Instant Pot. Multi-function cooker (Part 2)

[rotuts]

Id like to know if the sauce tasted better the next day, esp the 'boiled' quality of the meat.

 

personally Id avoid the livers, although they are in on of my favorite dishes of all time " cannelloni al forno '

 

Rx from the time-life book

 

http://www.amazon.com/The-Cooking-Italy-Foods-World/dp/0809400308

 

Ive read over the Rx from SE

 

one thing to consider to move this along :  reducing the wet ingredients in a regular pot while you brown the items in the IP

 

of course, if all you have is the IP,  there it is.

 

I did this in the Burgundy Beef Stew I made in the IP in the recent past, and noted above.

 

of note in the SE Rx :

 

""   in my oven-based recipe, I simply cook the meats until they lose their raw color, but not until they start browning—again in the interest of keeping them tender as they cook. ""

 

​I don't get the sense that there is a panade effect in this Rx.

 

am I missing it ?

Edited December 4, 2015 by rotuts (log)

[kayb]

After delaying the beef stew for an evening when a dinner guest had to cancel, we had it last night. Very good. Can't say any better than my usual beef stew, but certainly quicker, easier, and less trouble.

 

Thanks for this, blue_dolphin. After checking out the recipe I was pretty sure that not only would I need a second mortgage but just finding the chicken livers locally would be a challenge. I suspect my cost would be at least half as much again as yours! And Bolognese ragu is not high on my "must have" list. Still the recipe itself interests me so I may succumb should I ever spot some chicken livers!

 

Wow. I can buy chicken livers all day, every day, for $1.99 a pound, here in the home of Tyson. Wish I could figure out how to ship some to you. I have, in fact, half a pound in the fridge left over from making pate that I either need to freeze or throw out. I want to try this bolognese sometime soon.

[Anna N]

After delaying the beef stew for an evening when a dinner guest had to cancel, we had it last night. Very good. Can't say any better than my usual beef stew, but certainly quicker, easier, and less trouble.

 

 

Wow. I can buy chicken livers all day, every day, for $1.99 a pound, here in the home of Tyson. Wish I could figure out how to ship some to you. I have, in fact, half a pound in the fridge left over from making pate that I either need to freeze or throw out. I want to try this bolognese sometime soon.

If I was prepared to drive all over town I have no doubt I would find chicken livers but offal of any kind has disappeared mostly from our supermarkets. Thanks for the thought but I don't think that ship well and I bet the border services would have an issue!

[Deryn]

Perhaps there is a market for freeze-dried raw chicken livers - light enough to ship, no smell.

[rotuts]

they have these in the Dog and Cat 'treats' section.

[Anna N]

they have these in the Dog and Cat 'treats' section.

I will check next time I'm in the supermarket

[Shelby]

I will have to make the bolognese I made a few years ago using the goose and ducks that my husband shot...can't remember exactly what all I used.  Will have to search EG.  I know I posted about it.

 

Kay, so glad you like your IP.  The quickness of it never ceases to amaze me.  I sure wish I had one of these when I was working.

 

Speaking of quickness.  Last night I decided last minute that I wanted green beans instead of brussels sprouts.  Normally, that would not have worked out as I like my green beans nice and done.  No crunch.  But with the IP, all is possible   .  Diced an onion, snapped the ends off the beans, threw in some chopped Benton's ham and a can of beef broth (doesn't need a whole can, but I didn't want to save half a can in the fridge) seasoned it up and pushed the steam button.  Time was 25 minutes.  Perfect beans.  

[blue_dolphin]

While this was something of a production for me, just because I've never done it before, there was a nice efficiency in using the IP.  Everything done in the one pot, easy clean up.  Some of the "reducing" steps would have gone quicker in a wider pot on the stove and it was a little fiddly to adjust the heat in the IP but it was easy enough once I got used to it.

 

I think there's a certain something that long cooking brings to a ragu that the pressure cooker doesn't quite compensate for, despite Kenji's machinations in putting this recipe together. My ragu sat in the IP (keeping warm - unintentionally) while I watched Top Chef (2 episodes!) last night and when I parceled it out to freeze, it seemed to have "come together" flavor and texture-wise so I'm pretty sure that the answer to rotuts query about how it would taste the next day would be that it's much better.

 

Other ragu recipes I've read, including some of Kenji's others used ground veal and ground lamb in addition to the livers and beef this one seemed simpler but I did end up going to a lot of stores to get everything.  Andisenji recommended a chain with in-store butchers and I suspect I could have gotten everything in one trip but I started locally first. I suspect the cost could be reduced by keeping an eye out for specials. 

• Pancetta - I usually keep some of the diced stuff from Trader Joe's in the freezer.  It's $3.29/4 oz package so that was easy.  
• Ground beef - TJ's had 1 lb packages of ground beef at various fat percentages so I bought 2 lbs of the 20% at 4.49/lb.  From Australia.  I thought the texture of the raw beef was oddly spongy, maybe due to the vacuum packaging.  I wouldn't buy that stuff again.
• Ground pork - TJ's doesn't carry.  Sprouts had only super-lean <5% fat ground pork, not what I wanted.  Walmart and Vons were out.  I ended up getting a piece ground to order at a local carniceria/taqueria.  If I do this again, I'll get the beef here, too, as they are happy to grind meat to order. It was 3.79/lb for the pork shoulder.  I ended up with 1.4 lb, a little more than called for.
• Chicken livers - 20 oz tubs from Tyson were $1.60 at Walmart and I figured they were going to get cooked to death so I made my life easy and got them. They had a LOT of them in the case.  Not sure who buys them.  I know they are available elsewhere but not all the time.  

The livers do add a certain depth to the flavor.  Some SE commenters complained of too much of a liver-y flavor in Kenji's previous ragu recipes. I didn't think the flavor was strong, just a little something in the background.  I poached the extras thinking they would be a treat for my boys but they turned up their little feline noses.  If I make this again, I'll try using the extras in a pate.

 

Shelby, I was thinking that this would be wonderful with some of your venison and I'm sure those livers will be a great addition when you find them.

[rotuts]

BTW  those  'Treats' are quite aromatic.

 

My Cats and Labradors used to think so.

[Shelby]

I'm like Kay, we can find chicken livers every where around here.  Lots of people use them for fish bait lol.  I'm pretty sure I used some liver from the geese or maybe a combo....but I could be wrong.  

 

I get what you're saying about the long cooking time adding something.......I have a ton of frozen spag. sauce that I made over the summer but once that is gone I'm going to experiment using the IP.  I'm wondering if I'll think the same-- taste is lacking something with the quick cooking time.  Or maybe it will all be in my head lol.

Edited December 4, 2015 by Shelby (log)

[rotuts]

BD :

 

""  raw beef was oddly spongy ""

 

Ive noticed this w TJ's  ground beef.   When it was introduced here some time ago, the 20 % went for 1.99 to get people interested in it

 

I tried it and though the same thing.  either the gas they add to the packed did something, or it was  ( at that time ) previously frozen

 

im not saying it was frozen, but it felt and acted very much like the ground turkey breast I routinely buy and freeze for my Turkey Meat Loaf.

 

for the TML it does not seem to matter.

Edited December 4, 2015 by rotuts (log)

[ElsieD]

Alrighty, then, we're in business! Rotuts, notice those colo(u)red tabs on the notebook. Now to figure out what to make first, after the water test.

Edited December 4, 2015 by ElsieD (log)

[Anna N]

We are not the only ones in love with the Instant Pot

click

[rotuts]

fantastic.

 

Id say this  :  after a SV system that suits your Life Style

 

the IP completely complements the CSB as Instruments of Deliciousness.

 

I'm a bit bereft that the CSB was not offered on BlackFriday, CyperMonday nor CheepWeek for

 

$ 199 delivered.

 

Ill get over it w a bit of Fizz.

 

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for us North

 

nice   very nice

 

is that an Induction Surface I see ?  or Electrical   ( still nice )

 

are those Red ( at least they are Red ) silicone mitts laughing as Us ?

 

be careful with them.  they can get slippery 

Edited December 4, 2015 by rotuts (log)

[blue_dolphin]

We are not the only ones in love with the Instant Pot

click

 

You are right about that - there's an Instant Pot Facebook group with over 14,000 members!  

 

 

Edited to add link

Edited December 4, 2015 by blue_dolphin (log)

[Shelby]

I'm amazed at how many people have more than one IP.  Maybe I'm missing out.  

[rotuts]

Nuts

 

I fo not do Face not tweets not that stuff

 

Id like a look

 

but 

 

if you tweet and Face  

 

might not that time be better spent in the Kitchen ?

 

or more so

 

The Cellar ?

 

just saying

 

after all all those finger thing-eys  the do 

 

Now

 

maybe   this the eventual osteo-arthritis

 

they will not be able to "Pull a Cork" when it matters

 

Most 

 

doen the Line

 

just saying

[stckciv]

Does anyone have this 4 piece silicone set or anything else you may recommend? http://www.qvc.com/Cooks-Essentials-4-pc.-Silicone-Pressure-Cooker-Inserts.product.K42922.html

[rotuts]

nice

 

I do not

 

may I ask why you are interested ?

 

I say that kindly

 

Im hoping your know what We Do Not

 

cherrfully

[blue_dolphin]

I just ordered this 3qt mesh basket but it hasn't arrived yet so I can't make a recommendation.  Reviewers indicate it's a simple matter to remove the handles so it fits in the IP.  Hopefully it will be worth the $8.65 price.

It wouldn't let you stack up 2 different containers like that one though.

[Anna N]

You are right about that - there's an Instant Pot Facebook group with over 14,000 members!  

 

 

Edited to add link

That is amazing. Still won't persuade me to join the Facebook group! At least on eG we let you look with no strings attached.

[stckciv]

rotuts - I was interested in steaming veggies and thought the cake pan would be interesting to try. I was not sure it would fit in the IP but that FB group people had talked about it so I guess it does.

 

Its pretty cheap so I may give it a try.

[rotuts]

BD  Im keep on your Mesh Baslet order

 

I have a fine gifted basket from Over the Border

 

I'm hoping its a simple ting to snap those handles off  smooth the surface and use this in the IP

 

looking foreword to your results and a few pics

 

Kodos Your Way for the Find !

 

The IP does need a Mighty Fine Full Basket.

 

perhaps you've found one !

 

[rotuts]

AnnaN 

 

Im with you on This

 

No Face, No Twitts, no NonSense.

[ElsieD]

fantastic.

Id say this : after a SV system that suits your Life Style

the IP completely complements the CSB as Instruments of Deliciousness.

I'm a bit bereft that the CSB was not offered on BlackFriday, CyperMonday nor CheepWeek for

$ 199 delivered.

Ill get over it w a bit of Fizz.

surprised.gif

eD : did not realize you moved Down Under :

IP E.jpg

for us North

nice very nice

is that an Induction Surface I see ? or Electrical ( still nice )

are those Red ( at least they are Red ) silicone mitts laughing as Us ?

be careful with them. they can get slippery

Induction cooktop. I have a sous vide set up which I use mainly for steak, pork and fish as i can't seem to cook them properly on the stove. I was surprised to get the silicone mitts. I wasn't expecting them. Yes, I would like the Cuisinart steam oven but my Breville is only two years old so pretty hard to justify.

Down Under?

Edited December 4, 2015 by ElsieD (log)