How to get started with an Instapot?

June 1, 2018 5:36 PM

Based on a survey of my friends, I seem to be not the only person who purchased an Instapot and then...just never tried using it. Honestly, the learning curve seems so steep. So many instructions! Halp. Any thoughts on the easiest way to jump into this thing?

I got it in, um, November. It's still sitting in the box. I think it's because at least with my stove/oven, I don't have to actively think about how to use it. Whereas to even get started with the Instapot I'll have to learn so much. Guess I'm more about seat-of-my-pants'ing things. Suggestions for the easiest way for an Instapot newbie to get started?

posted by BlahLaLa to Food & Drink (19 answers total)

"Dump recipe" is a good, if unappetizing, search term for maximizing the things the Instant Pot is good at relative to stoves and ovens—it will help you find recipes that (more or less) involve minimal preparation and extra steps, just dumping meat/veggies/spices/etc. into the pot and heating it at this setting for this long.

(Like all recipes for kitchen gadgets they can be hit-or-miss, but there's some really good stuff in there.)
posted by Polycarp at 5:56 PM on June 1, 2018 [1 favorite]

You talking about the Instant Pot, otherwise known as an electric pressure cooker? Man, it's so easy. The New York Times has a coconut curry chicken recipe that's the first thing I made in my Breville Fast Slow Pro and it's real impressive but maybe daunting if you're already intimidated.

You could try pulled pork. I slice a pork butt into like three steaks, sear them on two sides (using my pot's sear setting), and then take them out, cut them into two inch cubes and put them back in with a halved onion, five or six cloves of garlic, a cinnamon stick, and juice from an orange squeezed over the top. Close the machine, set it for high pressure for 35-40 minutes with quick or natural steam release (I've tried it both ways and didn't see much difference) and let her go. Normally you need to make sure you have enough liquid in the recipe for the contents to get to pressure, but the pork releases so much liquid it hasn't been an issue for me. If you're worried about this, just pour in a beer, some chicken broth, or even some water before you start. I used to do this in the oven and it always worked out great, but the pressure cooker version is easier, faster and even more moist and succulent. Pull it all apart with two forks and then cook it under the broiler for a bit if you want it crispy.

Kenji over at Serious Eats has a pretty good selection of pressure cooker recipes if you want to dive in. The good thing about Kenji's recipes is he includes excellent notes that explain a thing or two about why you're doing what you're doing. The chicken, lentil and bacon stew recipe at the top of the page is pig-simple and delicious.

I made this chickpea-and-spinach dish a few days ago and it was easy and delicious and would probably be hard to screw up.
posted by Mothlight at 5:59 PM on June 1, 2018 [8 favorites]

There is almost nothing to learn. Seriously it really is no harder to use than a slow cooker. I too was put off with the idea of learning things until I got stuck making BBQ ribs & didn't want the oven running all day on a hot day so I took a deep breath & had a go sort of half following a recipe I found in the book that came with it. Took me 35 minutes or so from pulling off the silverskin to taking the ribs off the grill. They were the most juicey fall off the bone ribs I'd ever made.

Recipe.

Send partner outside to start the webber.
Pull off silverskin & cut racks in half so they fit up on end. Add a bottle of apple cider (or 2 cups apple juice) cook on stew for 22 minutes, quick release (ie hit the knob until all the steam comes out and the pressure floater sinks down) . Carry out to husband with a bottle of BBQ sauce to finish on the grill. If I'm feeling enthusiastic I'll put a rub on them the day before and throw some garlic cloves in. Can also be finished under the broiler or in the oven.

Things to make sure of when new is that the rim is clean before putting the lid on and that the dohickey that lets the steam out is set to trap the steam in and don't try to open it until the floater has sunk back down.

Basically think of a dish you like to make that takes hours in the oven or simmering. That's what the pot is good for, cutting the time down significantly and you don't have to sit & watch it so you're not tied to the kitchen.

PS Pulled Pork suggested above is amazing done it it. Tender & not all dried out and so damn fast.
posted by wwax at 6:01 PM on June 1, 2018 [1 favorite]

Make mashed potatoes! So much easier than boiling on the stovetop. Peel russets, chop into quarters, rinse, put into IP with the trivet. Add 1 cup of salted water. Cook on manual for 8 minutes and quick release. (That just means open the vent as soon as the cook timer goes off, as opposed to a 'natural' release, which means wait for the pressure to go down on its own). Drain and mash/ricer potatoes right in the IP with the keep warm function on. Stir in butter/cream/seasonings.

Or make hard boiled eggs exactly how you like them.

Then try pulled pork. SO FAST AND EASY. Or pork chile verde.
posted by lovecrafty at 6:06 PM on June 1, 2018

There are too many damn buttons on it, so it looks worse than it is. I had a lot of friends in the same boat as you. I wrote a book that you might find useful. (Link to the Kindle version because it’s particularly inexpensive at the moment.)
posted by veggieboy at 6:11 PM on June 1, 2018 [5 favorites]

Response by poster: So glad to hear it's no harder than a slow cooker...but also I've never used a slow cooker, so.
posted by BlahLaLa at 6:20 PM on June 1, 2018

Really the best way to figure out the Instant Pot is to just follow a couple off-the-shelf recipes. The first will be tricky, the second will be pretty self-evident, and by the third if you're an okay cook already, you'll probably have some ideas about how to adapt recipes of your own.

Also I'll mention that the Instant Pot is not the goddamn miracle everyone seems to like to imagine it is. It's just a pressure cooker, which means there are some things it does really well (like meat, especially pork shoulders and other things that typically need to be cooked for forever, pulses like beans/chickpeas, beets and soups and things) and others that it doesn't do so well (anything that requires adding ingredients at different times in the cooking process). I like it because I'm lazy and enjoy having one-pot meals, not because it's a magic robot that can solve all my feeding-myself woes.
posted by tapir-whorf at 7:18 PM on June 1, 2018 [4 favorites]

Here is a master dal / lentil recipe from Bon Appetit. Easy peasy.
posted by shothotbot at 7:19 PM on June 1, 2018

Here's a quick start guide that shows you all the parts of the instant pot: https://youtu.be/mFxE253582o
posted by Former Congressional Representative Lenny Lemming at 8:57 PM on June 1, 2018

I felt the same as you when we got ours. Hard boiled eggs was my ice-breaker, would recommend!
posted by stellaluna at 9:07 PM on June 1, 2018

Ignore all the buttons except "Manual."
Remember that "Instant" is only a buzzword. There's time to come up to pressure, cooking time, and time to decrease the pressure. This may not save you any time over cooking things on the stove, but it's all hands-off and you can go do something else while your food cooks unsupervised.
If you're on Facebook, check out the multitude of Instant Pot groups. I recommend "Dump and Push Start" as your first stop.
posted by Joleta at 9:10 PM on June 1, 2018 [2 favorites]

Steel-cut oats for breakfast.
1 c steel cut oats
3 c water
Pinch of salt.

3 minutes on high (manual). *let the pressure release completely naturally, do not quick release or you get a huge mess*. Total time is 15 minutes or so, but I start it before I take my shower and it’s done by the time I get downstairs.

Also, if you like Indian food, this cookbook is very good. (At least, everything I’ve made has been tasty. )
posted by leahwrenn at 10:34 PM on June 1, 2018

Google "hard boiled eggs instapot." That will get you started and ease your mind. Instapot is easy to use. It really is.
posted by WalkerWestridge at 5:19 AM on June 2, 2018

The Butter Chicken Lady's Butter Chicken and Egg Biryani recipes are staples in our household now. Super easy and super delicious and great for leftovers/lunches.
posted by srboisvert at 6:06 AM on June 2, 2018

I’m a techie, but I found the thing daunting at first. So I did something I rarely do: I read the manual. It’s actually pretty helpful. Start with the water test. It doesn’t cook anything, but it shows you how to work the basic controls. Once you’ve got that down, cooking everything else is pretty easy. It’s great for hard-boiled eggs, whole chickens, and many other dishes. I use it at least once a week. Good luck!
posted by debgpi at 6:45 AM on June 2, 2018

Here are a couple of extra easy things to get you started on the learning curve:

1 doz eggs
2 c water

Put the eggs on top of the rack, and pour in the water. Make sure your seal is tight and in place. Close instant pot. Hit manual. Use the subtract button to get down to 3 minutes. Step away. Come back after it beeps that it's done. Open pot carefully. Pour in cold water. Voila, hardboiled eggs that are so easy to peel, they will make you cry.

3-6 cobs of corn, snapped in half
2 c water

Put the (shucked) corn on top of the rack, and pour in the water. Make sure your seal is tight and in place. Close instant pot. Hit manual. Use the subtract button to get down to 7 minutes. Step away. Come back after it beeps that it's done. Open pot carefully. Use tongs to remove the corn, as they will be hot as fuck. But they will be bursting with juicy delicious goodness. Serve with butter, salt, pepper, cotija cheese, whatever you like putting on corn on the cob.

3-6 russet potatoes, peeled
2 cups water

Put the potatoes on top of the rack, and pour in the water. Make sure your seal is tight and in place. Close instant pot. Hit manual. Use the subtract button to get down to 15 minutes. Step away. Come back after it beeps that it's done. Open pot carefully. You can now use these potatoes to either eat like unjacketed baked potatoes, or you can mash them as you prefer. If you put them in for 5 minutes, they come out half-cooked but sliceable, which is great for making fried potatoes/potatoes au gratin.
posted by headspace at 7:49 AM on June 2, 2018 [2 favorites]

I just used our Instant Pot for the first time this past week! It was scary, but pretty easy, once I figured out how to put the lid on right, so it would seal, and how the steam valve worked. I made a beef roast like so:

Season the roast on both sides with salt, pepper, garlic powder, and onion powder
Set the Instant Pot to saute and sear the roast for a couple of minutes on each side
While that's searing, mix a cup or so of water with a couple tablespoons of Worcestershire sauce, and a generous glob of brown mustard. Pour that over the roast, press the Meat button, and set the timer for 55 minutes. When the timer goes off, open the steam valve (I gingerly poked at it with a wooden spoon) and let it release. Take the roast out, then put in a whole bunch of baby carrots and some small potatoes, and set the pot to Manual for 4 minutes. Let the veg cook in the liquid, release the steam again, and serve!

(All the roast recipes I've seen tell you to do the veg with the meat, but we have found that they turn to complete mush when you do that, so we do them after the meat has cooked.)
posted by sarcasticah at 10:07 AM on June 2, 2018 [1 favorite]

I really like the way the recipes at pressurecookingtoday are written, and my go-to of theirs are Spicy Honey Garlic Chicken and Creamy Chicken and Wild Rice Soup.

I have a tiny private IP group on Facebook, and this Zuppa Toscana has been super popular there, with everyone riffing on various substitutions based on what they have on hand.

If you're a visual learner, my favorite Instant-Pot-heavy food youtuber is Flo Lum. (Her IP Playlist) Her One Pot Chicken Stew shows how to do a multi-stage recipe, and I love her Sausage and Kale soup. She's good to watch even when she rambles a bit, because she's shooting down into the pot as she works, so you'll get a better feel for common techniques.
posted by Lyn Never at 11:00 AM on June 2, 2018 [2 favorites]

Kind of riffing on Lyn Never's comment, are there other IP blogs, websites or YT channels that folks would recommend?
I don't have a FB account any more, so that avenue is right out.
I told my wife I would help with cooking and our IP 6 quart will arrive on Sunday!
I'm pretty excited and want to start gathering recipes.
posted by Major Matt Mason Dixon at 1:57 PM on June 15, 2018