Instant Pot, now what.

[Colin1230]

Our old Crock Pot is on its last leg so I have replaced it with a 6 qt. Instant Pot from Amazon. This thing is pretty nice. All I have done is a test run with a couple of cups of water in Pressure Cook mode. I think the first meal I do will be ham and beans with ham hocks. I've been Jones'n for some good ham and beans and corn bread. So, of thoughts of you that have an Instant Pot, do you use it mostly as a pressure cooker or slow cooker? What sides recipes do you like to do in it to go along with your Q?
Thanks for looking and thanks for your replies.

 

[tallbm]

Our old Crock Pot is on its last leg so I have replaced it with a 6 qt. Instant Pot from Amazon. This thing is pretty nice. All I have done is a test run with a couple of cups of water in Pressure Cook mode. I think the first meal I do will be ham and beans with ham hocks. I've been Jones'n for some good ham and beans and corn bread. So, of thoughts of you that have an Instant Pot, do you use it mostly as a pressure cooker or slow cooker? What sides recipes do you like to do in it to go along with your Q?
Thanks for looking and thanks for your replies.

Congrats on the new Instant Pot!

I use mine almost exclusively as a pressure cooker took cook things faster. Things like beans, soups with things in them like shanks so the meat breaks down much faster, etc.

Basically things that take 3+ hours happen. This buys me time and convenience.
If I wasn't doing keto I would be using it as a rice cooker.
I don't really eat boiled eggs but if I did, I'd boil eggs in it.

Finally, I did branch out a bit with it and made homemade carb free yogurt (fermented 24 hrs to remove all sugars) and OMG best yogurt I've ever had!!!! This is a tiny bit more involved since you need a culture or an existing yogurt with active culture still in it to start your batch of yogurt.
I haven't made yogurt in a long while though. It was more of a fun project than anything else because I'm not crazy about yogurt. There was also a "backfire" issue where my yogurt I made was so good that I would eat way more than I should have been eating thereby defeating the purpose of having a small good tasting zero sugar breakfast or snack. The calorie content was just too high and it was too good to resist that it just wasn't feasible for me unless I wanted to add weight :P

I hope this info helps :D

 

[chopsaw]

I use mine almost exclusively as a pressure cooker

Me too .
I've been cross cutting packer briskets in half . Smoking the point end , and using the flat for tacos or roast beef in the instant pot . Works great , especially on short notice .

Do the same with pork roasts for tacos .

My Daughter does pasta dishes in it , and also makes cheese cakes .

 

[Winterrider]

I have used for both. Slow cook for when headed for the golf course, pressure cook when nothing really planned. Have done chicken and rice quite a few times. Lot of charts online for starter information on times for numerous different foods. The manual isn't real thorough.

 

[zwiller]

Congrats. I use mine WAY more than I ever expected. 555 for eggs, 3m rice, SV for stuff, and pressure cook for stocks etc. Soup making beast if you ask me. IMO ham hock/bean soup is a FANTASTIC idea for first run.

 

[Colin1230]

Thanks guys for the info, much appreciated!
We have a Church Chili Cook Off coming up and I will be browsing recipes for that. I don't want to get spanked like last year.
Also, I think I will be trying corn on the cob and baking potatoes to go with grilled steak. Lots of rice dishes out there that look really good to me. I'm thinking this cooker is going to be great to have this winter.
Any recommendations on Instant Pot cookbooks?

 

[chopsaw]

If you like the flavor of cream cheese and ranch dressing , I'll get you the crack pasta recipe that my Daughter does .

 

[mr_whipple]

555 for eggs

This! I love my IP. Another thing to do is chuck pot roast when you can't get to the smoker.

 

[WaterRat]

I dont really use it but my wife does. Easy peel hard boiled eggs! I think the new one has an “egg” button so really easy…

 

[Colin1230]

If you like the flavor of cream cheese and ranch dressing , I'll get you the crack pasta recipe that my Daughter does .

Yes Rich, I'd love that recipe, at your convenience.

 

[Brokenhandle]

Was out of hard boiled eggs... just made some... thanks for the reminder!

Ryan

 

[DougE]

I'll go against the grain and say that I use mine mostly as a crockpot. The pressure cook feature is nice to have as an option though.

 

[nlife]

We use ours mostly for roasts, but we also do split pea soup, eggs, and ramen too.

 

[tallbm]

Thanks guys for the info, much appreciated!
We have a Church Chili Cook Off coming up and I will be browsing recipes for that. I don't want to get spanked like last year.
Also, I think I will be trying corn on the cob and baking potatoes to go with grilled steak. Lots of rice dishes out there that look really good to me. I'm thinking this cooker is going to be great to have this winter.
Any recommendations on Instant Pot cookbooks?

I don't have any Instant Pot cookbook recommendations and with most online blog post sites and recipes beware. They are in it for the clicks and likes more than actually producing a good meal. The pictures of the food are usually way better than the food hahahah.

With that said, I think this forum is going to be the best source for any tried and true recipes as it is with most cooking from the great people here and those known to always knock it out of the park with their meals and directions.

I want to give a word of caution when making chili or spaghetti sauce in something like an Instant Pot.
The enemy of chili (and pasta sauce) is water.
It is heart breaking to put chili or sauce on your plate or bowl and then a minute later water is pouring out of it.
The key to avoiding this, besides not actually adding water, is to cook uncovered so that the water/steam/moisture can escape leaving a rich thick chili or sauce behind. Also drain any canned items that have water in them (beans, canned diced tomato, etc.).
An instant pot will trap all of that water inside to cook so even if it is fully cooked through there would need to be some time simmering to steam off all the excess water from the dish. This can be done by removing the lid and putting in saute/simmer mode (can't remember the button name). Plan the time to do this and you will avoid the excess water.

It can be done but knowing that quirk is one of the keys to making a good chili. Like bbq making, knowing the quirks of the dish and cooking method are huge.

 

[BrianGSDTexoma]

I use mine a lot for making stock. Just throw the chicken bones from a rotisserie chicken with some water and makes great stock.

 

[chopsaw]

I'd love that recipe,

Colin , post 16 has the recipe and the method . You don't drain the liquid from the pot after the pressure release . Let the cream cheese warm up before adding lets it melt faster .

There's also a pork tace link in that same thread if you're interested .

Instant pots

Found one on market place for $20 , and said wth. Truth be told I really don’t need another cooking gadget for inside, but seen several people brag them up. I was working night shift unexpectedly so I’ve done ribs twice not bad but definitely no where close to the pit. once this heat wave leaves...

www.smokingmeatforums.com

 

[chef k-dude]

I have a Zavor Lux multicooker. I dont use it a lot. I haven't crock-potted anything since I stopped butchering roast cuts of deer, just got tired of them for some reason. I haven't seen the need for a crock pot or pressure cooker from most soups I make. I guess if one is starting with dry beans, that could be a game changer. I DO do ham-bone beans in the pressure cooker using dry beans. No soaking of the beans required.

I also make country style ribs in the pressure cooker now, but that is a multi cook situation where I season the meat with my Cajun seasoning then brown in a skillet first to set that maillard reaction exterior before the pressure cooker (I hate reaching down in to a deep pot to brown stuff, I even cook/brown my ground deer for chili in a separate pan), then set the sauce out on the grill or the broiler if the weather isn't cooperating.

 

[Colin1230]

Colin , post 16 has the recipe and the method . You don't drain the liquid from the pot after the pressure release . Let the cream cheese warm up before adding lets it melt faster .

There's also a pork tace link in that same thread if you're interested .

Instant pots

Found one on market place for $20 , and said wth. Truth be told I really don’t need another cooking gadget for inside, but seen several people brag them up. I was working night shift unexpectedly so I’ve done ribs twice not bad but definitely no where close to the pit. once this heat wave leaves...

www.smokingmeatforums.com

Great thread Rich, good stuff right there! Many thanks.

 

[nlife]

We use this recipe for Instant Pot Split Pea Soup. It's especially good with homemade ham with the ham bone thrown in while cooking.

 

[BrianGSDTexoma]

This one of favorite things to do. Take leftovers and put in some cream of something soup. Add maybe 1/3 can water and set the meat cycle. I normally use cream of roasted garlic mushroom soup. This time I used cream of poblano soup. Serve over noodles. This was some short ribs that came out kind of tough but the IP took care of that. Next time you do Pork Steaks make extra for this. Trust me.