Child friend recipes for Instant Pot

[BWatchWatcher]

Hi!
Does anyone have an child friendly recipes that involve the instant pot? And are not cheesecake?

[BWatchWatcher]

Aww
I love the instant pot but like you I've never found anything they (kids) want to eat. One of the main advantages was meant to be quick meals for them. Bah.
Same with my slow cooker (bar a whole chicken, they eat that).

[DellaPorter]

Simple pasta sauce ? Sauté onion, add garlic, finely chopped pepper, courgette, carrot. Tinned tomato, Tom purée, seasonings, teaspoon of sugar. Cook as soup

[charlestrenet]

Why wouldn't you just do that on the stove?

[BWatchWatcher]

Kids don't like tomatoes.
Otherwise frankly I would!

[BWatchWatcher]

And before anyone says I should just keep serving tomato sauce it has been 8 years and they still don't like tomato pasta sauce.

[SteamyMcDreamy]

Try making a bolognese in it and slow cooking for a few hours. It's delicious.

[WhoKn0wsWhereTheMistletoes]

I'll swap you, tomato pasta sauce is about the only thing one of mine will eat.

I'm the new owner of an IP too, I followed the FB group for a while but couldn't keep up and a lot of the recipes were just neat and a jar of sauce. So far I've made an amazing beef stew, chicken soup, whole chicken, stock from the carcass of said chicken (and the turkey). I like the fact that it contains smells and mess so well, DH hates the smell of stock making on the hob.

[alteredimages]

I love my instant pot too, but I am lucky that DCs love anything so long as it comes with rice. Sandwiches however, they will not eat so picnics and packed lunches can be a chore.

Sorry for the hijack, but do any of you know why the inner pots are now selling for over £90? Have they been discontinued? I really need an extra pot and wish I had bought one in the summer now.

[DellaPorter]

Charlestrenet

• it's quick, not messy and comes out very rich

[CSLewis]

What kinds of things do your kids usually eat? They can quite possibly be made more quickly and easily in an InstantPot. What does a normal week's menu look like?

[CSLewis]

You can cook a whole chicken in 30 mins (once it's come to pressure), for example. Then you can eat it as is with rice, or potatoes, or shred it for fajitas, or make a big salad...

Pork shoulder joint, or gammon: takes less than half the time in the Pot than when conventionally cooked, falls apart, and then you can do pulled pork with BBQ sauce, in wraps, however you want to eat it.

I set up porridge the night before and the kids wake up to it perfectly cooked at 6.45 the next morning - I think my favourite feature is that it automatically clicks over to Keep Warm when the cooking is finished, so food can be served for hours afterwards, whenever is convenient for you and your family's timetable, but you can do the actual hands-on stuff whenever you like.

[MamamamaT]

I know this is ancient but CSLewis if you're still around, what's your technique for overnight porridge in the IP please?

[ChesterBelloc]

Hi there - I actually haven't made it for yonks, so this is the method rather than an actual recipe, IYSWIM.

It does involve a bit of trial and error and the beginning, as the ratio of water to oats very much depends on the kind of oats you use: chunky ones will require more, fine ones less.

Because they'll be left soaking overnight (which incidentally makes them easier to digest and better for you), you may find you need slightly more liquid than it says on the packet (I'd start off using that as a guide).

So, place your oats and liquid in a heatproof bowl, that will comfortably fit inside your IP insert (not on small, the oats and milk tend to froth up during cooking). I use about a third milk and the rest water (and have no qualms about milk staying out overnight - my kitchen is cool, and if you're in the UK you should be fine) . Add a pinch of salt, and at this point I also add a teaspoon of coconut oil and a teaspoon of jaggery (hard unrefined sugar cane juice - amazing rich flavour).

Place wire trivet in base of IP insert, pour a couple of cups of water in, place your bowl of oats & liquid on top of the wire trivet. Using Manual, set the number of cooking minutes - again, this will require trial and error, depending on your oats and amount of water, and your preferred texture. I'd start with 3/4 mins. Then use the timer button to delay the start of cooking for however many hours suits you. Make sure that the toggle is set to Sealing.

You need to allow time for the pressure to drop via Natural Release, so I'd aim for cooking to finish a minimum of 20 minutes before you wanted to open the pot. Be prepared for it to look a bit wet and unappetising when you first take the lid off; just give it a very thorough stir. If it still seems more liquidy than you like, you can leave it with the lid off for a few mins:it will continue to thicken up the longer it sits.

It probably won't be perfect the first time (tho you might get lucky), so have a back-up breakfast on hand! But it is worth persevering until you find the right ratio/timings for YOUR perfect porridge, as it's just such a help to have hot porridge waiting for you (and subsequent family members at later times) in the morning.

P.S. Don't forget to put the lid back on if you're going to leave it on Keep Warm for hours (which you can, with no issues); the water at the base does evaporate slowly, and you don't want to end up with a dry pot-bottom.
P.P.S. I add a thin layer of milk (poured gently over the back of a spoon) to the surface of the porridge if I know it's going to sit around for a while waiting for the next person - this helps to prevent a skin forming on top.

Sorry this is soooo long - hope it helps!

[MamamamaT]

Thank you so much, you're a legend! Ds1 loves porridge (as do we all) but it's the old issue of the time it takes to stand there prepping and stirring in the morning - on a weekday, not a chance. Can't wait to try this out!

[Ricekrispie22]

Mac n cheese www.prestige.co.uk/the-hob-hub/recipes/pressure-cookers/pressure-cooker-mac-n-cheese/
Risotto www.bbcgoodfood.com/recipes/lemony-prawn-pea-pressure-cooker-risotto
Chilli www.tefal.co.uk/recipe/Chilli-con-carne/r/108355
Creamy chicken pasta thecookreport.co.uk/pressure-cooker-creamy-chicken-pasta/
Fish pie www.prestige.co.uk/the-hob-hub/recipes/family-fish-pie/