returning something to a deep discount
store and was given store credit… well .......
It was a smallish store and we
were out of town and
we needed to spend it right then and there…
So we
looked and looked and
looked – and picked up a set of 1200 count sheets [ooooo]
and then I
saw this instant pot –
an electric pressure cooker / hot pot / crock pot /
sauté pot..
And we got it.
I had heard about the joys of an electric
pressure cooker
[had even been to a ‘class’
at Williams Sonoma]
but just couldn’t spend the money
since I wasn’t sure how much I might use it…
So I was a little concerned
that this Instant Pot might not be up to par
with a big name brands.
LITTLE DID I KNOW that the instant pot is ALL
THE RAGE these days.
Truly.
There are entire on-line communities
devoted to this sweet little appliance.
And
now I know why… The first week alone I cooked a roast beef with all the
fixings, artichokes, stuffed peppers, a whole chicken, and a dozen hard
cooked [‘boiled’] eggs.
And beans – oh how we love the pinto bean
recipe my sweetheart found!
[And they make pretty delicious ‘re-fried’ beans too!]
I’m cooking more
than I have in YEARS…
So
the other night I decided to do a whole meal in the instant pot – and
now I know the reason some people have more than one – because – while it might
be EASY [oh so easy] it’s not so quick when you’ve got several things
to prepare –
Here’s my run down –
Before
work – I set my peas to soak. Once I got home I rinsed the peas and put
in the instant pot – set on ‘beans’ – [30 minutes] – Remember the pot
has to have time to gather pressure so it actually takes longer than the
set time to cook.
And, note: 30 minutes was too long for my pre-soaked peas – they were a little softer than I like.
Best thing: I turned them on and did not touch, stir, look at them again.
While
the peas were cooking I prepared apple cranberry stuffing -- >
I
searched a stuffing recipe and added a chopped apple I needed to use
then threw in some cranberries for extra flavor. Once the peas were done
I put them in a bowl, covered
with foil, and put the frozen pork chops [seasoned with cinnamon and
ginger] in the pot with the pea liquid, then layered in the removable basket and the
stuffing in my 7 inch spring form pan ;lined with foil] and set it on
for 15 minutes.
But I had a little problem:
I didn’t check the seal and since the pot was already hot it had some
moisture around the seal so after a few minutes I had to check it and
dry off the seal [wiped off with a foam brush.]
Once it sealed the
pressure built
up quickly since the liquid inside
was already hot.
So it took a little longer than the 15 minutes...
Once the pork chops and stuffing were done I removed
them, covered with foil, and set aside. I added the brussel sprouts
[again, frozen] to the strainer [still using the
same liquid] and pressured for five minutes…
When they were done, I
drained the liquid and set to sauté and added just a bit of olive oil
and garlic to finish them off.
Oh. So. Good. In retrospect –
Doing a
meat and legumes in the same meal is probably a little
too much -
But it was delicious!
On another day, I decided to try the mac and cheese that EVERYone
[in the Instant Pot Communities] is raving about -
Here's the recipe I tweaked to my preference:
Put 2.5 cups elbow macaroni in the instant pot with 2 cups chicken broth, 1/2 cup cream and 1/2 cup milk. Add salt and pepper.
Set manually for 8 minutes.
Release the steam.
Open pot and add: 1 tablespoon butter, 2 cups cheddar cheese 1 cup swiss cheese [it's what i had] and stir until melted. Start-to-finish: 2 minutes. Delish.
Next up one of those cheesecakes everyone's talking 'bout.
LOL
