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Instant pot... what do you make with it?

Francl27
Francl27 Posts: 26,368 Member
edited December 2024 in Food and Nutrition
Been eyeing that thing for a while and it's $20 off on Amazon today so heck I ordered one.. My crockpot was getting old anyway!

So... what do you make with it? Kinda looking forward to making rice easily now (and not buy the microwavable kind so I don't burn it).

Replies

  • Queenmunchy
    Queenmunchy Posts: 3,380 Member
    Play around with the rice - both water and with QR/NPR timing. I still like my rice cooker best for rice, but the IP makes a great risotto with zero effort. I make hard boiled eggs weekly because they peel so easily. I also make chicken breasts from frozen for other dishes that called for cooked chicken or for salads, etc. Broth is fast, and large cuts of meat get really tender, like roasts.

  • Francl27
    Francl27 Posts: 26,368 Member
    It comes with recipes, right? I don't even have regular rice right now...

    Can you bake potatoes in there?
  • Queenmunchy
    Queenmunchy Posts: 3,380 Member
    @francl27 - it does, but they're pretty off, from what I hear. If you're on FB, the Instant Pot group is a great resource, but I just google some things or use Hippressurecooking.com or Pressurecookingtoday.com

    You can bake potatoes and steam vegetables on a 0-1 minute cycle if you buy a steamer basket. I've made spaghetti squash in like 7 minutes after coming to pressure.
  • Queenmunchy
    Queenmunchy Posts: 3,380 Member
    @crazyravr uses his too!
  • JenHuedy
    JenHuedy Posts: 611 Member
    My mother in law got me a similar cooker for christmas and I use it all the time now. I'll never cook Rice or hard cooked eggs any other way. I also use it to cook diced potatoes for mashed potatoes and potato salad. No more boil over messes! Never tried baked potatoes, but I think it might "steam" them and I don't even like to wrap baked potatoes in foil because it messes up the texture.

    Made an awesome cuban-style pork in it last week. It's a slow cooker recipe, but I did it in under 40 minutes using the pressure cooker. It was fall apart tender in less time than it took me to do my 5 mile run!
    Recipe here: http://www.bettycrocker.com/recipes/tangy-slow-cooker-pickled-pepper-pork-melts/9afd6b41-737f-41a4-a163-06b115506a5a

    Love being able to brown things then just put the lid on and finish cooking. Saves so many dishes.
  • glassyo
    glassyo Posts: 7,809 Member
    Carlos_421 wrote: »
    Misleading thread title...

    Yup! Sooooooo not what I was expecting. :)
  • lucys1225
    lucys1225 Posts: 597 Member
    It's been the best purchase I have made in a long time. I use mine constantly. I eat soup for lunch that used to take hours, now takes take 25 minutes. I make stew, pot roast, carnitas, shredded chicken/beef dishes, bone broth...even made a cheesecake. The FB group has great ideas and tons of recipes.
  • lucys1225
    lucys1225 Posts: 597 Member
    This is the group I was referring to https://www.facebook.com/groups/InstantPotCommunity/
  • Queenmunchy
    Queenmunchy Posts: 3,380 Member
    lucys1225 wrote: »
    This is the group I was referring to https://www.facebook.com/groups/InstantPotCommunity/

    Me too! :)
  • sparklyglitterbomb
    sparklyglitterbomb Posts: 458 Member
    Carlos_421 wrote: »
    Misleading thread title...

    Exactly. I'm in Colorado so instantly thought "What did they come up with now?" lol
  • erockem
    erockem Posts: 278 Member
    chicken soup
    chicken breasts
    hard boiled eggs
    veggies
    beef pot roast
    beef stroganoff
    taco chicken meat

  • mjwarbeck
    mjwarbeck Posts: 699 Member
    All my soups
    Thai sweet potato curry
    Black bean
    Borscht
    Curry carrot

    Calrose rice at least 3 times a week
  • Francl27
    Francl27 Posts: 26,368 Member
    Thanks a lot for the community link! I'll definitely check it out.

    Now to find a good brand of rice to buy. And I always undercook my hard boiled eggs so this is exciting LOL.
  • CrabNebula
    CrabNebula Posts: 1,119 Member
    edited May 2016
    If you end up making yogurt with it, buy an extra sealing ring. Unfortunately, the sealing ring absorbs pretty much irreversibly strong scents/flavors which can leech back into your yogurt and other neutral tasting items. I found this out the hard way when I made a batch of yogurt that tasted like garlic and onion. OK if it were for tzatziki, but not with berries and chocolate sauce. BLECH!

    After fruitlessly googling how to solve the problem without buying another ring and finding that absolutely nothing suggested worked in the least bit, I bought another ring and never had the problem again.
  • enterdanger
    enterdanger Posts: 2,447 Member
    this might be the watch kitchen tool I don't have. I shall do some research and determine if I need it.
  • JenHuedy
    JenHuedy Posts: 611 Member
    Francl27 wrote: »
    Thanks a lot for the community link! I'll definitely check it out.

    Now to find a good brand of rice to buy. And I always undercook my hard boiled eggs so this is exciting LOL.

    I have been using the basmati rice from Aldi. It's delicious and has a wonderful texture.
    enterdanger wrote: »
    this might be the watch kitchen tool I don't have. I shall do some research and determine if I need it.

    Alton Brown's rule of "no uni-taskers" is law in my kitchen. When I get a gadget or appliance it has to be something that will be useful enough to earn the valuable real estate in my small kitchen. This particular appliance now lives in my slow cooker's spot and the slow cooker has been retired to the basement pantry.
  • 42firm03
    42firm03 Posts: 115 Member
    Im so glad you posted this. My slow cooker is dead so I've just ordered this. Have wanted one and like the deal. Happy Mother's Day to me!

    Gina at Skinnytaste has posted some of her slow cooker recipes converted to the instapot. So you might look there for recipes too. She never disappoints IMO.
  • CooCooPuff
    CooCooPuff Posts: 4,374 Member
    Lol, the new purchases thread makes me want one of these so badly. :(
  • brb_2013
    brb_2013 Posts: 1,197 Member
    CooCooPuff wrote: »
    Lol, the new purchases thread makes me want one of these so badly. :(

    Me too! I need to remember this for my birthday. For Christmas I need a vacuum that doesn't get clogged constantly. -_-
    Never thought I'd WANT appliances as gifts...
  • Francl27
    Francl27 Posts: 26,368 Member
    brb_2013 wrote: »
    CooCooPuff wrote: »
    Lol, the new purchases thread makes me want one of these so badly. :(

    Me too! I need to remember this for my birthday. For Christmas I need a vacuum that doesn't get clogged constantly. -_-
    Never thought I'd WANT appliances as gifts...

    Lol I know. I just stalk Amazon gold box deals.
  • trisH_7183
    trisH_7183 Posts: 1,486 Member
    "Alton Brown's rule of "no uni-taskers" is law in my kitchen. When I get a gadget or appliance it has to be something that will be useful enough to earn the valuable real estate in my small kitchen. This particular appliance now lives in my slow cooker's spot and the slow cooker has been retired to the basement pantry."

    I go one better,nothing new for the kitchen unless something goes away.Good bye slo cooker.The InstaPot came Tuesday. Made a pot roast,then used the broth for beef veggie stew. Both were super yummy.Decided to keep it on the counter....to use it often.Weather is chilly this wk,so going to be making ham & bean soup,can bread,applesauce, bread pudding,& a pasta dish. That should hold us for a while.

    BTW,There are more recipes on line than anyone can use.We can try tho ;)
  • Strawblackcat
    Strawblackcat Posts: 944 Member
    A better question for me is "What don't I use the Instant Pot for?"

    Seriously though, I love my Instant Pot. I make bone broth every week, and it takes a process that normally takes 24-72 hours and condenses it down into 120 minutes, plus a little time for the pot to come to pressure. Also, it seals the smell in, so the family doesn't complain. I've also used it to render tallow and lard by using the slow cooker function. I fry potatoes in it occasionally by first steaming them using the rack in the pot, and then by using the sauté function. Bean soup takes no time if you soak the beans beforehand. Plus, I can cook a juicy, fork-tender chuck roast in 40 minutes during the summertime without having to turn on my oven and heat up my kitchen. Same goes for whole chickens. AND you can use the pot to make the au jouis or gravy after you've cooked the meat. Also, I love the yogurt function. It's much more efficient to make yogurt by the half-gallon than by the quart! The only thing that I don't like about it is that the milk tends to form a skin after the boiling process, which you have to skim off to get a consistantly creamy end product. I don't have to stir the milk like I have to when I boil it on the stove, though, so it's a non-issue for me.

    I love love love love my Instant Pot. Get one. You won't regret it -- trust me!
  • bpetrosky
    bpetrosky Posts: 3,911 Member
    Can you do an herbal bake in one? If so, I'm in. I love a nice herbal bake waiting for me the minute I get home from work, makes the whole place smell like heaven.
  • lucys1225
    lucys1225 Posts: 597 Member
    I forgot about spaghetti squash! I normally roast them which takes about 45 minutes. Now only 6-8 minutes (depending on the size and texture you like) and they come out great every time.
  • elphie754
    elphie754 Posts: 7,574 Member
    Francl27 wrote: »
    Thanks a lot for the community link! I'll definitely check it out.

    Now to find a good brand of rice to buy. And I always undercook my hard boiled eggs so this is exciting LOL.

    Personally I LOVE jasmine and basmati. I buy what ever brand is on sale. I recommend a rice cooker if you make rice a lot.
  • trisH_7183
    trisH_7183 Posts: 1,486 Member
    bpetrosky wrote: »
    Can you do an herbal bake in one? If so, I'm in. I love a nice herbal bake waiting for me the minute I get home from work, makes the whole place smell like heaven.

    Not sure what an herbal bake is. What recipe do you use? You can set the Insta Pot to start later,but it's not a feature I have used.

  • nutmegoreo
    nutmegoreo Posts: 15,532 Member
    edited May 2016
    bpetrosky wrote: »
    Can you do an herbal bake in one? If so, I'm in. I love a nice herbal bake waiting for me the minute I get home from work, makes the whole place smell like heaven.

    I've never been a fan of herbal bake. The smell is lovely, I'll give you that, but it always left me feeling a little queasy. Must be something in the ingredients.
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