Instant Pot. Multi-function cooker (Part 2)

[Shelby]

3 minutes ago, rotuts said:

Is UB a converted rice ?

 

Ive forgotten.

Yes

[br3wster]

On 12/28/2015 at 6:32 PM, Shelby said:

No not a dumb question!  Everything else you did was perfect.  Cup of water, ramekins-greased on trivet and yes, I'd do it on manual at high pressure for 3 mins and quick release.  Do a minute more if too runny.  I like mine on the runny side.  I think you can also use the steam button on high pressure but I haven't tried that way...at least I don't think I have.....my egg trials have been many lol.   I've read where people use the low pressure and it works for them, too.  It takes a bit of experimentation I think.

 

i wish i'd thought to check EG for this thread sooner. i bought my IP a little over a month ago and am happy with it so far. 

 

i was reading this topic at work today and couldn't wait to try eggs tonight. i did this exact method - buttered ramekins, 1 cup water, 3 mins manual, quick release. the eggs came out hardboiled. still tasted great though! looking forward to experimenting more. maybe it's my ramekins -- they're a little wide/shallow and barely fit in the pot.

Edited January 7, 2016 by br3wster (log)

[blue_dolphin]

Welcome to eGullet, @br3wster!  

It does seem that the type of vessel used inside the Instant-Pot can affect the cooking time and the eggs themselves seem to add variables of their own with size, temp, freshness.  I've been sort of scared off trying them in the Instant-Pot - you are much braver than I am!

[br3wster]

34 minutes ago, blue_dolphin said:

Welcome to eGullet, @br3wster!  

It does seem that the type of vessel used inside the Instant-Pot can affect the cooking time and the eggs themselves seem to add variables of their own with size, temp, freshness.  I've been sort of scared off trying them in the Instant-Pot - you are much braver than I am!

 

thanks! i just realized that was my first post. i've been lurking for over 5 years 

 

looking forward to more IP experiments and sharing them here.

[blue_dolphin]

Ah, I should have noticed that and welcomed you out of lurkdom instead of to the forum!  

I think I lurked and read eG for about 5 years before I joined and then I rarely posted, too.  There seemed to be so many accomplished people here that I was rather intimidated.  I know I've learned more by posting, but I'll always be a back-of-the-room lurker at heart!  

[kbjesq]

On 1/1/2016 at 4:04 PM, Shelby said:

 

Now I have not used Uncle Ben's in decades, I admit, but I do believe that it is a converted rice. Dear @Shelby, please try to find jasmine or basmati rice or at a minimum, especially for Spanish dishes, get some medium grain rice and rinse well before putting it into your instant pot on the rice cooker setting. You must  rinse the rice until the water runs completely clear. Depending on the brand, it can take a while. But it is well worth the effort. I hope you give it a try!

Edited January 8, 2016 by kbjesq
Typo (log)

[JoNorvelleWalker]

20 minutes ago, kbjesq said:

Now I have not used Uncle Ben's in decades, I admit, but I do believe that it is a converted rice. Dear @Shelby, please try to find jasmine or basmati rice or at a minimum, especially for Spanish dishes, get some medium grain rice and rinse well before putting it into your instant pot on the rice cooker setting. You must  rinse the rice until the water runs completely clear. Depending on the brand, it can take a while. But it is well worth the effort. I hope you give it a try!

 

Back in the 1960's I used to call this "Uncle Ben's Perverted Rice".

 

Maybe I still do.

[kbjesq]

So I have an Angus chuck roast, approximately 2.10 lbs. May I please get some suggestions on how to cook this thing in the instant pot?  My husband eats meat (I do not) and he's kinda excited about this little project of mine.  Thanks in advance for your help, comrades of instant pot cookery! 

[mgaretz]

2 hours ago, kbjesq said:

So I have an Angus chuck roast, approximately 2.10 lbs. May I please get some suggestions on how to cook this thing in the instant pot?  My husband eats meat (I do not) and he's kinda excited about this little project of mine.  Thanks in advance for your help, comrades of instant pot cookery! 

 

Stew.  Cube the beef, add in 1 cup of chicken broth, optionally quarter cup of red wine, an onion, sectioned, a large celery rib cut to 1" sections, quarter cup of pearl barley, frozen peas, a large potato, peeled and cut up (or a can of new potatoes drained), a tsp of soy sauce, a tsp of salt, 1/2 tsp of pepper, 1/2 tsp dried thyme, optionally some dried porcini mushrooms and 2 tbs of tomato paste.  All in the pot, stir and cook on high for 10 minutes.  Release pressure and add as much carrot as you like (my house it's 4 large).  Cook on high for an additional 6 minutes. Natural pressure relief.  No need to brown the beef.

Edited January 9, 2016 by mgaretz (log)

[kbjesq]

18 minutes ago, mgaretz said:

 

Stew.  Cube the beef, add in 1 cup of chicken broth, optionally quarter cup of red wine, an onion, sectioned, a large celery rib cut to 1" sections, quarter cup of pearl barley, frozen peas, a large potato, peeled and cut up (or a can of new potatoes drained), a tsp of soy sauce, a tsp of salt, 1/2 tsp of pepper, 1/2 tsp dried thyme, optionally some dried porcini mushrooms and 2 tbs of tomato paste.  All in the pot, stir and cook on high for 10 minutes.  Release pressure and add as much carrot as you like (my house it's 4 large).  Cook on high for an additional 6 minutes. Natural pressure relief.  No need to brown the beef.

I have homemade beef stock in my freezer, but no chicken stock.  I could substitute. Also I have dried shiitake but not porcini.  I think that he would like this recipe. To what size do I cube the beef?  (1", 2", etc?) 

[rotuts]

go back and check out this thread

 

AnnaN and I made versions of beef stew

 

mine of course had wine ( reduced first ) in it !

 

 

remember, this acts just like a braise.   so make it at least a day ahead, as its better the next day +

[kayb]

9 hours ago, kbjesq said:

I have homemade beef stock in my freezer, but no chicken stock.  I could substitute. Also I have dried shiitake but not porcini.  I think that he would like this recipe. To what size do I cube the beef?  (1", 2", etc?) 

 

I like mine about 1.5 inches, but I disagree with mgaretz on one thing: to me, it's good to brown the beef (I prefer to flour mine first), then saute some onions in the instant pot, first. Then I add the beef back in, some red wine and beef broth (I don't do mushrooms in mine, but certainly no good reason why you shouldn't), and cook 20 minutes; quick release, add carrots and potatoes, another 15 minutes, and there you go.

 

Also excellent with a good stout instead of red wine.

 

[kbjesq]

Well I made it this morning & it was a success. I used 2" chunks of meat, I did not brown it. I added the onions, meat, celery, some garlic, bay leaves, barley, thyme and homemade beef broth. Put it on high pressure for 15 minutes. Did a quick release. Added large chopped potatoes and some baby carrots and cooked for an additional 15 minutes at high pressure. It turned out well but I think it would have been better had I cooked the meat mixture for 20 minutes rather than 15 minutes in the first go round. Nonetheless there are no complaints being lodged here. Thank you each for your assistance!

[Shelby]

I've got to get a venison roast thawed out for stew.  It's going to be bitterly cold here the next few days and that sounds good.

 

I made turnips in the IP last night --kinda fun, I had the sous vide machine going and the IP.  Both my toys played well together lol.

 

Turnips peeled and chopped.  IP for 4 mins (should have been less...next time I'll do 2 mins, but they still were fine).  Mashed with butter, salt pepper and a dash of cream.  

[kbjesq]

@Shelby  - finally, poached eggs success this morning!  Um, I feel totally stupid but I didn't realize that I was supposed to use the inner pot as well as the trivet.  I was pouring the water (1 cup) DIRECTLY into the IP without using the stainless steel liner, and then putting in the trivet.  Jeez, I'm lucky that I didn't ruin the IP or burn my house down or something.  This am, I put 1 cup of water into the stainless steel liner, added the trivet, added 4 greased ramekins with one egg in each, set IP for high pressure @ 2 minutes and the eggs were perfect.  Thank you for suggesting this technique for poaching eggs     Also last night I cooked pork loin for my dog and she loved it. She is elderly and has trouble eating anything other than soft food and the pork was quite to her liking.

[kbjesq]

The IP is changing my life!  Gracious. I was so happy with the poached eggs this morning that I made this potato salad recipe just now.  Although I did make one change to the recipe (I have a very hard time sticking to recipes strictly).  As soon as the potatoes were cooked, I drained them and tossed them with a healthy dose (1/3 c?) of malt vinegar while they were still hot.  This is a trick that I learned from the Cooks Illustrated folks.  It makes a world of difference in the flavor of the potatoes used for salads.

 

The IP is well on its way to becoming the first and only kitchen appliance to remain on my kitchen counter at all times.

[Shelby]

33 minutes ago, kbjesq said:

@Shelby  - finally, poached eggs success this morning!  Um, I feel totally stupid but I didn't realize that I was supposed to use the inner pot as well as the trivet.  I was pouring the water (1 cup) DIRECTLY into the IP without using the stainless steel liner, and then putting in the trivet.  Jeez, I'm lucky that I didn't ruin the IP or burn my house down or something.  This am, I put 1 cup of water into the stainless steel liner, added the trivet, added 4 greased ramekins with one egg in each, set IP for high pressure @ 2 minutes and the eggs were perfect.  Thank you for suggesting this technique for poaching eggs     Also last night I cooked pork loin for my dog and she loved it. She is elderly and has trouble eating anything other than soft food and the pork was quite to her liking.

Oh crap!  LOL.  I'm so glad your pot is ok.  I should have been more specific.  (you did give me a chuckle....not laughing at you, laughing WITH you  )  No wonder they weren't working out right.

[Anna N]

30 minutes ago, kbjesq said:

@Shelby  - finally, poached eggs success this morning!  Um, I feel totally stupid but I didn't realize that I was supposed to use the inner pot as well as the trivet.  I was pouring the water (1 cup) DIRECTLY into the IP without using the stainless steel liner, and then putting in the trivet.  Jeez, I'm lucky that I didn't ruin the IP or burn my house down or something.  This am, I put 1 cup of water into the stainless steel liner, added the trivet, added 4 greased ramekins with one egg in each, set IP for high pressure @ 2 minutes and the eggs were perfect.  Thank you for suggesting this technique for poaching eggs     Also last night I cooked pork loin for my dog and she loved it. She is elderly and has trouble eating anything other than soft food and the pork was quite to her liking.

Wow yes.   I think you are very lucky that both you and the IP are still in working order. I was always somewhat afraid that I was going to do that very thing. I am so short that seeing into the IP when it's on my counter is almost impossible. So I was afraid that if the inner pot was in the dishwasher I wouldn't notice. Some credit to the manufacturer I guess that it and you survived the ordeal.  

[Shelby]

I've been afraid of doing that, too @Anna N  and @kbjesq  I've seen some people lay a wooden spoon or even put one of those huge rubber bands across the top to remind them that the pot isn't in there yet.

[kbjesq]

41 minutes ago, Shelby said:

Oh crap!  LOL.  I'm so glad your pot is ok.  I should have been more specific.  (you did give me a chuckle....not laughing at you, laughing WITH you  )  No wonder they weren't working out right.

In all fairness, I read the directions/owner's manual/recipe booklet that came with the IP and NO WHERE in those manuals is there anything that tells you to use the stainless steel liner at all times . . . in fact, I could not even find a section on using the "steam" function although there are specific directions for all the other functions such as PC, slow cook, yogurt, etc.  I'm used to a stove top PC (I have several) and when using a trivet with those, you just add water into the pot, no liner required. Now that I have this figured out, I just now also made 8 hard boiled eggs to top off the potato salad that I made this morning & to make a couple of deviled eggs for the spouse to enjoy while watching football this afternoon.  It's so easy to multi-task with the IP.  I'm paying bills, studying, selling stuff on eBay etc all the while cooking a bunch of stuff with the IP.  It truly has changed the way that I integrate cooking into my daily chores.  Maybe I should get a job as a paid spokesperson?  LOL!

[kbjesq]

46 minutes ago, Shelby said:

I've been afraid of doing that, too @Anna N  and @kbjesq  I've seen some people lay a wooden spoon or even put one of those huge rubber bands across the top to remind them that the pot isn't in there yet.

 I guarantee that I will never make that mistake again . . . lucky for me the only thing that happened was that my eggs didn't cook!

[Anna N]

11 minutes ago, kbjesq said:

In all fairness, I read the directions/owner's manual/recipe booklet that came with the IP and NO WHERE in those manuals is there anything that tells you to use the stainless steel liner at all times . . . in fact, I could not even find a section on using the "steam" function although there are specific directions for all the other functions such as PC, slow cook, yogurt, etc.  I'm used to a stove top PC (I have several) and when using a trivet with those, you just add water into the pot, no liner required. Now that I have this figured out, I just now also made 8 hard boiled eggs to top off the potato salad that I made this morning & to make a couple of deviled eggs for the spouse to enjoy while watching football this afternoon.  It's so easy to multi-task with the IP.  I'm paying bills, studying, selling stuff on eBay etc all the while cooking a bunch of stuff with the IP.  It truly has changed the way that I integrate cooking into my daily chores.  Maybe I should get a job as a paid spokesperson?  LOL!

Actually the manual DOES say for safety the inner pot must be in place (see #20 in list of cautions). This is easily missed. But later we are instructed to put ingredients into inner pot and then place it into the outer pot. Even so it would not hurt to stress this in the manual. I only point is out because I do recall reading it.  

[kbjesq]

Just now, Anna N said:

Actually the manual DOES say for safety the inner pot must be in place (see #20 in list of cautions). This is easily missed. But later we are instructed to put ingredients into inner pot and then place it into the outer pot. Even so it would not hurt to stress this in the manual. I only point is out because I do recall reading it.  

Maybe I spoke too soon.  I'm clearly not multi-tasking as well as I thought!  But I agree with you that it should be a more prominent warning because even after re-reading it this morning (ok, I admit, I skimmed it), I didn't notice anything that stated the inner pot must be used at all times.  Oh well, no harm done thankfully and I'll never make that mistake again

[Anna N]

13 minutes ago, kbjesq said:

Maybe I spoke too soon.  I'm clearly not multi-tasking as well as I thought!  But I agree with you that it should be a more prominent warning because even after re-reading it this morning (ok, I admit, I skimmed it), I didn't notice anything that stated the inner pot must be used at all times.  Oh well, no harm done thankfully and I'll never make that mistake again

 And your experience will probably keep the rest of us safe from doing the same thing!   Since many people never even bother reading the manual perhaps such a warning ought to be on the pot itself!   Happy cooking.  ( I am reminded of the time that I placed the cover on my ice cream maker but failed to put the frozen bowl in place and poured custaed directly onto the base of the machine!) 

[kbjesq]

1 minute ago, Anna N said:

 And your experience will probably keep the rest of us safe from doing the same thing!   Since many people never even bother reading the manual perhaps such a warning ought to be on the pot itself!   Happy cooking.  ( I am reminded of the time that I placed the cover on my ice cream maker but failed to put the frozen bowl in place and poured custaed directly onto the base of the machine!) 

Excellent suggestion @Anna N -- even better would be if the manufacturer included this warning with the other 4 warnings that are printed on the label on the top of the IP lid (which I did read, incidentally).  I don't really know if I could have done real damage to the IP or to my home, and thankfully I only used water.  Had I been using broth, salted water, or something else as the steaming liquid then the IP may well have been irreparably damaged.  I guess that I'm not a very wise consumer, because the very first time that I used the IP, I severely burned my hand when using the quick release method.  My other PCs discharge steam horizontally from the valve, and as you know, the IP releases steam straight up.  So out of habit, I put my hand on top of the release valve and wow, did that high-pressure steam burn me fast and good. That is also the last time that I made that mistake.  (I should probably be posting all of this in the "I will never again . . . " forum)