Instant Pot cookbooks without 600 recipes
October 31, 2019 1:38 AM Subscribe
Winter is coming. I want to try to use our Instant Pot for more than rice. I’ve tried a few internet recipes with varying success. But we’ve been using recipe books more often so I’m trying to find one for the Instant Pot but it is a mess of books of 600 recipes, keto or vegetarian. (I have nothing against keto or vegetarian meals, just don’t eat that way). Can you recommend a cookbook?
I will also take suggestions for pressure cooker recipe books as long as they are super easy to adapt to the Instant Pot. I’m still an IP novice so I’m not sure what that adaptation entails.
But I def don’t want a Bible of 500+ recipes to sift through. We are trying to eat more vegetarian/vegan but we still eat meat and like it so an all vegetarian book is too restrictive for us.
I’ve already added the Indian cookbook written by the woman from the Facebook group to my basket but now looking for a bit more variety.
I will also take suggestions for pressure cooker recipe books as long as they are super easy to adapt to the Instant Pot. I’m still an IP novice so I’m not sure what that adaptation entails.
But I def don’t want a Bible of 500+ recipes to sift through. We are trying to eat more vegetarian/vegan but we still eat meat and like it so an all vegetarian book is too restrictive for us.
I’ve already added the Indian cookbook written by the woman from the Facebook group to my basket but now looking for a bit more variety.
Best answer: It's really useful to try a few recipes from a cookbook before buying it. When I tried putting "instant pot" in the keyword search on my library's catalog I got a very long page of entries. A lot were the very specific kind you don't want like keto or baby food but there were plenty that might be what you are looking for.
posted by Botanizer at 5:08 AM on October 31, 2019 [2 favorites]
posted by Botanizer at 5:08 AM on October 31, 2019 [2 favorites]
We have Cook's Illustrated's Multicooker Perfection. The recipes are reliable. I am a vegetarian, my wife eats meat, and we've found there are dishes for both of our dietary preferences. The book is not giant. I think this might be what you're looking for!
posted by latkes at 6:48 AM on October 31, 2019 [7 favorites]
posted by latkes at 6:48 AM on October 31, 2019 [7 favorites]
Mod note: Couple comments deleted - sorry, I know they were well intended, but OP is looking for cookbooks, not recipes.
posted by LobsterMitten (staff) at 8:23 AM on October 31, 2019
posted by LobsterMitten (staff) at 8:23 AM on October 31, 2019
Of the Melissa Clark books, I prefer Comfort in an Instant to Dinner in an Instant because it has more easy recipes. I make the risotto carbonara and chicken with artichokes a lot. I also like Madhur Jaffrey's Instantly Indian Cookbook. I've made the Chinese Indian pork chops, moong dal with spinach and chicken curry with yogurt multiple times. However, looking at Amazon right now, the reviews are not great so ymmv. I always recommend getting cookbooks out of the library before buying them if you can.
posted by carolr at 9:15 AM on October 31, 2019 [2 favorites]
posted by carolr at 9:15 AM on October 31, 2019 [2 favorites]
Urvashi Pitre has a couple that I like. One is a keto book, but many of the recipes can be trivially pointed in a non-keto direction (eg: add noodles to the spicy pork soup). I sort of feel like the recipes are almost "coincidentally keto" rather than keto-centric, if that makes sense? I mean, I'm not keto, and I cook several of her keto recipes regularly, because I like them quite apart from their keto-ness.
The Indian Instant Pot
The Keto Instant Pot
(on edit, I think you have her Indian book in your cart already?)
posted by aramaic at 9:22 AM on October 31, 2019 [1 favorite]
The Indian Instant Pot
The Keto Instant Pot
(on edit, I think you have her Indian book in your cart already?)
posted by aramaic at 9:22 AM on October 31, 2019 [1 favorite]
I'm a big fan of MetaFilter's Own How To Instant Pot
posted by spinturtle at 10:32 AM on October 31, 2019 [5 favorites]
posted by spinturtle at 10:32 AM on October 31, 2019 [5 favorites]
My personal favorite of the books I have is Pressure Cooker Perfection from America's Test Kitchen. The recipes are not specific to Instant Pot, but work for stovetop and also include adjustments for 6 quart electronic pressure cooker per recipe. I have both a stovetop pressure cooker and a non-Instant Pot electronic pressure cooker (Cosori with stainless steel inner pot, and I ♥ it very much and use it constantly). The reason this one is my favorite is that I learned the most about pressure cooking from this book with all its tips, pointers, troubleshooting, and 101 section, and the "building flavor" part of each recipe is great and taught me how to approach dishes I want to make on my own (or adapt from a regular recipe). It also has charts with cooking times for grains, meats, vegetables, and talks about, for example, which ingredients do or don't work well with pressure, and also has recipes for great beef, chicken and vegetable broths — which is helpful since so many pressure cooker recipes include broth. I have this cookbook as an ebook, but it's the only one that I'd like to get as a paper book as well.
BUT, the recipes. This is always the mystery meat of buying cookbooks online, because the introductions are so long that one can rarely get an idea of what the actual recipes are like when viewing, for example, Amazon's "look inside" feature. So I've copied the TofC for each section here ... sorry, without going back and putting in punctuation, because it would take me forever. At least you can scan the recipe names and see if this sounds like the sort of stuff you are looking for:
CHAPTER 1: SOUPS, STEWS, AND CHILIS Farmhouse Chicken Noodle Soup Farmhouse Chicken and Rice Soup Old-Fashioned Beef and Vegetable Soup Old-Fashioned Beef and Barley Soup 15-Bean Soup with Sausage Hearty Beef Stew Chipotle Pork and Hominy Stew Rustic French Pork and White Bean Stew Pork Vindaloo Chickpea and Artichoke Tagine Chickpea Tagine with Dried Apricots and Honey Chickpea Tagine with Cauliflower and Almonds Easy Weeknight Chili Easy Weeknight Chili with Moroccan Spices and ChickpeasTexas-Style Chili con Carne Fiery Texas-Style Chili con Carne Sweet and Smoky Texas-Style Chili con Carne Mole Chicken Chili Vegetarian Black Bean Chili Tequila and Lime Black Bean Chili Garden Vegetable Black Bean Chili Black Bean and Sausage Chili
CHAPTER 2: ONE-POT PASTAS AND PASTA SAUCES Macaroni and Cheese Mac and Cheese with Tomatoes Mac and Cheese with Ham and Peas Mac and Cheese with Kielbasa and Mustard Easy Ziti with Sausage and Peppers Ziti with Chicken, Peppers, and Olives Weeknight Meat Sauce with Rigatoni Tex-Mex Chili Mac Meatballs and Marinara Bolognese Pork Ragu Beef Ragu with Warm Spices Garden Tomato Sauce Puttanesca Tomato, Vodka, and Cream Sauce Arrabbiata Creamy Mushroom Sauce
CHAPTER 3: FAST AND EASY SUPPERS Braised Chicken in Marinara Sauce Rustic Braised Chicken with Mushrooms Braised Chicken Thighs with Potatoes Easy Chicken and Rice Easy Spanish-Style Chicken and Rice Easy Chicken and Rice with Spinach and Feta Chicken Curry with Chickpeas and Cauliflower Classic Smothered Chops with Onions and Bacon Pork Tenderloin with Apples and Cranberries Shredded Pork Soft Tacos Shredded Beef Soft Tacos Shredded Chicken Soft Tacos Cuban-Style Beef with Onions and Bell Peppers Italian Meatloaf
CHAPTER 4: BIG ROASTS AND FANCY MEALS Classic Pot Roast and Potatoes Weeknight Pot Roast and Potatoes Sirloin Beef Roast with Mushroom Sauce Corned Beef and Cabbage Boeuf Bourguignon Pomegranate-Braised Boneless Beef Short Ribs Asian-Style Boneless Beef Short Ribs Asian-Style Short Ribs with Shiitake s Osso Buco Whole Chicken with Rosemary and Lemon Sauce Turkey Breast and Gravy
CHAPTER 5: INDOOR BARBECUE Smoky Brisket Kalua-Style Pork Pulled Pork Shredded Barbecued Beef Pulled Chicken Barbecued Baby Back Ribs Fiery Mustard Ribs Easy Barbecued Wings Easy Asian-Style Wings Easy Peach-Bourbon Wings
CHAPTER 6: SIDES Parmesan Risotto Butternut Squash and Sage Risotto Mushroom Risotto Creamy Polenta Sun-Dried Tomato and Basil Polenta Mushroom-Blue Cheese Polenta Artichokes with Lemon-Garlic Butter Braised Beets with Dill Vinaigrette Braised Beets with Sesame-Ginger Vinaigrette Beet, Apple, and Walnut Salad Braised Collard Greens with Bacon Braised Kale with Chorizo Braised Red Cabbage Mashed Butternut Squash Mashed Chipotle-Honey Butternut Squash Mashed Warm-Spiced Butternut Squash Mashed Maple-Orange Butternut Squash Mashed Sweet Potatoes Mashed Sweet Potatoes with Indian Spices Mashed Sweet Potatoes with Cinnamon and Sugar Mashed Potatoes Pesto Mashed Potatoes Garlicky Mashed Potatoes Buttermilk Smashed Red Potatoes Smashed Red Potatoes with Garlic and Scallions Smashed Red Potatoes with Blue Cheese and Bacon Warm Potato Salad Warm French Potato Salad Warm Lemon-Dill Potato Salad Barbecued Beans Boston “Baked” Beans Cuban Black Beans
NOTE: Just because I happened to make this comment so long by including that list doesn't mean that this is the greatest recipe book for you; the way it's put together just happens to work for what I like, personally, and may or may not be what you are envisaging in your perfect book, particularly in that it is not specific to Instant Pot.
______________________
I'm also going to throw in my favorite web site for good measure: I adore Amy + Jacky's pressurecookrecipes.com, and have several huge favorites from this site that I make all the time. For a quick page to peruse, here's their "47+ EASY INSTANT POT RECIPES PERFECT FOR NEW USERS." About themselves, they say "We are Food Lovers + were hired by Instant Pot and Tatung as Recipe Developers. Born & partly raised in “the food heaven” Hong Kong, we LOVE to cook & eat!! We spend hours researching, testing, and tasting our pressure cooker recipes in our kitchen, so you don’t have to!" They give very good directions and photos of each step.
______________________
And finally, in case you don't already know it, I'm going to also toss in just one teeny-tiny easy-peasy simple recipe that changed my life: HARD BOILED MF-ING EGGS (not the official recipe name, and I don't even know where I first saw this method). All my life I've agonized to make hard boiled eggs that peel easily, and almost always failed. Here it is, the 5-5-5 method: Add one cup water to your IP and put in your steamer basket or trivet; place eggs on trivet; cook on high for 5 minutes; allow pressure to release naturally for 5 minutes; remove eggs to an ice bath for at least 5 minutes. Peel those eggs like a boss.
posted by taz at 11:32 AM on October 31, 2019 [5 favorites]
BUT, the recipes. This is always the mystery meat of buying cookbooks online, because the introductions are so long that one can rarely get an idea of what the actual recipes are like when viewing, for example, Amazon's "look inside" feature. So I've copied the TofC for each section here ... sorry, without going back and putting in punctuation, because it would take me forever. At least you can scan the recipe names and see if this sounds like the sort of stuff you are looking for:
CHAPTER 1: SOUPS, STEWS, AND CHILIS Farmhouse Chicken Noodle Soup Farmhouse Chicken and Rice Soup Old-Fashioned Beef and Vegetable Soup Old-Fashioned Beef and Barley Soup 15-Bean Soup with Sausage Hearty Beef Stew Chipotle Pork and Hominy Stew Rustic French Pork and White Bean Stew Pork Vindaloo Chickpea and Artichoke Tagine Chickpea Tagine with Dried Apricots and Honey Chickpea Tagine with Cauliflower and Almonds Easy Weeknight Chili Easy Weeknight Chili with Moroccan Spices and ChickpeasTexas-Style Chili con Carne Fiery Texas-Style Chili con Carne Sweet and Smoky Texas-Style Chili con Carne Mole Chicken Chili Vegetarian Black Bean Chili Tequila and Lime Black Bean Chili Garden Vegetable Black Bean Chili Black Bean and Sausage Chili
CHAPTER 2: ONE-POT PASTAS AND PASTA SAUCES Macaroni and Cheese Mac and Cheese with Tomatoes Mac and Cheese with Ham and Peas Mac and Cheese with Kielbasa and Mustard Easy Ziti with Sausage and Peppers Ziti with Chicken, Peppers, and Olives Weeknight Meat Sauce with Rigatoni Tex-Mex Chili Mac Meatballs and Marinara Bolognese Pork Ragu Beef Ragu with Warm Spices Garden Tomato Sauce Puttanesca Tomato, Vodka, and Cream Sauce Arrabbiata Creamy Mushroom Sauce
CHAPTER 3: FAST AND EASY SUPPERS Braised Chicken in Marinara Sauce Rustic Braised Chicken with Mushrooms Braised Chicken Thighs with Potatoes Easy Chicken and Rice Easy Spanish-Style Chicken and Rice Easy Chicken and Rice with Spinach and Feta Chicken Curry with Chickpeas and Cauliflower Classic Smothered Chops with Onions and Bacon Pork Tenderloin with Apples and Cranberries Shredded Pork Soft Tacos Shredded Beef Soft Tacos Shredded Chicken Soft Tacos Cuban-Style Beef with Onions and Bell Peppers Italian Meatloaf
CHAPTER 4: BIG ROASTS AND FANCY MEALS Classic Pot Roast and Potatoes Weeknight Pot Roast and Potatoes Sirloin Beef Roast with Mushroom Sauce Corned Beef and Cabbage Boeuf Bourguignon Pomegranate-Braised Boneless Beef Short Ribs Asian-Style Boneless Beef Short Ribs Asian-Style Short Ribs with Shiitake s Osso Buco Whole Chicken with Rosemary and Lemon Sauce Turkey Breast and Gravy
CHAPTER 5: INDOOR BARBECUE Smoky Brisket Kalua-Style Pork Pulled Pork Shredded Barbecued Beef Pulled Chicken Barbecued Baby Back Ribs Fiery Mustard Ribs Easy Barbecued Wings Easy Asian-Style Wings Easy Peach-Bourbon Wings
CHAPTER 6: SIDES Parmesan Risotto Butternut Squash and Sage Risotto Mushroom Risotto Creamy Polenta Sun-Dried Tomato and Basil Polenta Mushroom-Blue Cheese Polenta Artichokes with Lemon-Garlic Butter Braised Beets with Dill Vinaigrette Braised Beets with Sesame-Ginger Vinaigrette Beet, Apple, and Walnut Salad Braised Collard Greens with Bacon Braised Kale with Chorizo Braised Red Cabbage Mashed Butternut Squash Mashed Chipotle-Honey Butternut Squash Mashed Warm-Spiced Butternut Squash Mashed Maple-Orange Butternut Squash Mashed Sweet Potatoes Mashed Sweet Potatoes with Indian Spices Mashed Sweet Potatoes with Cinnamon and Sugar Mashed Potatoes Pesto Mashed Potatoes Garlicky Mashed Potatoes Buttermilk Smashed Red Potatoes Smashed Red Potatoes with Garlic and Scallions Smashed Red Potatoes with Blue Cheese and Bacon Warm Potato Salad Warm French Potato Salad Warm Lemon-Dill Potato Salad Barbecued Beans Boston “Baked” Beans Cuban Black Beans
NOTE: Just because I happened to make this comment so long by including that list doesn't mean that this is the greatest recipe book for you; the way it's put together just happens to work for what I like, personally, and may or may not be what you are envisaging in your perfect book, particularly in that it is not specific to Instant Pot.
______________________
I'm also going to throw in my favorite web site for good measure: I adore Amy + Jacky's pressurecookrecipes.com, and have several huge favorites from this site that I make all the time. For a quick page to peruse, here's their "47+ EASY INSTANT POT RECIPES PERFECT FOR NEW USERS." About themselves, they say "We are Food Lovers + were hired by Instant Pot and Tatung as Recipe Developers. Born & partly raised in “the food heaven” Hong Kong, we LOVE to cook & eat!! We spend hours researching, testing, and tasting our pressure cooker recipes in our kitchen, so you don’t have to!" They give very good directions and photos of each step.
______________________
And finally, in case you don't already know it, I'm going to also toss in just one teeny-tiny easy-peasy simple recipe that changed my life: HARD BOILED MF-ING EGGS (not the official recipe name, and I don't even know where I first saw this method). All my life I've agonized to make hard boiled eggs that peel easily, and almost always failed. Here it is, the 5-5-5 method: Add one cup water to your IP and put in your steamer basket or trivet; place eggs on trivet; cook on high for 5 minutes; allow pressure to release naturally for 5 minutes; remove eggs to an ice bath for at least 5 minutes. Peel those eggs like a boss.
posted by taz at 11:32 AM on October 31, 2019 [5 favorites]
I don’t have a book rec, but I do have an anti-rec: Do not buy that Indian Instant Pot cookbook from Urvashi Pitre. A friend gave me that book, and every recipe I’ve tried from it was a failure: way too salty; cooking time too short so that beans were still hard; etc.
When I looked up the same recipes on her blog, I found that the online versions were different in ways that fixed the problems — calling for 50-75% less salt; adding instructions to soak the beans overnight before cooking; etc. The book versions of the recipes clearly have not been properly kitchen-tested.
A LOT of the positive Amazon reviews of the book are from people who actually used the online versions of the recipes, and are assuming the book is the same. It is not the same.
posted by snowmentality at 12:04 PM on October 31, 2019 [4 favorites]
When I looked up the same recipes on her blog, I found that the online versions were different in ways that fixed the problems — calling for 50-75% less salt; adding instructions to soak the beans overnight before cooking; etc. The book versions of the recipes clearly have not been properly kitchen-tested.
A LOT of the positive Amazon reviews of the book are from people who actually used the online versions of the recipes, and are assuming the book is the same. It is not the same.
posted by snowmentality at 12:04 PM on October 31, 2019 [4 favorites]
In the off-chance you have a Mini (3qt) like me, I liked this book for smaller recipes.
Cooking with Your Instant Pot® Mini: 100 Quick & Easy Recipes for 3-Quart Models
What it says on the tin. They're pretty simple but decently flavored, and I've used them as a good jumping off point for adjusting the recipes to stuff I have on hand.
posted by lesser weasel at 10:22 PM on October 31, 2019 [1 favorite]
Cooking with Your Instant Pot® Mini: 100 Quick & Easy Recipes for 3-Quart Models
What it says on the tin. They're pretty simple but decently flavored, and I've used them as a good jumping off point for adjusting the recipes to stuff I have on hand.
posted by lesser weasel at 10:22 PM on October 31, 2019 [1 favorite]
Response by poster: The library suggestion is great! I will try that first. Everyone else’s book recommendations are very much appreciated as I will search for those first to borrow. Thanks everyone!
posted by like_neon at 3:22 AM on November 1, 2019
posted by like_neon at 3:22 AM on November 1, 2019
Response by poster: Um the library trip was a fail. It’s a small local library so although they had a nice selection of “celebrity” Chef cookbooks (Nigella, Jamie, Rick Stein, etc) they did not have anything so specific as Instant Pot cooking. May need to just chance it with a suggestion in here. I will try and remember to come back with an update with my choice.
posted by like_neon at 11:34 AM on November 1, 2019
posted by like_neon at 11:34 AM on November 1, 2019
Oh no, that's frustrating! Does your library offer zip books, which lets you borrow books from Amazon that aren't in your library system?
posted by carolr at 11:57 AM on November 1, 2019
posted by carolr at 11:57 AM on November 1, 2019
Look into interlibrary loans, and also ask if they have ebooks you can access on Overdrive. Libraries are investing more and more into ebooks.
posted by Enid Lareg at 12:10 PM on November 1, 2019 [1 favorite]
posted by Enid Lareg at 12:10 PM on November 1, 2019 [1 favorite]
Not out yet, but I’m planning to get Milk Street’s Instant Pot cookbook.
posted by snuffleupagus at 12:22 AM on November 2, 2019
posted by snuffleupagus at 12:22 AM on November 2, 2019
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posted by veggieboy at 2:27 AM on October 31, 2019 [7 favorites]