instant pot pressure cooker
 

I just purchased a pressure cooker, was wondering if anyone has this cooker and can give me some tips on using it. Also any good recipe books out there, that might help. Thanking you in advance for your help , Michele

Sorry, we only use it for canning.

I have an electric pressure cooker that I use all the time. Anything you cook in a dutch over you can cook in your pressure cooker. Same with the slow cooker - it just cuts the cooking time to a fraction. I love it for cooking pot roast and chicken. For pot roast, I can seer the roast in my cooker, then add onions, seasoning and beef broth - cook it for what ever length based on the weight of the roast, when it is done, I add the potatoes and carrots close it back up cook it at high pressure for 3-5 minutes then all is done. Remove everything and then make the gravy in the same pot.

I bought Bob Warden's book, "Great Food Fast" and there are some great recipes. But I also found that I can use my regular recipes and just use their cooking chart for the length of time. I have done artichokes in it and they came out great. They sell pressure cookers on QVC all the time and show all different ways to use them. That was where I got the inspiration to get one. How big is your machine? Mine is 10 quart and so I use it to make several meals at one time. I have not tried any pasta in it, but I have used it to make white rice and it was great.

Check out Amazon for recipe books - they have several.

Have fun - it really does cut down the time it takes to cook.

Question for all of you pressure cooker users-how do you get the fat off when you cook somethingg such as a roast - and want to eat it right then? I normally make things ahead and put them in the frig for the fat to harden. I've never had much good luck with skimming when warm. Would appreciate some helpful hints!

In dept store,you can buy a fat separator. You pour the liquid into it,and a spout comings off the bottom lets you pour off the good stuff...leaving fat behind.

For me I trim most of the fat off before it cooks. When I do chicken I usually just do the parts because that is what I buy unless there is a good sale on whole chickens - and those I do on my rotisserie. If there is fat floating I use a paper towel or two and lift off as much as I can. If I am saving the broth for some reason then I refrigerate it and remove it before using the broth. If I am using hamburger we use the extremely low fat version - 93% or 95% and then I don't worry about it. It has been so long since I have made a meat loaf - with the extra low fat content the meat has so little flavor I just don't bother. I would rather eat less of something than eat something that has little or no flavor.

You don't have to use the left over drippings from the meat for gravy - I like to put my roast on a rack (mine came with a rack that fits inside) but you could use a steamer rack. I like it because it cooks a bit more even (or so I tell myself).

Tell me more about this pressure cooker for canning, brand name, size, can it be used on a flat top range or does it sit on the counter, etc. I have looked at the Pro XL but have seen mixed reviews on it so am needing more information. Thanks a bunch.

I had one in the 70s. I switched to a Crock pot.

This site has some great tips and recipes: http://www.hippressurecooking.com.
I have a Fagor multi-cooker and love it. I think the rule of thumb is you can pressure cook most foods in about one third of the normal time in a pressure cooker.

Stitchnripper, If you add a few ice cubes to the pot the fat will congeal on the cubes and you lift them out. Won't dilute your broth by much.

Electric pressure cookers ar great for soups, stews, ribs, etc,but you have to have some water to create steam pressure. I bought one and have used it a few times and the meat dishes were good but don't try mac and cheese, no matter what the book says! I actually find more use for my crock pot than the pressure pot. It is quick which is it's greatest advantage. The instructions that came with mine were useless. You can get free cookbooks for them from Amazon if you have a Kindle, or order from the regular bookstore. They have lots of cook books.

you can use paper towels after you skim as much as you can.Just lay on top.till they are saturated

thanks for all the suggestions about the fat. Some I've tried with little success but will try the others.

A regular pressure cooker is totally different than the pressure caner. The caner has a heat regulator on it & the cooker dose not. You can fix meals in the caner, but you can not can in the cooker safely.

Just watched the infomercial on this product and was tempted to pick up that phone, but I didn't.......not this time anyway.....

I finally got an Instant Pot and made a whole chicken. I found a recipe online. We loved it. It isn't a crispy skin
version but the chicken was tender,juicy and flavorful. I only added a cup of liquid but it made about 6 cups of delicious broth. Brought up to pressure, cooked 25 minutes and used natural pressure release

..curious, how long does it take to "bring up to pressure".... Never mentioned on infomercials

my book says between 10 and 40 minutes. This recipe took mine about 20

Make ahead just like you do now and skim fat.

We gave 1 to each family at Thanksgiving for Christmas gift. They've used them several times and rave about them. SIL and son say never had better tasting soup in their life. I bought the real Insta pot because it's got the stainless steel inside.

You can't can in the electric Instant Pot. I don't know about other electric ones though, just this one.

I purchased one for myself on Black Friday thru Amazon, I have only used it once so far. My oldest daughter raves about hers and uses it all the time. I bought one for my other daughter and my son and his wife for Christmas. Not so sure that was a good idea for my son since they are vegetarians, but I guess they can make yogurt and rice and egg type stuff!

they can also make any number of bean dishes plus vegetables. I only used mine once so far but there is a Facebook page that gives all kinds of helpful information for those of us who are on Facebook (I know there are folks who don't use it). Also google will give many helpful hints and recipes.

I have the Power XL and it came with a canning book. I have used it for pork loin several times. Not pretty, but tender and tasty.

Alyce, I got one for Christmas, I love the Instant Pot, it was a great investment. I have made several different meals and they are all flavorful and yummy. I use a lot of herbs when I cook and this method seems to help the flavors get into the food better. We are now going to try a cheesecake in it.

Last night I made pork tenderloin in mine, and tonight I made a spaghetti sauce. I love that I can saute in it. It is so convenient and it doesn't heat up the kitchen.

I've made jambalaya and risotto. And it makes the best rice. Better than the rice cooker.

Anyone else still enjoying the Instant Pot? I use mine a few times a week. No failures yet. One recipe needed more water, but I added it and restarted and it was very good. Made "baked" potatoes in it last night. So easy to set and forget. We don't like crisp skins, so didn't finish in oven.

Curious...what is the actual brand name of this product? Several on market. Also, is there an amount of time needed to build up the pressure, as on one used on stovetop? How big is the pot that holds the food....not the one on tv that shows 1 or 2 cup capacity......

I have the Instant Pot. There is an Instant Pot community on FaceBook if you are into that sort of thing. Mine holds 6quarts. There are 7 quart and 8 quart Instant Pot sizes. It does take a few minutes to come up to pressure. Something frozen would take longer. My baked potatoes took 8 minutes to come to pressure. I set it at 13 min. but they were big potatoes and I think 20 would have been better. And then I came back later when we were ready to eat. I know I could make them in the oven, but, I am enjoying the Instant Pot. For us it makes the best rice, better than the rice cooker and I gave up stovetop a long time ago. too much watching. Apparently if something is amiss inside, it shuts itself off, instead of exploding!!

http://instantpot.com

We bought the Instant Pot just before Christmas and have used it a few times. So far, so good. My only issue is that I don't like to keep small appliances out on my counter unless I use them every day (ie coffee pot and toaster oven only). And I don't have the cupboard space to store it, so I keep it right outside the kitchen in the garage. I'm sure I'd use it more if I kept it on my counter. My niece, who talked us into getting the Instant Pot, uses hers 4-5x/week.

I can see your problem. I dont keep much on counter either. No coffee pot or toaster oven. Toaster stays in drawer until I need it. Don't mind the instant Pot being out. I just made popcorn in it using the sauté function. Just to see if I could. It was very good.

Oh, Alyce, you got me at the popcorn! Among other good things about pressure cooking, I'd like to find a good way to get away from microwave popcorn. How long did it take to make popcorn?

i used a recipe from www.sistersumderpressure com. Sauté function to high. 1-2 tblsp butter. 2-3 tblsp coconut oil - 1/2 cup popcorn. Glass lid from rice cooker. No pressure. Put pot on sauté function and use adjust to high. When hot put in butter and coconut oil. When bubbly put in popcorn and stir around to coat. Put glass lid on. When popping slows down turn off and give it a minute stir around and put in bowl.

Thank you for the info!

We gave our girls IP's for Christmas and they rave about them, but not as much as one son-in-law does. He thanked us because he said he ate good before, but even better now.