Jump to content
  • Welcome to the eG Forums, a service of the eGullet Society for Culinary Arts & Letters. The Society is a 501(c)3 not-for-profit organization dedicated to the advancement of the culinary arts. These advertising-free forums are provided free of charge through donations from Society members. Anyone may read the forums, but to post you must create a free account.

Instant Pot and my kitchen deconstruction


hummingbirdkiss

Recommended Posts

anyone know if you can fry chicken in an Instant Pot ..anyone have Instant Pot ? http://instantpot.com

 

I am going to spend the next year taking apart my kitchen piece by piece and then the next year I will be putting it back together ..I am a stove top cook on a daily basis and soon this will change and I will have to trust that a pot I plug in and push buttons on,  will cook us delicious food ..

 

as a nurse I push buttons  on machines that are plugged in and  hooked to people, I completely trust that and it turns out really well! 

 

so why do I fear this with my food? it is not like I can kill it? …ok yes I can kill food and have killed it, many times ..but I do not need the stress of killing food while deconstructing my kitchen right? 

 

so what do you guys think?  can you fry chicken in this..I believe in fried chicken as part of my self and my husbands heathy stress free diet (I buy really good locally raised chickens so yes it is truly a healthy part of my diet to eat it )

 

..does anyone have one like this? I would NEVER buy anything like this ever but it is looking like it could be fun before I start pulling shit down to learn to use it and embrace whatever the heck it can do ..I am sure I can find a lot I will not like about it but focusing on the positive here

 

it says it will make rice pasteurize milk and make yogurt ..but will it make me dinner? i make rice in a pot on the stove all kinds of rice and styles of making it ..on the stove …it can sauté and pressure cook? slow cook ? I am always afraid when things say they can" do it all" Screams BS I just want to find out what it is good at and go with it ..and fried chicken would be nice 

 

there are endless sites giving recipes I would never use so I need to just start practicing I guess and get this kind of cooking down before my kitchen is not a place where I can cook anymore ..I do like the idea I can put food in here keep it incased and protected until we eat it 

 

I see us eating a lot of stews curries and congee in all its forms 

 

 

FYI on my kitchen to anyone who loves or hates or has remodeled? 

 

I am going to up-cycle everything when I put it back together ..counters are going to be concrete and tiles from other projects I did ..the flooring is up in the air but I am open and it has to be second hand or salvage ..the only "new thing" going into my "new" kitchen (hopefully )will be the oven of my dreams …the rest is going to be repurposed restored and repaired…scrounged and I am very very excited! subfloor to the kitchen ..husband is here if I need him for the heavy shit ..but otherwise I am going to have a brand new kitchen or die trying 

 

but first I have to learn to cook in this pot so our stress levels do not get too high…both of us if we smell good food cooking no matter what life feels better 

that and a music playlist if anyone has a good one for kitchen deconstruction 

 

thanks for any advice in this kind of cooking and if there are any "never do this's" I will take them ..also if you can rec a good toaster oven ..reasonable price but good functioning ? I may just thrift store for that to be honest I see them all the time 

  • Like 1
why am I always at the bottom and why is everything so high? 

why must there be so little me and so much sky?

Piglet 

Link to comment
Share on other sites

You could buy an induction plate and use regular pans if they are magnetic.

 

We are tiptoeing up to a kitchen job ourselves and plan to rely on the breville smart oven and one of those plates to get through it.

  • Like 2
Link to comment
Share on other sites

I renovated two kitchens - once in the '70s and a different one in 1990.

 

In 1970 we were doing a major redo and an addition, reinforcing foundation and floor to hold a Garland range that weighed nearly a ton. 

We rented a 26ft trailer and parked it in the driveway - we had a big driveway - and all the cooking was done in there and there was very little angst or problems for my husband or his kids.  We did have a big fridge and the freezer in the garage, easily accessible.

 

In 1990, I was living alone and I just put together a makeshift kitchen in the laundry room with the Sharp combo Convection/Microwave oven, a hot plate and whatever small appliance fit the task at hand.  The fridge was on the covered deck - it was during the winter so the heat was not a problem.  The reno went rapidly because I had purchased EVERYTHING in advance and had it stored in a storage facility so there were no construction delays "waiting for the part to come in" ..  7 weeks, start to finish.

  • Like 2

"There are, it has been said, two types of people in the world. There are those who say: this glass is half full. And then there are those who say: this glass is half empty. The world belongs, however, to those who can look at the glass and say: What's up with this glass? Excuse me? Excuse me? This is my glass? I don't think so. My glass was full! And it was a bigger glass!" Terry Pratchett

 

Link to comment
Share on other sites

I looked on the Instant Pot website and couldnt find frying instructions but I did see that you can use it for Sous Vide...

 

BTW KFC pressure fries chicken. The only way you will know if the Instant pot fries is to put oil in it and try it out.You arent gonna break it

Wawa Sizzli FTW!

Link to comment
Share on other sites

I just got an Instantpot a couple weeks ago. I can't be much help on frying chicken as I have only done a few pork loins in it so far. 

 

I have read that they do not recommend pressure fried chicken. I was going to try a few things this weekend if I have time, I will get back after.

Link to comment
Share on other sites

Oh, and another thing.  The Colonel started by heating the oil in the pot without the lid.  (He did this as a demo for prospective franchise customers.)  That's how he got it hot enough to fry the crust.  Then he fitted on the lid to speed the cooking.  And could get away with this because it was vented.  I'm sure the Instant Pot is a fine pressure cooker, but it won't work for fried chicken.

Link to comment
Share on other sites

No, you cannot fry in a pressure cooker like InstantPot that is not designed for frying. The gasket will likely melt and valves may malfunction, a very dangerous scenario.

The gaskets are only exposed to steam which will be the same temperature regardless of whether you're using water or oil. The valves may malfunction but there's an equal risk of them malfunctioning using water.

PS: I am a guy.

Link to comment
Share on other sites

FYI to anyone who doesn't want to take time to watch the video, it demonstrates the Colonel's method, i.e., starting with hot oil in an open pressure cooker.  Interestingly, they ended up having to finish the chicken in the oven, perhaps because they seem never to have gotten the cooker to pressure after putting on the lid.  And, over all, it's a lot of fuss for something that can be done almost as quickly and much more easily by the pan frying method.  Notably, hummingbirdkiss, that would be easy to do if you have a hotplate of some kind, which you really want anyway.

Link to comment
Share on other sites

BTW, on review, I realize you haven't bought the Instant Pot yet.  (Somehow got the wrong impression yesterday.)  That being so, a hotplate or two will be much more useful to you than this appliance.  If you want to add pressure cooking to your repertoire, there are much cheaper ways to do that.  Let  us know if you're interested.

Link to comment
Share on other sites

Those idiots don't seem to know what they're doing.

 

The gaskets will be exposed to oil as well as steam, since the chicken will be spattering hot oil all over the place inside the cooker. If the gasket should happen to become damaged or melt out while the cooker is under pressure, you're in for a world of hurt. Most pressure cooker manuals explicitly tell you not to do this. That's because pressure cookers aren't pressure fryers. If you still want to risk it, invest in a cooker that has a bar that clamps the lid down so that it won't blow off if you build up too much pressure or if the gaskets fail. Serious Eats did a piece on this a while back.

Link to comment
Share on other sites

Those idiots don't seem to know what they're doing.

 

The gaskets will be exposed to oil as well as steam, since the chicken will be spattering hot oil all over the place inside the cooker. If the gasket should happen to become damaged or melt out while the cooker is under pressure, you're in for a world of hurt. Most pressure cooker manuals explicitly tell you not to do this. That's because pressure cookers aren't pressure fryers. If you still want to risk it, invest in a cooker that has a bar that clamps the lid down so that it won't blow off if you build up too much pressure or if the gaskets fail. Serious Eats did a piece on this a while back.

Why would there be spattering oil? Put a piece of fried chicken in an open pot and put your hand above the pot, do you feel any oil spatter? Unless you're frying incorrectly, there should be no oil spatter. Also, the worst case scenario for a gasket failure is exactly the same as if you opened the release valve. A loss of pressure in a PC is not dangerous, it's a valve failing and an increase in pressure that is what you should be worried about.

PS: I am a guy.

Link to comment
Share on other sites

Why would there be spattering oil? Put a piece of fried chicken in an open pot and put your hand above the pot, do you feel any oil spatter? Unless you're frying incorrectly, there should be no oil spatter. Also, the worst case scenario for a gasket failure is exactly the same as if you opened the release valve. A loss of pressure in a PC is not dangerous, it's a valve failing and an increase in pressure that is what you should be worried about.

If there is ANY moisture in or on the surface and subsurface of the chicken, it WILL SPATTER. 

As it frys, the increase in temperature causes small bubbles in the skin to burst and the moisture contained withing causes what is essentially a small explosion in the oil - spattering is the result.

  • Like 3

"There are, it has been said, two types of people in the world. There are those who say: this glass is half full. And then there are those who say: this glass is half empty. The world belongs, however, to those who can look at the glass and say: What's up with this glass? Excuse me? Excuse me? This is my glass? I don't think so. My glass was full! And it was a bigger glass!" Terry Pratchett

 

Link to comment
Share on other sites

thank you so much for all the answers ..I am sorry if i was confusing I tend to be that way I guess..I do have the pot already it was a gift…my review ..the pot is great! I would not know how it compares to anything like it but it is fun and you can be completely clueless and use it ..this would be a great gift for a kid going to college or first apartment for sure ... I can see using it for everything but fried chicken ..oh well ..a girl could hope right?

But as a consolation to fried chicken ... I made a perfectly good pork belly in there, and honestly you could close your eyes and not tell it from the one that takes all day in the clay pot 

 

funny how one of the most important priorities for me was securing a way to cook great meals while I rip my kitchen to shreds 

 

I do have a supporting wall that needs attention before I can cut a pass through ..that and the solar tube I can not do and the roofer said he would take care of it.…and the rest should just be a matter of one step at a time right? ..since this is the last room of an entire house ..I can honestly say I am not innocent I know there will be many meltdowns and mishaps ..but I think of  all the things I have done to this house

this one will be the most creative and most fun 

 

a lot of heart and soul…and tons of  scrounging are going into this one to make it exactly what I want it to be! I feel so fortunate no budget but plenty of time and support and resources a basement full of left overs from a 7 year remodel 

 

very excited 

 

please feel free to share please! 

 

 

I have been reading Egullet and other  remodel posts appliances …all kinds of ideas and answers  .. any advice or links I am open to suggestions 

 

 

deconstruction ..I love taking crap apart this is exciting. 

Edited by hummingbirdkiss (log)
why am I always at the bottom and why is everything so high? 

why must there be so little me and so much sky?

Piglet 

Link to comment
Share on other sites

  • 1 year later...
On 1/22/2015 at 10:32 AM, GlorifiedRice said:

I looked on the Instant Pot website and couldnt find frying instructions but I did see that you can use it for Sous Vide...

 

BTW KFC pressure fries chicken. The only way you will know if the Instant pot fries is to put oil in it and try it out.You arent gonna break it

This link is of a sous vide duck cooked with the "keep warm" function of the Instant Pot (I can't vouch for the recipe since I haven't cooked it).  I have not done any sous vide cooking before due to lack of equipment, but I might consider trying it with the Instant Pot, depending on the temperature settings.  I have a Philips multicooker that might work as well, although steam vents out of it when the temperature gets high, and I'm unsure if temperatures can be changed. 

 

At the very least, it gives me a reason to play around with it.  

Edited by cwfenn (log)
  • Like 1
Link to comment
Share on other sites

5 hours ago, Rubby_William said:

It's the ultimate way of frying chicken. Got it with some suggested tips.

Please tell me more, I'd love to be able to fry chicken in my PC.  Always looking for new ways to make fried chicken.

  • Like 1
Link to comment
Share on other sites

23 minutes ago, lindag said:

Please tell me more, I'd love to be able to fry chicken in my PC.  Always looking for new ways to make fried chicken.

I will be watching as I am curious to know if there is really a human being behind the screen name. 

  • Like 5

Anna Nielsen aka "Anna N"

...I just let people know about something I made for supper that they might enjoy, too. That's all it is. (Nigel Slater)

"Cooking is about doing the best with what you have . . . and succeeding." John Thorne

Our 2012 (Kerry Beal and me) Blog

My 2004 eG Blog

Link to comment
Share on other sites

×
×
  • Create New...