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I am madly in love with my Instant Pot IP-DUO60. It should be renamed the “Magic Pot” as that’s what it does — magic. Raw ingredients go in and delicious food comes out. It was well-worth the purchase price of $135 at Amazon [http://www.amazon.com/dp/B00FLYWNYQ/?tag=harperkingsley-20].

The first day I got it, I checked it over and cleaned it up, then I threw in the included rack, 4 still slightly-frozen Cornish game hens, 1 cup of water, and a sprinkle of salt, then hit the Poultry button. It switched to On as it got up to pressure, then it was 20-minutes of cooking (I maybe should have lessened the time, but whatever) and when I quick released the steam and opened the lid, I was presented with fall-off the bone chicken.

I stuck the hens on a pan and into the oven for a quick broil to add some color, then we feasted like Walt Boggis from Fantastic Mr. Fox [http://www.amazon.com/Fantastic-Mr-Fox-Meryl-Streep/dp/B001QOGYBI/?tag=harperkingsley-20] — though we only ate one chicken each.

After that, I took the bones I’d saved and tossed them back into the pot with the drippings (removing the rack first) and added about three cups of water. I hit the Soup button and let the machine go to work.

When the ding sounded, I released the pressure and carefully took the bowl out to rest on the counter (it’s stainless steel, so it cools down quickly once it’s out of the Instant Pot). I let the broth cool a bit before covering it and putting it in the refrigerator for about 30-minutes. Then I skimmed the surface fat and removed the bones and put the bowl back in the Instant Pot. I hit the Saute button to heat the broth back up while I chopped up some vegetables — carrots, celery, zucchini, white onion, radish, potato. I tossed the vegetables into the pot and sealed it back up, then I hit the Soup button again.

On the first day of enjoying the Instant Pot, we ate whole Cornish game hens for lunch and chicken vegetable soup for dinner. It was only the start.

So far, I have cooked:

* pork chops from frozen — I put the chops on the rack and hit the Meat/Stew button. (Again, I probably should have used less time, since the meat was definitely fall off the bone tender.) Once the pork was done, I lifted them out and onto a plate. (I covered them with tinfoil and left them on my stovetop warmer to rest.) Then I tossed on some sweet potatoes I’d cut into big chunks and hit Steam, using the same water I’d used for the pork chops. Once the potatoes were done, I lifted them out into a bowl and removed the rack. I hit Saute to heat the pork dripping-rich water and stirred in some flour mixed with water, salt, black pepper, and garlic powder to make a quick gravy for the pork. It was very tasty, and not much work.

* chicken chili — I rinsed and sorted 1-pound of dried pinto beans and threw them into the pot with enough water to cover (the water was about to my first knuckle above the beans) and hit Bean/Chili. When the ding sounded, I hit the Keep Warm/Cancel button to turn off the heater and let things cool. Once the lid unlatched, I dumped the beans into my strainer and gave them a quick rinse (they were fully cooked in less than an hour, plump and tasty) before throwing them back in the pot. I tossed in about 1/2 to 1 pound of frozen chicken fingers (I buy a $10> family-sized package of chicken breasts and cut them into enough chunks and fingers to make up 4 Ziploc bags and freeze them), chili spices, chopped white onion, and three cans of diced tomatoes (1 plain, 2 with jalapenos and bell pepper), and 1-cup of chicken broth. I kind of stirred the tomato/spice mix around, but not much because I didn’t want to mash my beans; I only wanted to bury my chicken a little. Once I was sure things weren’t poking up past the Max-Fill line, I closed the lid and hit Bean/Chili again and let things work. When the ding sounded, I let the pot sit for another 30-45 minutes before opening the lid and giving everything a stir. I could use my mixing spoon to break up the chicken, which was fully cooked. Then I let the chili sit a few minutes with the lid off so it could thicken, then served each bowl with a topping of chopped white onion, chopped green onion, and some shredded pepperjack cheese. The rest of the chili I let cool, then used to fill Ziploc bags that I froze. Very easy.

* white rice — The pot has a Rice button, and it makes some very nice rice. I have to tweak things a little because there is a bit of a learning curve for me, but the Instant Pot works. So, no complaints.

* baked apples — I break off a square of tinfoil for each apple I plan on making, then I quarter the apples and remove the cores before slicing into 8ths (as in, each apple produces 8-slices), carefully keeping the pieces together. I make a mix of brown sugar and cinnamon. Then, kind of cupping the tinfoil in my hand, I start reassembling the chosen apple, leaving off the last two slices. I add a spoonful of brown sugar and cinnamon mix in the middle of the apple, then place the missing slices and wrap in tinfoil. When I was done I had four tinfoil apples that I put in the Instant Pot (always use the rack!) with a cup of water and hit the Steam button, adjusting to 15-minutes. The apples were cooked, but a little mushier than I like. Next time I might just hit Manual and give them 13-minutes that way. I’m not sure. Still, baked apples were a success with a little adjustment for the future.

Some things I plan on making: yogurt (because why not?), beef stew, pressure cooker pho [http://steamykitchen.com/31369-vietnamese-pho-pressure-cooker-noodle-soup-paleo-recipe.html], beef roast with potatoes and carrots, steamed buns, and 18-minute baby back ribs (http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=S2Cnz2_AyJM).

Right now my next purchases include an extra bowl for my Instant Pot ($34) [http://www.amazon.com/Instant-6-33qt-Stainless-Pot-Bottom/dp/B008BKHGX0/?tag=harperkingsley-20], a glass lid ($17) [http://www.amazon.com/Instant-Tempered-Electric-Pressure-Cookers/dp/B008FUJ2LK/?tag=harperkingsley-20], and an extra sealing ring $10 [http://www.amazon.com/Instant-Pot®-Silicon-Sealing-Ring/dp/B008FUUQJW/?tag=harperkingsley-20]. Considering the use I’ve already put this machine to, I think it’s well worth the expense ($61) to have a few of the extras.

Instant Pot IP-DUO60 specs: http://instantpot.com/benefits/specifications-and-manuals/instant-pot-ip-duo-series-specifications/.
7-in-1 options include: Soup, Meat/Stew, Bean/Chili, Poultry, Rice, Multigrain, Porridge, Steam, Slow Cook, Saute, Pressure, and Yogurt (seriously, this thing makes yogurt! Here’s a video: http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=cHca_wJJg48).