Friday, January 17, 2020

Instant Pot Update

Sally asked if I love my new Instant Pot?  So I thought it would be a good time for an update.  I will tell you straight out that I do love my IP but I will not tell you to run out and get one.  If your old tried and true slow cooker stops working, I would have you think long and hard about getting an IP to replace it, however.  And to tell a little secret, I actually am on my second IP!  My dear mom got me a bigger (8 quart) one with a yogurt button for Christmas and I gave her my first one.

What do I love most about my IP?  It is so versatile.  It does what it says it will do!  I kind of doubted one machine could do so much.  I was a resister, against the fad kind of a person.  Now I am on the bus!  Haha.

I have never had juicier "roasted" chicken!  Never.  It falls off the bone in just 30 minutes of cooking.  (Insert asterisk here.  When they say it is 30 minutes that doesn't count the time to reach high pressure nor the time for release.)  But still, it is more consistent and pretty easy.

I love making rice in it.  I hated to make brown rice and we can't eat white, so I would make it sporadically.  The first time I made brown rice in the IP I thought I had done something wrong because it was so fluffy.  And it is done so much faster than on the stovetop*.  No more stovetop for me!

I love yogurt.  I debated about making it.  I used to make it on the stovetop and then let it do its thing in the warm oven, then strain it in the fridge taking up valuable space.  I gave up thinking it was easier to buy it.  Well, let me tell you about my Cold Start Yogurt!  I literally dump in the milk, stir in my starter, press a button and 8 hours later I have the thickest yogurt that doesn't need strained.  I am making my 3rd batch as I write this.  Now, I do have to say I thought I knew it all and I made my first batch with regular ultrapasteurized milk.  It was soupy and some people like it that way.  Then I went back to my yogurt guru and watched her videos about why you need to use the ultrafiltered and ultrapasteurized milk.  Now it is just perfect.

Cheesecake!!!  If you had told me that I would be raving about cheesecake from a pressure cooker, I would have thought you were crazy.  But here I am raving.  I have made 2 of the best cheesecakes of my entire life.  In fact, I am making one this weekend by request for my husband's birthday cake.  And it won't take me very long! Wow.  I did buy a smaller spring-form pan for this purpose, highly worth it.

Spaghetti!!  I am not a huge spaghetti fan, but I tell you what, my IP makes THE BEST spaghetti I have ever had and if I had it for this one reason alone, it would be worth it.  You can make it all in one pot and it is done in less time than it used to take me to heat up the big water pot for the pasta, let alone browning the meat.  The recipe I have is pretty informal and I found it searching the Facebook group that I belong to. 

Melanie Brown's IP Spaghetti

Parmesan cheese and fresh basil for toppings (optional)
Olive oil (for browning)
1 lb ground beef
1 onion, chopped
1/2-1 tsp kosher salt
1/2 tsp garlic powder
1 tsp Italian Seasoning (dried herbs)
2 cups water (divided)
1 24 oz jar of spaghetti sauce (we like tomato and basil, get whatever kind you like).
10-11 oz of spaghetti


1. Put IP on SAUTÉ. Once it reads HOT, brown the beef and onion. Season lightly with salt, pepper, add the garlic powder and Italian seasoning. Once browned hit CANCEL.
2. Dissolve the kosher salt into the 2 cups of warm water.
3. Add 1/4 cup of the water and deglaze the pan. Get as much of the brown stuff off the bottom (sometimes I use red wine to do this part instead of the water).
4. Pour 1/2 of what’s leftover from the water on top of the beef mixture (please don’t make me do the math, just pour what looks like 1/2 of what’s left).
5. Snap the spaghetti in half and lay across the top of the beef and water.
6. Press down a bit on the spaghetti to immerse as much as possible. Don’t stir.
7. Pour the jar of spaghetti sauce over the top.
8. Pour what’s left of the water into the jar and swish around. Get all the good stuff left behind, and pour that on top. Gently press down, but don’t stir and mix the pot.
9. Set the Instant Pot on PRESSURE cook (and make sure the vent is closed).
10. Set the time for 1/2 of what the spaghetti directions call for. I use thin spaghetti, so it’s 4-5 minutes for me.
11. Once the Instant Pot beeps that it’s done, do a quick release. Open up and stir around.
12. Garnish with Parmesan cheese and fresh basil if desired

Eggs!  The first thing I made in my IP was hard-boiled eggs.  Now, they didn't cook in a flash, but the best part was that the shells practically fell off.  My guys love egg salad and deviled eggs.  They are more likely to get them now.  Lots of people have their favorite method.  I did the 4-4-5 method .

And it still makes a decent slow cooker.  I have heard some criticism about its slow cooker function because the heat comes from the bottom and is not wrapped around like the Crockpot.  I have made my favorite chicken stock and chili without any differences.  It even goes to keep warm when the time is done.  I call that a win.  I did buy the slow cooker lid with the vent.  I use it for making yogurt, too.

When it comes down to it, does anyone really need an Instant Pot?  No, it is just another tool.  But if you enjoy learning something new, finding new inspiration for feeding your family, making progress and feeling successful, it might just be for you!  I do highly recommend joining an IP group on Facebook if you do get one.  That is where I have found helpful inspiration and support.  Or find a good friend who loves hers!  It can be intimidating to just turn it on that first time.


5 comments:

  1. That's good to hear, although now I don't know if I would get one, haha, hmmm. Well, I still have 2 crockpots and a rice maker so I guess I have time. But now I'm hungry.

    ReplyDelete
  2. Yeah, you are covered! I am thinking about an air fryer attachment for mine because I love roasted vegetables and I have it in my mind that would be faster. Thanks for dropping by! When are you going to update your blog? Hint, hint. :)

    ReplyDelete
  3. That might be fun too! Haha, maybe today! (shocker)

    ReplyDelete
  4. I need to see if I have one of these in the storage unit.. I think I was gifted one last year.. LOL

    Jeannie

    ReplyDelete