Any Instant Pot/Pressure Cooker owners here?

13

Replies

  • cessi0909
    cessi0909 Posts: 654 Member
    I just got one and have yet to try it. I'm going to try it today for dinner
  • CorneliusPhoton
    CorneliusPhoton Posts: 965 Member
    CooCooPuff wrote: »
    I'm going to bump this thread. After eating the Brussels sprouts I heated with some leftovers in the IP, I don't think I'm going to use the microwave for heating leftovers at home unless I'm pressed for time.

    I just put what I wanted to reheat in a small oven safe bowl (mine is Let's Cook fine porcelain), wrapped the top in foil, added a cup of water to the pot, added the trivet and bowl, and set the IP to steam at high pressure for three minutes. I started it 7:16 or :17 and heard it finish in around ten minutes.

    Here's where I got the idea from. I don't buy the microwave fear mongering, but Brussels sprouts microwaved never come out tasting as nice. The dish itself was also heated more evenly.

    Thanks for posting that! I hadn't thought of the possibility of being able to heat or reheat things in foil which you can't do in the microwave. I guess you lose the ability to heat things in plastic, but I try to avoid microwaving in plastic anyway.
  • CooCooPuff
    CooCooPuff Posts: 4,374 Member
    CorneliusPhoton wrote: »
    CooCooPuff wrote: »
    I'm going to bump this thread. After eating the Brussels sprouts I heated with some leftovers in the IP, I don't think I'm going to use the microwave for heating leftovers at home unless I'm pressed for time.

    I just put what I wanted to reheat in a small oven safe bowl (mine is Let's Cook fine porcelain), wrapped the top in foil, added a cup of water to the pot, added the trivet and bowl, and set the IP to steam at high pressure for three minutes. I started it 7:16 or :17 and heard it finish in around ten minutes.

    Here's where I got the idea from. I don't buy the microwave fear mongering, but Brussels sprouts microwaved never come out tasting as nice. The dish itself was also heated more evenly.

    Thanks for posting that! I hadn't thought of the possibility of being able to heat or reheat things in foil which you can't do in the microwave. I guess you lose the ability to heat things in plastic, but I try to avoid microwaving in plastic anyway.
    And I don't have to worry about splatter from food! All I've been doing for clean up is dumping the water and getting rid of the foil.

  • CooCooPuff
    CooCooPuff Posts: 4,374 Member
    We only have an older oven that overheats the house in the summer. I pretty much ignore it from April or May to October.
  • ktekc
    ktekc Posts: 879 Member
    I love to make mac and cheese in mine. 3 cups dry elbows, 1 can chicken broth, 1 cup heavy or light cream, 2 tablespoons grated parmesan, 1/2 teaspoon dry mustard, 2 tablespoons butter. salt and pepper. 11 minutes on rice/risotto setting. when done and depressurized stir up and add whatever cheese you want. i usualy do some velveeta and some cheddar but have used pepperjack and mozzarella too. last time we had it i diced up low sodium spam and fried in a pan while it cooked and added that.
  • Francl27
    Francl27 Posts: 26,371 Member
    I made a kick *kitten* risotto in it, and did kielbasa with saurkraut and potatoes yesterday. It takes 20 minutes or less (for some reason the pot took a while to get to pressure, but then it was only 5 minutes).
  • MelanieCN77
    MelanieCN77 Posts: 4,047 Member
    I did a piece of frozen cod tonight - on the trivet on some foil, cup of water in the bottom, 7 minutes and quick release. Perfect.
  • lvalente1
    lvalente1 Posts: 17 Member
    My new favorite breakfast!!! Take a ramekin or small bowl and oil it. Slice of ham/proscuitto/cut tomatos. Several pieces of spinach. Crack an egg over the top. Top with some type of sauce - I'm using bruschetta from TJ's right now. Sprinkle some cheese on. Cook for 3 minutes - high pressure - natural release. Mmmmmm..... getting into variations!!!
  • Meganthedogmom
    Meganthedogmom Posts: 1,639 Member
    I have an Instant Pot but my boyfriend is the one to use it the most. Good for pot roast, soups, beans...
    My mom uses hers for all kinds of things - for instance, she likes to hard boil eggs in it. To me it's just simpler to do it on the stove for some of this stuff. Someone posted earlier about it making mashed potatoes in 35 minutes... That's no sooner than mine are made on the stove so I just use the stove.
  • MelanieCN77
    MelanieCN77 Posts: 4,047 Member
    I find some timings comparable but the hands off time is sometimes the decision maker. I'm certainly not gonna pull it out to cook vegetable sides or whatever, but I still use it a fair bit.
  • extra_medium
    extra_medium Posts: 1,525 Member
    The best hard boiled/steamed eggs, easy to peel too.
  • CooCooPuff
    CooCooPuff Posts: 4,374 Member
    meganridenour wrote: »
    I have an Instant Pot but my boyfriend is the one to use it the most. Good for pot roast, soups, beans...
    My mom uses hers for all kinds of things - for instance, she likes to hard boil eggs in it. To me it's just simpler to do it on the stove for some of this stuff. Someone posted earlier about it making mashed potatoes in 35 minutes... That's no sooner than mine are made on the stove so I just use the stove.
    but IP hardboiled eggs are so much easier to peel than stovetop eggs.

    For mashed potatoes, the recipe I've used has me heat the potatoes for around 8 minutes. I just really like not having to think about turning down the heat.
  • JenHuedy
    JenHuedy Posts: 611 Member
    CooCooPuff wrote: »
    meganridenour wrote: »
    I have an Instant Pot but my boyfriend is the one to use it the most. Good for pot roast, soups, beans...
    My mom uses hers for all kinds of things - for instance, she likes to hard boil eggs in it. To me it's just simpler to do it on the stove for some of this stuff. Someone posted earlier about it making mashed potatoes in 35 minutes... That's no sooner than mine are made on the stove so I just use the stove.
    but IP hardboiled eggs are so much easier to peel than stovetop eggs.

    For mashed potatoes, the recipe I've used has me heat the potatoes for around 8 minutes. I just really like not having to think about turning down the heat.

    I find one of the biggest benefits for things like potatoes and eggs is not having to worry about the pot boiling over!

    With potatoes, you don't really save much time if you are cutting and peeling them, but if you cook whole potatoes it works great! I love to use smaller red or yukon golds whole with skin. Cook at pressure 7-10 minutes and they mash beautifully. Haven't tried with russets-I don't like them mashed with the skins on.
  • Francl27
    Francl27 Posts: 26,371 Member
    You can do mashed potatoes by just putting all your stuff in the pot and setting up on manual for 15 minutes and just mashing after too.
  • fishshark
    fishshark Posts: 1,886 Member
    Francl27 wrote: »
    You can do mashed potatoes by just putting all your stuff in the pot and setting up on manual for 15 minutes and just mashing after too.

    i can make stove mashed potatoes in that time. I have a potato dicer that makes little cubes in a second. i then boil the smaller cubes and its done in about 8 mins. the smaller cuts makes it eaiser/faster to mash as well. I do love how quick i can cook dry beans in the instapot tho.
  • CorneliusPhoton
    CorneliusPhoton Posts: 965 Member
    Yea, there are some things that it just doesn't make sense to use it for. But others, it's a no-brainer!

    My 3 favorites so far:
    Fall-off-the-bone baby back ribs in one hour. One. Hour.
    Frozen chicken breasts turned into tender shredded salsa chicken within 30 minutes.
    YOGURT! Made my second batch today. So good. Full fat, Greek style, much cheaper than buying it. Lately, I add chocolate protein powder to it just before serving and it is heaven.

    Yesterday, I made a big pot of chicken curry with vegetables. Totally could have done it on the stovetop, but with the IP, I didn't have to tend it or clean up any splatters. And it only needed about 15 minutes under pressure vs at least an hour on the stovetop. The meat becomes tender within a shorter cooking time.

    Fastest meal: Partially frozen salmon and quinoa: 3 minutes (one pot)
    Most sped-up meal: 3-lb Chuck roast (made french dip sandwiches): 45 minutes vs all day in crock pot.
  • Francl27
    Francl27 Posts: 26,371 Member
    crazyravr wrote: »
    extra_medium wrote: »
    The best hard boiled/steamed eggs, easy to peel too.

    Ok, why do people have so much problems cooking eggs? Seriously!!!

    I'd probably mess them up in the IP too.

    Seriously, I always follow directions for stove top, it's never cooked enough.
  • CooCooPuff
    CooCooPuff Posts: 4,374 Member
    crazyravr wrote: »
    extra_medium wrote: »
    The best hard boiled/steamed eggs, easy to peel too.

    Ok, why do people have so much problems cooking eggs? Seriously!!!
    I dunno but pressure cooking took the guess work out of it. I don't have a problem cooking hard boiles eggs anymore ;)

  • Annie_01
    Annie_01 Posts: 3,096 Member
    crazyravr wrote: »
    extra_medium wrote: »
    The best hard boiled/steamed eggs, easy to peel too.

    Ok, why do people have so much problems cooking eggs? Seriously!!!

    It's not the cooking of eggs that is easier it is the peeling. I hate battling the peeling...always lose part of the egg no matter how I go about it. I was skeptical of doing the in the IP too until I tried it. They are so easy to peel and you come out with these perfectly peeled eggs.
  • Cocochick
    Cocochick Posts: 10 Member
    I LOVE my Instant Pot. Since I got it a little over a week ago I've used it all but two days, and wish I would have one of the two. Last night I made low-carb buffalo chicken soup and it cooked my frozen chicken in just ten minutes after reaching pressure. I am actually excited about cooking now, and that is huge for me since I despise being in the kitchen.
  • CooCooPuff
    CooCooPuff Posts: 4,374 Member
    This thread makes me want to hard boil some eggs. It'll also give me a good reason to finally try pickling some eggs
  • CorneliusPhoton
    CorneliusPhoton Posts: 965 Member
    crazyravr wrote: »
    extra_medium wrote: »
    The best hard boiled/steamed eggs, easy to peel too.

    Ok, why do people have so much problems cooking eggs? Seriously!!!

    I never had any issues cooking eggs, but in the IP, you don't have to watch it as you do on the stovetop and wait until the water boils and/or set a timer. You just turn on the pot and walk away. It's just that extra little bit of convenience that makes me prefer using the IP instead of boiling a pot of water. It's still just using one pot... It still takes just about the same amount of time. But now I just press a button on a cool kitchen gadget that makes it a little easier. Plus, doing them in the IP seems to guarantee easy peeling.
    Cocochick wrote: »
    I LOVE my Instant Pot. Since I got it a little over a week ago I've used it all but two days, and wish I would have one of the two. Last night I made low-carb buffalo chicken soup and it cooked my frozen chicken in just ten minutes after reaching pressure. I am actually excited about cooking now, and that is huge for me since I despise being in the kitchen.

    Same here. Another big deal for me is that cooking odors are confined.
  • Heartisalonelyhunter
    Heartisalonelyhunter Posts: 786 Member
    edited January 2017
    crazyravr wrote: »
    extra_medium wrote: »
    The best hard boiled/steamed eggs, easy to peel too.

    Ok, why do people have so much problems cooking eggs? Seriously!!!

    Soft boiled eggs are really hard to get right. I hate it when there's even a bit of undercooked white (I can't eat them) In the instant pot you cook them for 3 mins and they come out perfect every time (set whites, runny yolks)
  • CorneliusPhoton
    CorneliusPhoton Posts: 965 Member
    Just popping back in to share an article I just read about the 'viral' success of Instant Pot:

    http://www.npr.org/sections/thesalt/2017/01/18/509675621/not-just-a-crock-the-viral-word-of-mouth-success-of-instant-pot
  • illusion2269
    illusion2269 Posts: 95 Member
    CorneliusPhoton wrote: »
    Just popping back in to share an article I just read about the 'viral' success of Instant Pot:

    http://www.npr.org/sections/thesalt/2017/01/18/509675621/not-just-a-crock-the-viral-word-of-mouth-success-of-instant-pot

    Good find on this article. The fact that the Instant Pot is a company of engineers who focused on the quality of the product first explains a lot on why it works so well.
  • utahmomof10
    utahmomof10 Posts: 133 Member
    I love my Instant Pots (I have 3)! As a homeschooling mother feeding a family of 9 (7 kids at home, including 4 teenagers), it's a lifesaver. I can put food in, turn it on, and not babysit it, so it makes cooking dinner so much easier for me. Plus yogurt, hard cooked eggs, proofing bread dough, and so much more. Yesterday I made copycat Cafe Rio black beans in one and cilantro lime rice in the other. Just dumped in all the ingredients, turned them on, and then took a shower. Can't do that when cooking on the stove! I used to love slow cooking, but honestly it's not always easy to think about prepping dinner when you're still trying to get all the kids through breakfast. Also, it's so much more energy efficient than the stove/oven, and doesn't heat up the kitchen in the summer time. Instant Pot has seriously changed my life.
  • Meganthedogmom
    Meganthedogmom Posts: 1,639 Member
    Ok, maybe I'll try the egg thing if they are so easy to peel, but I'm holding you all to it!!!
    I still maintain my mashed potatoes on the stove are just as fast and though :)

    All this instant pot talk, I think I'll make some beans today!
  • Francl27
    Francl27 Posts: 26,371 Member
    meganridenour wrote: »
    Ok, maybe I'll try the egg thing if they are so easy to peel, but I'm holding you all to it!!!
    I still maintain my mashed potatoes on the stove are just as fast and though :)

    All this instant pot talk, I think I'll make some beans today!

    I like potatoes in the IP. 20 minutes vs 40+.
  • Leslierussell4134
    Leslierussell4134 Posts: 376 Member
    I have a power cooker from Sam's club, very similar. I use it all the time. I love making baked potatoes, they come out perfect each time. Also steamed vegetables, whole beans in half the time ( so cheap ). Soups, stews, and have even canned with it. Had this unit less than a month and use it a few times per week.
  • Meganthedogmom
    Meganthedogmom Posts: 1,639 Member
    Francl27 wrote: »
    meganridenour wrote: »
    Ok, maybe I'll try the egg thing if they are so easy to peel, but I'm holding you all to it!!!
    I still maintain my mashed potatoes on the stove are just as fast and though :)

    All this instant pot talk, I think I'll make some beans today!

    I like potatoes in the IP. 20 minutes vs 40+.

    Again, I don't know how you people are getting potatoes to take so long to cook! Maybe it's because I only cook for two people but my mashed potatoes can't take longer than 20 minutes. Now I can see if you're cooking for six, it would take the water longer to boil and therefor everything else takes longer... Maybe that's what it is.

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