Instant Pot. Multi-function cooker (Part 5)

[robirdstx]

29 minutes ago, weedy said:

 

Sauteeing in the IP is a major PIA for no discernible upside.

 

 

I have not found that to be the case. 

[Anna N]

46 minutes ago, weedy said:

I think the IP works as a standalone electric pressure cooker.

 

all the rest of it, and it's 46 buttons, is silly. 

It feels to me like bending over backwards to do everything in one pot when it's easier and more efficient to do it in several. 

Sauteeing in the IP is a major PIA for no discernible upside.

 

 

 

You are absolutely entitled to your opinion and for you and your lifestyle the Instant Pot may not be a good fit.  But you are decidedly in the minority not only of this  demographic but apparently of a much larger demographic.  Doesn't make  you wrong and the rest of us right but it does make you decidedly different.  And that can be a good thing. Cheers. 

[lindag]

I admit to being frustrated when sautéing with my IP.  Maybe it's operator error but I have had difficulty .  Once I ditched the whole process and reverted to my range and LeCreuset.  For me, it's more fiddly than it should be.  That's why I'm thinking about getting the mini..it seems to be able to adjust settings more easily.

[Beebs]

Another benefit I can see of sauteing in the IP is that you can deglaze in the same cooking vessel. If I saute in a separate pan, I'd have to deglaze and then somehow get all the liquid into the IP still.

 

Anyway, I've been gifted a pack of beef "finger" meat (kind of like short rib, but boneless). So this week I'll be doing red-cooked beef for Taiwanese beef noodle. DH is tasked with getting a pack of tendons & beef bones (for the soup part). Not sure how the timing would work out for the pressure cooking part, especially for the tendons to get soft enough. Guess I'll start with the Meat function and see what happens??  Is 30 mins enough time, plus natural release?  Any other advice?

 

I'd intended to try a few simpler things to get a better feel for the IP, like rice, chickpeas, and potatoes. But, well...free beef!

[Mmmpomps]

Back home from a short trip to PEI where I unexpectedly got engaged! The man wasn't even there

Influenced by Shelby's porcupine meatballs I did a play on them:

 

Instant Pot Porcupine Teriyaki meatballs with garlic green beans.

Meatballs:
1 lb of ground beef
mixed with 3/4 cup of white rice
salt and pepper
Garlic powder
Worsteshire
Form into balls
Layer half into IP
Add Teriyaki sauce about 3/4 of a cup and 1/3 cup of water
add rest of meatballs on top Liquid should not cover top row so the rice sticks out
Manual high pressure 15 minutes and 10 natural pressure release

Green beans were done on saute but I think 0 pressure and quick release would be fine.

Edited September 20, 2017 by Mmmpomps (log)

[Anna N]

17 minutes ago, Mmmpomps said:

Back home from a short trip to PEI where I unexpectedly got engaged! The man wasn't even there

 Wow. Congratulations. 

[Mmmpomps]

14 minutes ago, Anna N said:

 Wow. Congratulations. 

 

Thanks I thought he was a confirmed bachelor and I thought I'd never go down that path again...we're getting married in PEI ...how could I say no when this is on the menu....I had these at the shellfish festival last week:

[curls]

Congratulations @Mmmpomps!

[Shelby]

Oh how great!  Congratulations @Mmmpomps!!!!

[kayb]

Many congratulations! (I have no doubt it was the Instant Pot meals that did it...)

 

 

[Anna N]

 

 Butter chicken (with green beans)  and basmati rice in the Instant Pot.  The recipe is from the Indian Instant Pot® Cookbook.  Hardly the world's best butter chicken but given the amount of effort needed it will certainly stay in my books. 

[rotuts]

@Anna N 

 

this one ?

 

https://twosleevers.com/news/indian-instant-pot-cookbook-urvashi/

 

yikes

 

my library system does not have it !

 

 

[Anna N]

9 minutes ago, rotuts said:

@Anna N 

 

this one ?

 

https://twosleevers.com/news/indian-instant-pot-cookbook-urvashi/

 

yikes

 

my library system does not have it !

 

 

 Yes. That is the one. It was just on sale for a little over two dollars for the Kindle edition. 

[ElsieD]

27 minutes ago, Anna N said:

 Yes. That is the one. It was just on sale for a little over two dollars for the Kindle edition. 

 

37 minutes ago, rotuts said:

@Anna N 

 

this one ?

 

https://twosleevers.com/news/indian-instant-pot-cookbook-urvashi/

 

yikes

 

my library system does not have it !

 

 

I wondered about that too.  

[Mmmpomps]

Rotissery Greek leg of lamb, stuffed with garlic and rosemary and rubbed with olive oil just like my sister showed me. Greek salad
and Instant Pot Salt Potatoes courtesy of this old gal website:
1/2 cup of fine salt
Mixed in pot with three cups of potatoes
baby spuds whole
Manual High for two minutes Leave for 15
Add butter after and NO SALT

[Norm Matthews]

Charlie got it for me at Christmas time. It is the 8qt. size.  As near as I can tell it is the Duo 8 qt, not any of the more advanced ones.  I don't think they had any of the other fancier ones when I got mine. I told Charlie I was thinking about getting one and he told me I was NOT allowed to get anything for myself between Thanksgiving and New Years. If I had got one myself, I probably would have got a 6 qt. one but I am glad he got the bigger one.  I doubt I would have been interested in one that did more than the plain manual one does either.  It cooks pot roasts in less than an hour when it takes all day on the stove top, oven or slow cooker.

Edited September 21, 2017 by Norm Matthews (log)

[Beebs]

Anna N & Mmmpomps, those meals look so good!

 

I made plain white rice. 

[rotuts]

@Anna N 

 

I dont suppose that Butter Chicken Rx is on line ?

 

I will ask my lib to get the book 

 

eventually

[Anna N]

59 minutes ago, rotuts said:

@Anna N 

 

I dont suppose that Butter Chicken Rx is on line ?

 

I will ask my lib to get the book 

 

eventually

Here  you go but the ads will drive you to distraction. 

[Tropicalsenior]

On 9/18/2017 at 5:29 PM, weedy said:

I think the IP works as a standalone electric pressure cooker.

 

all the rest of it, and it's 46 buttons, is silly. 

I just wanted to add a short note about my reasons and reasoning for using the instant pot. I am basically a lazy person but I love good food. Since I have come to know and love my instant pot I have found so many things that are easier to make and turn out better than the more laborious methods.

 

I don't know about the 46 buttons because, as I have said before here, I have a Chinese knockoff pot. Mine is a 15 and 1. I have a setting for congee, which being a Chinese knockoff, I suppose is logical. But then I have a separate setting for chili. Do you suppose the Chinese think that all westerners make so much chili we need a separate setting? I also have a setting for curry, spelled curri, which I suppose is in an attempt to capture the Indian market, where everyone is in love with pressure cookers. Again, logical. But then, in addition to a white rice and the brown rice setting I have a feature for multigrain. My point is, I think we all choose our own favorite features and get familiar with them and use them most. I don't use all the features of my washing machine. Nor do I use all the burners on my stove, especially since I got my instant pot. we pick our battles and fight them in the way that is best for us.

 

My grandson works for Amazon, and in a sales meeting the other day they were told that the instant pot is now their top selling item in the world. That includes Europe, India, North and South America, and, yes, they are even selling them to China. It is well on the way to being their top selling item of all times! There has got to be a reason for the popularity of this item. It's not a fad like the pet rock, everybody else has to have one. People are buying more than one and recommending them to all their friends because it's a good, reliable product, that does what it says it's going to do, and more importantly, sooner or later, like me, everyone can use it. It has become a phenomenon that has amazed even Amazon.

 

It might be overstating it a bit to say that I am passionate about my Chinese knock-off instant pot. But if someone were to break into my home and steal everything I have, they will find me wrapped around my instant pot, fighting for it with my life. The only way that they are going to get it is to pry it out of my cold, dead arms.

With that, I will sit down and shut up.

Edited September 21, 2017 by Tropicalsenior (log)

[kayb]

I like mine a lot. I don't use it every day...maybe not even weekly. But I would hate to not have it. It's great for cooking dry beans, and I like it for soups and stews. I rarely use my crock pot any more.

 

[rotuts]

@Anna N 

 

thank you for the ref. for the B.C.

 

don't have ad-blockers N. of the Border , eh ?

 

took a while to load,  but got it all and the ref's to some other iPot Indian.

 

and not a single ad.

 

@Tropicalsenior 

 

well said.

 

with SV , Combi-Oven  ( even a small one )  and the iPot

 

almost every thing I make is covered and much easier to cook, and comes out better and faster.

 

very interesting to hear how the iPot is doing with Amazon.

 

its my understanding that the iPot Folks never bothered w advertising.

 

ATK really did miss the boat w that one !

Edited September 21, 2017 by rotuts (log)

[Anna N]

 

 Curried lamb ribs and (leftover) basmati rice. 

[Tropicalsenior]

On 9/14/2017 at 4:42 PM, Anna N said:

 My inclination would be to roast the tomatoes to concentrate their flavor as well as to dry them. But otherwise I don't see why it wouldn't work and I'm fairly sure that I was eating it at room temperature. 

I don't know if Shelby made your cheesecake, but I did. I know that I am going to sound like that terrible neighbor that asks for the recipe, then tells you, “I changed this, left that out, and baked it half an hour longer and it turned out terrible. That was a bad recipe you gave me. You must have left something out”. But no, although I had to adapt the recipe proportions according to the pan that I had and use different flavoring ingredients, according to what I am able to get here, I followed your recipe and your clear-cut directions and it turned out great. Thank you. I have been looking for years for a good Savory cheesecake recipe and this one is perfect.

 

I had to substitute salmon for the sun dried tomatoes because, although I can get them here, they are a bit expensive and I didn't feel like selling my car to buy some. I substituted finely diced celery and fennel bulb for the scallions because my housemate is allergic to all onions and garlic. I seasoned it with fresh dill and a few drops of smoke flavor. It turned out beautifully.

This is the cheesecake as I turned it out of the pan. I would have posted pictures of it after it was sliced but I had guests and they ate it all.

[Tropicalsenior]

1 hour ago, rotuts said:

 

its my understanding that the iPot Folks never bothered w advertising

From what I understood, this is one thing that is baffling the Amazon people. it looks like most of the sales are generated by peer-to-peer advertising. I can't help but wonder how many sales the eGullet Community is responsible for.

Edited September 22, 2017 by Tropicalsenior (log)