FauxPas

I started with Serious Eats' Slow Cooker Mexican Beef with Lime Crema and PInto Beans, but modified it a bit. I used my InstantPot, slow cooked a small chuck roast with the sauce and did the Rancho Gordo pinto beans on the side. I added the beans in for the last hour or so. I had fresh spice and was generous with it and my large jalapeno was fairly hot, so it was a spicy dish but in a good way, I mashed avocado and sour cream with fresh lime juice and a bit of milk so I could use the crema in a squeeze container. Some fresh tomato and avocado for garnish. ¡Feliz Año Nuevo! to all eGulleters! - from Tucson!!

I have the Anova, which I quite like but if the joule over at Chefsteps came down in price a bit more, I'd be all over it. You can store it in a fairly narrow drawer and that can be a big thing you have a small kitchen with limited space. Some of my fave sous vide revelations - pork tenderloin, pork chops, salmon and other fish/seafood, veggies. Pomme purée, mmmm. I still have lots to try and learn with SV, but it's definitely a keeper in my kitchen.

Aw, that's a cute story, @kayb! Happy New Year to you and your daughter! I hope she enjoyed her greens, too!

I found it on andie's blog.

@GlorifiedRice, that review of the Rollie was very funny - "a beautiful, succulent tube of egg." Hahahhahahaha!!!!!

It's been unusually cool here lately and I've been mad for roasted veggies. Tonight was a mix of fennel, celery, red pepper and carrot. I wanted to add some onion but discovered I was all out. Tossed with some olive oil, S & P and a drizzle of balsamic vinegar. Roasted at 420F for 20 mins. Quite tasty, but I still need to try @andiesenji's method of slow roasting. And I like the Serious Eat suggestions, I need to work through a few of those, also. Before roasting. What are other folks' fave combos? Methods?

Chris Hennes recently revived one called When Recipes Attack Is that the sort of thing you mean?

Thanks, ElsieD! I'm not sure the peppers were 10 times hotter, but they did taste hotter than usual. I'd just be a bit careful about amounts when you use them until you have a chance to see how much hotter! The soup was really good though, better than the stovetop version.

I haven't done much cooking at home lately, but did use the IP a few times. I made basmati rice a couple of times and if it didn't come out perfect, it was still very good. Time recommendations are sometimes varying, even by the same author. Funny that the IP recipe booklet suggests 1.5 cups of water to 1 cup of basmati rice and a 4 minute pressure cook, while in her (Laura Pazzaglia's) own book, Hip Pressure Cooking, this has been reduced to 1.25 cups of water and a 2 minute pressure cook. So, like many things, I'll just have to experiment a bit and find my own sweet spot, I guess. I also cooked some beef short ribs, using a beef-stock-and-wine braising liquid. I used the timing recommendations in The Great Big Pressure Cooker Book, which was about 50 mins, followed by a natural (or slow) release. But while they cooked, I realized that those recipes were using smaller boneless ribs. Mine were large and bone-in. After the cooking time was up, I simmered them a bit more while I did the mashed potatoes on the stovetop. Again, something I might have to play with to find the best time, but 50 mins wasn't quite enough. Today I made a simple spicy tomato soup. it's a fave of mine and I used to let it simmer quite a while on the stovetop, so I thought it would be really nice done in the IP. It's just diced onion, celery and carrot sautéed in a bit of olive oil and/or butter, then almost equal parts of chicken stock and Cento canned tomatoes (or fresh tomatoes + tomato paste) and some herbs/seasonings. I'm partial to Kirkland Organic No-Salt Seasoning. The heat comes from some red pepper flakes. First thing was timing recommendations for similar soups were again quite varied - one said 5 minutes of pressure cooking, another said 25. I went somewhere in the middle and used 18 mins. The second thing was the heat of the red pepper flakes - despite having been warned, I used a bit too many. They really get hotter after pressure-cooking than they do with stovetop cooking. I didn't mind the extra heat, but my husband did a bit of a double-take after the first taste. Here's Laura Pazzaglia in Hip Pressure Cooking, p 105: They certainly did seem hotter than usual!

I'm with you, Kerry. I despise patchouli oil. It's so persistent. It stays in a room after someone wearing it has long left, it taints anything they touch or rub against. And I can almost taste it (blech) when someone wears it near me. And there are several perfumes that give me an instant sinus headache, if that's the right term. It's like something hit me right between the eyes. Food smells, on the other hand, are usually good. Especially fresh cooking ones. But the older smell that starts to accumulate on those IP sealing rings, I'm not such a big fan of those. I wasn't on top of it when I first starting using the IP and the first dish I did (a simple beef stew) tainted the ring. I didn't think to remove it or even clean it until a day or two later and now nothing will remove the odor completely, it seems. My habit now is to pull out the sealing ring ASAP and throw it into the sink with some water and dish soap. And/or put it through the dishwasher. And I bought two extra rings. The IP manual does say (p 7) to keep the ring clean to avoid odor. (Ha, not sure that odors can be completely avoided.) I'm not sure if some odors can ever be completely removed, but they do seem to be diminished after a few washings. I might try steaming a cut-up lemon in there and see how that works. That's acidic, but it's a nice acidic smell.

Mmm, I love the Instant Pot for artichokes! Nice and fast for when I get a craving. I bought 4 artichokes today, just for that.

tchefunkte, I hope you will stick around and share your culinary adventures with us! Thanks for the pics and hope to see more from you!

I'd make huevos rancheros similar to Jaymes, with or without beans, with a bit of queso fresco on top of the salsa. Oprah's version seems like a baked omelette or a casserole, though huevos rancheros is probably the inspiration. Eggs in Purgatory would work in a slow cooker, I think.

Do those shoulder chops need to cook longer than regular lean pork chops?

Maybe some apples in with the chops. Serve with fresh cabbage. Or do foil packets to cook some mixed veggies on top.

I forgot to mention that the TO people wrote a lovely book about their food traditions, called From I'itoi's Garden. It's pricey but it's an attractive book. It does have some history and simple recipes but I liked the discussion of food gathering and traditions best. You can see a preview here: http://www.blurb.com/books/3232576-from-i-itoi-s-garden

That's right, I had forgotten how much time you spent in this area! No, I have never been to that Festival as sometimes we are back in Canada by then. But I will keep an eye out for the dates, thanks for mentioning that! Speaking of frybread - some people will say it isn't an indigenous food item but that's OK, the locals still have fun with it. There is a movie called "More than Frybread" which is about an AZ state frybread competition, including a Tohono O'odham woman. It looks like it might be funny, i have only seen clips, here is an example: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=uds0PGFysnU

I have been meaning to write a bit about this lovely little café for some time, so this is overdue and some of the pics are almost a year old. But I will be going back so might be able to update in the next couple of months, if anyone is interested. Desert Rain Café is operated by TOCA, which is Tohono O'odham Community Action. The café is located in Sells, AZ and may seem like the middle of nowhere to some folks, as it's in the middle of the reserve lands and quite a distance from any major town. But it's a pretty drive and it's near some other attractions such as Kitt Peak National Observatory (also on Tohono O'odham land) and Organ Pipe Cactus National Monument. The Tohono O'odham (TO in remainder of post) also have a wonderful museum in Tipowa, which is a short drive from Sells. All of these are well worth a visit and can make for a lovely day (or 2 days) trip. The café itself is small and somewhat unprepossessing, but it's cheerful and welcoming. We usually sit outside as there is a pleasant little patio area. You can view the current menu (and read more about the café) here: http://www.desertraincafe.com/our-menu.html The café makes use of local and traditional foods, so includes the use of prickly pear cactus, saguaro fruit and seeds, mesquite, tepary beans, squash, corn, cholla cactus buds and so forth. Some examples. Here is a sampler which includes Desert Hummus (made with white tepary beans), Cholla Bud Pico de Gallo and a tepary bean dip made with brown tepary beans. Salad with Prickly Pear dressing, ribs glazed with prickly pear, cooked beans and a Caesar Salad in the background. The Caesar included some white tepary beans and the chicken was glazed with prickly pear also, I believe. The portions are generous - I took half the ribs home and had them for dinner. More food shots - quesadilla (made with tepary beans) and salad. Veggie wrap with a tepary bean spread and fresh veggies. Cholla PIco de Gallo on the side, I believe. I always have the salad. This was a beef stew (maybe short rib?) which my friend had. She said it was delicious and took half home for dinner. They usually offer some baked goods, often using mesquite flour or sometimes saguaro seeds. The café shares some space with a gallery and here you can see (and purchase) some beautiful examples of TO artwork, pottery and basketry: You can also buy tepary beans (grown locally by the TO people), dried cholla buds, saguaro seeds and saguaro syrup (when available - most of it is harvested and used for the Rain Ceremony). I use the tepary beans for soups and stews. I also like the white tepary beans for a spicy hummus (with some lime juice and hot sauce or chiles). Prickly pear nectar/juice is available here through a couple of sources and is a necessity for Prickly Pear Margaritas, but also makes a nice salad dresssing! Prickly pear nectar or syrup and saguaro syrup can be used as glazes for meats or fish. Other folks here on eGullet will have used some of these items in other ways, I am sure. For background and current information on the TO Nation, you can check some of these sites: http://www.tocaonline.org/ http://www.tonation-nsn.gov/default.aspx Not too close to the café, but not far south of Tucson and also on TO Nation land is the "White Dove of the Desert" or the Mission San Xavier del Bac, which was built as a Spanish Catholic mission and is a beautiful example of Spanish Colonial architecture. https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Mission_San_Xavier_del_Bac It is so photogenic on a clear desert day!

Hi kayb, I think I would do a quick release after an initial cook of approx 30 to 60 mins (depending on what you are cooking, stewing beef pieces would be less time than an entire roast) and then add the veggies and do a further 10 to 30 mins, depending on type of veggies and your preference for final veggie texture. I put my onions in from the beginning (and would do the same with celery and garlic), but would prefer to add things like potatoes and carrots later. And I wouldn't cut the veggies too small. I did the chuck roast for 90 mins, followed by a natural or slow pressure release. There was a nice sauce and the veggies would have been tasty cooked in it, but I wouldn't have wanted to do them for more than 20 mins, I think. I haven't done enough IP cooking to recommend a specific time. i thought about putting the steaming rack on top of the roast and putting the veggies on it, but that wouldn't have infused them with the other flavours. But it might have kept them from getting quite as soft as they would in the sauce/stock. But I'm sure some folks would be happy with the results after including the veggies for the entire cook time. Some of it is definitely personal preference.

I do have an Anova! And i should use it more often for veggies, I like SV veggies.

Last night I did one of the most basic pressure-cooker dishes: a chuck roast. I'm new to pressure cooking as well as to the Instant Pot so it may be that I will be trying things out that are old hat to some of you! I was absolutely looking forward to pressure-cooking those kinds of cuts and I had a couple of chuck roasts (cut in half) in the freezer from a recent sale. I did a simple no-recipe-needed version with some garlic, onion, beef broth and simple seasonings. I borrowed a couple of books from the library, including The Great Big Pressure Cooking Book. The authors state "You may not have known it, but a chuck roast is the whole reason you got a pressure cooker." Ha. I did follow the authors' recommendations to brown the roast well (about 10 mins, turning once) and to pressure cook for at least 90 mins, with a slow release. (They emphasize this need for deep browning especially with beef brisket, which I would also like to try. And short ribs, of course. And pork ribs. I see a lot of red meat in our future meals, will definitely have to throw in a few veggie meals, for balance. Heh. ) They also insist that slow release is the way to go with these types of meat, else the meat can dry out with the quick release of steam. Has anyone here found that to be true? By the way, the resulting roast was delicious - definitely one of the best pot roasts I have ever made and I loved the simplicity of doing it in the IP. I considered adding other veggies but decided instead to do a stovetop mixed mash of butternut squash and potatoes and served with some fresh tomatoes. We started scarfing it down before I thought of pics. Some recipes add veggies way too early for my taste. I'll have to play around with that kind of timing, but definitely adding them later than recommended so they don't turn to mush. AnnaN, I think I know what you mean about 'more faffing than you like for a pressure-cooked dish!' I like the idea of the IP for making candied citrus peel - I've made it the stovetop way in the past and it is time-consuming. I just juiced a bunch of tangerines off our tree and thought about keeping some of the peel, but didn't. I wish I had because it might have been nice to try that in the IP. Not sure what tangerine peel would be like, but I think it would be similar to orange.

Anna, I am wondering what it was about the dish that was disappointing. Did you use the same chicken pieces as the original recipe? Did you find the skin was odd, even after the final broil? Or was there something else? I don't really like recipes that require pressure-cooking and then switching to the oven, unless it really adds something unique. And I'm sure there are times that it does. Usually, I'd just prefer to cook them in one or the other. If I need to have the oven on anyway, then I might as well just use the oven for the entire cook-time. And with chicken, I just don't like what happens to the skin after pressure-cooking. Partly because I adore the way chicken skin tastes after steam-baking it in the Cuisi steam oven, probably! I would use the pressure cooker for some chicken (like a cacciatore) but I'd probably remove the skin.

I used the IP as a slow cooker last night, just to try that function. Recipe for Slow-Cooker Moroccan Chicken from Simply Recipes. I used chicken wings (because that's what I had) and browned them a bit before slow-cooking them with the other ingredients (for about 2.5 hours on 'high'). This recipe could have been pressure-cooked as well. I see Laura Pazzaglia has a similar recipe with a 12 min cook-time in her book. (The lamb version is on her website, chicken is the same but with the shorter cook-time,) The usual Moroccan-blend spices, Mmmmm! In the pot, topped with olives, chopped prunes and lemon slices. Served with carrots and rice. Chicken skin is not necessarily that appealing after slow-cooking or pressure-cooking. Browning first helps but I might use thighs or legs next time and maybe skinless. i bought this Duxtop lid to control spatter in sauté mode and for slow-cooking. Not sure if others have posted this already - there is an Instant Pot lid but it's been out of stock for a while and it costs almost twice as much. The Duxtop fits nicely on my IP.

Seconding what Smithy said about test and compare and report, GlorifiedRice!! I had similar results with the first and only mandoline I owned. Was I tasked with providing tissue samples? My own? I bought and left one in a house we rented and always wonder if I set someone else up for similar injuries. And the Paderno spiralizer will be gifted to someone as I can't stand the set-up and storage hassles. But I still like the idea of spiralized veggies, I need something with easy storage and usage. But I won't use it if I have to trim everything to a precise size before spiralizing. Am i being too cantankerous?

cyalexa, I have ordered sprouting seeds from Sprout People for years and they have at least one mix with sprouting peanuts in them. That's where I first discovered them. I did order some for sprouting on their own (peanuts) and I loved munching on them but I never really investigated ways of cooking with them other than throwing them in salads and a couple of stir fries. It's been awhile, but i think I used them in a couple of spicy stir fries, both chicken and beef. That's probably not much help, as it's not very original, but you might check the user comments on the sprouting sites to see if anyone does anything more interesting!