Can I get a little Instant Pot help?

[Potkettleblack]

6qt. I have an upbrand one, the Breville Fast/Slow. I enjoy it, and like everything that comes out of it. I don't make rice in it much these days, but easy peasy, solid risotto is dead easy. I use it mostly for chili, pot roast, and most braised dishes. I think my ragu napoletana might go in next, though I've heard tomatoes can get a bit more acidic in pressure cooking than in standard dutch ovening.

It does not replace the grill or the smoker. But there is considerably synergy potential. As an example, I made a pot roast this weekend out of a 5 lbs chuck, a shallot, half a pound of button mushrooms, some chicken stock, some red wine, some sherry and some garlic. Rather than sear off the chuckie in the Breville, I smoked it for an hour or so on the Grilla. chunked it up into the various muscle bits, sauteed the mushrooms, shallot and garlic in the pot (garlic added later, else it will burn, and that's not good), added the beef, the liquids, and sealed. Let it go for 40 minutes on high pressure, natural pressure release, and the beef was spoonable. I removed the beef and most of the mushrooms, then set my cooker to reduce for ten minutes, let it go for 15, and then ladeled the juice into the tupperware with the pot roast. Wife said it was amazing.

I'd say opt out of blue tooth and wifi unless you are likely to set up the cook in the AM, start it from work as you leave and have it good to go for dinner. I would be cautious about that, with food safety, though you are pasteurizing most things you cook with it.

That said, if I were buying this today, I would have gotten an induction burner to go with my existing p-cooker that I had a good deal of uncertainty in using, but always got good results with. The induction burner/P-cooker is a killer app, and induction burner + cast iron is a second killer app for the induction burner.

[allsid]

fzxdoc I will be completing a review on the HestanCue induction burner soon. It is 1800w. I have a cheap-o which is less powerful and the difference is noticeable.

[fzxdoc]

Great, allsid . I eagerly await that review!

Thanks, Potkettleblack, for the clarification.

K.

[EdF]

Let's eat our hearts out: https://polyscienceculinary.com/prod...-control-freak

Anyone in the market for a Bentley?

[Buck Flicks]

If you want to do some large sized roasts/braises, you might want to consider the 8 QT. I have a 6, and it wouldn't be suitable for a larger roast.

I have the Ultra (no wifi or bluetoof) and I like it quite a bit. I've used it a lot, mostly for soups. It cooks orzo pasta like a champ, too. I didn't have much success with rice, I think the instructions were a bit off. I don't think it had enough water in it. It's hard to beat my stovetop method for rice, even though it takes longer I'm ok with it. It doesn't require much baby-sitting and unless I MUST have dinner ready in less than 20 minutes, the extra time isn't that big a deal.

The only real complaint I have about it is that when I try to turn the cooking time down less than 5 minutes (as in when I'm cooking orzo) when I get down that low, it seems to set the time in hours instead of minutes. I have no idea how to overcome that.

[JGo37]

For some reason I like doing rice on the stove top too. 40 minutes later, it's perfect.

[JGo37]

For some reason I like doing rice on the stove top too. 40 minutes later, it's perfect.

[Buck Flicks]

Yeah, it takes longer, but the amount of time I actually spend over the stove is very short. Melt the butter, stir in the rice, dump in the water (and/or broth,) stir it all up, bring it to a boil, turn down the heat, and go away for 17 minutes, come back, take it off the heat and 10 minutes later, you've got perfect rice.

[Jerod Broussard]

Thinking of getting this one for the wife. Feeding 7, youngest is 10.

https://www.walmart.com/ip/Instant-Pot-Stainless-steel-8-Qt-7-in-1-Multi-Use-Programmable-Pressure-Cooker-Rice-Cooker-Egg-Cooker-Saute-Steamer-Warmer-New/778005251

[CandySueQ]

I have a 6 and a 3. I like the 3 qt actually. It's the perfect size for 2 people and it fits nicely in the van. The 6 qt is great for bigger stuff (like a whole chicken or rump roast).

[Rod]

I bought the wife a Instant Pot Ultra 8qt. Everything she has made has been AMAZING. Pot roast, chicken enchiladas, chicken tortilla soup etc. I was never a fan of slow cooker food. There was just something off in flavor to me. After getting the IP, that just confirmed to my taste buds that cooking slowly all day in a pot created a flavor I just didn't care for. Plus the limited amount of cookware dirtied for an entire meal is a bonus. Basically a cutting board and the pot.

[allsid]

I have what I think is the 6qt, middle of the road. I have never felt limited with it cooking for two people and often leftovers in mind. The rice function is amazing! Also, the ability to drop in frozen foods and have them shreddable in about 40 min is nice. My only real suggestion which has not been mentioned is getting one where you can at least fit a whole chicken if you want to do double duty for cooked chicken and some amazing broth.

[adamcoe]

The 8 qt is handy if you cook for larger groups or want to do bigger roasts and whatnot, but IMO the 6 qt is more than enough for most things. I usually cook for 3-4 people and I've never come close to running out of room in it. Makes risotto from a harrowing, labour intensive exercise into a breeze. I love doing soft boiled eggs in it too, no worrying about temperature or timing, just pop em in and they're done in no time, and perfectly cooked every time. Be sure to get a few of the accessories too, like an egg tray (the one it comes with is OK but there are better ones that don't cost a ton) or the springform cake pan if you're thinking you might want to do a cheesecake or the like in it. There are some great silicone steam vents as well so you can blast the steam somewhere other than up into your cabinetry. The Instant Pot and my SV cooker have been absolute game changers in my kitchen.

[BriggsBBQ]

There's the DUO plus that is 9 in 1 instead of 10 in 1. The Ultra has a rotary nob on the front that I like using. The other just has a bunch of button. You can find deals on the DUO 6 quart at around 80-90 bucks. I saw a black Friday for the Ultra once. As far as function I think they are both the same.

[ribeyeguy]

Thanks for all the help! I wound up going with the DUO Plus 60, looks like the thing will do just about everything except vacuum the floors and wash the cars. Hopefully they'll come out with attachments sometime soon for those chores.

[treesmacker]

Well, It looks like you got plenty of help. i didn't read all of the responses, but I think ribeyeguy suggestion was good. Amazon price on that six quart unit seems to be going up. I think you might find it at your local store on sale at a better price. i know I've seen it advertised all over the place at about $79. Best of luck with it.

[ribeyeguy]

Okay, so she's only made one thing in it so far, a pizza casserole which I have to admit was delicious. Tonight though we're having an argument about chicken breasts. She wants to make them tomorrow night but insists on exactly following a recipe which she hasn't been able to find one to her liking yet. My suggestion was to figure out how long they'll take to cook and screw the recipe. Let's take a bunch of different sauces, seasonings and cheeses, throw them all in there with the chicken and see what we come out with. When I suggested it she looked at me like I'm a moron......which I guess is essentially true.......and dismissed me.

To all of you Instant experts, is there anything wrong with my way of thinking? Just throw a bunch of stuff in there and see what you get? I think it would be a great experiment or am I wrong? I'd never do it with a good cut of beef but chicken breasts? Why not?

[jtw]

Pizza casserole? Can you elaborate?

[EdF]

Generally when doing something new, I'll do a recipe literally, to get the idea they're trying with it. Then, improvisation!

[ribeyeguy]

jtw, I believe that this was the recipe she used:

https://www.simplyhappyfoodie.com/instant-pot-pizza-pasta-casserole

It was really good. So far I'm an Instant Pot fan!

[fzxdoc]

Since the Instant Pot can intensify the flavors of spices, you may want to use a lighter hand with them to start, ribeyeguy .

Plus keep in mind that thicker sauces may prevent the pot from coming to pressure. Usually if I use a thicker sauce, I thin it with some water so it's soupy enough to allow my Instant Pot to do its thing. It's not about the volume of sauce but about the thick consistency that prevents the IP from coming up to pressure. So just a bit of water to loosen the sauce does the trick. If necessary, I reduce the sauce after the pressure cycle is complete.

Here's a link with ideas about some sauces to add to your chicken in the IP:

http://flavorrd.com/2015/07/instant-pot-insta-chicken/

Kathryn

[Potkettleblack]

On a related note, I find that I don’t like the liquid to get much above the minimum fill line for anything but soups. But without starch, I like my stews and braised pretty dry.

[ribeyeguy]

Thanks fzxdoc (Kathryn),
My wife actually told me that the spices would be intensified but I didn't believe her, I thought she was just trying to get me to cut back on the heat a bit. Of course, I was wrong.

The final list of ingredients were 2 boneless chicken breasts, Szechuan stir fry sauce, habanero/mango hot sauce, soy sauce, orange glaze, sriracha sauce, sriracha teriyaki sauce and a dollop of grey poupon mustard.

It tasted great but it really was burn your mouth hot!

[fzxdoc]

Also, since you're giving your new Instant Pot a good tryout, you may want to look at some of the Instant Pot recipes from this site, especially if you like international foods and Cajun/Creole foods as well. For example, her Authentic Instant Pot Red Beans and Rice recipe is a real winner.

Paint the Kitchen Red Instant Pot website


Kathryn

[Donw]

Thanks for that link. Some interesting recipes.

[Potkettleblack]

I don’t think there’s anything wrong with your approach, within reason. I generally find a recipe for inspiration and then add things I think will work well. For instance, Mark Bittman has an Asian Pot Roast recipe that I made in my pressure cooker. I switched the rutabaga for mushrooms, added some ground pequin peppers and added a bit of sherry. I wouldn’t throw habanero mango sauce in there, because I don’t think it would keep the dish in the same neighborhood as my intention, the Asian Pot Roast, with heavy anise and ginger.

I guess im not opposed to kitchen sinking it, but I think starting with a desired result in mind produces more consisten results and simplifies the decision process.

If you want to compromise with the wife, ask her what she wants the chicken to be like, google the recipe, and riff the recipe some, or even go full curveball and put that mango habanero stuff in there (judiciously... p-cooking condenses flavors, so a little goes a long way.

[EdF]

Here's another good source for PC recipes - don't think I've mentioned it on the thread so far. Instant Pot = Electric Pressure Cooker (at least for those of us not attracted to slow cookers). https://www.hippressurecooking.com/p...ooker-recipes/

[EdF]

Potkettleblack One of the outstanding cooking sites, along with AR, SeriousEats, ChefSteps, Pizzamaking.com and Kosher Dosher!

[Donw]

We have had several good meals from your previous post of this site. Thanks and I second your suggestion.

[Potkettleblack]

I'd add Ruled.me and I Breathe I'm Hungry.