Instant Pot. Multi-function cooker (Part 4)

[blue_dolphin]

I like the IP for cooking winter squash for soup, etc. but for spaghetti squash, I use the microwave, as @andiesenji describes in this post.  I use a big screwdriver to stab it !

[ElsieD]

This is the first time I used the slow cooker function.  This would have worked better in my regular slow cooker as the surface area is bigger.  As the ingredients were not totally submerged in the sauce, I tried to turn the chicken (and potatoes and carrots) over to sauce them and the chicken wanted to fall apart.  This is Dakdoritang, or Korean spicy chicken stew.  Despite the two tablespoons of gochugaru and the two tablespoons of gochujang it wasn't particularly spicy.

[kayb]

On 1/26/2017 at 11:15 AM, blue_dolphin said:

 

 

Well, once again I have that odd quote thingy at the top left over from a previous post, and can't get rid of it. Sorry.

 

I'm following this, as well. I also bought a spag squash the other day, with an eye toward cooking it in the IP. A perusal of Google shows multitudes of recipes in the 5-8 minute category, but I found only 1 that addressed cooking it whole; they said 17 minutes, and then quick release and test it with a fork.

 

Will report if/when I try mine.

 

[Shelby]

9 minutes ago, kayb said:

 

 

Well, once again I have that odd quote thingy at the top left over from a previous post, and can't get rid of it. Sorry.

 

I'm following this, as well. I also bought a spag squash the other day, with an eye toward cooking it in the IP. A perusal of Google shows multitudes of recipes in the 5-8 minute category, but I found only 1 that addressed cooking it whole; they said 17 minutes, and then quick release and test it with a fork.

 

Will report if/when I try mine.

 

Excellent!  I was scared to go further but 17 mins is what I'll try next time.

[Mysstwalker]

I found an Instant Pot glass lid for my DUO tonight on Amazon for 1.11 and free shipping. Just waiting for the other shoe to drop but if it does, at least I am only out 1.11!

 

[palo]

Just so you know:

 

http://www.ctvnews.ca/lifestyle/from-ottawa-to-world-domination-the-story-of-the-instant-pot-1.3319793

 

p

[rotuts]

made a Corned Beef dinner last night , as I have a small horde of CB !

 

i used @HungryChris  's method for the veg.

 

I thawed a CB , re-bagged , and Anova'd :

 

 

 

I saved the Jus for the iPot veg

 

 

I added water first then some more Cb ' jus' I had in the refrig to get to a decent SaltPoint.   the jus out of the bag is vary salty and there is not

 

much of it.   I added a bay leaf, some freshly cracked whole black pepper , and mustard seeds.   Mustard seeds at any Indian Store

 

are almost free !  and some chili flakes.  I do not have whole garlic as I sue TJ's frozen.

 

I iP'd the liquid alone first for a few minutes on HP then released.  I thought that would give the flavorings more time to mingle.

 

added the potatoes , carrots and cabbage.  I tried LP for 4 minutes w a 10 m release.   the CB was floating around in the Anova set up.

 

the veg came out a little over done for me , but were very tasty.  

 

forgot to take a pic  dans le plate.    I was very hungry at that point.  but very very tasty.  Ill adjust the veg times , probably giving it another try

 

today. )

 

the combination of SV'd  CB  ( in bulk !   )   reheated in the bag , then using the jus for the veg is a very nice way to have a quick but

 

tasty meal.

[rotuts]

P.S.:

 

i had some leftover veg from the above that I saved and refrigerated.  I had them cold for breakfast   considering they were a bit over cooked for my

 

taste , they were quite good.  looking forward to getting the veg. right ( for me )

[ElsieD]

I finally got around to checking the temperature of the slow cook function of my two Instant Pots.  I put 8 cups of cold water in each of them.  The readings for the Smart Cooker were 202F on low, 212F on normal and 212F on high.  Odd that both normal and high read the same 212F.  The readings for the DUO 60 7in1 were 182-183F on less, 193-194F on normal and 202-203F on more.  I would say that the Smart Cooker can only be used to slow cook on the low function and only if one would use the high setting on the DUO.  I'm going to contact them and see what they have to say.

[Shelby]

55 minutes ago, ElsieD said:

I finally got around to checking the temperature of the slow cook function of my two Instant Pots.  I put 8 cups of cold water in each of them.  The readings for the Smart Cooker were 202F on low, 212F on normal and 212F on high.  Odd that both normal and high read the same 212F.  The readings for the DUO 60 7in1 were 182-183F on less, 193-194F on normal and 202-203F on more.  I would say that the Smart Cooker can only be used to slow cook on the low function and only if one would use the high setting on the DUO.  I'm going to contact them and see what they have to say.

Thanks for doing this.  I am very interested in what the IP people have to say.

[Shelby]

I posted about this in the corned beef topic but I wanted to make a note here, too.  I used the IP to make ours.  I wanted to test out the slow cook.  It did a good job.  The veggies and the corned beef were all in there for 10 hours or so (we like our veggies soft).  I used the "normal" setting for the slow cook.  I think the low is just the same temp as the keep warm button and the high is too high for an all day cook like that.  I'd use the high to get a jump start on heating up the slow cook and then reduce it down to normal after an hour.

 

[rotuts]

finally got to the ChinaMart in Alston :

 

 

$  10.99

 

@Shelby  

 

[Shelby]

19 minutes ago, rotuts said:

finally got to the ChinaMart in Alston :

 

 

$  10.99

 

@Shelby  

 

Oh NICE!!!  Did you like the buns?  What are they filled with?

[rotuts]

this is the brand of Buns I like :

 

 

I also got roast pork.  they didn't have these buns for some time and that made the trip to the market a bit of a bust

 

except for lots of Jars and Cans and stuff like that Ill put in the basement and forget about. ................

 

these are refrigerated , and do fine in the Micro.  there are larger buns w more bread , those would do well in the iP'd  BigBamboo 

 

I didn't get wrappers for making my own dumplings , as that on the horizon.  they had a version w egg and a version w/o

 

they had some stunning  pork belly but I declined as I have two vac-packed in the freezer.

[FauxPas]

On 3/6/2017 at 6:47 AM, Shelby said:

The instructions that I read said it was best to cut it in half before cooking it in the IP.  Well, hell, that defeats the easiness of doing it the IP, IMO.  Also, I did try to cut it in half.  Wasn't gonna happen without me losing at least one finger.  Anyway, I'd also read plenty of reports of doing it whole with no problems.  So, a cup of water or so, trivet in, squash on top.  8 mins, high pressure, quick release.  Was able to easily slice it in half and remove the seeds.  But, I tested a strand and it was super "al dente".  Back in it went for 4 mins.  Took it out....still too al dente for me ( Ronnie loved it) , but we were hungry so I ate it.  I don't know if I would have done it more if it would have turned too mushy?  Anyone else done a spag squash in the IP?

 

I did a spaghetti squash in the IP last autumn and it was overdone and completely mushy - I could hardly detect the strands at all for some sections. I can't remember how long I cooked it and didn't write it down because I decided I would prefer to cook them in either oven or microwave in future. Oven cooking might be best for me because I'm fussy about the right texture and it is easy to monitor the doneness by periodic testing in the oven.

 

But if we get quite a few spag squash in our CSA box this Fall, I might give the IP another try.   

 

[robirdstx]

I was going to make a Country Captain but wanted to add potatoes to make it more of a Chicken and Potato Curry, then decided to throw in some Green Peas at the end, so it's a Chicken and Vegetable Curry Stew, I guess. Good stuff!

 

 

Sauteed onion, celery, bell pepper and garlic in bacon drippings for a few minutes. Added canned whole tomatoes (chopped) with their juice, orange juice and spices (curry powder, thyme, cumin and cayenne) and simmered for a few minutes. Added the potatoes and boneless chicken breast (cut into large pieces) and cooked on Manual, High Pressure for 8 minutes, then Quick Release. Added frozen green peas and thickened gravy with xanthum gum and left on Keep Warm while heating the Naan in the oven. See the Dinner Topic for my plate.

Edited April 3, 2017 by robirdstx (log)

[Anna N]

 Over on the dinner topic I posted photographs of a crustless quiche. This is a recipe from @JAZ' book "Instant Pot Obsession".

 For less than three dollars for the Kindle edition I think this book is well worth a serious look.  It impresses me most for being honest about the time it takes to make something in the Instant Pot.   Unlike many recipes I have seen it includes the time taken for the pot to reach pressure.   So far only one recipe has me scratching my head and that is a recipe for poached eggs which requires bringing 2 quarts of water to a simmer in the Instant Pot. Seems as if it's a bit of a stretch unless one has no other method of poaching eggs. 

 I have some chicken thawing out at the moment with the intent of making the Mulligatawny soup from this book. 

 it has very few photographs which of course is to keep the price down but if photos are not that important to you this book seems to me to be a bargain. 

 

 edited to add

I have no more connection to @JAZ than the vast majority of society members. No kickback for me.  

Edited April 4, 2017 by Anna N (log)

[Okanagancook]

7 minutes ago, Anna N said:

 Over on the dinner topic I posted photographs of a crustless quiche. This is a recipe from @JAZ' book "Instant Pot Obsession".

 For less than three dollars for the Kindle edition I think this book is well worth a serious look.  It impresses me most for being honest about the time it takes to make something in the Instant Pot.   Unlike many recipes I have seen it includes the time taken for the pot to reach pressure.   So far only one recipe has me scratching my head and that is a recipe for poached eggs which requires bringing 2 quarts of water to a simmer in the Instant Pot. Seems as if it's a bit of a stretch unless one has no other method of poaching eggs. 

 I have some chicken thawing out at the moment with the intent of making the Mulligatawny soup from this book. 

 it has very few photographs which of course is to keep the price down but if photos are not that important to you this book seems to me to be a bargain. 

 

 edited to add

I have no more connection to @JAZ than the vast majority of society members. No kickback for me.  

 

We love Mulligatawny Soup.  Many moons ago I was able to buy 'Bolts' Mulligatawny Soup Paste but it has disappeared. I spent quite a bit of time searching for a recipe that duplicated that flavour and I just made a couple of batches.  Mine is just finely chopped onions; a little tomato peeled, seeded and chopped; the paste; lemon juice (in the soup and usually a slice in the soup bowl that the eater squishes to get the amount of tang they like); good stock (chicken or lamb) and a little chopped cilantro to finish.  Additions sometimes include those little red lentils or rice; chopped lamb cubes that have been browned (this is probably my favourite addition); chopped chicken (usually left over).  I could have a bowl for breakfast!

[Anna N]

10 minutes ago, Okanagancook said:

We love Mulligatawny Soup.  Many moons ago I was able to buy 'Bolts' Mulligatawny Soup Paste but it has disappeared. I spent quite a bit of time searching for a recipe that duplicated that flavour and I just made a couple of batches.  Mine is just finely chopped onions; a little tomato peeled, seeded and chopped; the paste; lemon juice (in the soup and usually a slice in the soup bowl that the eater squishes to get the amount of tang they like); good stock (chicken or lamb) and a little chopped cilantro to finish.  Additions sometimes include those little red lentils or rice; chopped lamb cubes that have been browned (this is probably my favourite addition); chopped chicken (usually left over).  I could have a bowl for breakfast!

 Amazing how people differ in their opinion of what constitutes a good mulligatawny. I first ran into it in a hospital cafeteria long before the food in hospitals was outsourced!  I was actually employed in that hospital as a medical tech and they had some darn good stuff in the cafeteria. Their version of mulligatawny included apple which I found very exotic at the time. Now I can't think of mulligatawny without apple.  So the recipe in Jaz' book  checked all the right boxes. 

[rotuts]

thanks for the heads up on "Instant Pot Obsession"

 

my library system is placing it on order.

[lindag]

50 minutes ago, Anna N said:

 Over on the dinner topic I posted photographs of a crustless quiche. This is a recipe from @JAZ' book "Instant Pot Obsession".

 For less than three dollars for the Kindle edition I think this book is well worth a serious look.  

 

Just so you know, the ebook is no longer available at that price, it's now $6.29 but it is rated 5 stars.

[Anna N]

13 minutes ago, lindag said:

Just so you know, the ebook is no longer available at that price, it's now $6.29 but it is rated 5 stars.

 Darn. I didn't realize that was a sale price or I would've mentioned that.   I still think it's a good book.  It seems to have many of the techniques that I like to use easily accessible.  And let's face it, its author had some darn good teachers.

[Toliver]

Regarding Mulligatawny Soup, I believe it was made at one of the past Egullet Pig Pickin' gatherings. The original recipe called for squirrel, I believe, and if I recall correctly, the eG version from the event had squirrel in it, as well.

[Anna N]

5 minutes ago, Toliver said:

Regarding Mulligatawny Soup, I believe it was made at one of the past Egullet Pig Pickin' gatherings. The original recipe called for squirrel, I believe, and if I recall correctly, the eG version from the event had squirrel in it, as well.

 It's an interesting idea but I rather doubt that even the finest historian could trace the original recipe for the soup.  As for squirrel... Given that it seems to be an Anglo-Indian concoction  makes me question that concept.  Brunswick stew, yes. Mulligatawny soup, I doubt it.  But who knows.  

[Dave the Cook]

2 hours ago, Toliver said:

Regarding Mulligatawny Soup, I believe it was made at one of the past Egullet Pig Pickin' gatherings. The original recipe called for squirrel, I believe, and if I recall correctly, the eG version from the event had squirrel in it, as well.

 

2 hours ago, Anna N said:

 It's an interesting idea but I rather doubt that even the finest historian could trace the original recipe for the soup.  As for squirrel... Given that it seems to be an Anglo-Indian concoction  makes me question that concept.  Brunswick stew, yes. Mulligatawny soup, I doubt it.  But who knows.  

 

Ooh! Ooh! I know!

 

I think Toliver is confused, and as I attended and cooked at both Pig Pickin's, I can confirm that it was indeed Brunswick Stew. I can also confirm that, while squirrel was discussed, we ended up using rabbit, along with chicken and pork. Dean (aka Varmint) and I did quite a bit of research, but we could never nail down an "official" list of ingredients; we couldn't even determine which Brunswick (of the 15 Brunswicks in the US) the dish was named after.

 

Having said all that, Brunswick Stew seems like a good candidate for the Instant Pot.