Instant Pot. Multi-function cooker (Part 2)

[kayb]

I saw the Kenji recipe for caramelized onions, and was thinking of trying them. I typically have done them in the slow cooker, but you almost have to set them outside because the smell gets seriously pungent about Hour 6 (they take 18 hours on low) I've been pleased with the results.

[blue_dolphin]

3 hours ago, kayb said:

I saw the Kenji recipe for caramelized onions, and was thinking of trying them. I typically have done them in the slow cooker, but you almost have to set them outside because the smell gets seriously pungent about Hour 6 (they take 18 hours on low) I've been pleased with the results.

 

Yes, I was out for several hours and coming back in, the atmosphere in here is very onion-y!

[kbjesq]

 @Shelby -  your "cabbage soup" was a big success in this house.  I used the soup button and it came out great. I threw in a bunch of chopped vegetables that had been hanging around a bit too long as well as cabbage and diced, canned tomatoes &  homemade veg broth. Also added some dried mushroom powder (from Asian market) and finished with nutritional yeast flakes. Even the carnivores had seconds. 

This morning, I made oat groats for breakfast in only 18 minutes under high pressure + natural release. 1 cup of groats to 1.25 cup of water and 1 tsp of butter to avoid foaming. The easiest groats that I've ever made. 

The instant pot was definitely a great investment.

 

[Shelby]

Ain't the IP great?    Glad the soup was a hit.  

 

I just poached 2 eggs.  1 cup water.  Steam for 3 mins.  QR.  Perfect.

 

Also, I did a test last night.  We were discussing earlier in this thread whether you could pressure cook meat and then fry it.  I split a batch of chicken gizzards and hearts (also had some goose livers and hearts in there too) and did one batch by frying and then pressure cooking.  The other I pressure cooked and then fried.  

 

These are the ones I PC'd first

 

 

Then I soaked them in milk/egg mixture

 

 

After this I dredged in flour (that I added Lawry's salt, garlic and pepper to) and fried.  As you can see, the breading did not stick to the meat that was already pc'd.

 

 

 

Left is the pc'd one that was then fried.  Right is fried and then pc'd

 

 

You can see that the middle batch is the one that I pc'd first and then fried.

 

So, we liked the batch that was fried first and then pc'd.  Also, after pc'ing a lot of the grease from frying was in the bottom of the pot, so I deemed them healthier.

[HungryChris]

Shelby,

I had a feeling that being able to properly bread the PC chicken for frying was going to be an issue. How was the texture and flavor of the PC chicken that was then fried?

HC

Edited January 16, 2016 by HungryChris
added some clarity (log)

[Shelby]

Well, first of all it was chicken hearts  and gizzards  but I suspect that chicken meat would be the same way.  The texture was tougher on the ones we pc'd first.  Edible, but tougher.

[MSRadell]

12 hours ago, Shelby said:

So, we liked the batch that was fried first and then pc'd.  Also, after pc'ing a lot of the grease from frying was in the bottom of the pot, so I deemed them healthier.

The problem I see with that approach is that they are going to be crispy like you expect from something that has been breaded and fried.

[Shelby]

9 hours ago, MSRadell said:

The problem I see with that approach is that they are going to be crispy like you expect from something that has been breaded and fried.

No, I've said all along that they are not crunchy. If you're looking for crunch, the PC is not the way to go They are more like the regular KFC chicken. 

[rotuts]

you might then do a double fry, after the IP ?

[Shelby]

1 minute ago, rotuts said:

you might then do a double fry, after the IP ?

Hmmm...that's an interesting thought.  Might have to try that next time.  I suspect that it will make the meat less tender again, but I'm game to give it a go  

[rotuts]

since the meat is cooked, its only for a brief 're-crunching'

 

you probably haven't even put away the oil !

Edited January 17, 2016 by rotuts (log)

[kayb]

Egg question: I made my first attempt at poaching eggs in the IP today. According to something I found online, it would work perfectly if you gave it three minutes on steam, quick release. I thought that sounded a bit long, so I went two minutes, and probably waited three or four minutes before I released the pressure because I was in the middle of something of which I could not turn loose.

 

Poached the eggs in silicone cups, set in turn in small ramekins, to make it easy to use my canning jar lifter to fetch them out of the pot; ramekins on the trivet. I was pleased with the cups-and-ramekins setup, but the time is way off; these were the equivalent of hard-boiled. 

 

Advice on egg poaching in the IP for a runny yellow and a set white?

 

I wound up crumbling the egg yolk over my grits cakes, which are a thing that is more trouble than it's worth, and it tasted respectable. Sure would have liked a "yellowy egg," as my youngest daughter used to refer to runny yolks, though.

 

Note overcooked eggs. Loved the silicone pods, though, about which I learned from @Anna N. Thanks!

[Shelby]

I push the steam button, make the time 3 mins.  and quick release.  Mine turn out just like you want them.  Whites are set, yolk runny.  

[rotuts]

no 'push-pin' on the air sac ?

 

no cracking ?

[Shelby]

I don't do mine in the shell, I butter silicone cupcake holders, crack the egg and away we go.

[kayb]

46 minutes ago, Shelby said:

I push the steam button, make the time 3 mins.  and quick release.  Mine turn out just like you want them.  Whites are set, yolk runny.  

Must have been the not doing the quick release thing, I guess. Will try again tomorrow. Thanks.

[kbjesq]

I have made both poached eggs and hard boiled eggs. After some confusion, described up thread, I finally figured out two methods that work perfectly for me.

 

For poached eggs, crack eggs into buttered ramekins and place on top of the steam rack inside the stainless steel pot. Add 1 cup of water to the pot. Set for high pressure - 2 minutes, quick release. It does not matter how many eggs you cook, for a very runny yolk which is how we prefer poached eggs, use two minutes and quick release. If you want a more solid yoke I would add one more minute.

 

For hard boiled eggs, the easiest HB eggs I have ever made in my life, and that number is in the many thousands, place eggs in the steam basket, add 1 cup of water and cook on high pressure for 4 - 5 minutes, depending on how hard boiled you like your eggs. Once again we prefer them to be barely cooked through so we use 4 minutes,  regardless of how many eggs we are cooking.  Immediately remove the eggs from the steamer and plunge into a bowl of ice water, lightly tapping the egg shells on the edge of the ice water bowl to crack them as you do so. Once they are cool enough to handle, the shells will slip right off. It is nothing short of amazing.

Edited January 20, 2016 by kbjesq
clarification (log)

[rotuts]

Ive found with IPO'd HB eggs the shells do slip off far easier than the simmering water method.  the cracking in ice water is the key of sorts

 

I use a heavy copper pan and bang the eggs around in the ice water until mostly cracked

 

I wonder if the higher temp at the egg shell ( vs water ) has anything to do with this or is it Wishful Thinking on my part

 

no mater, works well.

 

esp for potato salad season :  i do the potatoes first, and they start their cooling before the eggs.

[Anna N]

7 minutes ago, rotuts said:

Ive found with IPO'd HB eggs the shells do slip off far easier than the simmering water method.  the cracking in ice water is the key of sorts

 

I use a heavy copper pan and bang the eggs around in the ice water until mostly cracked

 

I wonder if the higher temp at the egg shell ( vs water ) has anything to do with this or is it Wishful Thinking on my part

 

no mater, works well.

 

esp for potato salad season :  i do the potatoes first, and they start their cooling before the eggs.

 

I was hoping for a similar result but truth be told the last time I found the eggs harder to peel than anything I ever encountered before.  Instead of deviled eggs we had to have egg salad they were so badly damaged in the peeling.   Having tried almost every method known to man or woman I have concluded that much depends on the egg and it isn't necessarily a matter of freshnes. YMMV. 

[rotuts]

the eggs I use are far from 'fresh'

 

I do bang them around fairly harshly in the Heavy Copper Pan.  the white is never broken w the banging, and the egg shell is cracked all over while hot.

 

a la Jacques Pepin Methode

 

Ive always thought that the water somehow got between the shell and the white that way while the egg was chilling and perhaps contracting.

 

the eggs are very cold when shelled.

[kayb]

1 hour ago, rotuts said:

the eggs I use are far from 'fresh'

 

I do bang them around fairly harshly in the Heavy Copper Pan.  the white is never broken w the banging, and the egg shell is cracked all over while hot.

 

a la Jacques Pepin Methode

 

Ive always thought that the water somehow got between the shell and the white that way while the egg was chilling and perhaps contracting.

 

the eggs are very cold when shelled.

 

I do the same, and I, too, find the key step to be the cracking all over and then letting the cracked eggs sit in the ice water to chill. For good measure, I generally peel them under running water. I find it works with almost all eggs.

 

[br3wster]

Another failed attempt at poached eggs tonight. I bought these 4oz ramekins to use. Buttered them, put 2 in the IP with a cup of water, and set it to steam for 3 mins then did a quick release. They still came out hard boiled.

 

I've also failed with a 2 min/high pressure/QR run using slightly bigger ramekins.

 

I have the IP-LUX50, fwiw. Any other ideas? 

Edited January 22, 2016 by br3wster (log)

[kayb]

The IP triumphs again. Vegetable beef soup. Stew beef, sauteed, onions added and cooked until soft, red wine. High pressure for 45 minutes. Quick release. Added tomatoes, tomato paste, tomato juice, diced potatoes, frozen mixed veggies. Another 25 minutes at high pressure. Regular release while I grilled cheese sandwiches (good butterkase on homemade sandwich bread). Perfect for a cold, wet night with the blizzard approaching.

 

Let it snow, let it snow, let it snow.

 

Edited January 22, 2016 by kayb (log)

[Kerry Beal]

Making ragu in the Fagor pot tonight - not the infamous Kenji recipe though. Interested to see how it turns out.

 

 

[Anna N]

I found this discussion of the "keep warm" function  and natural (slow) release  to be helpful.  For me it means not jumping up to turn off the function if I need to wait 10 minutes or so for the pressure to fall naturally.  Saves energy… Mine!

 

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