Instant pot

vidapura · 17-11-2020 12:07pm

Muahahaha wrote: »

Aldi have both diced lamb and baby potatoes on special at the moment so I stocked up and made the first lamb stew of the winter, Im still feeling warm inside here. I only had red onions so went with them but they gave it a nice sweetness. Its kind of funny the way you almost forget about how good winter dishes like stews are when you havent made them for 6 months and then you make the first one again and the good memories come flooding back. Im already looking forward to making a beef stew next week.

I'll send the request for your lamb stew recipe.. pleeze...

And then add a question .. of course.. heh..
I'm finding that hgh pressure cooking in the IP leaves stews a little bit low on flavour.. so am wokding about trying slow cooking...

Anyone tried the slow-cooker function of the instant pot?
Couldn't locate instructions on it... so if you have any links I'd appreciate it...

loyatemu · 17-11-2020 1:17pm

vidapura wrote: »

I'll send the request for your lamb stew recipe.. pleeze...

And then add a question .. of course.. heh..
I'm finding that hgh pressure cooking in the IP leaves stews a little bit low on flavour.. so am wokding about trying slow cooking...

Anyone tried the slow-cooker function of the instant pot?
Couldn't locate instructions on it... so if you have any links I'd appreciate it...

from what I've read you need to use the "high" setting for the slow cooker to work well. But I've never used it, I find the flavour from pressure cooking to be fine.

Caranica · 17-11-2020 1:19pm

I've used the slow cooker function as much as the pressure cooker. I just use it in the same way as I used my old separate slow cooker. I do leg of lamb for 6 hours on low or 3 hours on high

Muahahaha · 17-11-2020 2:25pm

mirrorwall14 wrote: »

I’ve never made lamb stew, only beef. Have you any recipe?

After having my pot forever I made rice in it for the first time after burning it in the saucepan last week trying to watch the kids. Man that was way easier

I just used Felicity Cloakes recipe from her 'How to cook the perfect.....' series on the Guardian. The only variation I made was to cover the diced lamb in a bit of flour and saute it before setting aside and sweating the onions and then re-adding the lamb along with the carrots, potatoes and stock. I also added a dash of worschestshire sauce to boost the flavour. I only had carrots but next time out I'll get some parsnip or other root veg in there too. In the Instant Pot I used the Stew button which puts it at pressure for 35 minutes at which point the lamb is fork tender
https://www.theguardian.com/food/2019/jan/09/how-to-cook-perfect-irish-stew-felicity-cloake

Caranica wrote: »

I've used the slow cooker function as much as the pressure cooker. I just use it in the same way as I used my old separate slow cooker. I do leg of lamb for 6 hours on low or 3 hours on high

How would you compare the flavour of slow cooking v pressure? I made that chilli recipe from the cooking club forum a few weeks ago using pressure but had thought that it tastes better if slow cooked. The beef was fork tender from the pressure but I felt the flavours would have melded a lot better if I slow cooked it instead.

vidapura · 17-11-2020 3:26pm

loyatemu wrote: »

from what I've read you need to use the "high" setting for the slow cooker to work well. But I've never used it, I find the flavour from pressure cooking to be fine.

Do you mean the 'More' mode after pressing the '+' key to move from 'Less' to 'Normal' to 'More'?
Mines a newer Duo... doesn't have the Adjust button like all the instructions I've seen on the web...
Has a Keep Warm button instead...

vidapura · 17-11-2020 3:29pm

BTW, if anybody wants a good intro to the Instant Pot I just found this..
It explains a lot of stuff you don't find in the crappy manual...

https://www.paintthekitchenred.com/instant-pot-how-to-quick-start-guide/

Actaully, just lookin through the site... she goes to great pains in her recipes to point out how things look with the different IP variations...
Class...

Must try out a few of them and see how they go.

vidapura · 17-11-2020 3:37pm

Muahahaha wrote: »

I just used Felicity Cloakes recipe from her 'How to cook the perfect.....' series on the Guardian. The only variation I made was to cover the diced lamb in a bit of flour and saute it before setting aside and sweating the onions and then re-adding the lamb along with the carrots, potatoes and stock. I also added a dash of worschestshire sauce to boost the flavour. I only had carrots but next time out I'll get some parsnip or other root veg in there too. In the Instant Pot I used the Stew button which puts it at pressure for 35 minutes at which point the lamb is fork tender
https://www.theguardian.com/food/2019/jan/09/how-to-cook-perfect-irish-stew-felicity-cloake
.

Intersting reading.. Thanks!!

vidapura · 18-11-2020 12:39pm

loyatemu wrote: »

from what I've read you need to use the "high" setting for the slow cooker to work well. But I've never used it, I find the flavour from pressure cooking to be fine.

Ok, so I morealess followed this recipe:
https://www.bbcgoodfood.com/recipes/slow-cooker-beef-stew

Used a saucepan lid I had that fits pretty well.
Set it to Slow Cook for 5 hours on the 'more' setting..

Ahhd.. at the end ..the veg were pretty much undercooked, a definite crunch to the parsnips etc..

Soo.. I just whacked on the pressure lid and did a 15min high pressure cook.. now its very nice... but thats not the way to go really is it...

So, not sure if I used the slow cook controls properly.. will have to have another go at the manual for it...

loyatemu · 18-11-2020 12:49pm

vidapura wrote: »

Ok, so I morealess followed this recipe:
https://www.bbcgoodfood.com/recipes/slow-cooker-beef-stew

Used a saucepan lid I had that fits pretty well.
Set it to Slow Cook for 5 hours on the 'more' setting..

Ahhd.. at the end ..the veg were pretty much undercooked, a definite crunch to the parsnips etc..

Soo.. I just whacked on the pressure lid and did a 15min high pressure cook.. now its very nice... but thats not the way to go really is it...

So, not sure if I used the slow cook controls properly.. will have to have another go at the manual for it...

yeah, I've seen similar complaints on the IP FB groups. but others have said the Slow function works fine on "more".

I don't know, we used to have a slow cooker but rarely used it and I got rid of it after buying the IP. In my experience pressure cooking gives you much the same results in much shorter time.

rubadub · 18-11-2020 5:45pm

I did a chinese takeaway pork curry with "goldfish" brand roux/wheatflour based paste. This had 2kg of pork chops cut up. It ended up "splitting" badly, looked terrible, but tastes grand. I let it all cool in jars and it seems to have come together again a bit, and no odd texture when eating.

Loads of moisture can come out of meat when pressure cooked, and I guess even more so in water pumped pork chops (although these did not say they were "basted" like other tesco ones do).

I also got a "burn" warning so it might have got too hot and further caused the split.

If doing this again I am going to pressure cook the pork on its own first, so the moisture comes out of it, then add in curry paste and slow cook it to thicken up. This will also mean I can gauge the water content right as it was a bit too thin once done. I purposely left the sauce thick at the start knowing liquid would come out, but the thickness probably also resulted in the "burn" message. Another idea I had was to put it on slow cook first, to bring it all up to an even temp, and then go to pressure cook mode, but I would stick with my meat first approach.

vidapura · 19-11-2020 12:46pm

loyatemu wrote: »

yeah, I've seen similar complaints on the IP FB groups. but others have said the Slow function works fine on "more".

Ahh.. so it Is the 'More' setting is it?
rright.. humm...
Someone earlier i the thread said that 'More' only equates to a medium setting on a standard slow cooker.. so maybe I should have given it the 8 hours...

loyatemu wrote: »

I don't know, we used to have a slow cooker but rarely used it and I got rid of it after buying the IP. In my experience pressure cooking gives you much the same results in much shorter time.

Yah, does it? Right, thats what I was trying this out for.. just to see was there better flavour or whathaveyou... but if not, then grand... I'll keep pressure cookin..

I much prefer getting things slapped into the IP and cooked in a short amount of time anyway..

8 hours bubbling away means I'd have to have been organised in the mornin.. and TBH I really shouldn't go near sharp knives or peelers before my second cup of coffee of the day..

vidapura · 19-11-2020 1:00pm

rubadub wrote: »

I did a chinese takeaway pork curry with "goldfish" brand roux/wheatflour based paste.

Interesting about 'basted' chops.. never heard of that before..
I did get a rolled stuffed loin of pork from Tesco last weekend and it came out of the oven literally half the size it went in.. I was gobsmacked how much it shrank...

BTW if you want a good 'takeaway' feeling dish then I've done this one a coupla times and everyone agrees its better than what we get from the local indian restaurant which is #1 on the TripAdvisor list, heh..

The recipe is: https://www.aspicyperspective.com/perfect-instant-pot-butter-chicken-curry/

For me the things that absolutely Make it are the extras.. I make proper pilau rice and a decent naan bread to go alongside it...

If we are really cheeky (and one of us is passing) we even get the garlic naan from the actual take away.. lol...

Muahahaha · 19-11-2020 6:36pm

rubadub wrote: »

Loads of moisture can come out of meat when pressure cooked, and I guess even more so in water pumped pork chops (although these did not say they were "basted" like other tesco ones do).

yeah definitely this, the first time I made chilli in it I just put it on pressure for an hour thinking it would be grand but the liquid increased substantially while the stewing beef used shrivelled up. Have made the same chilli recipe a couple of times since but just on the chilli setting which is 30 minutes under pressure and it was a lot better.

However I think the chilli recipe (the one from the cooking club) might lend itself better to slow cooking as when pressure cooked the meat is fork tender for sure but it didnt taste to me like all the various flavours had properly melded as they do when it is slow cooked. Im going to try slow cooking it next time out, hopefully the 10am start will be worth it.

rubadub · 19-11-2020 6:52pm

vidapura wrote: »

Interesting about 'basted' chops.. never heard of that before..

regular
https://www.tesco.ie/groceries/Product/Details/?id=304365448

and "basted"
https://www.tesco.ie/groceries/Product/Details/?id=276352903

a delicious sounding marinate! just like granny used to make.

INGREDIENTS: Pork (90%), Water, Dried Glucose Syrup, Stabilisers (Diphosphates, Triphosphates), Salt, Preservative (Sodium Acetates), Acidity Regulator (Sodium Citrate), Antioxidant (Sodium Ascorbate).

20.5% protein in regular vs 18.8% in basted. It could come out better for all I know though, would will see top chefs recommending brining chicken & turkey. But you should bear it in mind in the price per kilo.

vidapura · 20-11-2020 10:44am

Jeez, I dunno how we are supposed to manage our salt intake at all these days..
I was told to watch that.. so cooking for myself is supposed to be a good way to do it..
But when the base ingredients are loaded with salt already.. sigh..

I try to stay away from process meats as much as is feasible.. but its really hard to find chicken that isn't full of phosphates etc.. even fish seems to be destroyed with pollution too.. mercury in me feckin Tuna and all the rest..
We're slowly poisoning ourselves...

Ahhnd on that cheerful thought.. I see whiskey is a good price in Tesco .. and its Friday.. yay... Rugby tomorrow too... sooper...

Mollyb60 · 26-11-2020 11:02am

Just picked up the Instant Pot duo for £60 in the Black Friday sale on Amazon. Excited to get on board the IP train!

loyatemu · 26-11-2020 11:19am

used mine to defrost and heat a big frozen chilli (that I'd previously cooked in the IP).\
Worked really well, much less faff than defrosting in the microwave, breaking it up, stirring, putting it back in etc.

Frozen block into the IP, small amount of water to cover the bottom of the tray and set it to pressure cook for 10 mins with the valve closed.
Took a while to get up to pressure, then left it 15 mins after it had beeped at the end.

SmallTeapot · 27-11-2020 3:54pm

Mollyb60 wrote: »

Just picked up the Instant Pot duo for £60 in the Black Friday sale on Amazon. Excited to get on board the IP train!

Me too! Mine is arriving next Friday. I have never had a pressure cooker/ slow cooker, so I'm really looking forward to trying some new recipes

RoYoBo · 29-11-2020 11:25pm

loyatemu wrote: »

used mine to defrost and heat a big frozen chilli (that I'd previously cooked in the IP).\
Worked really well, much less faff than defrosting in the microwave, breaking it up, stirring, putting it back in etc.

Frozen block into the IP, small amount of water to cover the bottom of the tray and set it to pressure cook for 10 mins with the valve closed.
Took a while to get up to pressure, then left it 15 mins after it had beeped at the end.

This is what I do too for my frozen 'wet' dinners - stews, curries, spag bol etc. You only need a little water in the bottom of the pot and it's so handy not to have to thaw out the dinner the evening before (or if you've forgotten, which is all too often)

Lately, I'm into one pot meals and I love spag bol with the spaghetti broken up and cooked in the bottom of the pot in water with the frozen meat sauce on top. Stir together after cooking (about 15 minutes) and shake on the Parmesan at the table. Even left on Keep Warm for a while it still tastes great.

Another one pot favourite is salmon: frozen fillets wrapped in foil on top of spuds and corn on the cob - 15 mins cooking. If the salmon is unfrozen, it takes only about 7 minutes. You have to be a little careful with overcooking vegetables this way to accommodate the meat/fish but I adjust the size of them based on how long I need to cook the meat/fish.

Mollyb60 · 02-12-2020 6:21pm

First proper foray into the IP world is not going well. Trying to do a chili. 10 minutes at high pressure and I can't even get it up to pressure because I keep getting the burn notice. Third time now so theres now an extra 4 cups of water in it to try get it done.

Giving it one more go and its going into the old trusty slow cooker and we'll have something else for dinner.

Schrodingercat · 02-12-2020 6:56pm

I've been using the instant pot for the last couple of months and use this chili recipe and it works well.

https://www.pressurecookrecipes.com/instant-pot-chili/#recipe

I think mixing the tomatoes causes them to go to the bottom and give you the burn warning so you just pour it on top.

Faith · 02-12-2020 8:09pm

Yeah you have to be careful with tomato based recipes, and anything with lots of herbs because they tend to stick to the bottom and give the burn notice.

Mollyb60 · 02-12-2020 10:21pm

The 4 cups of water did the job. But it was ridiculously watery by the time it was cooked. The lesson here is that my normal chili recipe will not work in the IP. So I might try out that one Schrodinger, it's pretty similar to my recipe just seems to swap out a tin of tomatos for chicken stock which makes sense. Cheers.

Next attempt will be a turkey breast at the weekend. I'm less confident now than I was before this evening's dinner.

rubadub · 02-12-2020 11:09pm

Mollyb60 wrote: »

Giving it one more go and its going into the old trusty slow cooker and we'll have something else for dinner.

it can work as a slow cooker so all you would have been doing is making more stuff to clean and the waste of the sauce stuck to it.

A tip is to do saute or slow cooking first, then the moisture from the meat will come out and into the sauce (or just out on its own with no sauce), once out if you do the pressure cook there will be enough moisture there to let it get a decent steam going and so pressurise and seal and you get no "burn" message.

The next time I am using mine I will be doing the meat on its own first under pressure as the moisture can come out, while if you add sauces it the "burn" message is often true, the sauce will literally have burnt onto the bottom. If you just have meat on the bottom it may be fine, the "burn" comes on once the bottom of the pot gets to a certain temperature, which is not crazy high, just way above the temp the pressure cooker should be running at which is probably about 130C, not too much at all.

This is what happens in them

If I try my pork chop curry again I will saute the sliced up chops first, moisture falls out, now pressure cook, they go fall apart tender and more moisture falls out, now add my concentrated paste and put on slow cook mode, no fear of overheating/burning the paste or it being too watery as the moisture has already left the meat.

Also sometimes the seal for the steam vent needs a helping hand to rise up and seal, I have given it a jiggle with a metal skewer and it an suddenly pop up and seal.

You can also use the "pot in pot" method for doing small portions or stuff you do not want diluted much, which is more similar to cooking in a regular pressure cooker but faster and safer.

Mollyb60 · 03-12-2020 9:23am

Funnily enough I did use the saute function to fry off the minced beef first and thought to myself 'god there's a lot of moisture there in the pot'. Obviously not enough though.
I used the saute function at the end again to try allow it to thicken off but the added 4 cups of water made so much chili I probably have enough made for another 2 dinners (for 2 people) and 2 lunches.

loyatemu · 03-12-2020 10:23am

I've cooked chilli and bolognese in mine, never got the burn message. I find you need to use less liquid than in a normal cauldron as a) it doesn't boil off to the same extent, and b) vegetables release a lot of liquid. I always fry off onions and mince using the saute function, but I don't go nuts browning the mince (i.e. if half the mince is browned, that's good enough and the lid goes on).

Muahahaha · 03-12-2020 12:01pm

Mollyb60 wrote: »

Funnily enough I did use the saute function to fry off the minced beef first and thought to myself 'god there's a lot of moisture there in the pot'. Obviously not enough though.
I used the saute function at the end again to try allow it to thicken off but the added 4 cups of water made so much chili I probably have enough made for another 2 dinners (for 2 people) and 2 lunches.

Id imagine 4 cups of water was a bit too much, iirc it needs about 150ml of liquid to cover the base of the pot to avoid the burn error. But if you do have too much liquid then making a cornflour slurry and adding it along with the saute function helps to thicken it.

Ive made the chilli recipe from the Cooking Club forum in mine a few times now and Im almost convinced that the recipe does better if it is slow cooked. Dont get me wrong it was perfectly acceptable when pressure cooked but I just remember it being more flavoursome when slow cooked, the flavours seemed to meld better or something. Slow cooking means a 10am start and everything but Im going to try it next time out. Thats if I can find chilis in adobo by the Cool Chilli Company, its hit and miss in Fallon and Byrne lately whether they have them or not and other brands Ive tried are not as smokey.

03-12-2020 12:52pm

I bought one of these black Friday of last year and only taking it out of the box now!
I see a couple of people asked before about Christmas puddings, did any of you ever try them? The advice seems to be steam for 20 mins then pressure cook for 45, but interested to hear if anyone did the above and how it went.

Also any joy with a fillet of ham? I've seen 15mins per 500g mentioned and was going to try a small piece first but does the timing seem right?

Mollyb60 · 03-12-2020 2:25pm

Muahahaha wrote: »

Id imagine 4 cups of water was a bit too much, iirc it needs about 150ml of liquid to cover the base of the pot to avoid the burn error. But if you do have too much liquid then making a cornflour slurry and adding it along with the saute function helps to thicken it.

I tried 2 cups after the first burn warning and I got another burn warning so put in another cup, added the final cup after the 3rd burn warning.
I might try just putting in the water first with the meat and onions then the rest of the ingredients and just not stir it up before I put the lid on.

I remember this experimentation phase when I got my slow cooker first so I'll work it out eventually.

Muahahaha · 03-12-2020 3:00pm

Surprised there was a third burn warning after the 3rd cup of water had gone in, I would have through 2 cups of water was plenty dont mind three. Maybe there was tomato sauce stuck to the bottom that was causing it. Anyway persevere at the learning curve, I find the IP great for the likes of stews, soups, steaming veg, etc. Havent used it to cook rice yet but must give it a run out at that task sometime.

Mollyb60 · 03-12-2020 3:11pm

That was the first thing I cooked as a sort of trial to see how it worked. It was actually dead easy. Not faster than just cooking it on the stove but sure, I didn't buy it for it's rice cooking abilities.

SmallTeapot · 03-12-2020 3:22pm

Mine arrived on Tuesday... I unboxed it... and that is as far as I got.

I would love to use it for one pot meals - using the slow cooker or pressure cooker options (I'm not fussy

), as I'm working from home on a full time basis -
- with some days longer than others (unfortunately), and by dinner time, I'm sometimes at a loss at what to cook/ prepare.

My idea was as follows: as I typically have time to spare at lunchtime, I could prep veg/meat/sauce at that time, and put it in the pot to slow-cook for a few hours (or have it ready to go in the fridge, if opting for pressure cooking).... I like the safety aspect of it - in that you don't have to stand beside a hob and mind a pot, etc.

...However, I don't know where to start... I like the idea of stews and one pot rice meals, etc.

I looked up youtube for inspiration, but all I came across American-style recipes like mac and cheese, bbq ribs and pulled pork

mirrorwall14 · 03-12-2020 4:37pm

SmallTeapot wrote: »

Mine arrived on Tuesday... I unboxed it... and that is as far as I got.

I would love to use it for one pot meals - using the slow cooker or pressure cooker options (I'm not fussy ), as I'm working from home on a full time basis -
- with some days longer than others (unfortunately), and by dinner time, I'm sometimes at a loss at what to cook/ prepare.

My idea was as follows: as I typically have time to spare at lunchtime, I could prep veg/meat/sauce at that time, and put it in the pot to slow-cook for a few hours (or have it ready to go in the fridge, if opting for pressure cooking).... I like the safety aspect of it - in that you don't have to stand beside a hob and mind a pot, etc.

...However, I don't know where to start... I like the idea of stews and one pot rice meals, etc.

I looked up youtube for inspiration, but all I came across American-style recipes like mac and cheese, bbq ribs and pulled pork

Two of my go to stews

Rough stew, I add and take away from it all the time:
Stewing beef (sautéed on med pressure with onions)
Bag carrots peeled/chopped
Decent amount of frozen onion and garlic
2 potatoes chopped into small pieces
Two full tea cups of water/beef stock
Parsley, and herbs
Generous dash of Worcestershire sauce

Optional:
Pot of potatoes and carrots on high trivet above it

Saute beef, whack in the rest and cook on high pressure for 18 mins with NPR
This is usually cooked in a rush so its a "fire it in the pot and walk away" dinner. It also usually has a hodgepodge of veg added e.g. parsnip/turnip etc depending on whats in the fridge. At the end I taste and thicken the sauce as needed then serve.

http://www.slimmingeats.com/blog/balsamic-braised-beef
This is a firm favourite in the family, was very unsure when I first did it. I follow this one as written

loyatemu · 03-12-2020 4:38pm

SmallTeapot wrote: »

Mine arrived on Tuesday... I unboxed it... and that is as far as I got.

I would love to use it for one pot meals - using the slow cooker or pressure cooker options (I'm not fussy ), as I'm working from home on a full time basis -
- with some days longer than others (unfortunately), and by dinner time, I'm sometimes at a loss at what to cook/ prepare.

My idea was as follows: as I typically have time to spare at lunchtime, I could prep veg/meat/sauce at that time, and put it in the pot to slow-cook for a few hours (or have it ready to go in the fridge, if opting for pressure cooking).... I like the safety aspect of it - in that you don't have to stand beside a hob and mind a pot, etc.

...However, I don't know where to start... I like the idea of stews and one pot rice meals, etc.

I looked up youtube for inspiration, but all I came across American-style recipes like mac and cheese, bbq ribs and pulled pork

there's a long slow cooker thread on the cooking forum - most slow cooker recipes should work well pressure cooked as well.
There's also a couple of good FB groups for the IP - "Pressure cooking with Feisty Tapas" is one I'm in.

From what I've heard the IP isn't the best slow cooker (I've never used the slow function myself), might be better to do the prep at lunchtime then put it in the pot later in the afternoon to pressure cook.

Schrodingercat · 03-12-2020 4:53pm

SmallTeapot wrote: »

Mine arrived on Tuesday... I unboxed it... and that is as far as I got.

I would love to use it for one pot meals - using the slow cooker or pressure cooker options (I'm not fussy ), as I'm working from home on a full time basis -
- with some days longer than others (unfortunately), and by dinner time, I'm sometimes at a loss at what to cook/ prepare.

My idea was as follows: as I typically have time to spare at lunchtime, I could prep veg/meat/sauce at that time, and put it in the pot to slow-cook for a few hours (or have it ready to go in the fridge, if opting for pressure cooking).... I like the safety aspect of it - in that you don't have to stand beside a hob and mind a pot, etc.

...However, I don't know where to start... I like the idea of stews and one pot rice meals, etc.

I looked up youtube for inspiration, but all I came across American-style recipes like mac and cheese, bbq ribs and pulled pork

I really like bbq ribs in mine. Google "Meathead's Memphis Dust" as a rub, 25minutes in the instant pot , then coat in bbq sauce and put in the oven for a couple of minutes.

I've done this tikka masala a few times. Its pretty easy
https://www.jocooks.com/recipes/instant-pot-chicken-tikka-masala/
It freezes well and can be microwaved after.

The Irish times did a thing on it a while back with some straight forward recipes that I mean to try out.
https://www.irishtimes.com/life-and-style/food-and-drink/what-is-a-multicooker-and-could-it-change-your-life-1.4199936

03-12-2020 5:13pm

If you search pressure king pro receipes on YouTube you'll find more irish/uk style recipes and videos rather than the US instantpot ones

SmallTeapot · 03-12-2020 6:13pm

Lads, I've clearly come to the right place

Thank you for the suggestions thus far, keep them coming

Tree · 03-12-2020 10:25pm

Yeah, just to add, not had amazing experience using the instant pot as a slow cooker. IT's fine, but a proper slow cooker is better. That said, I got rid of hte slow cooker to make space for the IP, and the things I used to slow cook mostly adapt to pressure cooking.

rubadub · 03-12-2020 10:57pm

Tree wrote: »

Yeah, just to add, not had amazing experience using the instant pot as a slow cooker. IT's fine, but a proper slow cooker is better. .

what was better?

I reckon the pot in pot method might be better for most things, as it acts a buffer for temperature swings. The instant pot has way more power than a typical slow cooker. So it will be pulsing high energy then off and on over and over (just like a high power basic microwave set on defrost, you can hear the pulses happening). If you have a pot inside with some water this will stop any dramatic peaks in temperature.

I was saying before this is especially needed for smaller portions. I am not sure where the temperature sensing is on them, but if you are using small amounts of food it could be well overheated before it senses the temperature and cuts off power.

Tree · 04-12-2020 11:44pm

I reckon if it's somehting you prefer to slow cook, you need a slow cooker. All in all, I prefer the instant pot overall to the slow cooker.

The quick cooking of beans beats pulled chicken. Also, the quick bolognaise in the IP is differently good to the slow cooker.

I've done pot in pot the odd time, doing rice over lentils, or when I make a mulling syrup. The main challenge is having the right size pots for in pots.

Mollyb60 · 05-12-2020 9:46pm

Instant pot turkey breast was an immense success. Lovely and juicy, no fuss at all.
However, the recipe I had (an american one admittedly) said 6 minutes per pound. Which I'm sure would work for a proper turkey but I only had a scutchie little turkey breast that was barely 2lbs. I put the timer on for 18 minutes to be safe and even then it was on the verge of being undercooked I thought (no meat thermometer, just going by looks). Next time I'll be pushing it to 20 minutes I think.

the beer revolu · 06-12-2020 12:17pm

Mollyb60 wrote: »

Next time I'll be pushing it to 20 minutes I think.

But you said it was lovely and juicy. Why change that?

Turkey is lovely, just as you described - on the verge of being undercooked. Cooking it more will only make it drier.
Unless it was pink, I wouldn't be cooking it more.

Mollyb60 · 06-12-2020 2:28pm

Without a meat thermometer though I'd be afraid of giving my sister and her bf food poisoning. lol. Less worried about my husband obviously. :P

Mollyb60 · 07-12-2020 7:11pm

Accidentally made paella soup this evening with the IP. All my own stupid fault though. There's just 2 of us in the house so I usually double up on recipes to make enough for 2 dinners. So of course I doubled everything in the recipe, apart from the rice. I realised just as the cooking cycle completed so it was way too late to salvage anything. Such an idiot. :rolleyes:

Muahahaha · 10-12-2020 10:08pm

Made BBQ beef short ribs in the Instant Pot earlier. Was following a recipe which said 45 minutes at high pressure and then 15 minutes of natural pressure release. I didnt think that would be enough to get them fork tender but it worked perfectly as when I lifted them out of the pot with tongs the bones just fell right out of the middle of them. Pretty cool that they can be so tender in an hour in the IP, the last time I did beef short ribs it was on the BBQ and took about 5 hours all up.

vidapura · 11-12-2020 10:09am

FIVE hours???

Jayses, top marks for perseverence anyway !!

Muahahaha · 11-12-2020 8:16pm

yeah beef short ribs is a very tough cut so you have to do it low and slow on a bbq or else it will be tough not tender. It took 5 hours as holding low temperatures on BBQs with charcoal is a tricky undertaking. So as you can imagine I was amazed at it being fork tender after just an hour in the Instant Pot. Its a great cut of meat too, similar in texture to beef cheeks which is another cut I would say the IP would be really good at cooking.

LizT · 21-02-2021 7:43pm

I made peanut chicken using this recipe
https://www.feastingathome.com/instant-pot-peanut-chicken/

It was fab and so quick and easy to make.

Muahahaha · 21-02-2021 10:04pm

ah brilliant LizT, I had been meaning to make some kind of peanut/satay chicken in the Instant Pot for ages but kept forgetting to actually do it. Have all the ingredients for that recipe above so will make it on Tuesday.

Currently have a beef stew with carrots and parsnips in the IP thats almost finished, looking forward to it now

Faith · 22-02-2021 10:11am

LizT wrote: »

I made peanut chicken using this recipe
https://www.feastingathome.com/instant-pot-peanut-chicken/

It was fab and so quick and easy to make.

It looks like a great recipe, but man that site is a good example of the need for the website someone posted recently, that strips all the waffle out of recipe posts!

Instant pot

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