2023 9:18 am I didn't bother with making yogurt since yogurt from the store is cheap and good anyway.
The Greek yogurt we like is $3.99 for a little container, and we eat a couple of those per day. We found if we use that as the starter we can make a week’s worth of amazingly good yogurt for the cost of a gallon of milk. So if we use that Instant Pot for nothing else, it’s still going to be out on the counter most of the time.
What Greek yogurt do you like? I'm curious.
I've gotten hooked on Oikos....the one with zero everything. It's not that expensive, but then again, I usu. don't eat more than one little pack per day.
Ellenos. It’s amazing, but expensive. We got hooked on it when we lived in Seattle.
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Re: Instant Pot cooking

Post by protagonist »

quantAndHold wrote: Sat Dec 16, 2023 10:10 am
protagonist wrote: Sat Dec 16, 2023 10:08 am
quantAndHold wrote: Sat Dec 16, 2023 9:39 am
protagonist wrote: Sat Dec 16, 2023 9:18 am I didn't bother with making yogurt since yogurt from the store is cheap and good anyway.
The Greek yogurt we like is $3.99 for a little container, and we eat a couple of those per day. We found if we use that as the starter we can make a week’s worth of amazingly good yogurt for the cost of a gallon of milk. So if we use that Instant Pot for nothing else, it’s still going to be out on the counter most of the time.
What Greek yogurt do you like? I'm curious.
I've gotten hooked on Oikos....the one with zero everything. It's not that expensive, but then again, I usu. don't eat more than one little pack per day.
Ellenos. It’s amazing, but expensive. We got hooked on it when we lived in Seattle.
Thanks. If it is available where I live I will try it. I hope I don't get hooked if a small pack costs $3.99.
Is your homemade InstantPot yogurt just as good?
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Re: Instant Pot cooking

Post by quantAndHold »

protagonist wrote: Sat Dec 16, 2023 10:12 am
quantAndHold wrote: Sat Dec 16, 2023 10:10 am
protagonist wrote: Sat Dec 16, 2023 10:08 am
quantAndHold wrote: Sat Dec 16, 2023 9:39 am
protagonist wrote: Sat Dec 16, 2023 9:18 am I didn't bother with making yogurt since yogurt from the store is cheap and good anyway.
The Greek yogurt we like is $3.99 for a little container, and we eat a couple of those per day. We found if we use that as the starter we can make a week’s worth of amazingly good yogurt for the cost of a gallon of milk. So if we use that Instant Pot for nothing else, it’s still going to be out on the counter most of the time.
What Greek yogurt do you like? I'm curious.
I've gotten hooked on Oikos....the one with zero everything. It's not that expensive, but then again, I usu. don't eat more than one little pack per day.
Ellenos. It’s amazing, but expensive. We got hooked on it when we lived in Seattle.
Thanks. If it is available where I live I will try it. I hope I don't get hooked if a small pack costs $3.99.
Is your homemade yogurt just as good?
Yeah, with some practice. We found that our yogurt has the same basic taste and texture as whatever we use as the starter. The flavor will be creamier or tangier depending on how long it cooks for, so there’s some experimentation there. And then making it into Greek yogurt is just a matter of sticking it in a strainer for a few hours.

We have been able to match the quality of Ellenos’ plain yogurt, but haven’t been able to come close to their flavors, probably because we don’t have the same honey, and aren’t willing to use as much of it. We couldn’t eat their flavored yogurts all the time though, without gaining a bunch of weight, so I’m okay with that.
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Re: Instant Pot cooking

Post by anagram »

watchnerd wrote: Sat Dec 16, 2023 9:40 am
quantAndHold wrote: Sat Dec 16, 2023 9:31 am
watchnerd wrote: Sat Dec 16, 2023 8:37 am
dukeblue219 wrote: Sat Dec 16, 2023 8:30 am
watchnerd wrote: Sat Dec 16, 2023 8:25 am Old school pressure cooker is superior because you can use it during a blackout on top of a wood burning stove.
That's a lot of convenience to give up for an extremely uncommon scenario...
Not really.

It's not like pressure cookers are hard to use.

You just need to know water ratios and cooking time.

And it's not that uncommon where I live -- happens several times every winter.
Well, the last time the power was out here for more than an hour was in 2011. Before that it was … thinking…thinking…thinking…never.

I do still have a gas stove, a Blackstone griddle, and an assortment of pots and pans. So I don’t think I’ll starve.

I have no intention of using the Instant Pot for all of my cooking. But it makes fabulous yogurt, which we eat a lot of, and apparently does some other things very well. I’m trying to learn what those things are and how to do that.
During bad winter storms, we've lost power a few times for days.
In Seattle? :shock:
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Re: Instant Pot cooking

Post by gips »

watchnerd wrote: Sat Dec 16, 2023 8:25 am Old school pressure cooker is superior because you can use it during a blackout on top of a wood burning stove.
I agree, it's one of the items I've stockpliled for the coming zombie apocalypse. Doubles as a nice weapon as well!
Last edited by gips on Sat Dec 16, 2023 11:09 am, edited 1 time in total.
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Re: Instant Pot cooking

Post by gips »

I bought an instant pot after reading an article in the NYT about The Butter Chicken Lady, a women who adapted Indian home cooking recipes for the instantpot. According to the article. her butter chicken recipe is so good that it's saved serveral marraiges.

we like her butter chicken, chicken byriani, chicken korma and chicken tikka masala recipes the most. You can find the recipes with links to videos here:https://twosleevers.com/
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