Instant Pot. Multi-function cooker (Part 4)

[Okanagancook]

On 2016-11-30 at 0:47 AM, quiet1 said:

I blame all of you for the fact I just put this thing on my list for 'Santa' this year. You keep making such tasty looking food in such little time.

Ha, ha.  Do not look at the cuisineart convection steam oven thread!

[quiet1]

1 hour ago, Okanagancook said:

Ha, ha.  Do not look at the cuisineart convection steam oven thread!

 

Oh, I know all about that thread too, I just can't figure out where I'd put a steam oven. I figure the instant pot would go where the slow cooker is now.

[gfweb]

@quiet1 Steam oven >>> Instant Pot

[quiet1]

3 minutes ago, gfweb said:

@quiet1 Steam oven >>> Instant Pot

 

Much bigger footprint though, isn't it? I can't figure out a good place for it that wouldn't take up needed counter space. Maybe if I find a better place for my spices it could go in the corner... (I have two of those YouCopia spice drawer things and they are both full. We might have a spice problem in this house, just slightly...)

[gfweb]

I'd try to find a way to make it work.

[JoNorvelleWalker]

23 minutes ago, quiet1 said:

 

Much bigger footprint though, isn't it? I can't figure out a good place for it that wouldn't take up needed counter space. Maybe if I find a better place for my spices it could go in the corner... (I have two of those YouCopia spice drawer things and they are both full. We might have a spice problem in this house, just slightly...)

 

@quiet1 I use pressure cookers all the time -- well, at least I'm using a pressure cooker at the moment.  I'm pretty sure the function of an Instant Pot could be replaced by a pressure cooker and a rice cooker.  No appliance that I have can replace a CSO (currently steam baking tonight's half chicken).  Sorry to hijack your Instant Pot thread again.

 

On my counter top the CSO replaced the toaster, if that helps.

 

[gfweb]

19 minutes ago, JoNorvelleWalker said:

 

@quiet1 I use pressure cookers all the time -- well, at least I'm using a pressure cooker at the moment.  I'm pretty sure the function of an Instant Pot could be replaced by a pressure cooker and a rice cooker.  No appliance that I have can replace a CSO (currently steam baking tonight's half chicken).  Sorry to hijack your Instant Pot thread again.

 

On my counter top the CSO replaced the toaster, if that helps.

 

That's the thing. Instant pot is a PC that does other stuff. Its very useful and faster than a PC. But CSO does stuff that a regular oven doesn't do.

[gfweb]

My bias is cooking in pans on a fire.  Or in an oven.

 

But there's stuff that can be better for certain things. Like sous vide or an steam oven.

 

I'm not moved by making risotto in a pressure cooker, I do fine in a saute pan...the experience is part of the charm. But the steam oven is as good as my sort of finicky poaching of salmon... like I don't have to pay attention. Its better.

 

What I'm saying is that the steam oven makes things easier and better. The Instant Pot is nice. I like it and use it. But it isn't game changing

[Okanagancook]

All of what was said above.  Just find room!  Put something in the basement or storage.  My oven is back in my pantry and if I am doing something major in it I bring it out into the main kitchen.  It is very portable.  Otherwise I use it in the pantry.  Just an FYI.  It is forking amazing machine.

[quiet1]

We don't have a pressure cooker right now and I think the way a pressure cooker type device speeds things up and makes it simple to make a pot of whatever would fit into our lifestyle, so if I'm getting one anyway I figured the IP looked like the way to go. The stove is gas so I was thinking of an electric pressure cooker anyway so I feel less stressed about leaving it on while I'm not watching. (I don't entirely trust our stove when not supervised. My stove in England had a cut off so if the flame went out for some reason the gas stopped, but this one doesn't have that. Makes me twitchy about leaving stuff cooking.)

 

My concern with replacing the toaster with a toaster oven is that it seems less user-friendly for folks like the 11 year old who just wants toast? But I've never had a toaster oven so could be wrong.

 

I think I'm on to something with the moving the spices idea - they aren't in an ideal place anyway, I just can't figure out where else to put them that would be accessible and not a horrible place to store spices. (I don't want them right next to the oven, for example.) But that corner isn't usable as a countertop anyway so plunking a small appliance on it wouldn't be the end of the world. And that is near enough to the stove and the big oven that moving things between those or just using the stove as a safe place to put a hot pan would work well. I miss my previous kitchen - it had a broom cupboard and I basically lined the door with spice racks so everything was right there, easy to find, but not in the way. This kitchen is probably from 1950 or so and just doesn't make the most of the space at all.

[blue_dolphin]

3 minutes ago, quiet1 said:

My concern with replacing the toaster with a toaster oven is that it seems less user-friendly for folks like the 11 year old who just wants toast? But I've never had a toaster oven so could be wrong.

 

Well, there aren't any decent deals on the CSO at the moment so it you can continue to mull that over for a while.  That said, the CSO replaced my toaster on the countertop, with a little shifting here and there to make sure the steam vents wouldn't be under the cupboards while that function is used.  Stuff-on-toast is one of my major food groups and I can't imagine the CSO controls posing any sort of barrier to an 11 year old in search of toast.  A 90+ year old technophobe might need a bit of coaching to get comfortable with it but the average 11 year old will have it down pat in no time!

[rotuts]

the IP does enough ' simple ' things much faster w no attention required that is very much complements the CSB.

 

and as Ive been known to be a bit lazy recently , the Soup button , and its easy of use has got be back to making stock

 

and  indeed  Soup.

 

 

Edited December 6, 2016 by rotuts (log)

[quiet1]

10 hours ago, blue_dolphin said:

 

Well, there aren't any decent deals on the CSO at the moment so it you can continue to mull that over for a while.  That said, the CSO replaced my toaster on the countertop, with a little shifting here and there to make sure the steam vents wouldn't be under the cupboards while that function is used.  Stuff-on-toast is one of my major food groups and I can't imagine the CSO controls posing any sort of barrier to an 11 year old in search of toast.  A 90+ year old technophobe might need a bit of coaching to get comfortable with it but the average 11 year old will have it down pat in no time!

 

'It's less the operating and more the mental issue of turning on and using an oven rather than just shoving something in a toaster? For some reason using an oven immediately seems like more work and more time consuming even if it really isn't.  I will discuss it with other folks in the house, though, since there is time to think about it.

 

Back to the IP - how well does it do as a rice cooker? We have a normal rice cooker at the moment and it didn't even occur to me that the IP could potentially replace that as well as the slow cooker.

[rotuts]

Ive used a Fuzzy Rice Cooking for over 15 years.  it makes perfect rice.

 

the IP does the same , but much quicker , once you get the rinse , soak , drain  and the amount of water to use to suit your tastes.

[blue_dolphin]

I had a very basic, very old rice cooker.  I am very happy with IP rice, particularly using the pot-in-pot method for small quantities, so my old rice cooker is out in the garage, awaiting donation.....or placement in a museum !

Others have reported that they adore their rice cookers and don't see the IP taking its place.  Different strokes....

 

One more CSO comment - it's completely timer driven so there is no risk of forgetting to turn it off and leaving the house with a blazing oven. It also requires no pre-heat time so I (or an 11 year old) can slide a frozen pizza in, push a couple of buttons and it will cook, beep when it's done and shut off.  Much safer for the forgetful among us....and for our frozen pizzas !

 

[quiet1]

If we can replace the slow cooker and the rice maker that would be really nice... Santa may need to come early this year.

[kayb]

I was a late convert to both of these. Would not go back, not for a second. I use the CSO probably more than the IP, but they have both made major inroads into stove use. Particularly love the CSO in the summer, as it does not heat up the kitchen so much!

[robirdstx]

I posted this dish in the Dinner Topic. Here is how I used the Instant Pot to make it.

 

"Instant Pot" Risotto with Duck Breast & Cracklins, Baby Bella Mushrooms, Water Chestnuts & Green Onion

 

 

Ingredients:
2 Tbs Duck Fat
1/4 small Onion, fine dice
2 cloves Garlic, minced
4 oz. Baby Bella Mushrooms, halved and thinly sliced
1 cup Arborio rice
1/4 cup white wine (or dry vermouth)
2 cups Chicken broth
1/4 cup Water chestnuts, cut into matchstick pieces
1/4 cup cooked Duck Breast meat, cut into matchstick pieces
1/3 cup grated Parmesan, plus more for garnish
Fresh ground black pepper, to taste
1 Green Onion, diagonally sliced into 1/2" pieces, for garnish
2 Tbs Crispy Duck Breast Fat, crumbled, for garnish

 

Procedure:
Pre-heat the Instant Pot with sauté at medium setting.
When pre-heated, add Duck Fat.
When Fat has melted, add Onion and cook while stirring until translucent, about 1-2 minutes.
Add garlic and stir until fragrant, about 30 seconds.
Add mushrooms, stir and cook until limp, about 1-2 minutes.
Add rice and stir to coat, cook until lightly toasted, about 2 minutes.
Add wine or vermouth and stir to deglaze bowl and allow most of liquid to reduce, about 1-2 minutes.
Add broth and stir to release any ingredients that are sticking to the bottom of the bowl.
Turn Instant Pot off, cover Pot with vent in closed position and restart with Pot set to Manual at High pressure for 6 minutes.
At end of cooking time, turn the pot off and do a quick release.
Remove cover when pressure has been released and add water chestnuts and duck meat to Risotto and stir to incorporate.
Add grated Parmesan and stir to incorporate.
Add fresh ground black pepper, to taste.
Add sliced green onions, stir and serve with additional grated Parmesan and Duck cracklins.

Edited December 9, 2016 by robirdstx (log)

[kayb]

Sounds marvelous!

 

[ElsieD]

I tried making some hard boiled eggs in the IP today.  I followed my niece's instructions which was 1 cup water, 5 minutes on steam, instant release and straight into ice water.  What I got were yolks that were solid only around the edges.  The centers were runny, but thick runny, if that makes sense.  I did search this forum but got so many posts showing up I'd still be reading them after Christmas.  Therefore, I decided to take the quick way out:  how do you use your IP to get hard boiled eggs?

[blue_dolphin]

2 minutes ago, ElsieD said:

how do you use your IP to get hard boiled eggs?

I am an IP failure when it comes to hard boiled eggs.   Mine have been similarly undercooked so I've gone back to steaming.  

[rotuts]

@ElsieD  

 

the IP makes HB eggs perfectly and in bulk.

 

Use the Low Pressure setting

 

I put a Push-Pin hole in the air sack    the rounder part of the egg , but Ill leave that up to you  none of my many IP'd eggs have brokern

 

try 4 min  LP, Instant release     

 

I do 18 at a time as i have a Handy Basket to put them in , above the 1 cup of water.  so they pressure steam.

 

do the rapid chill and they peel easily as I then dry them and put them back in the container in the refit over night.

 

for me  the 3 min LP IR egg is perfect.  the yolk is cooked but there is a bit of center ' gel '

 

those eggs really need the over night in a cold refrig to peel easily , but do fine under running cold water

 

just keep track of what you do and you will find the right setting for your eggs

 

mine are always generic supper market eggs.  large

 

good luck  !

[Shelby]

I have never had a failure this way:

 

1 cup of cold tap water

Place eggs on trivet that came with the IP

Low pressure

5 minutes

Natural release (usually takes 5-8 mins)

Put eggs in cold water bath

[Shelby]

I've seen a lot of recipes for spaghetti and meatballs done in the IP.  I've thought about trying it, but .....I like the way I make mine on the stovetop so there's that lol.   Last night Ronnie had a dinner meeting so I was on my own for most of the afternoon and evening.  I decided I would get started on wrapping some presents.  I must always have some wine while wrapping....makes it less painless lol.  So, by the time I was done it was like 8 p.m. and I was HUNGRY.  I've seen so many good looking dishes that @HungryChris has been making --specifically oysters......  I didn't have any oysters.  The only thing I have that is remotely close is canned clams.  Bingo!  Clams in white wine sauce.  But I wanted it quick.  Yay, I googled and found an IP recipe.  It's super easy.  I added a can of artichoke hearts.  It's lacking something that I can't put my finger on, but it was perfectly acceptable.  One pot, fast, quick clean up.  I was pleasantly surprised that the texture of the pasta was not mushy.  And, It left time for more wine drinking

 

[HungryChris]

30 minutes ago, Shelby said:

 The only thing I have that is remotely close is canned clams.  Bingo!  Clams in white wine sauce.  But I wanted it quick.  Yay, I googled and found an IP recipe.  It's super easy.  I added a can of artichoke hearts.  It's lacking something that I can't put my finger on, but it was perfectly acceptable.  One pot, fast, quick clean up.  I was pleasantly surprised that the texture of the pasta was not mushy.  And, It left time for more wine drinking

 

 I am glad to read that we share a clear set of established priorities! And I try to buy fresh clams if I am thinking ahead, but always try to have canned clams on hand for just such an occasion. 

HC