Instant Pot. Multi-function cooker (Part 5)

[ElsieD]

Some people in the past have commented on the gasket picking up odors and having trouble getting rid of the smell.  I just read where Wirecutter recommends cleaning the it then baking it in a 250F oven for 20 - 30 minutes.  No idea if it works but I find they are a  pretty reliable group.

[Yiannos]

I just take the gasket off and throw it in the dishwasher when I am done cooking, and unless I cooked something super funky it rarely holds onto any odors. Not sure if this is right or wrong, but being silicone it should be fine in there and it still works perfectly after a couple of years now.

[TdeV]

I don't make much beef, but I'm getting ready to do some soon.

Very early in our Instant Pot experience, my BF and I reduced a bottle of Zinfandel by 50% and used it to make Boeuf Bourguignon.  We had used chuck, diced.

One of the cookbook reference tables stated 18-22 minutes at high pressure.

Not being sure, I set the time somewhat less, say 15 minutes.

At the end of the rest/release, I bit into a chunk of meat and decided it wasn't raw, and therefore it shouldn't cook any more.

As later reported, BF's DH said that the "meat had not spent enough time in the sauce."

 

Having pondered this, I decided this must have meant that the meat was too rare. So, my question is, how does one know when beef is done in the IP?

 

 

[rotuts]

@TdeV 

 

Im not sure about beef in an iPot.

 

Id say you know when the beef is done , buy keeping notes on

 

what you've done , and go from there.

 

Im not trying to be flippant.  then , say you get the beef done to your liking

 

do it the day before and let the beef and the juices re-equilablrage overnigh

 

in the fridge .  Chuck can be cooked , but still not tender.  looks like that's what you've gotten

 

Hope the Zin was table Zin , and it took too much for the team 

 

it is a good thing you reduced it before you added it to the iPot.

[TdeV]

@rotuts, ha ha. 😃 When I ate the stew, I was most interested in the sauce which was nice and fruity. I heard about BF's DH's remark much later. 🙂

 

I'd rather buy a roast than buy stew meat. My reading on eG seemed that chuck was the right cut. What is the right cut?

 

 

[rotuts]

chuck is the correct cut. 

 

not stew meat , which is marketed trimmings from her and there

 

the butcher wants to get rid of

 

probably a lot from the leg etc.

 

if you try this again , get a chuck roast or

 

a nice thick 7-blade cut.

 

look for that muscle right under the 7

 

its the Blade.   or get a blade roast  and dont let it near the iPot

 

and use the iPot for your potatoes

 

and reduced Zin.

[mgaretz]

No reviews but here are the links to what I bought.  They all work and fit.

 

https://www.amazon.com/gp/product/B07WRMG24C/ref=ppx_yo_dt_b_search_asin_title?ie=UTF8&psc=1

 

https://www.amazon.com/gp/product/B07BMXCHYG/ref=ppx_yo_dt_b_search_asin_title?ie=UTF8&psc=1

 

https://www.amazon.com/gp/product/B071WRZCHL/ref=ppx_yo_dt_b_search_asin_title?ie=UTF8&psc=1

 

https://www.amazon.com/gp/product/B0777XZBMZ/ref=ppx_yo_dt_b_search_asin_title?ie=UTF8&psc=1

 

The pot was on sale for $59.95 when I bought it, likely on Prime Day 2109.

[Kim Shook]

13 hours ago, TdeV said:

@rotuts, ha ha. 😃 When I ate the stew, I was most interested in the sauce which was nice and fruity. I heard about BF's DH's remark much later. 🙂

 

I'd rather buy a roast than buy stew meat. My reading on eG seemed that chuck was the right cut. What is the right cut?

 

 

I agree with @rotuts - chuck is a great choice.  So is brisket.  Here are two recipes I use - just so you can get an idea of timing and what the meat should be like going into the IP:

Brisket

 

Pot Roast (Chuck)

 

I'd like to hear from others, because I am NOT an IP expert by any means, but 22 minutes just doesn't seem long enough for braised beef.  

[rotuts]

@ Kim Shook 

 

I cant recall the temps , but Im wondering if low-pressure , but for longer of course

 

( Unattended ! excellent time for Personal Beverages ! ) would give more flavor-fun meat.

 

making sure you get the tenderness you want.   Im a low-temp beef person

 

so Im prejudiced ,  but if L-P iPot keeps more Jus in the meat  ( it might not )

 

than more flavor w each chew.   granted braise is about the sauce ...

[TdeV]

@Kim Shook, does the size of the piece(s) of meat make any difference to the length of time needed for IP high pressure cooking? I.e. cubed chuck or brisket vs. a multi-pound slab?

 

🙂

Edited September 29, 2020 by TdeV
Edited to say thank you for your recipes. (log)

[Kim Shook]

3 hours ago, TdeV said:

@Kim Shook, does the size of the piece(s) of meat make any difference to the length of time needed for IP high pressure cooking? I.e. cubed chuck or brisket vs. a multi-pound slab?

 

🙂

I honestly don't know the answer to that.  It seems like small pieces would cook quicker, but I don't know that that is so.  Anyone else know?

[rotuts]

larger pieces of meat will take longer to ' get to temperature '

 

than smaller .  I suspect , but do not empirically know

 

how long it takes to get to the LP temp or the HP temp.

 

for the entire contents of the iPot.   it is probably close to the time

 

pressure is maintained , i.e. the value pops up to maintain pressure

 

Im guessing , unless you have a single piece or hunk of meat 

 

cut up pieces say 1/2" vs 1" vs 2 " are not going to take long to get to Pot temp @ a given pressure.

 

so the differences in cooking of the three sizes given to total time you expect the contents

 

to be under pressure are not going to be noticeable 

 

just s guess.

[JAZ]

On 9/27/2020 at 4:29 PM, TdeV said:

I don't make much beef, but I'm getting ready to do some soon.

Very early in our Instant Pot experience, my BF and I reduced a bottle of Zinfandel by 50% and used it to make Boeuf Bourguignon.  We had used chuck, diced.

One of the cookbook reference tables stated 18-22 minutes at high pressure.

Not being sure, I set the time somewhat less, say 15 minutes.

At the end of the rest/release, I bit into a chunk of meat and decided it wasn't raw, and therefore it shouldn't cook any more.

As later reported, BF's DH said that the "meat had not spent enough time in the sauce."

 

Having pondered this, I decided this must have meant that the meat was too rare. So, my question is, how does one know when beef is done in the IP?

 

 

 

It depends on how you define "done." For chuck roast, if you want sliceable meat with a bit of chew (like for a pot roast), then 25-35 minutes at high pressure with natural release is about right. But if you want to be able to shred the meat (as for sandwiches), then you'll want 45 to 50 minutes. Some people believe that meat should be "falling apart"; I disagree, as I think that means it's so overcooked as to be basically disintegrating. All of these times are for a piece of chuck about 2 inches thick. Small pieces will take less time, and larger chunks will take longer. The tradeoff with the cook time is that the longer it cooks, the better tasting the sauce is, since more of the flavor from the meat will dissolve into the sauce.

 

Here's an experiment from a web site focusing on Instant Pot recipes. I don't always agree with the authors, but in this case I think they're about right.

https://www.pressurecookrecipes.com/best-pot-roast-cooking-time-in-pressure-cooker/

[Kim Shook]

1 hour ago, JAZ said:

 

It depends on how you define "done." For chuck roast, if you want sliceable meat with a bit of chew (like for a pot roast), then 25-35 minutes at high pressure with natural release is about right. But if you want to be able to shred the meat (as for sandwiches), then you'll want 45 to 50 minutes. Some people believe that meat should be "falling apart"; I disagree, as I think that means it's so overcooked as to be basically disintegrating. All of these times are for a piece of chuck about 2 inches thick. Small pieces will take less time, and larger chunks will take longer. The tradeoff with the cook time is that the longer it cooks, the better tasting the sauce is, since more of the flavor from the meat will dissolve into the sauce.

 

Here's an experiment from a web site focusing on Instant Pot recipes. I don't always agree with the authors, but in this case I think they're about right.

https://www.pressurecookrecipes.com/best-pot-roast-cooking-time-in-pressure-cooker/

I don't know why I didn't think to tag you!  Thanks for that.  I suspected, once I did a little research on the question, that my times on both of the recipes I posted were a little long.  I'll pause at 50 minutes next time I do them and see how I like them.  Thank you, ma'am!

 

We gave my MIL an IP for her birthday in August and she sent me a picture of her first real meal that she made in it tonight - kielbasa, cabbage, and potatoes and she really liked it.  

[rotuts]

Ooooo,Weeeee !

 

 

 

some time ago . i had a Red engendering lined notebook 

 

where I kept track of my iPot experiments  :

 

right temp for eggs , potatoes etc

 

and its moved on.  possibly MC moved it into the stack of NYTimes etc

 

for recycling 

 

who knows ?   ( The Shadow Knows )

 

well

 

Bezos insisted I have Amazon  Prime , etc :

 

 

 

Staples , well .....

 

so now I have a 'rewarding ' project 

 

to go through the entire  iPot threads

 

and pu your analysis w my own !

 

I do have some time on my hands 

 

and what better way to use it !

 

cheers 

 

iPot users 

[ElsieD]

1st picture:  3 pots of turkey broth-to-be

2nd picture:  more bones roasting.  Will likely make more than picture # 1.

[rotuts]

@ElsieD 

 

nice , very nice

 

Im not sure what you do w your Turkey Broth

 

but , pls consider 

 

concentrating it

 

not by boiling

 

but but freezing it

 

and using it again for

 

the next Turkey or 3

 

works well I for me

 

I have chosend

 

to  just do turkey stock  w no additives 

 

fot this

 

you might consider veg , herbs , for your final 

 

concentration

 

but Ive found , after freezing 

 

I take out what I need for that say

 

and add the veg etc and herbs just for that 

 

concentration.

[ElsieD]

3 hours ago, rotuts said:

@ElsieD 

 

nice , very nice

 

Im not sure what you do w your Turkey Broth

 

but , pls consider 

 

concentrating it

 

not by boiling

 

but but freezing it

 

and using it again for

 

the next Turkey or 3

 

works well I for me

 

I have chosend

 

to  just do turkey stock  w no additives 

 

fot this

 

you might consider veg , herbs , for your final 

 

concentration

 

but Ive found , after freezing 

 

I take out what I need for that say

 

and add the veg etc and herbs just for that 

 

concentration.

 

I am just doing bare bones stock.  Nothing but bones and water.  I'm on my second batch now.  These are not bones from turkey that I have cooked.  This will be heresy to you, but I don't like turkey.  But, I do like the stock.  I buy the bones from my local store, they sell them at Christmas and Thanksgiving.  I roast the bones then IP them.  I have a large stockpot on the stove reducing the first batch.  It will all get reduced to a thick rubbery jelly which I will put in ice cube trays and freeze.  I save my chicken bones (we do like chicken) in the freezer and when I have enough they get the same treatment.  

[rotuts]

those of you w the 3-Qt :

 

Im using my Ultra now for its first Shake Down Cook.

 

Ive looked through the manual

 

and have not found the minimum water for pressure-steaming

 

it might be right in front of me or not

 

for the 6 qt its a Cup.

 

Ill use a cup as , I might be able to remember that.

[ElsieD]

30 minutes ago, rotuts said:

those of you w the 3-Qt :

 

Im using my Ultra now for its first Shake Down Cook.

 

Ive looked through the manual

 

and have not found the minimum water for pressure-steaming

 

it might be right in front of me or not

 

for the 6 qt its a Cup.

 

Ill use a cup as , I might be able to remember that.

 

It's one cup.

[rotuts]

@ElsieD 

 

thank you

 

I can remember 1 cup for the 3 at and the 6 qt

 

I do like the release on the Ultra

 

tomorrow I might make some Basmati rice 

 

no hurries here 

 

thanks

[ElsieD]

Tonight I made Cilantro-Coconut Shrimp and Broccoli from Janet Zimmerman's book The Ultimate Instant Pot Cookbook for Two.  I'll start by saying my finished product did not resemble the picture in the book.  At all.  Rather, it looked like very green blobs on the plate, hence no picture as it looked, well, unappetizing.  But, it was one of the most delicious things I have ever eaten.  I followed the directions exactly and everything was perfectly cooked.  I will definitely make this again but likely with a "lite" coconut milk as it is unbelievably rich.  @JAZ  Is it supposed to be that green?

[Kim Shook]

I did a pot roast in the IP to take out to Mr. Kim’s dad and stepmom on Saturday.  It was a large roast, so the plan was for us to keep half.  My mise:

 

Seared meat and sautéing onions:

 

 

My roast was a bottom round.  After the discussion about timing on cooking beef and  @JAZ's  advice on timing, I cooked this for 50, rather than 70 minutes (it was a LOT of meat and I wanted it very tender).  I thought it was perfect. 

 

After the pot roast was done, we found out that his stepmom had forgotten we were bringing it and made some for them on Friday.  So, we put their half in the freezer, and I served the sides we were planning to take out there - Bob Evans’ mashed potatoes and apple-glazed carrots (I have NO idea why this section is in BOLD and why I can't get rid of it and why the spacing is so weird):

 

Having had a fail at hard cooked eggs in the IP recently, I tried them at 6 minutes instead of 5.  They looked good, but were tough and bouncy:

They were, however, very easily peeled since I held them for 2 weeks before cooking.  I’m really disgusted and think I’ll have to go back to the ATK steaming method.  So disappointing.

 

I have a question – my MIL asked me when she should use “low pressure” and when she should use “high pressure”.  My answer of, “whatever your recipe calls for” wasn’t really very informative for her.  Is HIGH the default if the recipe doesn’t say, or does it depend on what you are cooking?    

[JAZ]

16 hours ago, ElsieD said:

Tonight I made Cilantro-Coconut Shrimp and Broccoli from Janet Zimmerman's book The Ultimate Instant Pot Cookbook for Two.  I'll start by saying my finished product did not resemble the picture in the book.  At all.  Rather, it looked like very green blobs on the plate, hence no picture as it looked, well, unappetizing.  But, it was one of the most delicious things I have ever eaten.  I followed the directions exactly and everything was perfectly cooked.  I will definitely make this again but likely with a "lite" coconut milk as it is unbelievably rich.  @JAZ  Is it supposed to be that green?

 

Yes, it is a very bright green. I have no idea what they did in the photo; it almost looks like they didn't use the sauce. And I'm glad you liked it.

[JAZ]

16 hours ago, Kim Shook said:

 

 

I have a question – my MIL asked me when she should use “low pressure” and when she should use “high pressure”.  My answer of, “whatever your recipe calls for” wasn’t really very informative for her.  Is HIGH the default if the recipe doesn’t say, or does it depend on what you are cooking?    

 

I use low pressure when I call for very short cooking times (as for shrimp). Not only does low pressure cook at a lower temp, but it also takes less time to come to pressure, so it's not cooking as long before it comes to pressure. I know many recipes call for low pressure for eggs and cheesecake, but I've never used it for those.