Instant Pot. Multi-function cooker (Part 3)

[Beth Wilson]

I love that it has this keep warm cycle.  My old slow cooker did not do this...it kept on cooking til you got home to unplug it and that made for some interesting roasts.  I have only tried a few things and can't wait to try more...

 

I am curious about the baking of banana bread in it, what cooking setting gets used?

[Shelby]

37 minutes ago, Beth Wilson said:

I love that it has this keep warm cycle.  My old slow cooker did not do this...it kept on cooking til you got home to unplug it and that made for some interesting roasts.  I have only tried a few things and can't wait to try more...

 

I am curious about the baking of banana bread in it, what cooking setting gets used?

Hi Beth!  I'm glad you are here with your new IP

 

Here is my take on banana bread in the IP

 

I pressed the manual button, used high pressure and set the time for 30 mins.  My pan was not a bundt type pan so I think that's why it took another 15 mins for it to get done in the middle.  So, if I were doing it again, I'd press the manual button, high pressure and 45 mins.

 

Also, cover the bread with some foil so that the condensation from the pot doesn't drip on the bread.

 

[blue_dolphin]

Over in the sales and bargains thread, @andiesenji mentioned finding Pork PICNIC SHOULDER - BONE-IN $1.24 per pound at Walmart.  My local Walmart neighborhood market didn't have exactly the same deal but had bone-in pork shoulder blade roasts for $1.74/lb so I picked one up and cooked it in the Instant Pot.   I followed this recipe for Pressure Cooker Kalua Pig that seems to have a following in the Instant Pot community.  Lots of pulled pork sandwiches coming my way!

 

[rotuts]

@blue_dolphin  

 

excellent Rx  Ive placed it in my IP bookmark folder.

 

thanks

 

Ive always liked Shoulder over Picnic.  In my area the Picnic is a cut below the shoulder and does not have as much fat.

 

I take it that this Rx uses one cup of water, so is some of the pork  in that water and some above ?

 

Im a fan of the idea that Pressure-Steam keeps more flavor in the meat and less in the water  i.e. soup.

 

that being said, the 'broth' I got from my CountryStyle IP ribs was exceptionally tasty and I can't imagine getting this Broth any other way.

 

some of that went into the water portion for Rice, some was use in the IP for a Refrigerator Soup  etc.

 

My mother always kept the water from simmering chickens.  refrigerated it and it became a bit like jello.  growing up

 

it seemed to me to be as Yuk-kie as anything Id ever seen.  took me a while to think differently.

 

now with the IP  'stock' is a fine by-product and kept and Fz'n

 

Go IP !

[blue_dolphin]

@rotuts - yes, 1 cup of water was certainly NOT enough to submerge all the meat.  In fact, when I started the pressure cook, I could barely see any liquid - looked like a big pot-o-meat ! 

The recipe called for a 5 lb roast and said to cut the meat into 3 pieces and then arrange them in a single layer on top of the bacon, already browned in the bottom of the pot.  I had a 6 lb roast and there was no way it could fit in a single layer so I arranged it so that each of the three pieces touched bottom (and the liquid) and had some portion in the "steam space" above.

I ended up with about 3 cups of defatted broth that I've reserved in case the meat needs moistening later on. In my initial tasting, the meat was plenty moist but I'll probably package and freeze the meat in chunks and the broth in ice cube trays so I can easily thaw some of each. 

To season the meat, I used TJ's smoked sea salt (instead of the Hawaiian salt specified), plus the recipe calls for bacon so the broth has a distinctly smoky flavor.  I like the flavor in the meat but it may not be the most versatile broth for other dishes.  I'll give that some thought in case I try this again.  And I'm pretty sure I will. 

[Shelby]

I made another cheesecake last night.  Going to top with with some wonderful cherry topping that I bought online.  It's for a belated Mother's Day for my mom who is coming today.  I can't wait

 

I just love the IP.  Cheesecake is SO easy to make in there.

[blue_dolphin]

On May 3, 2016 at 7:19 AM, Shelby said:

I made baked beans again last night.  Very successful.  I pressure cooked the beans first and then added all the brown sugar and molasses etc. afterwards and let it simmer.  Thanks to all that helped.

 

@Shelby, can I ask how long you simmered the beans + combined ingredients and what Instant Pot setting you used?  

 

Last week, I made some delicious baked beans, roughly following this recipe, which calls for soaking beans overnight then cooking them in water until tender before adding the rest of the ingredients and baking in the oven for 5 hours.

I cooked a pound of unsoaked Rancho Gordo yellow eye beans in the Instant Pot for 20 minutes (manual), expecting to simmer them for a while longer after releasing the pressure but they were already done and some were already splitting. I'd planned to do the rest of the cook in the Instant Pot but when I saw how tender the beans were I was afraid I would end up with an Instant Pot full o'mush.  I have more confidence in my ability to simmer beans in the oven so I transferred everything into a covered casserole, into the oven @ 275 for 4.5 hrs and ended up with very tasty beans.

I have no complaints with the results but I'd like an oven-free method to use in the warmer weather.  I have never pushed the "Slow Cook" button on my IP....is now the time?

[Shelby]

41 minutes ago, blue_dolphin said:

 

@Shelby, can I ask how long you simmered the beans + combined ingredients and what Instant Pot setting you used?  

 

Last week, I made some delicious baked beans, roughly following this recipe, which calls for soaking beans overnight then cooking them in water until tender before adding the rest of the ingredients and baking in the oven for 5 hours.

I cooked a pound of unsoaked Rancho Gordo yellow eye beans in the Instant Pot for 20 minutes (manual), expecting to simmer them for a while longer after releasing the pressure but they were already done and some were already splitting. I'd planned to do the rest of the cook in the Instant Pot but when I saw how tender the beans were I was afraid I would end up with an Instant Pot full o'mush.  I have more confidence in my ability to simmer beans in the oven so I transferred everything into a covered casserole, into the oven @ 275 for 4.5 hrs and ended up with very tasty beans.

I have no complaints with the results but I'd like an oven-free method to use in the warmer weather.  I have never pushed the "Slow Cook" button on my IP....is now the time?

I first fried my bacon in the IP, took that out and put in diced onions.  Cooked those for a bit until soft.  Then I added the beans and broth.  Did that on the chili/bean setting.  After the beans were soft I added all of the rest of the ingredients and cooked--cooked using the simmer setting-- in the IP for oh, around an hour  (be sure and keep an eye on it and stir often)?  Then I added the bacon and cooked probably 15-30 mins more?  I then put the IP on the keep warm setting.  Worked like a charm.  

[blue_dolphin]

Thank you, @Shelby!  I was worried that stirring would mash my already tender beans so I probably did the right thing last time but this gives me a good guideline for the next round.  

[kayb]

I noticed when I cooked yellow eye beans for the first time how quickly they cooked, and how quickly they got to the mush point when I cooked them in the IP and then added my sauce ingredients and simmered them there. Will definitely cut down on the time next time.

[Shelby]

Picture of the above mentioned cheesecake.

 

[Tere]

Laksa last night - a use up meal with frozen prawns, frozen mussels, some laksa paste from Sainsbury's that has way too little heat for my liking, Thai basil in a jar, straight to wok Pad Thai noodles, chestnut mushrooms, beansprouts, coconut cream thinned down, salad greens and a large amount of fresh coriander. Plus a very large dollop of harissa and a large amount of tabasco to add sufficient heat. Gotta love the saute function

[Thanks for the Crepes]

13 hours ago, Shelby said:

Picture of the above mentioned cheesecake.

 

 

That is a covetable thing of beauty, Shelby, and you have a lucky mom. I hope everyone enjoys it as much as I have vicariously.

[MelissaH]

Is anyone using their Instant Pot at high altitude? We'll be visiting my parents in Colorado this summer, and their house is at 8600 feet. Do you need to increase the cooking times a little? Any other recipe adjustments? @Shelby, I'm particularly interested in what you would do for a cheesecake at altitude. I've been a flatlander for so long now that I've forgotten most of what I used to do as a matter of course.

[rotuts]

Ive found this :

 

http://www.hippressurecooking.com/forums/topic/altitude-time-adjustments/

 

it does not mention the IP .  traditional pressure cookers might work on a very different mechanism than the IP

 

the "Hip pressure cooking" book does not mention this

 

why not call IP :

 

http://instantpot.com/contact-us/

 

Ive called them in the past a few times and they were very helpful

 

if you do  Im interested in what they say as that would indicate how the IP measures internal pressure in the Pot.

[Shelby]

1 hour ago, MelissaH said:

Is anyone using their Instant Pot at high altitude? We'll be visiting my parents in Colorado this summer, and their house is at 8600 feet. Do you need to increase the cooking times a little? Any other recipe adjustments? @Shelby, I'm particularly interested in what you would do for a cheesecake at altitude. I've been a flatlander for so long now that I've forgotten most of what I used to do as a matter of course.

My mom lives at 8,661 ft.  She takes the time of a pressure cooker recipe and multiplies it by 1.4.  This is done loosely, though.....

 

If I were doing a cheesecake at high alt.  I'd do it for 50 mins. If it still looks too jiggly in the middle I'd go for 5 -7 mins more.

[Smithy]

Quote

If I were doing a cheesecake at high alt.  I'd do it for 50 mins. If it still looks too jiggly in the middle I'd go for 5 -7 mins more.

 

I see this sort of adjustment being made often among those of you who have taken the IP plunge and who are learning its ways.  Forgive me if it's been noted before, but how much time does it take to come up to pressure, and at the end to release the pressure?  In this specific instance, if 50 minutes wasn't enough, and you had to go for another 5 - 7 minutes, how much total time extra would be required as a result of releasing and then re-pressurizing?

[Anna N]

24 minutes ago, Smithy said:

 

I see this sort of adjustment being made often among those of you who have taken the IP plunge and who are learning its ways.  Forgive me if it's been noted before, but how much time does it take to come up to pressure, and at the end to release the pressure?  In this specific instance, if 50 minutes wasn't enough, and you had to go for another 5 - 7 minutes, how much total time extra would be required as a result of releasing and then re-pressurizing?

 Much depends on the amount of liquid in the pot. The more liquid the longer it will take to reach pressure.   Also of course if you start with cold liquid it takes longer than if you start with hot liquid.   When you are checking to see if something is done to your liking the contents of the pot are already hot so it doesn't take long for it to come back up to pressure but I don't think anybody can give you a definitive time. 

[ElsieD]

I normally cook pork chops sous vide but last night I decided to cook them in the IP.  I followed the directions in The Great Big Pressure Cooker Book by Bruce Weinstein and Mark Scarborough.   That is, after browning they were cooked on high for 10 with a quick release.  Today I recieved an email from Pressure cooking Today also dealing with pork chops.  Their recommendation was 1 minute on high followed by a natural release. Quite a difference.  When we were eating the pork chops, the first few bites were nice and juicy but the more we ate of them, the drier they got.  Any comments on the discrepancy between the two methods?

[rotuts]

well of course, the thickness matters.

 

I do like the idea of the 1 minute then the natural release.

 

at above  212 you are going to get a very contracted piece of meat, i.e. its going to be dry in that sense  as all the moisture has been squeezed out.

 

if you can stand it, please try the 1 minute w natural release.

[ElsieD]

34 minutes ago, rotuts said:

well of course, the thickness matters.

 

I do like the idea of the 1 minute then the natural release.

 

at above  212 you are going to get a very contracted piece of meat, i.e. its going to be dry in that sense  as all the moisture has been squeezed out.

 

if you can stand it, please try the 1 minute w natural release.

 

Mine were about 1 1/2" thick.  The claim being made is that with a quick release, it squeezes the moisture out which according to the same claim, won't happen with a natural release.   I will try a one minute cook when next I do  chops, but what do other eople do?  I thought Weinstein and Scarborough were experts.  

[Dave the Cook]

23 minutes ago, ElsieD said:

 

 . . . I thought Weinstein and Scarborough were experts.  

 

When I saw their assertion that salt evaporated, I quit reading.

[Shelby]

3 hours ago, Smithy said:

 

I see this sort of adjustment being made often among those of you who have taken the IP plunge and who are learning its ways.  Forgive me if it's been noted before, but how much time does it take to come up to pressure, and at the end to release the pressure?  In this specific instance, if 50 minutes wasn't enough, and you had to go for another 5 - 7 minutes, how much total time extra would be required as a result of releasing and then re-pressurizing?

What Anna said is exactly right.

 

I will time it next cheesecake making day.  Just off of the top of my head I think it takes me about 10 mins ..maybe a bit longer to get to pressure using 2 cups of water.  Like Anna says it depends on the temp of your water and also the ingredients.  Also like Anna says it takes like a couple of mins to get back to pressure if you have to cook it longer after releasing.

 

 

[Shelby]

Another IP banana bread

 

[rotuts]

I can't for the life of me stand BB.

 

however, yours looks mighty tasty, 'In the Round'

 

If your called it Cranberry - Toffee Bread I-t-R  Id dig right in.  with some whipped cream maybe ?