Blasphemy!!

[Cheef]

I'll risk being ridiculed here but just had to share.
My wife recently bought an electric pressure cooker. This thing puts out some GOOD food!
This past weekend we decided to do brauts.
4 minutes in the pressure cooker along with 2 cups of apple juice.
Then onto the grill just to flame kiss them a touch.
These were absolutely the best brauts I have ever eaten in my life--and I'd rather eat brauts than a rib-eye steak!
The pressure cooker left them with a definite apple flavor, and firmed them up to a really nice texture--the open flame does what it always does and kissed the casing.
We've kind of put the pressure cooker to some use the past 3 weeks.
This thing converted me from being so-so on corned beef to trying to decide if I like corned beef or smoked brisket better. And--I do love me some smoked brisket.
I can't see the pressure cooker replacing the grill but it does put out some good eats.
Sunday we got all fancy and made some really good crème brule in the thing.

[MBMorgan]

We bought a stove top pressure cooker a couple of years ago (figured it's much safer now than with those hissing time bombs I remember from childhood). We go through phases, but when we're in a pressure cooking phase, it does indeed turn out some mighty fine eats ... like risotto primavera in only 6 minutes! and that's up here above 6000 ft. You should check out the America's Test Kitchen cookbook "Pressure Cooker Favorites" for some good ideas and recipes. Now, speaking of our next pressure cooker phase, must remember to pick up some brats tomorrow!

[LangInGibsonia]

I absolutely love my InstaPot electric pressure cooker. We bought it last fall because the wife found an amazing 70% off sale. I didn't really know what I was getting into but just couldn't pass up the bargain. It has the ability to delay start (with raw meat you don't want to delay too long) and keep warm for up to 10 hours after cooking is complete. It serves as a pressure cooker and/or slow cooker and you can sear meat in it before going under pressure. I've done lamb shanks, venison stew, osso bucco, chicken stock and countless other dishes in just a few months. I use it once or twice a week. The most impressive cook was taking two frozen solid venison roasts from the freezer and having the best pulled venison sandwiches I have ever made in just 35 minutes.

[_John_]

Haven't used one in decades, but I like some brats so I will have to give it a try. New truck has 110 and I have to drive 4 hours to the football game so maybe this will be a good addition.

[Cheef]

These electric cookers definitely make it more user friendly. From what I read the old stove top is still kind of the king of the hill but it takes a lot of tending. Most professionals stay with the stovetop but I remember Grandma exploding one years ago. Supposedly the electrics have more built in safety now days.
We used to crock pot a roast beef maybe once a year. We've done 2 of them in the last month just because they are sooo good.
We bought a Breville Fast Slow cooker but my wife follows the Instant Pot group on Facebook. 40,000 members and it looks like a CULT!!
I love hard boiled eggs and this thing makes them by the dozen and makes them super easy to peel for some reason.

[Cheef]

LangInGibsonia It is kind of amazing that thawed or frozen meat doesn't seem to really matter to the thing. Maybe a couple of minutes more for frozen.

[DeusDingo]

nothing is blasphemy if you are doing something you enjoy...however using the word "brauts" instead of "brats" makes my eye twitch (i'm from WI). every time i read it in my head it sounded like "bra-oots". it's like hitting a speed bump

[fzxdoc]

I bought an Instant Pot from Amazon on one of its Black Friday deals in November. I love that thing! I hard boil eggs in it once a week. For the first time ever, the shells come right off the egg, no problem. Sometimes they slide neatly off in two half shells. No more pockmarked deviled eggs for us!

I've cooked some great Cuban, Indian, and Thai meals in it besides some old favs like chicken and slippery dumplings. And like MBMorgan says, the risotto is perfect.

Turns out that the mis en place is the longest part of cooking supper using that thing.

Since electric pressure cookers work at slightly lower pressures (9 to 11 psi) than stovetop pressure cookers (13-15 psi), the the Instant Pot's cooking times are increased (compared to stovetop cookers) by about 20-25%. 8 minutes on one vs 10 minutes on the electric is not such a hardship, though. Cleanup is great--just pop the insert into the dishwasher and wash the lid by hand.

I bought an extra insert with lid (so I can make rice while the insert with the meat is kept warm in the oven) and an extra sealing ring. I also bought a wire mesh strainer that exactly fits into the insert (once I popped off the handles with pliers). I use it for broth, tossing all of the aromatics and bones in it. When I pull the strainer out at the end of the cook, the broth is automatically strained and ready to go.

I made some really tasty beef broth last week with roasted beef bones and aromatics. That broth made a yummy pho.

I love to cook, but some nights I don't want to spend 1-2 hours in the kitchen preparing supper. The Instant Pot is a lifesaver--quick prep, tasty food, and easy cleanup. Works for us!

P.S. Don't I sound like an infomercial? Obviously I really like my Instant Pot.

Kathryn

Edited to add: I really like the Great Big Pressure Cooker Cookbook by Weinstein and Scarbrough. It has cook times for both electric and pressure cookers, and has some really wonderful recipes with few ingredients. Great for the quick-cooking mentality that goes along with a pressure cooker.

I looked at the Cook's Illustrated pressure cooker cookbook, but some of the bad reviews on Amazon (apparently some cook times are way off?) made me veer away from it. I'm glad to hear that MBMorgan gives it a thumbs up, because I usually like CI's cookbooks. I'll get it from the library to test drive it before spending the $$ on a second pressure cooker cookbook, though.

[LangInGibsonia]

No worries. I've got thicker skin than that. Haha!

[troymeister]

fzxdoc Can a pressure canner be used as a pressure cooker?

[fzxdoc]

From what I understand, troymeister , you can use a pressure canner for a pressure cooker. However, it heats up slower and cools off slower, which will affect cook times published in recipes. Also you may have to adjust your recipes for the size of your cooker. My pressure cooker has to have a certain volume in it to work well.
K.

[Cheef]

My wifes favorite meal to cook and my favorite to eat is a simple Spaghetti with meat sauce.
One pot deal from browning the hamburger to cooking the spaghetti. She LOVES one pot meals.
It makes some really nice spaghetti--seems like it injects the sauce into the strands--nice flavor.
That Instant Pot site on facebook is kind of amazing.
DeusDingo I guess us flatlanders just butcher words sometimes.
We pronounce it brots.

[MBMorgan]

Spaghetti sounds interesting ... how do you do it in the pressure cooker?

[Cheef]

Just a heads up for Apple users.
My wife discovered a new recipe app that she REALLY likes. It allows her to snap a picture of her old well used paper/book recipes and put them into the app. She has always looked for an electronic app that would allow her to quickly add her old 4H/Church recipes without typing them in.
Here's a link if anyone is interested.

http://app.organizeat.com/

[MBMorgan]

I looked at the Cook's Illustrated pressure cooker cookbook, but some of the bad reviews on Amazon (apparently some cook times are way off?) made me veer away from it. I'm glad to hear that MBMorgan gives it a thumbs up, because I usually like CI's cookbooks. I'll get it from the library to test drive it before spending the $$ on a second pressure cooker cookbook, though.

Kathyrn ( fzxdoc ),

You may be thinking of CI's 2013 "Pressure Cooker Perfection" which got some wonky reviews on Amazon. I picked up their 2014 "Pressure Cooker Favorites" as an impulse buy while standing in the checkout line at Sprout's:

http://www.amazon.com/Americas-Kitch...oker+Favorites

Amazon says it's currently unavailable ... but CI might still be selling it directly. FWIW, I live at about 6300 ft. elevation here in Colorado and always have to take even pressure cooker times with a grain of salt (Kosher, of course) and pretty much always lean toward the longer in the range of recommended times as my starting point.

Mike

[fzxdoc]

Thanks for the clarification, Mike MBMorgan . I'll look for Pressure Cooker Favorites at the library instead.

My grandmother used to use a pressure cooker all the time, so when I use mine, I often think of her. Everything old is new again.

K.

[jholmgren]

Ok... so I remember Mom using her stove-top pressure cooker. Stewed chicken in like 10 minutes... yes, please. This thread has inspired me to look into new versions of the old rattle-pot.

I am currently looking at the Instant Pot Smart... because Bluetooth. When reading the review of it on hippressurecooking.com I noticed a temperature and time chart for... Sous Vide!?!

Question: Has anyone used a pressure cooker for Sous Vide cooking? What did you think? I've had a wi-fi Sous Vide device on pre-order for months from Nomiku. It is likely going to be months before they get around to making mine (it was a KickStarter thing and I got in late) and I've been considering cancelling my order. This may have pushed me over that edge.

-Jim

[Dr ROK]

Not sure how you'd use it for sous vide. It would only reach one temp.

[MBMorgan]

Kathyrn ( fzxdoc ) ,

I stumbled across a link to "Pressure Cooker Favorites" ... turns out it's an America's Test Kitchen publication as opposed to CI:

http://americastestkitchen.buysub.com/pressure-cooker-favorites.html

Perhaps it's still in stock if you find it interesting.

(sorry about the out of context response to this thread ... but the 250 character limit on comments strikes again)

Mike

[Cheef]

MBMorgan I'm travelling right now but when I get home I will post her recipes. It Is a 1 pot deal.
Brown the hamburger and onions and garlic done right I the pressure cooker
Add the pasta sauce (she used jarred sauce and added 2 Teaspoons of sugar) I'm convinced the sugar works some kind of magic on the sauce.)
Break up the spaghetti to fit in on top and cook under pressure.
SERIOUSLY good spaghetti especially considering a jarred sauce.
20 minutes tart to finish and excellent results.

[MBMorgan]

Thanks, Cheef. My wife makes an awesome sauce, too ... and I'm thinking we'll have to give that a try. Brats first, though ...

[Dr ROK]

Looking forward to the recipe! Thanks for sharing!

[Huskee]

Nice! Every tool has its place. I never got into pressure cookers, but my mom used to use one when I was little. They'll make a resurgence before too long I bet. Sous vide is the rage now but give it a few years there'll be a pressure cooker fad, because they all work! There's absolutely nothing wrong with making good food on anything!

[Cheef]

Exactly. And what we have found is once out of the pressure cooker Chicken and brauts probably a lot of other meats benefit from a few minutes over an open flame--I e grill.