Help me Instapot!
December 2, 2017 5:10 AM Subscribe
Just received an instant pot and have yet to take it for it's maiden voyage: have already figured out one receipe I want to cook, help me add others.
After reading all the raving reviews about Instant pot on this website, I must have mentioned it to my girlfriend a few too many times because she surprised me with an early christmas gift. I've already figured out one pasta recipe I'd like to make, but would like to figure out another sort of main dish to make in the next few days. I'm running to the store shortly to buy more staple goods, and ideally would like to use the all/some of the following produce I currently have:
-Kale
-Cauliflower
-Red/Green Bell peppers
-Rosemary
-Baby carrots
-Mushrooms (might be a day too old, but I can replace)
What sort of recipes could I use the above ingredients successfully? Ideally suggestions that don't involve adding more than 1 produce item but no restriction on dairy/meat/pantry staple options. Bonus points for a dish that would serve well as leftovers with the pasta recipe mentioned above. (My belly thanks you in advance!)
After reading all the raving reviews about Instant pot on this website, I must have mentioned it to my girlfriend a few too many times because she surprised me with an early christmas gift. I've already figured out one pasta recipe I'd like to make, but would like to figure out another sort of main dish to make in the next few days. I'm running to the store shortly to buy more staple goods, and ideally would like to use the all/some of the following produce I currently have:
-Kale
-Cauliflower
-Red/Green Bell peppers
-Rosemary
-Baby carrots
-Mushrooms (might be a day too old, but I can replace)
What sort of recipes could I use the above ingredients successfully? Ideally suggestions that don't involve adding more than 1 produce item but no restriction on dairy/meat/pantry staple options. Bonus points for a dish that would serve well as leftovers with the pasta recipe mentioned above. (My belly thanks you in advance!)
I feel like you may not have done much online searching yet, because there are many, many specific instructions and recipes online, available for the low cost of "instant pot" and "whatever else you're looking for" search terms.
I have a couple of recipes that I've really enjoyed and am glad to share with you when I'm home and locate the link, but don't have at my fingertips at the moment. I'll come back with them later.
If you're a FB person there are also seventy kabillion niche groups dedicated to IP, that's another place you can search through posts using a specific term "potatoes", "beef", etc. - Take a look at the little recipe book that came with the pot, maybe try one of those for starters?
posted by mcbeth at 7:15 AM on December 2, 2017
I have a couple of recipes that I've really enjoyed and am glad to share with you when I'm home and locate the link, but don't have at my fingertips at the moment. I'll come back with them later.
If you're a FB person there are also seventy kabillion niche groups dedicated to IP, that's another place you can search through posts using a specific term "potatoes", "beef", etc. - Take a look at the little recipe book that came with the pot, maybe try one of those for starters?
posted by mcbeth at 7:15 AM on December 2, 2017
Something the Instant Pot does really, really well is beans. It makes the texture of beans so creamy and delicious that I won't cook them any other way now. Black beans, kidney beans, cannellini beans, chickpeas... all are made delicious in the Instant pot. Try this recipe.
posted by cleverevans at 7:20 AM on December 2, 2017 [1 favorite]
posted by cleverevans at 7:20 AM on December 2, 2017 [1 favorite]
I'm at the low end of the cooking scale. Baby carrots and some water and fresh ground pepper cooked for a fairly short time in a pressure cooker are surprisingly delicious.
posted by puddledork at 8:00 AM on December 2, 2017
posted by puddledork at 8:00 AM on December 2, 2017
Best answer: Here's my favorite Instant Pot recipe: saute (on saute mode, of course) a diced onion and any chopped peppers, celery, and carrots you may be using, and your preferred soup spices (chili, garlic, oregano, and garam masala in my case, but up to you) until the onion is softened. Add bouillon (3 cubes, or four big spoons of Better Than Bouillon paste, or five "Cup-A-Soup" packets, or to taste) and six cups of water; dump in all the chopped vegetables you have except for spinach, close and cook on Manual, medium pressure, for 20 minutes, quick release. Add chiffonaded spinach while the soup is hot before serving. This uses up all of your vegetables and is very satisfying. You can probably put a meat in there somewhere but I don't know how to do that.
Other favorites: yogurt (it's very easy, look up "instant pot yogurt"), hard-boiled eggs where the peel comes off in one piece (4 minutes on manual in a steamer basket, quick release), Special Mashed Potatoes (potatoes with or without skins cut up; broccoli cut up; carrots cut up; all in a steamer basket over 2 cups of water; Manual medium pressure for 12 minutes, quick release; remove and smash with a cup of pesto.)
If you're googling, google "name of thing you want to eat + instant pot" and compare recipes. The cooking time will vary across recipes so you want to find an average.
posted by blnkfrnk at 8:09 AM on December 2, 2017 [2 favorites]
Other favorites: yogurt (it's very easy, look up "instant pot yogurt"), hard-boiled eggs where the peel comes off in one piece (4 minutes on manual in a steamer basket, quick release), Special Mashed Potatoes (potatoes with or without skins cut up; broccoli cut up; carrots cut up; all in a steamer basket over 2 cups of water; Manual medium pressure for 12 minutes, quick release; remove and smash with a cup of pesto.)
If you're googling, google "name of thing you want to eat + instant pot" and compare recipes. The cooking time will vary across recipes so you want to find an average.
posted by blnkfrnk at 8:09 AM on December 2, 2017 [2 favorites]
Best answer: Nom Nom Paleo has some good Instant Pot recipes (I'm not paleo but I like her vegetable recipes). I've made this recipe for braised kale and carrots with a bag of frozen kale (not thawed first) and it came out really well. I'm also planning to make this autumn mash soon.
posted by skycrashesdown at 8:18 AM on December 2, 2017 [1 favorite]
posted by skycrashesdown at 8:18 AM on December 2, 2017 [1 favorite]
Best answer: To Transform Your Weeknight Cooking, Turn On the Instant Pot The NYTimes food section has gone all in on this, and bring good recipes all the time.
Serious Eats have some good recipes too, but they are often a bit more complicated and they don't always use the Instant Pot settings in the recipe. A good idea is to make the complicated recipes just once (on a Sunday), and then over time you learn how to simplify.
Also: every time you've had a rotisserie chicken, make a portion of chicken stock of the carcass. Having portions of stock in the freezer will improve your quality of life considerably.
posted by mumimor at 9:21 AM on December 2, 2017 [1 favorite]
Serious Eats have some good recipes too, but they are often a bit more complicated and they don't always use the Instant Pot settings in the recipe. A good idea is to make the complicated recipes just once (on a Sunday), and then over time you learn how to simplify.
Also: every time you've had a rotisserie chicken, make a portion of chicken stock of the carcass. Having portions of stock in the freezer will improve your quality of life considerably.
posted by mumimor at 9:21 AM on December 2, 2017 [1 favorite]
We like to make cheesecake in the instant pot. We use a recipe from a pressure cooker cook book. Don't forget that the instant pot is just an electric pressure cooker, you don't have to use "instant pot recipes"
We have a book of pressure cooker recipes, I believe it's this one. It has a nice cheese cake recipe in it.
Of the top of my head I think we've also used it for chili, beans, stuff like that.
posted by RustyBrooks at 10:12 AM on December 2, 2017
We have a book of pressure cooker recipes, I believe it's this one. It has a nice cheese cake recipe in it.
Of the top of my head I think we've also used it for chili, beans, stuff like that.
posted by RustyBrooks at 10:12 AM on December 2, 2017
Best answer: With about what you have, I'd make a sort of Japanese curry. Add some rough cut onion, some cubed chicken. Broil the kale to make kale chips (I totally don't know what else to do kale wise). Rough chop veggies, saute for a bit, add chicken, saute a bit, add water and pressure cook for what 8 minutes or so, adjust water and add curry cubes, simmer a bit, pour over some rice and crunch the kale chips on top. OMNOMNOM.
posted by zengargoyle at 3:19 PM on December 2, 2017
posted by zengargoyle at 3:19 PM on December 2, 2017
101 Cookbooks just bought one so she’s been posting recipes and links.
posted by Nimmie Amee at 7:17 PM on December 2, 2017
posted by Nimmie Amee at 7:17 PM on December 2, 2017
Best answer: There’s a great resource right under your nose at Metafilter Projects.
posted by bkpiano at 7:24 PM on December 2, 2017 [1 favorite]
posted by bkpiano at 7:24 PM on December 2, 2017 [1 favorite]
This thread is closed to new comments.
posted by andruwjones26 at 5:12 AM on December 2, 2017 [1 favorite]