Instant Pot. Multi-function cooker (Part 1)

[Anna N]

I'm loving these tests and detailed notes. That potato salad looks like just the ticket! Thanks for the Penzeys spice mix recommendation, rotuts, as well as the TJ's South African Smoke spice anti-recommendation.

Anna N, that brown bread looks well worth trying. I wish I were brilliant enough to have thought of your coffee can treatment on my own. Since I'm not, I'm very pleased to take the idea and run with it!

rotuts, Don't Cut Raw Beets By Hand...at least, not without armored gloves. The microsurgeons may adore your choice of weapon, but they will not admire your judgment.

I almost never have an original thought and the treatment of the coffee can was gleaned from various places on the World Wide Web. I would give credit but it was not just one site but many.

[rotuts]

I just can't see this Your Way

 

collecting ideas from here and there are vital  

 

then you mash them up and say 

 

"" well consider it this way ""

 

that's the key.

 

FD  I covet a 1 lb can similarly 'cleaned ' lined as yours

 

thinking as you had at the "island" before hand

 

and now noticing a Mod

 

Q.E.D.

Edited September 3, 2015 by rotuts (log)

[rotuts]

Id like to Review a Bit :

 

your Ideas on the Can are Original

 

and very very worth-while.

 

what's brilliant ?  who can say

 

in your defense 

 

i can almost Hear the CSB in the Closet Moan

 

On the IsLand , so forsaken   

 

almost, OK after a bit of MR

 

just because it does what it does

 

and perfectly 

 

just a few things

 

making any of those E.M's soon ?

 

Q.E.D.

[Anna N]

Of course it can make marmalade!

And with a whole lot less mess and bother.

[rotuts]

Oh My

 

Anna N

 

lets review a bit :

 

Oh My

 

would you consider a bit more detail ?

 

what jars did you use ? did they fit in the IP or did you deal with them differently ?

 

what is your ref for the time 'dans le pot ' for the cooing ?

[Smithy]

I used to think I detested marmalade: too sweet, too sticky, sometimes also bitter, and generally an insult to good oranges. Then a friend gave me some kumquat marmalade she'd made, and it was lovely. Now, seeing your lemon-lime setup. I wonder whether I've been missing something wonderful. Can you describe the level of sweetness? Finally, and most importantly for this topic: does the IP make this easier somehow? Is this a special recipe?

Edited for focus.

[rotuts]

Im also a fan of tart marmalade.

 

try TJ's orange marmale if you can get it

 

its tarte 

 

I like tart 

 

AnnN has Moved into a New IP dimension 

[Smithy]

... Finally, and most importantly for this topic: does the IP make this easier somehow? Is this a special recipe?

Anna, in re-reading your post on marmalade I now see the clear comment that it's a lot less fuss and bother. My other question remains: is it a special recipe or is a new technique required? And a new question: what is that thing that looks like an oversized safety pin in the last photo?

[Anna N]

Years ago I came upon a jar of lime marmalade. It was a commercial marmalade but it really opened my eyes to how interesting marmalade could be after being accustomed to Robertsons' Thick Cut for most of my life. For my husband I used to get the Seville oranges when they came in and make a scotch marmalade which was truly scotch because it had so much malt whiskey in it!

When I came across this recipe from Laura's site I knew I had to try it but that I wanted limes in my marmalade. I recently posted about my attempt to candy lime peels so was reluctant to go with all limes. And if you read the comments that follow the recipe you will note that somebody tried making it with just limes and it was too bitter to be edible. So I riffed off Laura's recipe using both lemons and limes.

Her suggestion was to use a mandolin to thinly slice the citrus fruit. I started out that way and quickly realized that I was one second away from a need to visit the emergency room and abandoned the mandolin while my fingers were still intact. Again in the comments someone had mentioned using a food processor to slice the citrus. Seemed a whole lot safer to me even if it did not result in delightfully even quartered limes and lemons .

I dug out as many pips as I could and put them in a tea strainer which is the thing you see looking like a giant kilt pin.

The cut up fruit and the juice was put into the IP along with one cup of water. It was brought to high-pressure and allowed to cook for 12 minutes. I let it cool down slowly. When I opened the lid I checked to see how the lime peels had done. If anything I would reduce the cooking time the next time to 10 minutes to leave just a little bite in the peel.

I had weighed the fruit and juice before putting it in the IP and it was 646 g so I added 1292 g of sugar and stirred it in. I left it for about an hour just like that while I waited for the dishwasher to complete its cycle with my sterilized jars inside.

Once I knew the dishwasher was almost finished I turned the IP to sauté mode (high) and brought the fruit and sugar to a boil. I took it to about 212°F, checked for wrinkling on a cold plate, then ladled it into jars. I did not process it since there is so little and it will be refrigerated.

Happy to answer any questions that I haven't covered.

Edited because this machine thinks it's smarter than I am!

Edited September 4, 2015 by Anna N (log)

[Mmmpomps]

Mmmpomps

 

i have a question about that fine looking chicken you IP'd:

 

was the breast meat 'dry?'  

 

as ask this in the sense that my understanding of how meat 'cooks', from the SV thread, is that at different temps there are various changes in meats components.

 

at a certain temp the muscle contracts, squeezing out moisture to the cooking medium.  Fat also melts out leading to possibly a dry feel in the mouth.

 

Id guess that breast meat might then have a very different taste-mouth feel that dark, which has more intramuscular fat.

 

I do plan on trying an IP'd Ck at some point, thanks to your posts.

 

I do Vertical Chicken on the gas grill w GrillGrates   ( 6 or so at a time )   I inhale the wings and pull off the meat when still warm and chill / bag / freeze for later.

 

in the past the carcasses and tidbits on them got Chucked.  now I can see an easy step w the IP ( stock ) before they leave for good.

 

Im looking forward to this.

 

Hey Rotus

 

The breast meat came out very similar to roasting a bird whole. It wasn't too dry, but of course not as moist as the yummy dark meat! I used the two breasts in my IP Chicken Noodle Soup I made tonite and will post it in a bit

[Mmmpomps]

I love how tonites IP Adventure is using up all the 'left overs' I created IN the Instant Pot. I really dig that...I like to make many meals from the foods I use! Chicken Noodle Soup

Saute in butter and olive oil: chopped onion celery and carrot *garlic for me too*

The chicken stock I made a few days ago in the IP! It is so gelatinous and I defatted it.

 

Diced the chicken breasts from the whole Chicken I cooked in the IP. Add to the pot with bay leaves, pinch of cayenne, salt and pepper, garlic powder and a pinch of poultry seasoning. 

 

Manual Pressure for 5 minutes and let it be then release pressure after five minutes...I'm cooking the Noodles separately since this soup will be frozen in individual portions for lunches!

[Anna N]

Mmmpomps,

Your soup looks delicious.

So occasionally one must stop playing however much one enjoys it and kiss the toads. This morning I knew I had to tackle my freezer drawer which was threatening never to close again. It is now all cleaned up and inventoried. Of course I found stuff that could go into the stockpot including some chicken pieces and a couple of quail have seen better days. So my reward is

which is now nestled in ice in my sink.

My lagniappe: The quaill breasts. I checked and they still have lots of flavour. I am thinking of turning them into rillettes. I do not want to take this topic off Point again so follow me on the lunch or dinner threads if you care what happens with the quail.

Making stock in the IP is not an especially interesting exercise. It's quick and convenient.

Want to make some more brown bread this afternoon but using something closer to what I recall. I am tossing up two recipes -- One by Jasper White on Epicurious and one from Saveur magazine by way of the blog "Closet Cooking".

[rotuts]

the beets that have sit in the pickling medium reused from Ba-tampte were quite good today.   the medium might need longer to penetrate and would probably

 

benefit from some fresh onion, and perhaps some garlic 'cubes' from the frozen TJ's paste ( from Israel ).  and more vinegar .  clearly ill need to come up with a Home

 

Version.   I do have the book Shelby recommended , from the library , and Ill look that over.

 

Surprisingly, in my area 1 lbs 'traditional' metal coffee cans are very hard to find and might not exist.  I found this one at Stop&Shop :

 

 

its 11 oz.  Ill adjust the Rx volume after an initial trial.

 

most coffee in either in bags, plastic 'jars' or larger cans.  at least this one was 'house' and only 2 bucks

 

TJ's has 14 oz containers but they are some sort of cardboard like fiber board.

 

I also have to visit a neighbor for a traditional can opener as i use one of those 'side-biter' types

Edited September 4, 2015 by rotuts (log)

[andiesenji]

Years ago I came upon a jar of lime marmalade. It was a commercial marmalade but it really opened my eyes to how interesting marmalade could be after being accustomed to Robertsons' Thick Cut for most of my life. For my husband I used to get the Seville oranges when they came in and make a scotch marmalade which was truly scotch because it had so much malt whiskey in it!

When I came across this recipe from Laura's site I knew I had to try it but that I wanted limes in my marmalade. I recently posted about my attempt to candy lime peels so was reluctant to go with all limes. And if you read the comments that follow the recipe you will note that somebody tried making it with just limes and it was too bitter to be edible. So I riffed off Laura's recipe using both lemons and limes.

Her suggestion was to use a mandolin to thinly slice the citrus fruit. I started out that way and quickly realized that I was one second away from a need to visit the emergency room and abandoned the mandolin while my fingers were still intact. Again in the comments someone had mentioned using a food processor to slice the citrus. Seemed a whole lot safer to me even if it did not result in delightfully even quartered limes and lemons .

I dug out as many pips as I could and put them in a tea strainer which is the thing you see looking like a giant kilt pin.

The cut up fruit and the juice was put into the IP along with one cup of water. It was brought to high-pressure and allowed to cook for 12 minutes. I let it cool down slowly. When I opened the lid I checked to see how the lime peels had done. If anything I would reduce the cooking time the next time to 10 minutes to leave just a little bite in the peel.

I had weighed the fruit and juice before putting it in the IP and it was 646 g so I added 1292 g of sugar and stirred it in. I left it for about an hour just like that while I waited for the dishwasher to complete its cycle with my sterilized jars inside.

Once I knew the dishwasher was almost finished I turned the IP to sauté mode (high) and brought the fruit and sugar to a boil. I took it to about 212°F, checked for wrinkling on a cold plate, then ladled it into jars. I did not process it since there is so little and it will be refrigerated.

Happy to answer any questions that I haven't covered.

Edited because this machine thinks it's smarter than I am!

I make lime marmalade.

There is a trick to getting rid of the bitterness.

 

More later - someone is pounding on my back door.

[Shelby]

 

[rotuts]

nice.  very nice.

 

a bit late  ......

 

You might consider following Our Dust.  

 

I follow Anna_N's, and the other Experienced Users here 

 

P.S. : I hope you gave the burro that delivered it a carrot or two from the Garden.

 

 

looking forward to your Analysis.

 

you do have a notebook   ...... ?

 

very important here.

Edited September 4, 2015 by rotuts (log)

[MelissaH]

I make lime marmalade.

There is a trick to getting rid of the bitterness.

 

More later - someone is pounding on my back door.

I would love to hear the trick, when Andie comes back and rescues us from the cliffhanger she left us with!

[rotuts]

Mmmpomps

 

i very much like your idea of keeping items already IP'd  

 

then using them with new items in the IP for something completely new

 

IE CkSoup.

 

delicious it looks, Ill say

 

I also like the idea here or in the SV thread or anyway of cooking something now, in portions that you plan to use later

 

Fz etc.

 

very nice.

[Anna N]

Mmmpomps

i very much like your idea of keeping items already IP'd

then using them with new items in the IP for something completely new

IE CkSoup.

delicious it looks, Ill say

I also like the idea here or in the SV thread or anyway of cooking something now, in portions that you plan to use later

Fz etc.

very nice.

So when I was comparing the two recipes for Boston brown bread which I mentioned before I was sucked into the Googlehole as so often happens to me! I decided to leave another version of the brown red for another day and instead attempt a white bread.I have come to trust Laura Pazzaglia's recipes a little more than I trust others and so I opted to try the recipe from her website for steamed white bread. I had no buttermilk and my yogurt is running low. Then I remembered that I had buttermilk powder and figured I would reconstitute it. It had been stored in my freezer so I was pretty certain of its freshness. It came without instructions for reconstitution but one site on the web suggested 1 tablespoon buttermilk powder two 1/4 cup water would work. The other way I deviated from the written recipe was to add 1/4 cup of grated cheddar to the dough an idea I gleaned from elsewhere on the web.Laura called for a 20 minute time under high-pressure after adding hot water to the IP and testing with the skua at the end of that time. My bread was not cooked so I returned it and gave it another four minutes. But no matter what this was surely an epic fail. The bread was heavy, sticky and doughy. It would've made a final pile for an offshore oil rig. I was terribly disappointed. Impossible to say at this point what was at fault… The reconstituted buttermilk, the addition of a little bit of cheese, operator error or something else. Perhaps the greatest issue would be expectations. Having never had this before I have nothing to compare it to. I did not expect it to be a clone of properly yeasted and risen white bread. I went on the search for a different recipe and found a YouTube video of a chap making white bread in an electric pressure cooker though not the IP. I followed that recipe but I added two minutes to the 20 minutes called for to give the bread a bit longer and offset an already hot IP. It was somewhat better but not by much. For the time being I think I will abandon this plan of action and return to the Boston brown bread which was most definitely edible. I've heard it said that if you're not failing then you need to move the goalposts!While all this was going on, rotuts and I were exchanging PMs. I am anxious that everyone has as much information as I am capable of sharing with you so I'm going to address the questions that arose in the PMs here.How the 1 pound coffee can got its name is a bit of a mystery because my can has exactly the same dimensions as the one rotuts found despite that his was labeled 11 ounces. Both are five and 1/2 inches tall and 4 inches in diameter.I found that I needed to turn the trivet upside down and fold its handles in so that the Can would fit in the IP. I also lined the base of the can with a disc of parchment paper. I sprayed it with olive oil. It is my opinion and only my opinion that it is better to use cool water, up to the midpoint of the can in the IP, to allow a longer slow climb to pressure. I think it gives the bread a bit longer to cook (but what do I know?)Does it matter if water seeps into the can if you have removed the bottom and allowed to top to rest on the rim as the new bottom?I doubt that it matters much. The cheesecake I made with the crumb crust had nothing to protect it from water seepage in its springform pan. It was not even covered! One might've expected a soggy crust but it was just fine and crispy. Does one remove the bread from the can as soon as it is finished cooking? Recipes are all over the place on this one. Some go so far as to say it let it cool in the pan, some suggest 5, 10 or more minutes and some suggest removing it immediately. I would tend to walk the middle line and let it cool for 10 minutes in the can before tipping it out onto a rack. Most recipes suggest it is enjoyed best while still warm. Boy I hope I have discharged all my responsibilities. I'll bet anything Andie has some good advice on handling steamed breads which seem to predate pressure cookers and exist in one form or another all over the world. While I was surfing I even found a recipe for steamed bread that used yeast and was given at least two rises.Tomorrow I may and I stress may attempt another brown bread.

[Anna N]

Congratulations Shelby! Come join the party and share your ups and downs. Though I hope they are mostly ups.

[Shelby]

Congratulations Shelby! Come join the party and share your ups and downs. Though I hope they are mostly ups.

Thanks  I'm excited.

 

I'm having trouble deciding what to make first.  I'm not familiar AT all with pressure cooking so this is a whole new deal.  I bet you could make apple butter in a snap.

 

I'm thinking venison stew sounds good....except it's super hot outside.....

[rotuts]

Shelby

 

nice

 

for me, there are things I really enjoy  but never make.

 

beets,

 

 nice ones. big ones. fresh ones.

 

 compost the tops, they just tell you they are not three years old.

 

beets.

[Anna N]

So you probably think I am still in the clutches of Googlehole but in fact I have been slaving away since very, very early this morning. I have made two batches of Boston brown bread. I made the Jasper White one from Epicurious and the one from Saveur via Closet Cooking.

I stuck pretty closely to the recipes as given using powdered skim milk in the JW one and powdered buttermilk in the CC one. I added raisins to the CC one. I ran out of molasses and just before I had the half cup I needed for the CC one so it got a smidgen of amber honey.

(We need some method of making shortcut notes!)

JW cooked initially for 22 minutes at high-pressure but when tested with a skewer it was still quite batter-like in the centre. Returned for a further five minutes. I judged it cooked sufficiently and took its temperature with my thermopen and and it was 98°C. This was after I had let the pressure drop naturally for 10 minutes and then released the remaining pressure. I allowed it to cool in the can on the rack for one hour.

As I sliced it I discovered a bit of the tunnel in the centre.

I cooked the CC for 27 minutes initially and returned it for an additional three minutes. When I decided it was done its temperature read 94°C. Same procedure as JW except I gave it a good couple of thumps on the counter when I put the batter into the can. This was not quite as loose as the JW batter. This one I allowed to cool for 20 minutes as asked for the recipe before taking it out of the can

In both cases I used water from the cold tap and in both cases it took give ot take 8 cups to come up to the halfway point.

The recipe that will go into my permanent file is the CC one and I will make a note to cook it at high-pressure for 30 minutes. It was lighter than any of the others probably due to the inclusion of baking powder and an egg which acted as lovely a it was lighter than any of the others probably due to the inclusion of baking powder and an egg which are leaveners. I suspect, however, that purists would object.

[rotuts]

thank you for the fine detail.

 

I was unable to locate the BB on CC.  I got to the site and tried a search but it sent me to a semi-Google and only other breads came up.

 

would it be possible to post a link ?

 

how did the Cc compare to the original loaf you baked ?

 

thanks

[Anna N]

thank you for the fine detail.

 

I was unable to locate the BB on CC.  I got to the site and tried a search but it sent me to a semi-Google and only other breads came up.

 

would it be possible to post a link ?

 

how did the Cc compare to the original loaf you baked ?

 

thanks

Sincere apologies. Got my blogs mixed up! It is on the bitten word blog. However the Saveur connection will still get you to the recipe.

http://www.thebittenword.com/thebittenword/2012/03/new-england-brown-bread.html

This is much closer to my memory of what brown bread should taste like. That first one used maple syrup. This one used molasses which seems much closer to the common form.