I jumped on the bandwagon and got an Instant Pot when they went on sale for Amazon Prime day last month, and LOVE it! It makes preparing lots of things much simpler, cuts cooking down on most recipes, and definitely simplifies things with less dishes and not heating up the house with stovetop or oven cooking! It's not always faster or exceedingly simpler, but we have used it several times each week and really love it! I get nothing out of telling you about it, other than helping others find a simpler way to get food on the table faster! It is a bit of a learning curve, but once you pass that, it's a joy! I am not a pro, but this is what I've learned thus far, and some links that have helped me get comfortable, as well as recipes we have personally tried.
IMPORTANT TIPS
- Read your manual. It's not a vacuum, you need to know what you are doing.
- Do the water test - it will help make sure your pot is working correctly.
- Always put pot on SEAL when cooking
- Make sure the pot is in the cooker before adding ingredients!!! This is a 'duh' but it happens... If you forget, there are tips online to dump it out, take off the bottom, etc.
- Clean and sanitize the silicone ring everytime! Buy extras, they retain the smell of the food, keep a 'non-stinky' one for yogurt, oatmeal, cheesecakes, etc.
- Don't put the pot on your stove (duh) or let steam out under cabinets!
- '30 minutes cooking' does NOT equal 30 minutes start to finish. It takes time to saute first, if needed, then to come to pressure (6-15 minutes depending on how full it is), then to cook, then to release pressure.
- Use HOT water/broth when possible for faster cooking. Heat pot to saute first, no matter what you are going to do with it, before adding ingredients to help it come to temp/pressure faster.
- Some recipes are dumb. People have different tastes, etc. That's real life - and not the fault of the pot. It's just doing what you tell it to, lol. It's not a miracle pot. If you are a crappy cook, your food won't taste like Julia Child made it. ;)
- Cleaning - use a sponge brush is a good tip for getting into the crevices. Clean your condensation cup when it gets dirty (it isn't every time). Clean the black pop-up venting valve! Wash the lid!
- Use a metallic sharpie to highlight the words for cook, closed, vent, etc.
- Modify recipes to taste! Most are good with swapping ingredients (gluten free pasta, spices, etc. etc. It can be trial and error though).
LINKS
- Instant Pot Community group on FB
- Instant Pot website - instructions and recipes
- Order from Amazon -
- Pinterest is your friend! Read comments for suggestions from others on each recipe, for modifications, questions, etc.
- Books are good too - check the library
- Fun videos for basics -
- Youtube channel for Instant Pot
- Youtube channel for Cuong, a pot user with a sense of humor
- Basic videos by , another helpful 'pothead' that is great for newbies
Recipes we've tried/modified with success:
- Water. lol. DO the water test first. Great video for a step by step
- Baked potatoes - we added salt and pepper and garlic salt first, amazingly easy - great first recipe to try as it is inexpensive and you'll get hooked
- Rice pudding (I made it with coconut/almond milk too, but the texture isn't as great)
- Sausage and shrimp fake jambalaya. I modified this for my kids - no veggies, nothing spicy, and we just used more shrimp instead of chicken. Easy and delicious
- Chicken enchilada soup - again, I did my own thing with it. I'll try to add those edits later
- Pot roast - we cooked this mostly to the specifications. It was awesome. one hour time maybe, as opposed to a normal 3 hour. Rad
- Whole chicken. Recipe is stupid misleading as this took over an hour start to finish. And we won't do it regularly since rotisseries cost the same price, but if you want to know every ingredient, this is ideal. It made awesome soup stock when refrigerated the next day, just take off the fat layer
- Mac and cheese. Easy and delicious, only one pot to clean instead of 2 pots plus a colander. I want to modify it to saute frozen sliced chicken with garlic and tomatoes first, then remove and cook the pasta, then add it back at then end with the cheese, along with fresh spinach and basil.
- SOUPS!
- Zuppa Toscana (MY favorite - I'll add my recipe in another blog post soon)
- Chicken breasts - with salsa, then shredded for soups and quesadillas, tacos, etc.
- Chicken breasts - with marinade, sauces for orange chicken or teriyaki, etc
- Broccoli Beef - love it! Cook the meat and the rice PIP simultaneously, then add broccoli. Household fave!
- Chili - way easy!
- Hardboiled Eggs
- Beef Stew
- Lemon Curd
- NY Cheesecake
- Beans (from dried!) in less than an hour
- Polish sausage soup
- Yogurt
- Rice pudding - SO GOOD.
- Mashed potatoes
- Sweet and Sour Chicken (on the bottom) and jasmine rice (Pot in pot on a trivet)
- Shredded chicken for tacos/nachos (on the bottom), with spanish Rice (pot in pot on a trivet)
- Asian Chicken wings
- Corn on the cob
Recommended Accessories:
- Silicone Rings - this is a BIG ONE. Get these if nothing else - as they can take on the flavor of what is cooked, and need to be sanitized between uses, and setting it out in the sun is one thing that does the trick. You don't want to wait that out if you are ready to cook again as the pot itself is fast to scrub!
- 7" Cheesecake pan It should work for meatloaf too
- Glass jars or dishes to make yogurt, sauces, jams, are recommended - I didn't do this yet
- Little silicone containers for poached eggs - I don't eat those but others love them. lol
- Steamer basket - for veggies or easier removal of items. Also can be layered on top of one item to cook a second at the same time
- Stainless bowl for 'pot in pot' cooking, or cooking 2 things at once. I feel more comfortable doing that then using glass. I use this for rice all the time!
- Freezer/storage containers - cause, leftovers. Or little tupperware type ones for single serving yogurts, rice pudding, etc.
