Instant Pot (Pressure Cooker) Tips & Recipes

I am not a great cook but I love my IP. It makes cooking easier and more fun. Since I bought my IP, I have not used my rice cooker (that I used to love.) So I think I will take it to the basement to store. IP cooks brown rice better than rice cooker.
Tonight, I made ziti with sausage and green pepper. Here is the recipe from Cooks Illustrated. https://www.cooksillustrated.com/recipes/7536-pressure-cooker-easy-ziti-with-sausage-and-peppers
Cooking pasta dish in pressure cooker is a game changer as you don’t need to cook pasta separately. Just put all the ingredients in IP then you put dinner on the table after 5 min.

I just made brownies from a random recipe I found in the internet and it was a great success! So moist and chocolaty!
The only challenge was to find a pan that fits in the IP.

This is the link btw
http://healthyfamilycookin.blogspot.com/2012/03/delicious-fudgey-brownies-electric.html

I made beef curry for dinner in my stove top pressure cooker tonight. I was going to use my IP. But I decided to make double batch and with all the potatoes and carrots, I didn’t think they will fit into the IP.
http://jillcooks.com/pressure-cooker-japanese-beef-curry/

Experienced IP cookers… ( @“Cardinal Fang” , I’m pointing at you… :)>- )…today I tried out a pot roast. It was about 2 1/2 pounds, I browned it on both sides, put in about a cup of beef broth, maybe 1/3 cup of sherry, some mushrooms…salt, bay leaf…cooked it at high pressure for around 45 minutes.

It was good…but not tender at all! Not sure if it was the meat itself - or, did I cook it too long? Not long enough? Any advice for next time??

I’m thinking it might be the cut of beef. What did you use?

But for a 2 1/2 pound roast, I’d think 39 minutes would be enough.

It could definitely be the meat…it was a chuck roast. I’ve used that cut before, braising for a few hours and it’s always been pretty tender. Not sure if I trust this one though, it was pretty fatty…I’ll chalk it up the the meat.

In the pressure cooker, does extra time make it more tender? or does it hit the wall and turn into a brick? (sorry for all the questions, it’s just so…different…than what I’m used to!!)

Chuck roast should be good. And I meant to type 30 minutes, not 39. Extra time dries the meat out.

I am not as experienced as @“Cardinal Fang”, but I have heard that over-cooking in a pressure cooker does not yield more tender meat. Also, when cooking meat, using natural release is important as it’s like letting the meat ‘rest’. I have had good results with cooking chuck roast in my IP before.

I’m not very experienced at all! I’ve had my Instant Pot only since Christmas.

I made this [Chicken and Rice]( PERFECT Pressure Cooker Chicken and Rice ⋆ hip pressure cooking) dish again. Still delicious. This time I degreased the liquid before making the rice, which meant the rice was less delicious but probably better for me.

Unlike the other recipes I’ve tried, the chicken and rice is a bit of a hassle: you have to cook the chicken in the Pot, then take the chicken out of the Pot, take the liquid out of the Pot, degrease if you feel like it, and cook the rice in the Pot while broiling the chicken. But it’s good.

I made curry a few weeks ago in my Instant Pot. Can’t get rid of the smell. I’ve cooked other things in it since, but it still smells like curry. Help!

The silicone sealer ring retains odors. I haven’t found that to be a problem, but you can buy another ring for when you cook more delicate dishes.
http://www.amazon.com/Instant-Pot-Silicone-Sealing-White/dp/B008FUUQJW
https://instantpot.com/store/product.php?productid=2

^I bought a spare ring for making cheesecakes!

Bumping up this thread - some of us have purchased an IP today as an Amazon Prime deal (what a deal - suckered me in!!) so, especially for those of you who purchased your IP over the winter - give us first timers more tips/recipes/do’s and don’ts!!!

I’m considering ordering as well.
My CC find of the microwave egg device is my most used new kitchen item

My daughter tipped me off to a blog she likes - google “Budget Bytes” with lots of recipes that use the IP. I can’t wait to try it out!

Got it.

I ordered it today after several strong endorsements from current users. Thanks for bumping this thread. Now I can go back to bring myself up to speed.

All day today, I kept holding myself back from purchasing one from Amazon Prime Day Deal.
The only reason I am not buying?
I have two! ;))

So, several of us will be receiving our Instapot in a couple of days.

Veterans, please advise us to one or two SIMPLE recipes we should first attempt to get to know this device!!! Help us break our unit in!

This might not be the first dinner you want to make to break in your pressure cooker but I just made it tonight so want to share it before I forget. (it is not a complicated recipe)
The beef short ribs were so divine that if I dimed my dining room light, my family would have thought they were dining at a fancy restaurant.

http://dadcooksdinner.com/2010/03/pressure-cooker-short-ribs.html/