Instant Pot / Digital Pressure Cooking

I did a search and couldn't find a thread on this topic, so here goes.

I treated myself to an Instant Pot multicooker: https://www.amazon.co.uk/Instant-Pot-Electric-Pressure-Stainless/dp/B00OP26T4K

Instant Pot is a multi-cooker that does the job of a slow cooker, electric pressure cooker, rice cooker, steamer, yogurt maker, sauté/browning pan, and warming pot.

So far, I'm delighted with it and keen to have a thread to discuss recipes. Any fellow enthusiasts out there?

Last night I made pot roast and rice pudding. Each were a triumph. Both were my own recipes, and I just used timing advice from the manual.

Pot Roast for 4

1kg rolled rib of beef (mine was 1.066kg)
4 large carrots, peeled, whole
8 small new potatoes, scrubbed
Half an onion, finely chopped
2 large cloves garlic, sliced
200g chestnut mushrooms, sliced and stems removed
400ml strong beef stock
200ml red wine
2 tablespoons tomato puree
2 tablespoons Worcestershire sauce
1 teaspoon dried thyme
Fresh ground salt and pepper
2 bay leaves
1 teaspoon sugar
Butter and olive oil
2 teaspoons cornflour

Set Instant Pot to saute. Add some olive oil to the pot and brown the roast well on all sides.

Meanwhile combine the stock, wine, tomato puree, Worcestershire sauce, thyme, bay leaves, salt, pepper and sugar and stir.

Once browned, remove the roast and set aside.

Add some butter to the pot and brown the mushrooms. Add the onion and garlic and saute until softened. Place the roast back on top and pour in the sauce. Put the lid on, check the valve is shut, choose 'manual' and set to appropriate time for your weight of meat (20 mins per 450g, minus time for potatoes and veg). I set it at 36 minutes.

Prepare your carrots and potatoes.

When the timer goes off, use the quick release option to release the steam. Working fast, place the potatoes on top of the meat and the whole carrots on top of the potatoes. Close lid, close valve, and set for 12 minutes.

When timer goes off, remove the meat and vegetables. Set the pot to saute and allow the sauce to reduce. Check for seasoning. Thicken with cornflour if you wish.

As the sauce reduces, slice the carrots and plate up. The meat should be fork tender.

Pour the mushroom gravy over everything and devour. Absolutely top notch - really rich and meltingly tender.

Rice pudding

1 cup basmati rice
1/4 cup sugar
1 teaspoon vanilla extract
1 teaspoon cinnamon
3.5 cups milk (I used soy as dairy milk can scorch - you can use any kind you like)
Half a can of evaporated milk, or 200ml of cream

Put everything into the pot except for the evaporated milk/cream.

Stir. Close the lid and valve and choose 'porridge' setting.

Once it beeps (around 20 minutes later) use quick release to get rid of the steam. Stir in the evaporated milk or cream and serve. Yum.

You can of course adapt this to include raisins, nuts, spices, chocolate or syrups of any kind.

I forgot to add a few comments on the process, so here goes.

I was intimidated at first and spent some time reading recipes, advice and the manual in advance.

However having now given it a go, I found it extremely easy. It's also very quick. The pot roast dinner produced a flavour comparable to a boeuf bourguignon with a fraction of the time involved, and the meat was actually more tender.

The rice pudding took around 3 minutes to prepare and then did not involve any stirring or watching.

All in all I found it very forgiving to work with (it switches to keep warm mode once the timer goes off), quick and simple. Recommended!

circadian

I've heard good things about the instant pot but something in my mind is always wary of pressure cookers. Probably from the old ones that could explode.

Considering an instant pot though.

arian

There was a thread just recently:
http://www.boards.ie/vbulletin/showthread.php?t=2057774745

arian

arian wrote: »

There was a thread just recently:
http://www.boards.ie/vbulletin/showthread.php?t=2057774745

Thank you! The search function must be borked as it won't appear for me.

In any case there are no recipes in that thread so maybe this one will inspire a few.

Tree

Mine gets used about twice a week.

Pressure cooking daal is pretty handy. When I remember to soak it, it only takes 10 mins on high. then do a tadka on the hob and stir it in and we're done.

The other main use is for getting a slow cooked taste on tomato sauce in a short time. Make the tomato/bolognaise sauce as normal, then pressure cook for 10 mins, when it depressurises add blackpepper/paprika.

Would you share your recipe for daal, Tree?

eeepaulo

Saw this yesterday, I bought a sage fast slow Pro on Friday, after seeing your machine I might have overpaid, but nevermind.

Was looking for recipes also, a lot online for pressure cookers seen to be aimed at stove top types.

I downloaded the manual for your one, I think that's what I'll do, just download all the recipe books for the different makes.

You can get the sage recipe book here

http://www.foodthinkers.com.au/recipe-books?r=13

Although you have to enter your email address.

I made lamb shank massaman curry yesterday, with homemade stock from it as well, risotto recipe up next me thinks, roast pumpkin with sage and goats cheese

Sounds great. I'd love your lamb shank recipe and your thoughts on the outcome.

I have a speedy lamb curry in there myself tonight. Lots of onions, garlic, cubed lamb, Madras paste, chopped tomatoes, mango chutney, red pepper and spinach. 13 minutes at high pressure - when it's done I'll stir in some canned chickpeas and coconut yogurt. Basmati and naan to accompany!

eeepaulo

That sounds good.

I made the one in the recipe book.

The lamb shanks flesh was cooked nicely, didn't get the crust you'd get roasting, I did brown using the sear setting on the shanks first, maybe need to do it more.

Lovely potatoes.

The sauce was a little watery, I reduced it, not intense flavour but probably just the recipe, not sure, was nice though.

Tree

Mystery Egg wrote: »

Would you share your recipe for daal, Tree?

Sure, it's pretty basic and rough though.

soak daal overnight with salt. Rinse well and put in the pressure cooker with water (to about 1cm above lentils. PRessure cook on high until done (different lentils are quicker, channa daal take me about 13 mins usually).

In a frying pan, fry some sliced onions until soft. Add curry powder (sometimes I pick up a blend from the market, sometimes I just add various dessertspoons of spices), there should be a good heap of it. Add some butter.

When the lentils are done, pour off some water if it's too wet but you want it to be somewhat liquidy. Then stir in the onions/spices. Check if it's all salty enough (sometimes I add the salt to the cooking water, sometimes to the tadka, sometimes at the end).

Serve up with some chopped coriander, some cream if you have it to hand, and some fluffy bread or rice.

eeepaulo

eeepaulo wrote: »

The sauce was a little watery, I reduced it, not intense flavour but probably just the recipe, not sure, was nice though.

One of the pieces of advice that I read said that you need to double your spices and flavourings with pressure cooking. I have been going heavy on the spices and this has worked well. I've used both the reduction method, and adding cornflour, to thicken sauces at the end, with good results.

Tree wrote: »

Sure, it's pretty basic and rough though.

soak daal overnight with salt. Rinse well and put in the pressure cooker with water (to about 1cm above lentils. PRessure cook on high until done (different lentils are quicker, channa daal take me about 13 mins usually).

In a frying pan, fry some sliced onions until soft. Add curry powder (sometimes I pick up a blend from the market, sometimes I just add various dessertspoons of spices), there should be a good heap of it. Add some butter.

When the lentils are done, pour off some water if it's too wet but you want it to be somewhat liquidy. Then stir in the onions/spices. Check if it's all salty enough (sometimes I add the salt to the cooking water, sometimes to the tadka, sometimes at the end).

Serve up with some chopped coriander, some cream if you have it to hand, and some fluffy bread or rice.

Thanks Tree, I'll give it a shot. I had thought one of the advantages of pressure cooking was no-soak on lentils and pulses though?

rubadub

Many pressure cooker recipes will be for cooking at 15psi. The instant pot gets to 15psi at the start but backs off so you would have to increase times. Some recipies will also have times for 10psi, or 12psi.

below is what the isntant pot does

eeepaulo

This site looks quite interesting, lots of recipes and just genreal info aimed at electric cookers

https://www.hippressurecooking.com/pressure-cooking-times/

I'm still having a great time with my Instant Pot. I really love stews, curries and casseroles and this has them ready in minutes. Myself and the husband keep marvelling at how fast we can get our dinner ready.

I'm also a hot dessert person - love old fashioned dishes like rice pudding and tapioca - and it's magic for those too.

I also recently made a really delicious chicken stock in 45 minutes, without steaming up the kitchen with sweaty windows for hours. :pac:

mirrorwall14

I'll jump in here, I'm totally loving my instant pot. Between the instant pot and airfryer I rarely turn the oven on now at all. Its nearly become a storage space.

For anyone getting started here's some of our staples (I'm keeping a google drive folder) done every week now

Porridge This works on timer so you come down to hot porridge.

I do this pot in pot as its easy to toss the internal pot straight into the dishwaser
1 cup porridge (cup with Instant Pot)
1 ½ cups of water
1 cup of low fat milk

Add apple or other for flavour

4 mins high pressure (keeps well for two hours)


Full Chicken (we use for sandwiches. I chuck it on while eating dinner and take it out after getting bedtime done)

In the pot on trivet with two full cups of water. 25 mins high pressure. 20 mins slow release

Risotto Rice

Bit more work here but we love it

2 cups of Arborio Rice (can be substituted with "Short Grain White Pearl" rice)
4 cups (or 1L) of chicken or vegetable broth
1 onion, chopped
1 swig of white wine
Extra Virgin Olive Oil
1 tablespoon parmesan cheese
salt and pepper to taste
(I use the cup with the instant pot)


INSTRUCTIONS
In the pre-heated pressure cooker on medium heat add the oil, and onion.
Sauté the onion until it becomes translucent (about 5 minutes).
Add the rice and lightly toast it to release the starch.
Add a swig of white wine and un-stick any grains from the bottom of the cooker with it and stir the rice until the wine has fully evaporated.
Add the broth (or broth and veggie mixture), mix and close the top immediately.
Cook for 5-6 minutes at high pressure.
When time is up, open the cooker by releasing the pressure.
remove the inner pot from the cooker immediately to keep the rice from over-cooking and serve

mirrorwall14

Oh and a request, has anyone a stew recipe? I have a big pack of stewing beef and haven't tried a stew in it yet!

Tree

Finally got around to using hte slow cooker mode to make pulled chicken (used to make it all the time in the slow cooker). Worked out excellent (especially the bit where you don't need a separate timer plug). Used the frying pan lid, not sure if it's worth splashing out on an instant pot lid (or any other lid that' actually fits rather than rests on top in mostly the right place)

mirrorwall14

mirrorwall14 wrote: »

Oh and a request, has anyone a stew recipe? I have a big pack of stewing beef and haven't tried a stew in it yet!

Made my usual slow cooker stew in the instant pot (stewing beef, carrots, onions, potatoes, stock, Worcestershire sauce etc) and it was incredible. Hands down beat the slow cooker with way less time. The meat was soft and yummy without having crumbled

eeepaulo

Made a lovely beef and bean chilli in the pressure cooker, lovely stuff, was thinking of substituting the beef for quorn mince, or something else to make it friendly for vegetarians, any suggestions what works? Does quorn?

Cheshire Cat

eeepaulo wrote: »

Made a lovely beef and bean chilli in the pressure cooker, lovely stuff, was thinking of substituting the beef for quorn mince, or something else to make it friendly for vegetarians, any suggestions what works? Does quorn?

You don't need a mince alternative. Personally I am very suspicious of Quorn, it's highly processed!

Try this recipe instead: https://www.jamieoliver.com/recipes/vegetables-recipes/kerryann-s-chilli-con-veggie/

It's very popular in our family of omnivores. The recipe makes loads. I half the recipe and the four of us, all adults with healthy appetites, get two meals out of it. Works out much cheaper than using Quorn, too.

Tree

eeepaulo wrote: »

Made a lovely beef and bean chilli in the pressure cooker, lovely stuff, was thinking of substituting the beef for quorn mince, or something else to make it friendly for vegetarians, any suggestions what works? Does quorn?

I make beans in the pot, set them aside, then pressure cook the tomato and chili sauce. When that's ready, I stir in quorn mince on low-sauté for about 15mins, add back in some beans and we're good to go. Keeps my veggie very happy.

Instead of quorn mince, sometimes we use the quorn steak strips too. Very good.

pigtail33

Cheshire Cat wrote: »

Try this recipe instead: https://www.jamieoliver.com/recipes/vegetables-recipes/kerryann-s-chilli-con-veggie/

I have made this in the Instant Pot a few times. I too only make half the recipe. I follow the method, as per the recipe, but add a little extra water, then 12 mins on HP with around 5 NPR. It's a weekly favourite for me! If I'm organised enough, I use dried beans, that I pre-cook in the Instant Pot too, so it's very budget friendly.

eeepaulo

Thanks for all the replies.

I'd like to keep it all in the pot if possible. For a party, if I can do it all in the pressure cooker I can leave the oven and hobs for the omnivores.

I suppose the only reason I was thinking of quorn was to give texture, do the lentils do the same? Or would they just thicken the gravy?

pigtail33

eeepaulo wrote: »

I suppose the only reason I was thinking of quorn was to give texture, do the lentils do the same? Or would they just thicken the gravy?

In the recipe posted above, the red lentils thicken the chili and the green lentils stay whole to give it texture. The perfect balance IMO.