Misc The Insta-Pot new toy tread (or old toy if you have had one for awhile)

[Melodi]

OK so between the thread here and on some of my food forums I broke down and got an 8Qt Insta Pot; I broke my usual rule on avoiding things obviously somewhat high tech and with computers in them - my Mom used to say "avoid gadgets that do more than one thing, there is more to break down."

But Mom is only right most of the time; so I took the plunge to try it out for myself even though they are more expensive over here.

I got the 8Qtr both on the recommendations of others and because I had a feeling (and it was correct) that the 8Qtr would fit "normal" 8 inch size cookware for pot in pot cooking (including baking).

I realized that Instpot and clones had started a near revolution in slightly downsized cookware that had to be ordered for the 6Qt version - there may still be a bit of that with the 8Qtr but when I put my 8 inch pan in there was room to spare, a 9 inch might even fit but I haven't tried it yet.

So farm my accomplishments are:

The boiled water test (lol)

Yogurt in process now - boiled perfectly on the first try; let it cool watched by half a dozen overly interested cats (note to self remember to buy a "god" water spray bottle because most of the kitchen cats are short hairs).

I now put it on eight hours and will check at 1am if I'm awake and if not - well I used to make the stuff in plastic peanut butter jars on heating pads in the 1970's; I'm sure it will just get a bit over-watery and a bit more sour if I have to leave it.

I'm hoping to avoid that though because I really want to see how it turns out on 8 hours with 1 1/2 Tbsp of Organic Yogurt as a starter for 2 liters of milk. That's a bit more than half a gallon so I'd see how it works.

Tomorrow I may try French Onion Soup if hubby's throat is still sore (he went to the doctor and he has an infection) so we are skipping "yule" dinner and going to do it on Christmas eve or Christmas day for Germany housemate.

Any other ideas or suggestions? Note no one in my family likes hard boiled eggs so that is a no-go for an early project; I did the yogurt first even though it ties up the machine because I had extra milk that needed using (I'm also making cheese with the last of the raw milk until March - the yogurt is organic milk but previously pasturized so I went ahead and boiled it).

My second ring isn't here yet (maybe tomorrow?) so I'm dithering between making something sweet tomorrow and/or the soup.

Cheese cake is probably going to wait until after Yule itself when I can get more creamed cheese and make shortbread so I can crumble it.

Anyway hope others enjoy the thread and feel free to post even if you don't use the Insta-Pot; I have a stove top pressure cooker too as well as an All American Canner.

 

[Melodi]

OK so experiment one -Yogurt worked amazingly well - I wasn't sure at first because last night it looked like yogurt soup - but I put it in an old fashioned strainer over a bowl in the fridge overnight and the result is amazing!

It is like the thickest yogurt I have ever made and the taste is fantastic -I used organic (but not raw) milk from a local dairy and some of their yogurt for the starter. Husband couldn't believe it - I suspect our days of buying much over the counter yogurt may be over except for quickies.

Tonight's experiment is in process - husband takes endless burritos to Dublin wit him but he likes them very plane; no salsa or anything - so I'm making beans now when it doesn't matter because I eat them almost every day myself but will eat them in a lot of different ways that he won't. So I've got simple dried pintos with chicken stock, a piece of bacon and a couple of garlic cloves in there and we shall see what it looks like in a an hour or so.

If they are not soft enough I can cook them some more but if they are fine I'll fish some out as beans and then mash the rest -that's pretty much what I do in my crock pot expect it takes 12 to 14 hours.

A lot of the time it doesn't really matter but I wanted to see how fast tracking work and if one had a better taste or texture....we shall see but I'm happy so far.

 

[vessie]

Thank you Melodi for your Insta-Pot updates!

I look forward to hear what your cooking up and how long it takes!

I haven't gotten one yet as I've been too busy working this last month but I have it on the list of things to buy this next month!

Looking forward to trying boneless beef short ribs in the Instan-Pot.

Also wanted to shorten the cooking time on potatoes for making mashed potatoes, instead of boiling them the old fashioned way which takes too long.

Of course as I pulled my brussell sprouts on the microwave the other day which where in Ziploc Zip and Steam bags, I thought, "Why don't I just put the cubed up potatoes in the steam bags! Duh!".

But the meats and stews when you have little time and/or say your living in Hawaii where the electricity bills are the highest in the US, the Insta-Pot is a God send!

So keep us up on your Insta-pot cooking! Thanks! V

 

[Thunderbird]

We use ours mainly for beef and pork roasts, makes excellent pulled pork.
Another goodie is steel cut oat meal, made with raisins and apple. Sauerkraut and ring bologna is excellent (if you have a good source of ring bologna). Breaded pork chops, oh my.

 

[Melodi]

The mashed beans were perfect! I'm not really sure how long they took exactly because I left the room (a vast improvement over the stove top pressure cooker there) - I came down at the end of the cycle and cancelled warming - then went away for an hour and presto perfect beans.

Next time I may use a bit less than 8 cups of water, but it turned out just fine (actually I use chicken stock)...

Flavor was not quite as intense as the slow cooker version but also did not have the burned taste I sometimes get after 20 to 24 hours in the cooker.

The recipe I had was manual setting at 35 minutes high pressure - I think next time I might try 40 or 45...but the results I got were just fine and they mashed easily with the hand blender (and I started with dried beans).

 

[packyderms_wife]

I'm hoping to make bone broth in mine tomorrow. I cooked fish in mine yesterday, in a foil package. What used to take 45 minutes in the oven took eight minutes in my IP.

So have you named your IP yet? Oh and Melodi if you're on FB join the IP Community group, tons of recipes and tested ideas in that group!

 

[packyderms_wife]

Thank you Melodi for your Insta-Pot updates!

I look forward to hear what your cooking up and how long it takes!

I haven't gotten one yet as I've been too busy working this last month but I have it on the list of things to buy this next month!

Looking forward to trying boneless beef short ribs in the Instan-Pot.

Also wanted to shorten the cooking time on potatoes for making mashed potatoes, instead of boiling them the old fashioned way which takes too long.

Of course as I pulled my brussell sprouts on the microwave the other day which where in Ziploc Zip and Steam bags, I thought, "Why don't I just put the cubed up potatoes in the steam bags! Duh!".

But the meats and stews when you have little time and/or say your living in Hawaii where the electricity bills are the highest in the US, the Insta-Pot is a God send!

So keep us up on your Insta-pot cooking! Thanks! V

Vessie you won't regret buying one! I'm already on the hunt for a second one and that one WILL be an 8 quart unit, not 6 like the one I have now.

 

[Melodi]

Thanks, yep I joined the group before I broke down and got one - on-sale over here was still an investment by the time I got the glass lid and the extra ring; I did get the 8 Qtr and the advantage is not only does hubby's weekly mess of beans (for when he's in school) fit but more to the point my 8 inch pans fit!

This means I don't have to buy new pans except for a spring form or removable bottom one (I don't have one of those) and I do need a smaller bunt pan as my is too big (as are nine inch cake pans) but I can live with that.

Over here it only came with the trivit but bought a regular steamer basket at the shop; now that I have my measurements I can look for the right sized cooking pots for pot in pot cooking; I probably already have some that will work - just not the cheese cake pan.

Haven't made anything today, I may give it a rest until tomorrow - if husband still isn't feeling well French Onion Soup or the like might be an option...

 

[Babs]

After reading the two threads here on these, and many reviews on Amazon, I decided I had to have one! It came yesterday. It's my present from my family for Hanukkah, so I can't open it until Sunday. I think I'm going to try a roast the first night. I got the 8 qt because I love to make big batches of things and freeze or can the left overs. Thanks to you all!

 

[Melodi]

Just a note, I plan to continue my explorations and updates soon but I got a Winter flu (my husband shared it with me) - not the worst I've ever had, but sore throat, muscle aches and stuffy head mean that trying new machines does not sound like fun.

Babs there are tons of Hanukkah and post Hanukkah recipes on some of the Insta Pot forums on facebook; there is so much there that even if you don't use facebook it might be worth joining just for the IP Groups. I don't learn well from written sources; and I think the IP booklet that comes with the machine (at least the UK version) is especially confusing. It was great to use AFTER I watched video and asked some on-line questions.

Getting the 8 pot was a good idea, I did it on a hunch because I do so much cooking ahead for my husband (who this year is in a B and B so he has to bring new food each week) but then I realized my 8 inch pans fit in (as does my steamer tray) so I think on the whole it will save money in having to buy "tiny" cake pans and the like.

I am hoping to try the "cheese cake" soon, probably using home-made extra-thick yogurt because we can't get the bricks of cheese here only the whipped stuff or I may try a combination of both.

 

[Babs]

Just a note, I plan to continue my explorations and updates soon but I got a Winter flu (my husband shared it with me) - not the worst I've ever had, but sore throat, muscle aches and stuffy head mean that trying new machines does not sound like fun.

Babs there are tons of Hanukkah and post Hanukkah recipes on some of the Insta Pot forums on facebook; there is so much there that even if you don't use facebook it might be worth joining just for the IP Groups. I don't learn well from written sources; and I think the IP booklet that comes with the machine (at least the UK version) is especially confusing. It was great to use AFTER I watched video and asked some on-line questions.

Getting the 8 pot was a good idea, I did it on a hunch because I do so much cooking ahead for my husband (who this year is in a B and B so he has to bring new food each week) but then I realized my 8 inch pans fit in (as does my steamer tray) so I think on the whole it will save money in having to buy "tiny" cake pans and the like.

I am hoping to try the "cheese cake" soon, probably using home-made extra-thick yogurt because we can't get the bricks of cheese here only the whipped stuff or I may try a combination of both.

Thank you, Melodi. I did join the fb groups that were listed here. I also have been feeling under the weather and understand about trying to focus on something new while sick, so I haven't tried it yet. But, I'm going to attempt to make a beef stew tonight. Have you tried the saute' setting to brown meat? How has it worked out?

 

[Melodi]

Thank you, Melodi. I did join the fb groups that were listed here. I also have been feeling under the weather and understand about trying to focus on something new while sick, so I haven't tried it yet. But, I'm going to attempt to make a beef stew tonight. Have you tried the saute' setting to brown meat? How has it worked out?

I haven't tried saute yet, but the feedback I've seen from the groups is that it works well to help flavor things but you have to be very careful to scrape off all the meat from the bottom of the pot or the pressure won't rise (this is a safety feature).

The other advice I saw was to make sure the oil in the pot is HOT before adding the meat; that helps keep the meat from sticking...

I also suspect it is probably worth it that if your pot does get over browned; to stop and remove meat and oil; then wash the pot and go on from there but I'd try to scrape it first.

Pretty much you are "re-inventing" an much older cooking tradition of using the "meat drippings" in the stew or sauce to give it more flavor.

When in doubt, I will simply saute on the stove as I do for my crock pot; I think that may work better when simply cooking a roast rather than a soup or stew.

The largest number of "fails" I've seen logged by people is roasts or whole chickens/chicken breasts that are either tough or under cooked; that suggests there is a learning curve there, especially for "lumps" of meat.

I will probably try stews and soups or shredded meat (highly likely chicken see my other post) before I try a whole roast...

Also I noticed that given the fact my beans had less flavor than in the slow cooker, I may experiment with rapid cooking beans or stew; and then putting it on the slow cooker/crock pot setting for a couple of hours - I don't have an outside job so time usually isn't critical for me.

 

[Bardou]

I came across this site today looking for some good slow cooker recipes and all of these look really good and tempting to make. I think I'll make the Mexican Breakfast Casserole. Some of these recipes are fairly low carb too. There's other recipes at the site too. Just browse through.

http://www.popsugar.com/food/Slow-Cooker-Casserole-Recipes-42929654#photo-42929654

 

[Orion Commander]

I
We made ghee. 4# butter made 4 pts.

 

[vessie]

I came across this site today looking for some good slow cooker recipes and all of these look really good and tempting to make. I think I'll make the Mexican Breakfast Casserole. Some of these recipes are fairly low carb too. There's other recipes at the site too. Just browse through.

http://www.popsugar.com/food/Slow-Cooker-Casserole-Recipes-42929654#photo-42929654

I'm look'in for the "LIKE!" button! Lol! V

 

[vessie]

I
We made ghee. 4# butter made 4 pts.

That is AWESOME!!! V

 

[Babs]

My stew was the best I've ever had. Yes, I let the oil in the pot get hot before I add the meat. I made my strew using the manual setting and cook the meat for 15 minutes, QPR, then threw in the veggies and cook for 30 minutes, then NPR for 10 minutes and QR.
The result is tender and do delicious and the veggies cooked just right. One thing that surprised me is how strong the flavor was. It was incredible. Love this pot!

 

[Melodi]

Just put on "My" beans since I just discovered we were totally out of canned and I want burritos - since husband has plenty of "his" burritos (no spices except salt and chicken broth) in the freezer, I decided to experiment a bit and have added more chicken broth, chili, lime juice, cumin, dried garlic and onion and a bit of Mountain House tomato powder.

Since last time there was way-way too much liquid even with the beans dried, this time I added double the amount of water/broth - plus another scant two cups. It may still be too much but I want to see what a good ratio is from dried beans; when I plan ahead I can soak them and then it is two inches of liquid over beans.

Oh and I added a tablespoon of cooking oil as the old directions for dry beans in pressure cookers call for; especially since I was out of bacon, ham or anything fatty like that to add to the mix.

I'll have a report on how well this does or doesn't work later; but if it does that would be fantastic - I also extended cooking time from 30 minutes to 42 minutes because last time the flavors were weak (and beans can handle extra cooking as long as you don't got off the rails).

Babs thanks for the stew report; I had a hunch stew would be good in it but with some people reporting weak flavors I wasn't sure; I suspect it is just a learning curve on how much liquid to add; browning the meat etc.

Also I suspect some people just throw everything in, rather than taking both the time to brown and the longer cooking time for the meat QPR and then add the veggies followed by NPR.

I may try that later this week, although bone broth is way-way high on my list...

 

[Melodi]

Beans were totally perfect - so the basic directions needed a tad less liquid, longer cooking time (42 minutes) from dry with natural release - along with adding a few more herbs and ingredients.

Now I have to see if I can do a version that's good with bacon and ck broth...with perhaps some garlic and onion...

 

[Melodi]

Beef and Barley stew were perfect! I added one tsp of my home-made Italian sauce, and generous amounts of tyme and rosemary to the mix as well as a tiny bit of soy sauce. Husband wants most of it for pie filling so I had a bowel of the wonderful broth/barley/beef as soup for supper.

This time it really DID taste better than what I usually get out of the crock pot - no slightly burned taste or undertone.

 

[Melodi]

Egg Fritata was OK (per vegetarian roommate) however even though I cooked the sliced potatoes for 7 minutes instead of 4, they were still a bit crunchy (I didn't eat any); next time I will also saute the potatoes and bell peppers on the stove as doing it in the Instant Pot just made a mess and I had to wash and clean the pot before pressure cooking the egg and vegetable mixture itself in an 8 inch ceramic dish.

But other than that, I gather it was very good; I added Italian sauce that I canned about a year ago that I'm trying to use up and omitted the sour cream and the texture was perfect...

I have bought beef bones for broth (or rather was given them by the butcher) which I hope to make and report on, on Friday.

 

[aviax2]

Love this thread!

I bought a Cuisinart electric pressure cooker a few years ago. At the time it came in I was too busy to try it out, then felt a tad intimidated by it (although I've been pressure canning/cooking for years) and it got kind of lost in the pantry. I decided around Christmas that it was time to get it out and get busy. I could absolutely kick myself for waiting so long!!! I love it and it's so quiet. My mother was visiting and pork loin chops were on the menu and I knew they would have to be super tender for her so I seasoned, seared on each side in a skillet, put them on the rack, added some water to the bottom and set if for the time it called for in the book, only a few minutes. When I took them out I decided I wanted them to be a tad more tender so popped them back in for a few minutes more. They were so moist and tender, just delicious. I've made a few different kinds of dried beans that have turned out perfect and a beef roast that was so good. I added carrots and potato's after cooking the roast and put it on 2 min. and did a quick release, the carrots were perfect but the potato's were a tad mushy. Live and learn!

 

[Melodi]

Glad you are enjoying this aviax2, I know I am....

Tomorrow's experiment will likely be BEEF Broth! All going well, I hope to use the bones gifted to me by the butcher plus a small handful of off cut beef bits; to make what I usually just call "beef broth."

I haven't made any since I broke my arm about four years ago and never in the Instant Pot (I might have made it once years ago with a stove top pressure cooker but I don't recall for sure); I will of course report back later....

 

[Melodi]

Beef Bone broth as is was a bit too bland, but I put it on the saute function twice (apx 1 hour) and it concentrated down about 50 percent and is much better; now I used a strainer that my husband cut the handles off of; which made it much easier to deal with but may have resulted in not as quite as much meat or goodies getting into the broth; than if I were not using the strainer.

Also, when I make bone broth or Stew at home, I usually add a bit of beef stock from Mountain House or an organic brand; and I'll probably do that next time, I just wanted to see how it was with nothing else added but the bones, meat and veg.

I'm letting it cool and it will go in the fridge over night; and I should know the true level of flavor by morning.

 

[Melodi]

I have to say for time saving in a pinch this thing can't be beat, it is better than a stove top pressure cooker because you can leave the room and do as you like; as opposed to sitting there for the whole process (or most of it) "just in case" (like when my All American Caner had an opps and it performed as it should be releasing all the steam at once but if I hadn't been there it would have burned the pot as well as the broken jars - instead I was there to turn the heat off).

I got behind on making my husband's food for next week and he's got some fridge space again; so yesterday I made not only the beef broth but got 2 liters of yogurt started and had perfect results this morning; even my very picky husband said not to bother to strain it because it was pretty firm and I used the not so firm last bits in the dough for the rolls in the bread baker that is rising now.

This morning I also got his beans for his endless burritos in the pot after I rinsed out for the yogurt - complete with some beef broth to go with the bacon from the shop; it should be ready to open and wiz with my hand blender in a bit here - just about in time to shape the rolls.

I will probably stop at his point, but if I want to make something as a side dish with dinner I can do that to!

Even having the beef broth not quite as flavored as the slow cooker is a reasonable trade; because this is so much faster - though I will continue to do some in the crock pot as well.

I am hoping to try some sweet stuff next week, I have a second ring though so far I haven't had too many problems with smell - possibly because I always let the pot dry for at least two days before closing the lid when not in use - something I learned from crock pots since the 1970's days of making "mush"..lol

 

[Melodi]

Sesame Noodles were a real hit http://thisoldgal.com/pressure-cooker-simple-sesame-noodles/
Simple Sesame Noodles
Prep Time
15 mins
Cook Time
5 mins
Total Time
20 mins


Simple Sesame Noodles are so easy and delicious and can be in your bowl ready to eat in less than 30 minutes.
Course: Dinner, Lunch, Main Course
Cuisine: American Chinese
Servings: 6 servings
Author: This Old Gal
Ingredients

16 oz Thin Chinese Egg Noodles
6-8 cups Fresh Water
8 Scallions sliced thin

Sauce

1/2 cup Soy Sauce, Low Sodium
8 cloves Fresh Garlic minced
8 Tablespoons Canola Oil
4 Tablespoons Seasoned Rice Vinegar
4 Tablespoons Sugar
3 Tablespoons Pure Sesame Oil
1 teaspoons Hot Chili Oil
3 Tablespoons Toasted Sesame Oil

Instructions

Mix together Sauce ingredients and set aside.

Bring water to boil and cook noodles according to package directions. Rinse and drain. Pour sauce over noodles and mix in scallions.
-----------------------------------------------------------

I drastically lowered the non-sesame oil in the recipe and since I don't use canola oil I added about 1 tbs of corn oil - next time I might use peanut oil and add even less. I have no idea why it calls for 8 tbs of canola oil on top of the to to six of sesame oil except perhaps that it is trying copy-cat some US take out version that is very oily - since I've never had these as take out I don't know - I do know that six tablespoons of sesame oil (we couldn't get toasted and I didn't have time to make any) plus 1 tbs of another similar oil is more than enough at least taste wise.

I also added the green onions before cooking because I simply hate raw onion and this added flavor without being crunch - if you like crunchy onions do it the other way - I did have some real Chinese chili oil which was very nice, though next time I may try it with just regular or home made chili oil to lower the extra ingredients factor.

I also added very thinly sliced carrots because we had some around and fresh spinach AFTER I cooked it - it wilted right in.

My only real mistake was in not realizing how quickly zero pressure would come and go, so I didn't get back in time to quick release before they got mushy (next time I'll stick around) but the taste was wonderful!

I made it without meat for house-mate whose a vegetarian but I think it would also be wonderful made with chicken or beef broth instead of just water and/or with bits of meat cooked in or added afterwards.

I think this is going to become a regular weekday special and I may try it out on Nightwolf without the chili sauce; I think it would also be an excellent side dish to other food and a nice change from just rice or potatoes.

Next time for house-mate I will try rice noodles which she prefers but I wasn't sure if they might not just melt away even under zero minutes of pressure - now that I know it works, I'm willing to risk a "fail" and it will be great if it sorts out.

Time to make this was very quick, even taking time to chop the garlic, onions and carrots...most of which are optional (in a hurry I'd use garlic powder).

So another win and clean up was easy too - always a plus in my book...

 

[Melodi]

Finally getting the beans sorted towards having more flavor even when making them without chili or cumin for husband (and I use as well with homemade hot sauce); first by adding some onion and garlic powder (as well as chicken broth and a strip of bacon).

I was able to concentrate the flavors better, first by soaking the beans overnight in water; then actually draining them and then taking a slight risk of slightly burned beans by adding liquid only to 1 inch over the SOAKED beans, rather than 2 inches.

Last time I did two inches on soaked beans and had tons of extra liquid (which of course included flavorings) that had to be thrown out (even the dog didn't want it, no flavor) and the beans were bland as paste.

With the one inch of water, the results were almost perfect - I was able to just use the hand blender and mash it all together (husband only likes mashed beans - I call them refried but they are really mashed) they were still a bit too watery and I ended up adding corn starch because the results would have been a bit too thick for bean soup (though it would be amazing for that) and not quite thick enough for make-ahead burritos.

Next time I'll try just taking out a cup or two of liquid and see if that makes it a bit thicker but still with some taste...

So verdict is that while you CAN cook the beans from dried beans without soaking (and even add salt, tomatoes etc) and have them get soft; for my weekly batch of burrito beans it works better to soak them first and then only add liquid to 1 inch over the beans rather than 2 inches.

 

[Melodi]

I have to say this toy is awesome and as an experienced cook, I am truly amazed what a difference it is making; especially if you have health issues like I do; this can make the difference between getting food used up once thawed and having the dogs getting a treat.

I am discovering that in our climate and our household - most things need a bit longer to cook - beans seem to do best from soaked (rather than dry, though you can cook them that way) and cooked for 45 to 50 minutes rather than 35; the three bean vegetarian chili I did for housemate and myself took about an 50 minutes plus some time on low sautee; next time I'm just going to try cooking it longer under pressure and then switch to the slow cooker function for two hours.

I am also thinking this is a good appliance for prepping because it would be easy to run on a generator - sure it won't last forever and you can't can in it - but it would help in the early days of a situation especially if you don't want to light a fire for some reason and if your bugging in, it would help fast cook some of the foods in the freezer.

Eventually it will become an interesting ornament on the shelf if say the power goes out for years or something; but for short term situations I think it would make a huge difference.

I talked friends of mine in France into ordering one and they just had the flu run through the family; the teenager was able to cook meals in it for anyone well enough to eat.

It does have some issues; foods tend to be a bit too watery but you can cook them down - again not an issue for me usually because I don't work outside the home but might be for someone coming home from work to a hungry house full of equally tired people.

Also, you need to add more herbs and spices (or add them after cooking and then simmer like a crock pot) you can add too many - I did that with the three bean chili - perfect for me but a bit hot for a German, even one used to spicy food.

I am now thinking of saving for an air fryer; although I suspect my new oven (replaced after the one over 15 years old died) probably does the same thing and I've had good results doing chicken and fries in it; so I might not need the air fryer - can't afford it right now anyway so a moot point.

I am so glad I got the 8 quart IP though because it is very easy to get items that fit it; I mean I got two silicon steamer inserts on the mark down table at Lidle's because the box came open, they fit fine; 8 inch cake pan with removal bottom - easy to find too.

Anyway, hope we can get this thread going again, anyone else having fun with cooking toys this Winter?

 

[packyderms_wife]

I talked friends of mine in France into ordering one and they just had the flu run through the family; the teenager was able to cook meals in it for anyone well enough to eat.

A gal on the Instant Pot Community FB group was deathly ill with a bug, her seven year old made her chicken and noodle soup in the IP for her, much to her surprise. Apparently he had watched her cook in it enough, in the year that she had the pot, and figured out how to use it on his own. And the soup was really good from what she said.

 

[packyderms_wife]

Anyway, hope we can get this thread going again, anyone else having fun with cooking toys this Winter?

I use our IP once a week to boil eggs, best boiled eggs ever! I use it on occasion to cook fish, squash, ribs, roasts, etc.

 

[Melodi]

I use our IP once a week to boil eggs, best boiled eggs ever! I use it on occasion to cook fish, squash, ribs, roasts, etc.

Thanks Packy any favorites? No one in my family likes hard boiled eggs so I skipped that one - I am thinking I am about ready to try a roast, probably pork. A lot of people in my Facebook IP that had problems early on started with roast and ended up with badly cooked and rather expensive meat.

That's one reason I went the beans and noodles route to start; they are cheap and chickens will eat them if we don't. The stew/pie filling tastes fantastic - like the other stuff it is a bit heavy on the liquid but the taste is awesome.

So I mixed in some corn starch, have it sitting to cool and will put in the fridge - if husband wants a pie this weekend I will take out mostly meat pieces for him (the way he likes it) make a more broth filled pie for me and then probably skim off some of the broth for maybe noodles or rice base and then freeze anything left.

I think the extra cooking time was a good idea; and if I wanted to I'm sure I could have simmered it down some but it is already after 9pm and I didn't want to futz with it.

 

[Melodi]

Note to Self: Cooking vegetarian clean out the organic vegetable box Italian soup is perfect when cooked at 45 minutes high pressure; however if you need to simmer it for a few more minutes to add pasta it can turn a bit mushy.

Will try 35 minutes next time and see if we still get that "simmered for hours on the back of the stove taste" without the mush factor - although I prefer mush to under cooked/raw flavor.

Usually I would do this soup overnight in the crock pot on low, but this let me start in the late morning and have it ready for a late lunch.

 

[Babs]

Lets see..I've made yogurt, creme brulee, several roasts and stews, whole chicken, boiled eggs, baked potatoes and chicken breasts, but I have not tried pasta or beans yet. We don't eat many beans because they cause me tremendous stomach issues, but I would like to try making some pintos for refried beans. And, I think I may try making rice in it. I've been continuing to use my rice cooker because it's so dependable but I'm ready to give my rice cooker to my son, if the rice turns out as good in the IP. I'm loving this thing and I use it about 5 times a week.

 

[Melodi]

Babs I make beans about once a week both for my burritos and for husband (I eat beans probably once a day at least) - my experience with the IP is that they work better if you soak them (I usually do overnight but I'm about to go put some on for a few hours and will probably cook this evening).

Try rinsing off the soaking water before cooking - that can help with the "side effects" and it is honestly the only thing I have ever found that works, along with eating legumes most days to keep the system used to them.

To make "refried" aka mashed pinto beans I do this:

Soak beans over night (or at least 4 to 8 hours)

Drain in colander and put into the IP

Add water to 1 inch over the beans (the books all say 2 inches and if you have a 6 QT pot do this the first time, in my 8 qt I get way too much extra liquid)

Now add the optional - stock cube or home made chicken or beef broth (or 1 tsp salt) [vegetarian tomato cube and 1 French Onion cube if making without meat]

1 tsp onion powder, 1 tsp garlic (or cut onion in half and use whole cloves you can remove later)

1 piece bacon or ham (if making vegetarian avoid this)

Stir around a bit to mix everything - you can also add chili, oregano (Mexican or Italian), cumin etc - my husband just doesn't like them and the recipe I got from a friend that was his Mexican Abuela's didn't have them - it was just salt, meat and sometimes stock).

Close pot and set the Manuel Pressure to high and cook 45 Minutes I know the books say less but I've found this to be about right so far for beans you are going to mash.

Use a natural pressure release and then turn off (you can let it be on warm for awhile if your busy, beans just keep cooking slowly)

Once open check your liquid, if you still have a bit too much then take some out and use for other things like dipping corn bread in or making your dog happy (if you used meat and only a small amount of powdered onion/garlic).

But often the amount of liquid is just about right or you just need to remove one to four cups.

Then remove any large chunks of onion, garlic or meat (unless you want to blend them, some people do)

Now get your hand blender and wiz in the IP, then remove and serve (or freeze)

You can also use the food processor or a hand masher, I just find the electric hand blender makes less mess when done in the IP

Please let us know if the rising helps the digestive issues.

I haven't made rice yet and I'm not quite up to 5 times a week but I'm getting there...

 

[Melodi]

Another tip: My husband HATES (as in almost vomits) from the small of cooking cabbage, cauliflower or broccoli; especially if boiled or cooked for any length of time (he can tolerate a quick skillet fry but not steaming and he's not going to eat it, just can barely stand to be in the same house).

By accident, he came home early on Friday after I had started vegetarian vegetable stew for housemate and put in both cabbage and cauliflower.

He could barely smell it and didn't bother him at all.

When he took a nap, I did the rest of the cauliflower that was about to go off...he had no problems with that either.

He said he could tell I had cooked it but it didn't have that "really gassy, bad Irish boarding house smell" ...

Now I am a super-taster and a super-smell type and I could smell it but it was much less and it doesn't bother me anyway.

But this tip might help others who have a family member who simply can't stand the smell of something cooking that other members like.

 

[Melodi]

Pumpkin "cake" or steamed pudding - first try not a great result - taste was good even husband liked the taste but was undercooked at 55 minutes and we didn't realize it. Also just not sure that pumpkin is the best recipe for this.

Husband wants me to try apple and raisin pudding which will be closer to the British steamed puddings he likes (note over here "pudding" means either a generic term for dessert and/or a steamed "cake" which is what the IP does).

I'm hoping to try that out this afternoon and see how things go; also the density may have been one reason why This Old Gal adds and extra egg white to these IP recipes but not to her oven ones - I didn't use this the last time but I may this time (I've got lots of eggs to use up anyway, my chickens are going on the Old Irish Calendar which has March 1st as "Spring." lol)

 

[Melodi]

Oh other feedback - for experimental purposes after I cooked chili in the IP I soaked the ring in baking soda for an hour and then cleaned it - I also always use leave my IP open to air; I made the pumpkin cake/bread without using the back up ring just to see and there was NO taste of chili at all; now I had cooked other savory items like plain beans inbetween; and I would use the other ring if I went from making chili to making dessert next but it is good to know that serious cleaning and airing help (even after I cleaned it I could smell a bit of chili but there was nothing after a few days of drying time).

 

[packyderms_wife]

Oh other feedback - for experimental purposes after I cooked chili in the IP I soaked the ring in baking soda for an hour and then cleaned it - I also always use leave my IP open to air; I made the pumpkin cake/bread without using the back up ring just to see and there was NO taste of chili at all; now I had cooked other savory items like plain beans inbetween; and I would use the other ring if I went from making chili to making dessert next but it is good to know that serious cleaning and airing help (even after I cleaned it I could smell a bit of chili but there was nothing after a few days of drying time).

We've cooked chili, black bean soup, stew, sauerkraut and ribs, in ours and our ring doesn't smell and it's because I don't store the lid on the unit. In the IP group those that complained about the smell later revealed that they were storing their lids on their units thus sealing it so it couldn't air out.

 

[Melodi]

Good feedback on the lid and fits with what I've found; I store mine on the kitchen table (no counters at the moment) it lives on an old metal cookie sheet; I keep the lid up and all the "accessories" I collected (mostly from the supermarket as I have 8 qt) stacked in it.

I didn't try the apple steamed pudding today; husband is suddenly not feeling well and house-mate is getting over a tummy virus; so I just made my usual apple cake that we know everyone likes (in the oven) and will experiment later.

I also realized that with the pumpkin I did what I do when I cook in the oven and probably used too much pumpkin (I usually freeze in 2 cup portions) so that may have been the other reason it didn't cook correctly and was mushy. The oven tends to dry things out, especially a fan oven; but steaming of course makes things moist which is great up to a point but not so great if it gets squishy.

 

[Melodi]

Last week made in one short afternoon:

1. one shredded roast (about 60 minutes in pot)

2. Large pot (about 4 cups dry) soaked beans and bacon in the beef broth

3. Put beans into two batches, made mashed/refried beans with 1/2 and left the other half of the beans in the pot; browned slightly freezer burned hamburger on the stove and added my home made hot sauce (1/2 jar) plus a few extra herbs and spices; presto really-really good chili (which only I will eat so some is in the freezer).

The verdict, unimaginably fast and results are good; beans on their own could use a bit more flavor but the chili was awesome; I didn't eat any beef but husband loved his burritos.

Oh forgot, evening before took about 3 1/2 liters of left over and slightly sour raw milk and added both full culture yogurt and rennet as an experiment; drained it overnight after it was on the yogurt setting for about 6 hours. In the morning husband said I had made Quark German Cheese (what the name of the particle in space came from) that was perfect! I suspect that Quark is basically some form of raw-milk yogurt cheese but boy was it good; German housemate gave it a pass, I think she is not a fan at home I understand I don't like all American food either.

Today's cooking...

1 fairly large pot of apple sauce (I filled up the 8 quart slightly more than 1/2 way) they were on-sale store bought apples so I added spices and some organic honey.

Turned out great, I used 10 minutes rather then 5 to 8 because the pot was larger and we like mushy apple sauce for cooking; next time I will cut back a bit and/or leave out the honey because there was just a tiny bit of almost burning at the bottom I had to get off with hot water and a scrubber. I suspect that is why all the recipes have you add honey or sugar after cooking but I prefer just to put small amounts of sweetener in while cooking to infuse it; and I know these traditional Irish large apples are very tart.

It is still tart enough to use as a side of something like pork that can handle a bit of cinnamon/cloves/nutmeg but not apple pie sweet either.

I now have on 2 1/2 liters of slightly sour raw milk plus organic, heated to just warm (about 90 degrees) like last time; and hopefully will have yogurt in the morning (or something I can strain into yogurt/yogurt cheese if too runny).

That's the secret to making raw milk yogurt that still has all its bacteria in it; if you don't want the original bacteria or are using store bought milk then you take it up to I think it is 140 to 180 degrees; then let it cool back to between 90 an 110 before adding the yogurt starter. That will kill any bacteria already in the milk; that's how I usually do it but not with the good raw milk from the dairy near by.