Instant Pot. Multi-function cooker (Part 1)

[rotuts]

Thank you.  Im keen on getting a sense of cooking times, and textures.

 

i hope to start soon

[Anna N]

So while I was sorting out and inventorying my freezer yesterday, I came across 2 packages of thickly sliced pork shoulder. There was about a pound altogether. I transferred them from the freezer to the fridge figuring I would do something with them in the Instant Pot.

I searched around for a recipe that would work with the ingredients I had on hand. This recipe more or less fit the bill. But I also wanted to try tiered cooking.

I added five minutes of cooking time to the recipe to bring it in line with the one on Lorna's site. Her carrots, you will note, are large and whole. Mine were cut up. But my carrots were some ways from being properly cooked. Not sure if that is because I put a rack in there to lift the carrots above the stroganoff or if it was the carrots themselves. I wonder about the carrots because these are the giant ones that only seem to appear in the Asian stores.

The pork was as tender as could be.

The pasta was cooked in the microwave and I will talk about it some more on the Fasta Pasta Topic.

[Anna N]

For those who are interested in cooking rice in the Insta pot you might want to take a look

here

[rotuts]

Ive noticed certain Measurement Changes this AM.

 

Ive had the IP < 6 days. 

 

the IP needs a FDA health warning label :

 

" May Cause Significant Weight Gain "

 

I could hardly waddle out to finish stacking my wood this AM

 

I had plans today for BabyBackRibs.

 

I still might get to them, For Science

 

 

Edited September 6, 2015 by rotuts (log)

[Anna N]

Well I think if rotuts can be coy……

Definitely not dessert.

Tepeed foil? Is that really a word and would a First Nations person recognize it as such?

[rotuts]

well you bet.  The English Language is a Language The Evolves

 

there was a stunning PBS like Saga that documented this.  maybe they made a Hot Pot.

 

after all, the 'u' in colo'u'r  has pretty much disappeared from Advanced Nations

 

[Ed.: nations that are now close to ClueLess.  Tech and All ]

 

But What is that Masterpiece ?

[Smithy]

Thousand Island souffle? :-D

[cyalexa]

For those who are interested in cooking rice in the Insta pot you might want to take a look

here

Thanks for posting this. The fact that I really like my rice cooker is the only thing keeping me from puling the trigger (so to speak). My goal is to replace several appliances with one and I am also interested in the milk pasteurization function. 

[Anna N]

Thanks for posting this. The fact that I really like my rice cooker is the only thing keeping me from puling the trigger (so to speak). My goal is to replace several appliances with one and I am also interested in the milk pasteurization function.

Back off! Back off! You're being pulled into the slip-stream!

[Anna N]

Thousand Island souffle? :-D

Thousand Island souffle? :-D

Thousand Island souffle? :-D

Wow Smithy, you're awfully warm. It is supposed to cool on the counter for 2 to 3 hours and then in the fridge for even more time. The suspense is killing me.

[Shelby]

Ack, you're killing me with suspense, Anna.  My first thought was tuna salad for some reason....it's too smooth for that, though.  And you wouldn't be doing that in the IP 

[Anna N]

Oh all right, Shelby. You're tugging at my heart strings. Tuna salad? Rates right up there with beans and green peppers -- yuck food.

Savoury cheesecakes have always fascinated me. I have never had one and never made one until now.

It developed one small crack while it was cooling which tends to confirm my suspicion that it was cooked just a little too long. I bet it will still be really good.

And should you choose to make your own…

[Shelby]

Oh yeah.  I'm making that.  Just have to find a pan that fits in the IP........

[Anna N]

One of the things I was most interested in (do I keep saying that?) was cooking a complete meal in the IP. I spent a fair bit of my day googling away in an effort to find the guidance I was going to need. I can report that it can indeed be done.

The only thing I would change next time is the size of the last-minute addition of the sweet potato. I cut it into about 1/2 inch dice and it pretty much disintegrated.

Edited to fix weird auto corrected things.

Edited September 6, 2015 by Anna N (log)

[Anna N]

Oh yeah.  I'm making that.  Just have to find a pan that fits in the IP........

Most cheesecake recipes designed to be cooked in a pressure cooker call for a 7 x 3" spring form pan which is a pretty standard size. Mine is only 5.5 x 2 and so the recipe is adjusted to account for that.

[gfweb]

Great penmanship, Anna!

[FauxPas]

Agree with gfweb, it's so easy to read your printing, Anna. And I love your notebook and recipe comments! 

Edited September 7, 2015 by FauxPas (log)

[gfweb]

Anna's writing has that draftsman look to it. Reminds me of my dad's...and nothing like my crabbed scrawl.

[Anna N]

Wow! How embarassing. Was attempting to show off the IP not my handwriting which would appal my penmanship teacher! I am old enough to have learned to write with a dip pen!

But back to the matter at hand.

The chilled cheese cake. (Note to self: oil cake pan next time!) it is not smooth but that would be expected considering it has inclusions. It would definitely have benefited from a little less cooking time. Made for an overly rich breakfast!

Edited because I hit post too soon.

Edited September 7, 2015 by Anna N (log)

[palo]

... I am old enough to have learned to write with a dip pen!...

 

Me too! Then I graduated to a fountain pen sometime in High School  

 

It never ceases to amaze me the amount of creativity and enthusiasm you have for cooking.

 

p 

[rotuts]

thank you AnnaN for offering us such detail while you develop your dishes.

 

very very helpful and appreciated.

[Anna N]

So here's a question for our SSBs or anyone conversant with the science of steam. Would a thick mixture such as a stew or a cream soup act the same way as plain water to cook a foil wrapped vegetable in a pressure cooker? Would the amount or the heat of steam produced be any different assuming 2 cups of each in the same size pressure cooker and all other things being equal?

Edited to change one word and to add the final condition.

Edited September 7, 2015 by Anna N (log)

[rotuts]

steam is just water vapor that > 100 C.

 

as the IP measures the pressure  in the pot and adjusts the heat to give you that vapor pressure it  might not make a big difference as long as your mixture is wet.

 

its an interesting question.

 

one thing Ive read in "Hip " is to not add thickeners until after your dish is cooked.  i.e. cornstarch slurry.  it turns very gummy and is no longer a 

 

'thickener-emulsion' but a cooked glop of starch.

 

Ive also noticed that the indicator 'stem' , a light metal thing-ey that pops up, just seems to indicate the pot is sealed.  then the machine takes a few minutes for the steam to

 

reach the intended pressure, then the timed countdown starts. at that point very little steam is vented, thus little water is lost from the lower pot.

 

if you are happy w the results of the thick mixture w/o an item being steamed above it, they its going to be similar w an item above it.

 

at least that's what i make of it now.   unlike older pots w that weight that determined your PSI, this one measures the pressure in the pot and adjust boiling to

 

maintain that pressure.   the Fagor and the like might work differently in terms of loosing water to the external environment. I can't say.

 

my 2 cents.

 

another way of looking at it is ( my guess )  that the IP does not 'over-boil' to keep its pressure up.  at least not much. so less total water

 

is lost / cooking unit of time.

Edited September 7, 2015 by rotuts (log)

[Anna N]

steam is just water vapor that > 100 C.

 

as the IP measures the pressure  in the pot and adjusts the heat to give you that vapor pressure it  might not make a big difference as long as your mixture is wet.

 

its an interesting question.

 

one thing Ive read in "Hip " is to not add thickeners until after your dish is cooked.  i.e. cornstarch slurry.  it turns very gummy and is no longer a 

 

'thickener-emulsion' but a cooked glop of starch.

 

Ive also noticed that the indicator 'stem' , a light metal thing-ey that pops up, just seems to indicate the pot is sealed.  then the machine takes a few minutes for the steam to

 

reach the intended pressure, then the timed countdown starts. at that point very little steam is vented, thus little water is lost from the lower pot.

 

if you are happy w the results of the thick mixture w/o an item being steamed above it, they its going to be similar w an item above it.

 

at least that's what i make of it now.   unlike older pots w that weight that determined your PSI, this one measures the pressure in the pot and adjust boiling to

 

maintain that pressure.   the Fagor and the like might work differently in terms of loosing water to the external environment. I can't say.

 

my 2 cents.

 

another way of looking at it is ( my guess )  that the IP does not 'over-boil' to keep its pressure up.  at least not much. so less total water

 

is lost / cooking unit of time.

I am trying to understand why my cut up, foil-wrapped carrots were really almost raw when supposedly "thick, whole carrots" would cook under the same circumstances.

[rotuts]

why foil wrap the carrots ?  generally that's to preserve moisture in a conventional cooking environment  : a grill or a non-steam oven.

 

there has to be some steam in the packet  but id either  not use the foil, or loosely cover them as they are not going to dry out much in superheated steam

 

I guess the proper way to understand this is an experiment :

 

over water, put an identically cut carrot-set wrapped in foil, and a similar carrot-set next to it w/o foil.

 

cook.   see if they cook in a similar fashion.  if either is not done to your satisfaction, cook-time needs an adjustment.

 

if there are noticeable  differences between the packet and non-packet  thats information worth knowing about. right there !