Author Topic: Forget the slow cooker, give me a pressure cooker!  (Read 61753 times)

Rubic

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Re: Forget the slow cooker, give me a pressure cooker!
« Reply #100 on: November 28, 2015, 10:07:54 AM »
Well, that's my hope. As it stands now, it goes like this:
We cook all meals at home (both of us primarily at home most days). I cook most of the time, but if I've spent a bunch of time cooking and cleaning that day, DH wants to help. Admirable, but he works full time and is doing a full time masters. So my hope is this will make it easier for ME to cook, so that I don't get whiny and DH doesn't feel bad and want to take a shift, so it takes a household task of his plate (so to speak).

I like my pressure cooker because I can get everything prepared quickly, then forget about it while the food is cooking.  This frees up time for other activities: other food preparation, household chores, or even going out for a walk -- and I don't have to worry about the meal.  The timer will auto-shut the pressure for slow release and keep the food warm until I'm ready to dine.  I'm using the Cuisinart, but I assume the Instant Pot works in pretty much the same way.

singh02

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Re: Forget the slow cooker, give me a pressure cooker!
« Reply #101 on: November 28, 2015, 11:21:36 AM »
I went in on the walmart insta pot deal (thanks to the above poster).  It looks like MMM is helping my BF shopping spree. My excuse is that I moved, but there's probably some lifestyle inflation here.

I'm hoping to make more legumes, and have been lazy making them on the stovepot.  But the fact you can put it dried chickpeas or lentils in the insta pot and then have them ready is pretty enticing.  I also hope to cook more south asian legume dishes like dahl and chickpea curry.

Having a one pot machine which cuts down on prep and cook time sounds like a winner.

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davisgang90

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Re: Forget the slow cooker, give me a pressure cooker!
« Reply #103 on: November 28, 2015, 02:14:01 PM »
Picked up this one

Instant Pot IPLUX60 Stainless Steel 6Quart 6in1 MultiFunctional Pressure Cooker   

on the Wal-Mart deal.  I've been a slow-cooker fan for years, hoping pressure cooking will improve my game!

rpr

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Re: Forget the slow cooker, give me a pressure cooker!
« Reply #104 on: November 28, 2015, 08:18:05 PM »
I too got one. Looking forward to cooking with it.

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Re: Forget the slow cooker, give me a pressure cooker!
« Reply #105 on: November 28, 2015, 09:01:17 PM »
NOOOOOOOOOOO.

I had just decided, okay, let's do it! And I go to Amazon. DEAL SOLD OUT.


UGHHHHHHHHHHHHH

I just did the same thing.....now I'm waiting for another sale.

I only saw a time counter, nothing about % sold like some of the other deals. That makes me mad. I thought I had time!

I just checked at Walmart, because I heard the instant pot was part of their cyber Monday deals, and they are on sale now for 78.50.

After much debating and wringing of hands, I did the Walmart deal. I'll only get 1% instead of my nice 3% amazon back, but I think I'll live. Let's hope this is good for my daily life, but also doesn't obliterate my regular cooking skills!

Which card are you using?  I know Discover regularly has 5% back for Walmart online if you go through their shopping portal.  Chase has a similar portal but I'm not sure what the percent it.  I bet other banks have similar portals.

lizzzi

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Re: Forget the slow cooker, give me a pressure cooker!
« Reply #106 on: November 29, 2015, 08:11:00 PM »
Just bought one on 'zon.  Following.

Can't Wait

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Re: Forget the slow cooker, give me a pressure cooker!
« Reply #107 on: November 30, 2015, 05:33:51 AM »
Obligatory: http://earlyretirementextreme.com/a-tribute-to-my-pressure-cooker.html

By the way, I've never had good luck with frozen meat in my pressure cooker.  Always turns out tough no matter how long I cook it.  Anyone else notice same/different?  Maybe I'm doing something wrong.

Works a charm on non-frozen roast, pork shoulder, etc.


I've had a Cuisinart electric pressure cooker for a few years now and use it regularly for rice. It cooks in 6-7 mins and tastes great.

I haven't had any luck with frozen meat either. Frozen chicken comes out tasting like ass.

elaine amj

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Re: Forget the slow cooker, give me a pressure cooker!
« Reply #108 on: November 30, 2015, 07:51:36 AM »
I was going to get the Walmart $79 (CDN ~$100) deal for the LUX, but then ended up seeing the DUO on sale on Amazon.ca for CDN $119. Seemed well worth it so I snagged it (plus it saves me the hassle of bringing it back across the border). It was out of stock by Saturday but we were still able to buy it and they will ship it when they get more stock.

It is now on for $149.95 - but oddly enough, I wasn't able to find this price by doing a search on amazon.ca - only through the product link I have on my order page. http://www.amazon.ca/gp/product/B00FLYWNYQ?psc=1&redirect=true&ref_=oh_aui_detailpage_o00_s00

TomTX

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Re: Forget the slow cooker, give me a pressure cooker!
« Reply #109 on: December 12, 2015, 08:27:08 AM »
Reporting back - the Black Friday Amazon Instant Pot has been opened, cleaned and was just started with the chicken bones/scraps, water and a bit of vinegar to make stock/broth.

davisgang90

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Re: Forget the slow cooker, give me a pressure cooker!
« Reply #110 on: December 30, 2015, 04:35:13 PM »
Just made Chicken Noodle soup from a Costco rotisserie carcass.  Easy, yummy and a big hit!

http://dadcooksdinner.com/2013/12/pressure-cooker-turkey-noodle-soup-with-vegetables.html/

sisto

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Re: Forget the slow cooker, give me a pressure cooker!
« Reply #111 on: December 30, 2015, 05:38:19 PM »
So far I'm really liking mine. I just had turkey and rice soup for lunch. I'm getting used to it still so I need to get a better plan together for using it more. So far I've made rice a few times, minestrone soup, a couple of batches of chicken soup, and now a batch of turkey soup. I have a frozen ham shank in the freezer leftover from Thanksgiving and will use that for beans and ham later. We normally use a lot of beans and buy organic, low sodium which can be costly, so we are hoping to make our own in the IP. Does anyone have a good IP recipe for beans and rice?

Bracken_Joy

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Re: Forget the slow cooker, give me a pressure cooker!
« Reply #112 on: December 31, 2015, 08:14:48 AM »
We've done whole chickens from frozen twice now. They have to be fully submerged, but since these are old tough birds, that's what we do anyway. Then we shred the meat, dump the frame back in with veggies, and cook for 2 hours on high pressure to make some AWESOME broth. Soup then follows. I like this system. I can break the bones easily apart with my hand once they're done.

hoping2retire35

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Re: Forget the slow cooker, give me a pressure cooker!
« Reply #113 on: December 31, 2015, 11:20:32 AM »
glad i saw this thread; our manual/recipe guide said dry beans had to be cooked for 7-8 hours. Checked some online guides, looks like beans in 20-30 minutes :)

golden1

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Re: Forget the slow cooker, give me a pressure cooker!
« Reply #114 on: December 31, 2015, 01:15:39 PM »
Hmmmm....I am in a big time food rut so this is very tempting.  I put this on my Amazon wish list.   

sisto

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Re: Forget the slow cooker, give me a pressure cooker!
« Reply #115 on: December 31, 2015, 01:41:11 PM »
glad i saw this thread; our manual/recipe guide said dry beans had to be cooked for 7-8 hours. Checked some online guides, looks like beans in 20-30 minutes :)
It depends on how you like your beans. It's probably more like 40 minutes, but still awesome.

hoping2retire35

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Re: Forget the slow cooker, give me a pressure cooker!
« Reply #116 on: January 05, 2016, 01:46:27 PM »
have made two beans that both went well. Black eyed peas on NYD was 25 minutes and let sit in cooker for 2 hours; almost mushy they were so tender. Pinto beans were 25 minutes and took off the pressure right away. could have been a little longer but still very edible. Also did some chicken breast Teriyaki that turned out well. I think we did 40 minutes but could have gone on longer to make it a little more tender.
Might try a "wing" recipe. frozen chicken quarters, basically cooked in the pressure cooker, then soaked in milk then battered then roasted for crispiness, lastly tossed in a some sauce.

elaine amj

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Re: Forget the slow cooker, give me a pressure cooker!
« Reply #117 on: January 05, 2016, 02:33:17 PM »

Might try a "wing" recipe. frozen chicken quarters, basically cooked in the pressure cooker, then soaked in milk then battered then roasted for crispiness, lastly tossed in a some sauce.

I like the sound of your "wing" recipe and will have to give it a shot! good way to cook cheap chicken quarters.

I made bone-in pork chops last night. I cooked it a little less than instructed so it wouldn't reach the point of mushiness (family likes a bit of chewiness). Tossed in some water mixed with onion soup mix and it was delish. Took about 45 mins from start to finish though - heat up the pot, brown 2 sets of meat, add the liquid, bring up to pressure, cook, then quick release. Family was getting a wee bit impatient. I could cook it much faster on the stove, but the instant pot makes sure it is tender. I then used the leftover bones to make stock (with lots of veggies since there weren't many bones).

JoshuaSpodek

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Re: Forget the slow cooker, give me a pressure cooker!
« Reply #118 on: January 10, 2016, 08:03:52 AM »
Bought an electric pressure cooker a few months ago (Cuisinart CPC-600, $50 pre-owned but unused from Craig's List).

One of the best purchases of my life, especially combined with my farm share, which brings me fresh seasonal vegetables. Also my No Food Packaging challenge (http://forum.mrmoneymustache.com/share-your-badassity/no-food-packaging-challenge), which nearly eliminated food from boxes, bags, or other packages.

I tell myself I'll follow a recipe at some point, but so far I haven't needed one. All I do is wash vegetables, chop them, and put them in with beans or lentils, olive oil, garlic, onions, and whatever spices I feel like (usually just cayenne pepper). Then I add salt when I eat it. The flavors are deep, rich, and complex. The texture is like a stew that's cooked all day.

Every time the resulting stew is so good I eat it until stuffed. Since it's just vegetables and legumes so as best I can tell it's high in fiber, vitamins, and nutrition, I think stuffed means a healthy amount. The definition on my abs isn't changing so I'm not putting on weight.

The latest batch has French lentils, carrots, beets, broccoli, cabbage, onion, garlic, cayenne, radish, celeriac, and maybe a few other vegetables. How do I choose them? Whatever came from the farm. But I could just as well pick random vegetables from a store. So I haven't gotten bored because the vegetables change with the season. Other stews have included chard, squash, jalepeno, broccoli rabe, parsnips, collard greens, potato, cauliflower, celery, eggplant, red beans, black beans, black-eyed peas, mung beans, and I can't think of what else.

I never heard of some of these vegetables before, but I find out by tasting them after cooking. The only things pre-processed that's gone in are olive oil and dried spices. Everything else is whole vegetables. I get the lentils and olive oil from the bulk food store (bringing my own bags and bottle).

I put zero planning into any of it and it's among the most delicious, nutritious, fast-cooked food I've ever made. Seriously, I just chop random vegetables and combine them with legumes, oil, spices, and water. I only choose 9 minutes cooking time for lentils and 20 for beans (the instruction book's suggestions). Perfect every time.

I sometimes wonder if I'll ever get to recipes since everything comes out so good and changes with the seasons.

My recommendation if you're thinking about getting one: buy one and just start using it. I had no idea I'd use it this much or enjoy the food so much. I have only praise for my model.
« Last Edit: January 10, 2016, 08:12:56 AM by JoshuaSpodek »

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Re: Forget the slow cooker, give me a pressure cooker!
« Reply #119 on: January 10, 2016, 07:22:12 PM »
Just made Chicken Noodle soup from a Costco rotisserie carcass.  Easy, yummy and a big hit!

http://dadcooksdinner.com/2013/12/pressure-cooker-turkey-noodle-soup-with-vegetables.html/

Thanks for the link to that. I used up a left over Costco rotisserie carcass that way as well. Super easy and great tasting soup.
We had no waste from the rotisserie chicken.

hoping2retire35

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Re: Forget the slow cooker, give me a pressure cooker!
« Reply #120 on: January 12, 2016, 06:18:19 AM »
this is great! Never want to cook on a pot or slow cooker again! made the 'wing' thing and it turned out well too. Made a bean soup from the water and rendered fat(from chicken quarters) in the pressure cooker that turned out excellent also.

ELE_Erin

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Re: Forget the slow cooker, give me a pressure cooker!
« Reply #121 on: January 18, 2016, 11:51:49 AM »
love my instant pot. best Christmas present ever. So far I've made: Kalua pork (nom nom paleo), creme brulee, risotto (2x), apple chicken thighs, hardboiled eggs, and a pot roast. fantastic appliance.

lbmustache

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Re: Forget the slow cooker, give me a pressure cooker!
« Reply #122 on: January 18, 2016, 12:38:30 PM »
Bought an electric pressure cooker a few months ago (Cuisinart CPC-600, $50 pre-owned but unused from Craig's List).

One of the best purchases of my life, especially combined with my farm share, which brings me fresh seasonal vegetables. Also my No Food Packaging challenge (http://forum.mrmoneymustache.com/share-your-badassity/no-food-packaging-challenge), which nearly eliminated food from boxes, bags, or other packages.

I tell myself I'll follow a recipe at some point, but so far I haven't needed one. All I do is wash vegetables, chop them, and put them in with beans or lentils, olive oil, garlic, onions, and whatever spices I feel like (usually just cayenne pepper). Then I add salt when I eat it. The flavors are deep, rich, and complex. The texture is like a stew that's cooked all day.

Every time the resulting stew is so good I eat it until stuffed. Since it's just vegetables and legumes so as best I can tell it's high in fiber, vitamins, and nutrition, I think stuffed means a healthy amount. The definition on my abs isn't changing so I'm not putting on weight.

The latest batch has French lentils, carrots, beets, broccoli, cabbage, onion, garlic, cayenne, radish, celeriac, and maybe a few other vegetables. How do I choose them? Whatever came from the farm. But I could just as well pick random vegetables from a store. So I haven't gotten bored because the vegetables change with the season. Other stews have included chard, squash, jalepeno, broccoli rabe, parsnips, collard greens, potato, cauliflower, celery, eggplant, red beans, black beans, black-eyed peas, mung beans, and I can't think of what else.

I never heard of some of these vegetables before, but I find out by tasting them after cooking. The only things pre-processed that's gone in are olive oil and dried spices. Everything else is whole vegetables. I get the lentils and olive oil from the bulk food store (bringing my own bags and bottle).

I put zero planning into any of it and it's among the most delicious, nutritious, fast-cooked food I've ever made. Seriously, I just chop random vegetables and combine them with legumes, oil, spices, and water. I only choose 9 minutes cooking time for lentils and 20 for beans (the instruction book's suggestions). Perfect every time.

I sometimes wonder if I'll ever get to recipes since everything comes out so good and changes with the seasons.

My recommendation if you're thinking about getting one: buy one and just start using it. I had no idea I'd use it this much or enjoy the food so much. I have only praise for my model.

Soooo I want to try this but I am afraid of screwing it up and wasting a ton of ingredients. Quick questions - do you cook the beans beforehand and then add everything (and then cook for additional time), or do you add everything at once and everything cooks together for the same time? Do you also soak beans overnight?

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Re: Forget the slow cooker, give me a pressure cooker!
« Reply #123 on: January 18, 2016, 08:53:33 PM »
Made ribs in the Instant Pot for the first time about a week ago.  I did 20 minutes under high pressure for babyback ribs, and they were really good.  Next time I think I'll do 20 minutes, open the pot and push the ribs down into the sauce and bring back up to pressure for another 10 minutes.  Then they were finished on the grill just to get a bit of that char and make the sauce set up.  Weeknight BBQ FTW!

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Re: Forget the slow cooker, give me a pressure cooker!
« Reply #124 on: January 19, 2016, 04:37:57 AM »
I made this chicken thighs and rice recipe for dinner last night. It came out awesome, and it is a super flexible/versatile dish for seasoning.

This was the first time I pressure cooked skin-on chicken thighs. I REALLY love crispy skin and couldn't stand the thought of the soggy skin pressure cooking would cause. 10-15 minutes under the broiler while the rice was cooking made the skin crispy and helped this recipe get into my weekly busy dinner night rotation!

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Re: Forget the slow cooker, give me a pressure cooker!
« Reply #125 on: January 19, 2016, 04:47:15 AM »


Soooo I want to try this but I am afraid of screwing it up and wasting a ton of ingredients. Quick questions - do you cook the beans beforehand and then add everything (and then cook for additional time), or do you add everything at once and everything cooks together for the same time? Do you also soak beans overnight?
[/quote]


You put in everything at once.  Yes, you can go from dried beans to completely cooked in a very short time.  I've read when cooking dry beans it's best to always use at least a tablespoon of oil with the liquid, to avoid the hazard of the beans popping up and clogging the pressure mechanism.  I've done it that way for many years, and never had a problem.  Best of luck!

Trudie

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Re: Forget the slow cooker, give me a pressure cooker!
« Reply #126 on: January 19, 2016, 12:21:35 PM »
I'm pondering this, but am looking on Craiglist and other inexpensive sources and am not sure of how much of an investment I want to make up front.  Should I be afraid of the "old-timey" models?  Some of them need pressure regulators -- which I understand are easy to buy at a hardware store.

I once had a rice cooker (similar concept?) and hated it and got rid of it.

JoshuaSpodek

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Re: Forget the slow cooker, give me a pressure cooker!
« Reply #127 on: January 19, 2016, 01:03:39 PM »
Bought an electric pressure cooker a few months ago (Cuisinart CPC-600, $50 pre-owned but unused from Craig's List).

One of the best purchases of my life, especially combined with my farm share, which brings me fresh seasonal vegetables. Also my No Food Packaging challenge (http://forum.mrmoneymustache.com/share-your-badassity/no-food-packaging-challenge), which nearly eliminated food from boxes, bags, or other packages.

I tell myself I'll follow a recipe at some point, but so far I haven't needed one. All I do is wash vegetables, chop them, and put them in with beans or lentils, olive oil, garlic, onions, and whatever spices I feel like (usually just cayenne pepper). Then I add salt when I eat it. The flavors are deep, rich, and complex. The texture is like a stew that's cooked all day.

Every time the resulting stew is so good I eat it until stuffed. Since it's just vegetables and legumes so as best I can tell it's high in fiber, vitamins, and nutrition, I think stuffed means a healthy amount. The definition on my abs isn't changing so I'm not putting on weight.

The latest batch has French lentils, carrots, beets, broccoli, cabbage, onion, garlic, cayenne, radish, celeriac, and maybe a few other vegetables. How do I choose them? Whatever came from the farm. But I could just as well pick random vegetables from a store. So I haven't gotten bored because the vegetables change with the season. Other stews have included chard, squash, jalepeno, broccoli rabe, parsnips, collard greens, potato, cauliflower, celery, eggplant, red beans, black beans, black-eyed peas, mung beans, and I can't think of what else.

I never heard of some of these vegetables before, but I find out by tasting them after cooking. The only things pre-processed that's gone in are olive oil and dried spices. Everything else is whole vegetables. I get the lentils and olive oil from the bulk food store (bringing my own bags and bottle).

I put zero planning into any of it and it's among the most delicious, nutritious, fast-cooked food I've ever made. Seriously, I just chop random vegetables and combine them with legumes, oil, spices, and water. I only choose 9 minutes cooking time for lentils and 20 for beans (the instruction book's suggestions). Perfect every time.

I sometimes wonder if I'll ever get to recipes since everything comes out so good and changes with the seasons.

My recommendation if you're thinking about getting one: buy one and just start using it. I had no idea I'd use it this much or enjoy the food so much. I have only praise for my model.

Soooo I want to try this but I am afraid of screwing it up and wasting a ton of ingredients. Quick questions - do you cook the beans beforehand and then add everything (and then cook for additional time), or do you add everything at once and everything cooks together for the same time? Do you also soak beans overnight?

Repeating frompa's response: everything at once. I haven't messed anything up and the only instruction I'm using is the guide that came with the pressure cooker that tells me how long the legumes take. The vegetables cook along the way and become part of the stew, as if you stewed it all together all day. If I put in too much water it becomes more like a soup. Too little water and it's more like a porridge.

If you soak the beans overnight you pressure cook them about five minutes less.

I had no experience before I bought the thing and no one showed me how to use it beyond a couple videos online.

lbmustache

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Re: Forget the slow cooker, give me a pressure cooker!
« Reply #128 on: January 19, 2016, 01:24:42 PM »
Perfect, thanks everyone. Will experiment with this later on this week! Going to try risotto tonight.

elaine amj

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Re: Forget the slow cooker, give me a pressure cooker!
« Reply #129 on: January 19, 2016, 02:40:17 PM »
I've been using my instant pot at least several times a week. I did find I have to vary my cooking technique a little and use my stovetop and oven sometimes to vary the tastes and textures for my family. My absolute most favorite thing to make is stock. I've always bought them - and at $1.29-$1.99 a package, it adds up fast! I love that i am using more veggies and less salt.

Last week I started pressure cooking dried chickpeas. They are among my favorite snacks and I love that I don't have any of the salt that is in the canned stuff. I am perfectly happy eating them plain. I do find I have to cook them much longer than recommended to get a softer texture. I might also add some garlic cloves next time for some additional flavor.

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Re: Forget the slow cooker, give me a pressure cooker!
« Reply #130 on: January 19, 2016, 03:53:19 PM »
I do chickpeas in mine, too.  I think mine is a Fagan pressure cooker.  I usually soak them for the morning first which shortens the time.  I love to think about how much gas I am saving!

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Re: Forget the slow cooker, give me a pressure cooker!
« Reply #131 on: January 20, 2016, 12:36:07 PM »
I put the beans in the Instant Pot stainless steel bowl and cover them with cold water plus 2-3 inches.  I set the Instant Pot on Manual, clicking the Adjust button within 30 seconds to raise the temperature to high.  As you know, do not put the pressure cooker lid on at this point.  I do not cover at all, but some people have a glass lid with their Instant Pot or an old pan or Corning Ware lid that would fit if you want to speed the boil.

After the water comes to a boil, I turn the Instant Pot  (IP) off (timing is not critical, I've been off by 5 minutes on this with no problem).  I lay the Pressure Cooker lid on top, at an bit of an angle, to hold heat (the optional lid would work quite well for this, too).  Then I wait an hour.  After that hour of "Quick Soak", I drain the beans in a colander,  put them back in the IP stainless steel bowl, cover them again with water (cold) plus about a 3 inch depth and usually I add a bay leaf at this point.  Next, I secure the IP pressure cooker lid, turn the toggle to the closed (pressure) position, and begin to pressure cook the beans using the Manual button and time setting.  I set Garbanzo beans at 25 minutes, Adzuki at 16 min, Pintos at 25.  I always Natural Pressure release beans (NPR).....well, at least for 15 minutes (I am not always as patient as I ought to be.  Otherwise you get a cloggy mess.   My times are longer than most, I think, because I'd rather have my beans really tender than to have to repressurize and cook another 2 minutes (again, a patience issue!).  I recall one time the beans were not "quite" done to my taste and I just set "saute" to medium and simmered them for another 10 min in the pot.

So my way takes longer overall than cooking from dry, and my times are longer than the guidelines that come with the IP.    But my beans are really tender.  BTW: they freeze wonderfully in baggies, portion sized for future recipes.  My tip:  as you find times that work for you, write them down in your IP booklet for future reference.

sisto

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Re: Forget the slow cooker, give me a pressure cooker!
« Reply #132 on: January 20, 2016, 02:06:52 PM »
love my instant pot. best Christmas present ever. So far I've made: Kalua pork (nom nom paleo), creme brulee, risotto (2x), apple chicken thighs, hardboiled eggs, and a pot roast. fantastic appliance.
Can you please share your creme brulee recipe? I would love to try that in my IP.

sisto

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Re: Forget the slow cooker, give me a pressure cooker!
« Reply #133 on: February 03, 2016, 03:38:55 PM »
I made refried beans in my IP yesterday loosely following this recipe and they came out amazing.

http://www.seriouseats.com/recipes/2014/04/perfect-refried-beans.html

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Re: Forget the slow cooker, give me a pressure cooker!
« Reply #134 on: February 03, 2016, 06:29:43 PM »
I finally bought a pressure cooker (regular stove-top model) as a holiday present for us, and it's a great tool. So far, it's been most useful for cooking beans. Where I used to have to cook some types of beans for hours and hours, until they were waterlogged and tasteless yet sometimes not even fully cooked, I now can throw beans and water plus a little oil (or start by sautéing some onions etc. and then adding the beans and water) into the pot, crank it up, cook for 10-15 minutes, cool down for another 15 minutes, and they are DONE. And they taste better. I've done them both presoaked and not -- works either way.

lizzzi

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Re: Forget the slow cooker, give me a pressure cooker!
« Reply #135 on: February 12, 2016, 12:55:35 PM »
I am still having good luck using my InstaPot for rice...either white or brown...using the proportions that are in the little InstaPot cookbook that came with it. The good thing besides the rice never boiling over is that you have that "Keep Warm" function. We fed the kids early last night,  but had to wait for another family member who was at a school conference. Kept the rest of the rice on "Keep Warm" and she got home on a frigid night to nice, warm rice to go with the rest of her meal. And it didn't dry out.

JoshuaSpodek

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Re: Forget the slow cooker, give me a pressure cooker!
« Reply #136 on: July 22, 2016, 03:09:21 PM »
Check out this thread for a video of me preparing a vegetable stew in under twenty minutes with a pressure cooker: http://forum.mrmoneymustache.com/share-your-badassity/video-my-20-minute-vegetable-stew!-six-delicious-nutritious-meals-maybe-$10. I'd write more, but I just cross-posted in another pressure-cooker thread and don't want to post too many times.

Gone Fishing

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Re: Forget the slow cooker, give me a pressure cooker!
« Reply #137 on: July 22, 2016, 06:23:33 PM »
Saw a big pressure canner at the thrift store. I was a bit tempted but held off considering we don't can very much (freeze mostly).  FYI ,the local term for the pressure weight is a "jiggler" and is held behind the counter lest someone make off with it to replace a missing one!

Telecaster

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Re: Forget the slow cooker, give me a pressure cooker!
« Reply #138 on: July 22, 2016, 07:02:32 PM »
Check out this thread for a video of me preparing a vegetable stew in under twenty minutes with a pressure cooker: http://forum.mrmoneymustache.com/share-your-badassity/video-my-20-minute-vegetable-stew!-six-delicious-nutritious-meals-maybe-$10. I'd write more, but I just cross-posted in another pressure-cooker thread and don't want to post too many times.

Pro tip:  Never start off a video by saying "I didn't do any prep."

PS: Video was 40 minutes.

JoshuaSpodek

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Re: Forget the slow cooker, give me a pressure cooker!
« Reply #139 on: July 23, 2016, 05:29:19 AM »
Pro tip:  Never start off a video by saying "I didn't do any prep."

Why not?

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Re: Forget the slow cooker, give me a pressure cooker!
« Reply #140 on: July 23, 2016, 01:36:28 PM »
Pro tip:  Never start off a video by saying "I didn't do any prep."

Why not?

It think it's just a subtle way of getting us to watch the video.  But anyways, he talks to the camera a lot during the video so of course it's going to be longer than the 20 min it is normally

undercover

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Re: Forget the slow cooker, give me a pressure cooker!
« Reply #141 on: July 23, 2016, 02:47:53 PM »
Pro tip:  Never start off a video by saying "I didn't do any prep."

Why not?

Well for one, no one's going to watch a 40 minute video demonstrating a simple recipe when there's no editing or high production value in general. The only way I could think people would stick around is if Louis CK were telling jokes during the boring prep parts.

JoshuaSpodek

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Re: Forget the slow cooker, give me a pressure cooker!
« Reply #142 on: July 24, 2016, 06:56:17 AM »
Pro tip:  Never start off a video by saying "I didn't do any prep."

Why not?

Well for one, no one's going to watch a 40 minute video demonstrating a simple recipe when there's no editing or high production value in general. The only way I could think people would stick around is if Louis CK were telling jokes during the boring prep parts.

Maybe I should have clarified, my goal was to show how fast and easily you can cook a cheap, delicious meal with a pressure cooker -- no recipe needed -- not to entertain. Actually, six delicious, nutritious meals at once.

I still don't understand why not to say I didn't prep.

I guess I made a video I had seen years before. If I had seen a video like that earlier, I would have bought a pressure cooker and joined a CSA earlier, making me healthier and wealthier earlier. Then I'd watch it again to see how to use them. That was my goal.

I can't compete with Louis CK on humor or entertainment, and there are plenty of his videos online anyway.

ender

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Re: Forget the slow cooker, give me a pressure cooker!
« Reply #143 on: November 28, 2016, 05:08:54 PM »
It's on sale again for $69 for Cyber Monday:

https://www.amazon.com/dp/B00FLYWNYQ/

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Re: Forget the slow cooker, give me a pressure cooker!
« Reply #144 on: November 29, 2016, 05:05:02 AM »
Ok, I got the good cyber Monday deal! I'm telling myself that I was already replacing my crock pot due to breakage anyway. I used to have a pressure cooker and loved it, but tossed it due to making broth and setting it in the garage to cool, only I forgot about it and found it a year later. I was too scared to open it so I chucked it in the garbage. The pan was probably not the festering sludge of bacteria that I thought that it had become, it was sealed like a canning jar, but I was too squeamish about it. Oh well. I forgive myself. I had used that pressure cooker for 20 years. Looking forward to giving the instant pot a go.

boarder42

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Re: Forget the slow cooker, give me a pressure cooker!
« Reply #145 on: November 29, 2016, 05:57:37 AM »
are these really worth it... every time i see the deal i wonder.

ender

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Re: Forget the slow cooker, give me a pressure cooker!
« Reply #146 on: November 29, 2016, 07:52:34 AM »
are these really worth it... every time i see the deal i wonder.

I bought it, we make a lot of crock pot meals.

I'm curious to try some of the settings though. I'm most excited about the ability to not have to clean as many dishes that people say, so I guess we'll see.

horsepoor

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Re: Forget the slow cooker, give me a pressure cooker!
« Reply #147 on: November 29, 2016, 07:55:53 AM »
are these really worth it... every time i see the deal i wonder.

I think so.  I actually bought a second one on Black Friday because mine gets used a few times per week, and I've frequently wanted a second liner ($30), and often wish for a second pot as well, so I can do, say, curry in one and rice in the other.  With the Black Friday deal, I took the plunge and have two identical ones, so I now have a spare liner when we're storing leftovers in the fridge in the first one. Depends on your definition of "worth it" but I love being able to push a button and go walk the dog or go to the stable and come back to perfectly cooked food.

boarder42

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Re: Forget the slow cooker, give me a pressure cooker!
« Reply #148 on: November 29, 2016, 08:07:32 AM »
i took the plunge, i use a crock pot alot and a smoker as well. 

I eat a semi paleo diet called 4 hour body.  are there any good recipes where i can take frozen meat and throw it in?

Also how good is it at dried beans without soaking.

planning on having kids next year figure this may save some headaches if i dont have to thaw things when we forget about dinner.

lifeanon269

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Re: Forget the slow cooker, give me a pressure cooker!
« Reply #149 on: November 29, 2016, 08:59:09 AM »
All this talk about pressure cookers and slow cookers and I just have to chime in about my favorite cooking "appliance"...the thermal cooker. You can use it for anything that you would a pressure or slow cooker, but I find it much easier to use and much more "mustachian".

You only need to cook it on the stove for about 10-15 minutes or so depending on what you're cooking, and then just slip the pot into the outer insulated container and then let it cook the rest of the way like you would a slow cooker. Because you aren't adding any more additional heat, it is impossible to burn anything with it. That also makes clean up much easier since you never have a ring around you pot of burned on mess like you get with a slow cooker.

I use it to cook all sorts of things like soups and stews and I've even replaced my rice cooker with it since it cooks perfect rice every time with no burned rice at the bottom.

The only thing to keep in mind when using it is since there is no evaporating taking place, always use a little less liquid than what the recipe calls for.

This method of cooking saves energy, money, and makes great meals. It is also great in the summer time when you don't want to have the stove running for long periods of time. It's great too for taking to other places or potluck dinners since you don't need to depend on having a wall outlet or needing to plug in. It'll be ready and hot whenever you need it on the go.

There are lots of different Thermal Cookers on Amazon, I bought the Thermos brand one since it is a recognizable brand and it works great. It'll keep it piping hot for 8 hours easily.

https://www.amazon.com/Thermos-Thermal-Cooker-RPC-4500-Thermo/dp/B002QHZG3G/ref=sr_1_11/156-8620359-6865726?ie=UTF8&qid=1480434543&sr=8-11&keywords=thermal+cooker


Anyway, just thought I'd throw that out there for those that have never heard of thermal cooking before.

PS. I am in no way affiliated with any thermal cooker brand. I just love the product and method of cooking.
« Last Edit: November 29, 2016, 09:01:19 AM by lifeanon269 »