Re: Instant pot!
 

You know, on a related note I actually do have a bigger crock pot that I used regularly and felt I needed the bigger size.

The reason I don't feel that i Need the bigger size for the Instant pot is that things cook quickly. So while with the crock pot, when I made something like dry beans or bone broth I would make big batches because those take hours (and sometimes days). With the instant pot I never feel the need to cook things in big batches because everything takes such a small time frame. :yes

So one thing to consider when choosing size.

Re: Instant pot!
 

I cooked a whole, frozen solid chicken in my Instant Pot tonight.

Last week, I failed at cooking beans in it as a slow cooker. Anyone want to coach me? I thought the instructions said 30 minutes :scratch The water wasn't even hot at that point. I'd like to make a black bean soup tomorrow.

Re: Instant pot!
 

Don't do it as a slow cooker. Set the timer and do manual if you need them done by a certain time and don't want to forget. I usually do pinto beans and add in all the seasoning and salt and lots of water and let it go for an hour. By that time, the beans are really nice and soft. And if I forget that they are in the pot, they stay nice and warm.

Re: Instant pot!
 

30 min is the time frame for cooking beans at prusher.

Re: Instant pot!
 

Does the slow cooker function actually work like a slow cooker? Or a slightly faster slow cooker? I'm not sure the soup would be as good on speedy cook.


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Re: Instant pot!
 

Soup is just as good. We used to do red hots cider in the crockpot for 2-3 hours. Now I do it in the IP manual 10 minutes, npr, then put into the crockpot to keep warm and serve from.

The IP slower cooker low is like crockpot keep warm. The IP slow cooker high is like crockpot low.

Re: Instant pot!
 

I've never used it as a slow cooker and we don't eat beans. I do cook a 2 in thick chuck steak with potatoes and carrots at least once a week and in 40 min it tastes like it was cooked 4-8 hours in a crockpot.

Fwiu it works fine as a slow cooker but you would have to use slow cooker times.


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Re: Instant pot!
 

Oh, I use it as a slow cooker all the time! I LOVE that function of it. I find that it works the same heat wise as my old skool slow cooker. The reason I prefer using it to my old skool slow cooker is because of the lid. I know lots of people LOVE when their house is filled with the delicious aroma of cooking dinner all day long, but I'm home all day and having such a food filled aroma tempt me all day is too hard. :shifty So i prefer that lid because it holds in more of the smells. :yes

That said, I do use the pressure cooker function more often. :yes

For beans, I always presoak overnight. I know with the IP you don't *have* to but it's easy and plus presoaking increases the nutritional value of beans (or more specifically makes the nutrients more accessible to your body).

Then I do the manual setting (I've never done the bean setting) for between 20 and 25 minutes depending which bean I'm cooking.

They always come out great.

If your water isn't even hot something went awry. :think Did the lid seal? Have you had problems with any other dishes or just this one?

Re: Instant pot!
 

I find the directions it came with to be super confusing. It says to cook beans for 30 minutes in slow cooker.

Anyway, I have the soup on slow cooker for 7 years. If I check it at that point and it's not done, I can pressure cook it for a few minutes.


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Re: Instant pot!
 

Wow! Really? 30 minutes in a slow cooker isn't nearly enough. It took about 12 hours for me to cook dried beans (presoaked) when I used the slow cooker.

30 minutes pressure cooker sounds more right. Maybe there is a typo?

I use this table as a guideline:

http://instantpot.com/cooking-time/d...e-and-lentils/

Re: Instant pot!
 

I've made this thread a sticky since the instant pot is popular. Hopefully it will make it easier for people to find. :)

Re: Instant pot!
 

I've added this back to my list at Amazon. :shifty I think it would help tremendously, since I spend more than 1.5 hours actively cooking every night.

Is the 6 quart size big enough? Can you do a LOT of bone broth, whole chicken, big pot roast in that size? Would anyone recommend the 8 quart instead? :think

Re: Instant pot!
 

Personally I have been very happy with the 6 qt. :yes It cooks more than enough for my family of 6. I didn't want the 8 qt for a few reasons, one being the additional storage space in my kitchen and the 2nd being that too big can also work against you when making smaller batches of things, which I like the option of too. :yes

Here's the biggest thing to keep in mind when choosing sizes. Because everything cooks so quickly, you really eliminate the need of doing massive batch cooking. :shrug3 So for example, I used to use the big crock pot to make a huge batch of dry beans since they take SO. LONG. And then use them up in recipes. Now that I can make them in 25 minutes or so, I don't have the need to make huge batches of beans, but only what I'd use for that meal.

In my 6 qt I make bone broth regularly (one of my most made items in the IP), and have made whole chicken and whole roast with no problems.

That said, if you tend to be a large batch cooker, and prefer to cook extras with leftovers for the next meal or two, you may want to go bigger. :yes I actually prefer to cook just enough for that meal with just the possibility of a little leftovers. :yes I find that the speed of the IP more easily allows me that.

Re: Instant pot!
 

That makes perfect sense, 2Sunshines. Thank you. :) I think the only thing I'm interested in making large amounts of is bone broth, but....since my freezer is also small, that's not ideal either. :giggle

Re: Instant pot!
 

I have the 6 quart and it's really ideal for our family size. :yes

Re: Instant pot!
 

I will also admit that I mostly want one, because I can have AIP food prepared all day long. :shifty

Re: Instant pot!
 

I totally agree about the 6-quart size. It is great for us. :tu

Re: Instant pot!
 

If you are going to spend the money it's much better to get two 6 quarts than to get one eight quart.

Re: Instant pot!
 

Yep. I make bone broth at least weekly, especially over the winter. In my crock pot days I used to make huge quantities and freeze but with the IP I just don't find that necessary. I make the full pot worth then fill up a couple glass jars from there and put in the fridge to use in other recipes over the next couple of days and use the remaining in the pot to make a big batch of soup for dinner. Then repeat the next time we want soup.

Heck I can make a fresh pot of bone broth in less time than I can thaw an already made jar of bone broth from the freezer! :shifty

And since I also have limited freezer space for which storage space is a high sought over commodity, I love not having to use it for broth yet still be able to access home cooked healthy bone broth whenever we want. :heart

Re: Instant pot!
 

The 2017 updated version is on sale: https://www.amazon.com/Instant-Pot-I...=instapot&th=1 The only thing it doesn't have is the yogurt setting. Very tempting.

Re: Instant pot!
 

That's a great price!

Re: Instant pot!
 

I am so tempted to get one for my friend as an early graduation present.

Re: Instant pot!
 

I finally caved and ordered this thing. I am still leery because we do NOT like crockpot food at ALL but everyone tells me it's not the same so we will see.


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Re: Instant pot!
 

Prusher cooking is so vastly better than crock pot.



I bought one for my friend.

Re: Instant pot!
 

It's supposed to be coming today. My menu is chicken and dumplings for dinner. I make chicken and dumplings by sautéing boneless chicken rolled in flour salt and pepper with onion and celery, adding carrots and broth and then bisquick dumplings on top. So is that something I can make in it? In other words, I am aware there are instant pot specific recipes but can I just make my own normal recipes too. Assuming it's a stew, soup, or roasted meat dish?


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Re: Instant pot!
 

You can definitely improvise with the IP. :yes HOWEVER, I would not recommend doing it until you've made multiple IP specific recipes and really have a good feel for how it works and how long different ingredients need, etc. There are definitely some differences from other cooking tools.

I think the biggest learning curve with the IP is the amount of liquid needed for different recipes and the length of pressure time. Those are both things you'll really master with practice. :heart

---------- Post added at 05:36 PM ---------- Previous post was at 05:33 PM ----------

Here is an IP recipe that I've made a few times (with some modifications for our specific dietary needs/restrictions) that sounds very similar to what you make.

https://thisoldgal.com/pressure-cooker-chicken-pot-pie/

Re: Instant pot!
 

Thanks, with all the cream soup (which I don't have) or make your own cream soup (I don't have potato starch) or seasoning it seems like a whole lot more work than just making it on the stove though. Do you always have to add creamed soup to things due to lack of ability to make a rue in the instant pot?


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Re: Instant pot!
 

Do you use a rue in a lot of things? I've used it once in my life :giggle :shifty


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Instant pot!
 

Yeah anything I want to thicken. Unless it's Asian food. Technically for stews I don't make a rue I coat the meat in flour and then I sauté it and the flour on the meat mixes with the liquid and thickens it.


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Re: Instant pot!
 

I make a rue a lot, too.

I made some broccoli soup in the instant pot the other day, and I followed the instructions with the recipe. It had excellent reviews, so I tried it. It was very watery. It was fast, though, so if I ever made it again, I'd make a rue while it was cooking. I think it shaved off about 10 minutes off of the cooking time of my regular recipe, which cooks the broccoli and carrots in broth while making a white sauce in a pot. So, using the instant pot would be doable and save a tiny bit of time, but it wouldn't be hands off.

Re: Instant pot!
 

Couldn't one make a rue on the stovetop and then add it to the IP and whatever's cooking in there? :think I make my own rue, because I don't buy canned gluten-free cream soup.

Re: Instant pot!
 

Yes, that is what I was saying I would do in my post about the broccoli soup.

Re: Instant pot!
 

I usually either skip the thickening or do it with a little liquid and starch (we're GF).

FWIW, I have not used the IP to make anything that I would usually make in a crockpot, with the exception of beans (but I hate the depressurization after beans because water squirts everywhere, or you have to wait until it naturally depressuriZes). I use it to make rice, hardboiled eggs, meats that are frozen - all sorts of things.


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Re: Instant pot!
 

I don't do any canned cream soups. I just made the homemade version of it. I do have potato starch but as a big gluten free baker it's a standard on hand. Corn starch would work the same. Actually, I would imagine any flour would work the same. :shrug

I don't make a rue on the stove top. That's exhausting! One of my fave features of the IP is the ability to thicken the sauces after cooking by just clicking "sautee" and adding the starch or flour and let it thicken. :yes

BUT in this recipe it didn't even require doing a post cook thicken -- just adding the ingredients to the original recipe. :yes

Re: Instant pot!
 

It turned out well!


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Re: Instant pot!
 

I made brown rice which was good. Broccoli and fish which was barely edible.


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Re: Instant pot!
 

did you overcook the broccoli and fish?

it's easy to do in the IP

I have

https://www.amazon.com/Great-Food-Fa...t+pot+cookbook

and have made a couple of his recipes. I use it as a reference for time though for recipes that are similar.

Re: Instant pot!
 

Yea, I have never done fish in the IP and I can't see it being a good method for fish. I always broil or grill my fish.

My IP is most used for things like soups or other chicken or beef saucy type meals -- like chilis, chicken teriyaki, salsa chicken, cream cheese chicken, etc.

I also love that I can steam whole potatoes in it to make a quick batch of mashed potatoes in 10 minutes. :rockon I've been doing that a lot lately.

Instant pot!
 

The broccoli was overlooked the fish was just mushy but not over cooked really. I still can't figure out what part of what valve I'm
supposed to take off the lid to wash. I can see how to get the seal off but that's it. Does the inner lid come apart from the top of the pot somehow? The instructions seemed to indicate it did but they don't explain how at all.

The reason I tried the fish is because people in the Facebook group were talking about it. I won't be doing it again for sure.

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Re: Instant pot!
 

Yea, I imagine the IP would turn broccoli to mush. The only time I do veggies apart from some root (or similar hardy) veggies, in the IP is in a soup.

For my lid, it doesn't come apart. I remove the seal and the piece that goes over the valve and hand wash.

BUT I recently had a discussion with someone who bought an IP only a few months after I did and it sounds like they redesigned that valve cover in that time frame... So we may have two different covers....