Pressure Cooker

[ch]

Made Instant Pot risotto... surprisingly not bad. I followed the Serious Eats recipe in general, but left out the mushrooms.

I’d still make it the traditional way for guests (easier to control the texture and flavors), but for just the two of us, this gets the job done without having to stand over a pot for a half hour.

[gtl]

I still haven't unboxed ours and used it yet. At this rate, probably won't til we move.

[omaniphil]

I made instant pot chicken tajine a few days ago. Sauteed an onion, seared some chicken breasts in a cast iron pan, added them to the onion, and then added spices (garlic, cumin, coriander, allspice and a bay leaf), a handful of chopped dry fruit (apricots and prunes) and then added some chicken broth. Cooked under pressure for 15 minutes and allowed the pressure to release naturally. Delicious meal served over rice or couscous that took a grand total of about 10 minutes of work, and 40 minutes total. Would recommend.

[Jjwhouston]

we found roasts, beef stew and soups work really well. Boiled eggs and pasta cook very fast and consistently well in the instant pot.

[BassPlayer]

Short ribs.

Short ribs all the time.

Just used the pressure cooker this weekend to make short ribs for taco meat.

[iamsmu]

I got one on right now making beans.

It's too easy to make these into bombs. You just need to plug the emergency vent hole with some plumbers' epoxy, get a model rocket igniter, some gun powder (from fireworks), a kitchen timer, and some nails. The only difficulty is in setting the timer without setting off the charge. Don't hook it up until you have the time set if your timer beeps when you hit the buttons, else you dead.

I do fear that the plug will get stuck and the damn thing will turn into a bean bomb. I'm sitting in the other room.

[iamsmu]

If you are looking to save money on your bombs, there's a good video on DIY igniters here:



The kitchen timer won't have the juice to light these. I guess you'll need a relay and a 9V battery. There's probably some kind of military timer / igniter out there, but that's no fun. If you can't make a bomb from shit you mostly have around the house, you failed. No man badge for you.

[Culican]

I got one on right now making beans.

It's too easy to make these into bombs. You just need to plug the emergency vent hole with some plumbers' epoxy, get a model rocket igniter, some gun powder (from fireworks), a kitchen timer, and some nails. The only difficulty is in setting the timer without setting off the charge. Don't hook it up until you have the time set if your timer beeps when you hit the buttons, else you dead.

I do fear that the plug will get stuck and the damn thing will turn into a bean bomb. I'm sitting in the other room.

Seems like you have the heat cranked up pretty high on that thing. When I use my manual one I set just high enough that the vent lets out steam slowly. Of course, since I have gotten an electric one, I hardly ever use the manual one. Sure they are a bit slower but nothing beats cranking the lid on and pushing a button. Beeps and goes to a keep warm setting when it is done.

[msignhsghost]

All these gourmets...

I find the Cuisinart pressure cooker useful for browning crumbled ground beef and then pressure cooking it for five minutes on high (acts as a quick braise) to make tacos and sloppy joes. The Cuisinart is also easier to clean then a pan, so I also use it if for browning crumbled ground beef if I'm going to make something that I'll toss in the oven (like lasagna or enchiladas).

[Culican]

All these gourmets...

I find the Cuisinart pressure cooker useful for browning crumbled ground beef and then pressure cooking it for five minutes on high (acts as a quick braise) to make tacos and sloppy joes. The Cuisinart is also easier to clean then a pan, so I also use it if for browning crumbled ground beef if I'm going to make something that I'll toss in the oven (like lasagna or enchiladas).

Do you need to put any water in there so it can build up pressure or is there enough in the meat?

[msignhsghost]

Do you need to put any water in there so it can build up pressure or is there enough in the meat?

I generally add a half cup or a little over a half cup of water to 85/15 ground chuck and then simmer the left over water off or use a slotted spoon (for taco meat). I think that you'll have to guesstimate the amount of liquid in the pot needed for pressurizing depending on the fat percentage. The worst that has happened with my Cuisinart when I didn't add enough water (the Cuisinart needs a cup of liquid for meat) was that it turned to the warm cycle without ever pressurizing. If there's too much water, simmering off some extra liquid on sloppy joes or tacos doesn't really harm the outcome.

I thought of two other reasons I prefer using the Cuisinart for browning crumbled ground beef without pressuring. First, 80/20 ground beef doesn't splatter as much because it is surrounded by higher walls than a regular pan. Second, I always add oil when I start browning beef to keep it from sticking even though ground beef has plenty of fat and shouldn't need any extra oil. I don't need to add oil to brown 80/25 or 85/15 (I haven't tried the leaner ground beefs).

[brkriete]

I love my Instant Pot. Makes great pulled chicken (couple breasts, half a jar of salsa) in 20ish minutes. Also makes excellent rice without boiling over or babysitting.

[LexAnderson]

Just bought the CrockPot 8-IN-1 6qrt cooker on Saturday. Love it!

[GainsdalfTheWhey]

On browning the short ribs first, one of the awesome things about the instant pot is that it has a sear function, so you can do the searing and pressure cooking all in the same device. My wife loves that damn thing, uses it 3-4 times a week, makes some amazing stuff. Best part is the soups and stews that used to take her all day to make, she makes in like an hour.

[mouse]

Makes great pulled chicken (couple breasts, half a jar of salsa) in 20ish minutes.

We got ours a couple years ago for Christmas and this is literally the only thing I've ever used it for. Every Sunday morning, four or five breasts in the thing for twenty minutes or so... I cook my rice in the broth it makes...

[ch]

Made corned beef in it this year. Way better than a slow cooker for the meat. (It was cooked, but not crumbling apart.) But I made the veggies separately in the water, and those didn’t seem to soak up as much flavor. Plus the potatoes were over cooked after only 3 minutes on high. Will have to try something different next time.

[LexAnderson]

Here's a version from Cook's Illustrated. They charged my card without giving me a heads up, so here's a recipe from behind their paywall.


1 tablespoon vegetable oil
4 garlic cloves, minced
1 (2-inch) piece ginger, peeled, sliced into 1/4-inch-thick rounds, and smashed
½ cup hoisin sauce
2 tablespoons soy sauce
2 tablespoons dry sherry
4 scallions, white parts chopped coarse, green parts sliced thin
¼ teaspoon cayenne pepper
6 (8-ounce) boneless beef short ribs, trimmed
2 tablespoons minced fresh cilantro


###

INSTRUCTIONS
SERVES 6
1. BUILD FLAVOR: Cook oil, garlic, and ginger in pressure-cooker pot over medium-high heat until fragrant, about 1 minute. Stir in hoisin sauce, soy sauce, sherry, scallion whites, and cayenne, then add beef.

2. HIGH PRESSURE FOR 35 MINUTES: Lock pressure-cooker lid in place and bring to high pressure over medium-high heat. As soon as pot reaches high pressure, reduce heat to medium-low and cook for 35 minutes, adjusting heat as needed to maintain high pressure.

3. NATURALLY RELEASE PRESSURE: Remove pot from heat and allow pressure to release naturally for 15 minutes. Quick release any remaining pressure, then carefully remove lid, allowing steam to escape away from you.

4. BEFORE SERVING: Transfer short ribs to platter, tent loosely with aluminum foil, and let rest while finishing sauce. Strain sauce into fat separator, let sit 5 minutes, then pour defatted sauce into small bowl. Stir scallion greens and cilantro leaves into sauce and serve with ribs.

Trying this very, very soon.

[brkriete]

Made corned beef in it this year. Way better than a slow cooker for the meat. (It was cooked, but not crumbling apart.) But I made the veggies separately in the water, and those didn’t seem to soak up as much flavor. Plus the potatoes were over cooked after only 3 minutes on high. Will have to try something different next time.

My girlfriend did the same. Cook corned beef for 70 minutes, pull out, cook veggies in water for 15(?) minutes. The beef was delicious, the veggies were bland (potatoes, carrots, cabbage, turnips - turnips were OK, the rest were pretty tasteless).

[msignhsghost]

Made corned beef in it this year. Way better than a slow cooker for the meat. (It was cooked, but not crumbling apart.) But I made the veggies separately in the water, and those didn’t seem to soak up as much flavor. Plus the potatoes were over cooked after only 3 minutes on high. Will have to try something different next time.

My girlfriend did the same. Cook corned beef for 70 minutes, pull out, cook veggies in water for 15(?) minutes. The beef was delicious, the veggies were bland (potatoes, carrots, cabbage, turnips - turnips were OK, the rest were pretty tasteless).

I did a chuck roast a while back and it had similar results. Big roasts with vegetables do better with the slow cooker or braising in a dutch oven ime.

[brkriete]

I started making Mississippi Roast every couple weeks this winter as a nice warming dish with plenty of leftovers and a dutch oven in the oven was my preferred method. I didn't try it in the instant pot but I think it could potentially come out pretty good there too since there aren't a lot of vegetables with it.