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Original poster

We’ve ordered an Instant Pot

566 replies

CruCru · 26/08/2018 19:11

Do you have one? What do you like to make in it?

I used to have a slow cooker, which was great for making stock and mulling wine.

OP posts:
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Knittedfairies · 03/10/2018 19:42

Mine too @Thecatisboss! We’ve had risotto which was really good. I’m feeling a bit over-whelmed to be honest....

MsHomeSlice · 03/10/2018 20:20

I made these Sticky toffee puddings the other day and they were lovely but wanted to make syrup sponge puddings as well but could not find a recipe for individual ones so I thought I would wing it and see

so I did...

3oz butter/caster sugar/SRflour, 1 large egg, zest and juice half a lemon, 3 large tsp of golden syrup

put half lemon zest into bottom of three individual metal pudding moulds and cover with syrup
cream butter and sugar together, add egg, then flour, then lemon juice and divide between the moulds (I made 3 with this, but actually it would have done 4)
cover each one with a bit of buttered foil and then followed the method at point6 in the sticky toffee pudding recipe (steam for 15 mins vent open, manual for 10, NPR and eat!! )

dh was sad i only made three, he wanted another one!! :o

Ineedabiscuit · 05/10/2018 11:52

Just to say I make lentils all the time in the IP . I use all sorts of lentils from red through to mung dhal of all sorts and chickpeas too. Never had problem and find the ip perfect for cooking pulses and lentils so please persevere with it as I can’t imagine going back to the stove pot methods now.

I always try everything in the instant pot first as it is so easy and such aconvenient way of cooking almost everything . Be confident with the IP and experiment , it’s worth it !

HalloumiGus · 05/10/2018 20:13

I love ours! Best kitchen gadget I've bought.

Barbayagar · 05/10/2018 20:22

I do lentils all the time in mine too. I just can't stop making lentil / chickpea soups - my freezer is full of tubs of the stuff, delicious!

MonolithiK · 05/10/2018 20:32

What is the difference between cooking in an instant pot and slow cooking in a normal saucepan?

GrannyHaddock · 05/10/2018 20:42

Well, it's not slow, for a start.

Barbayagar · 05/10/2018 21:07

But tastes like something that's been simmered in the oven for hours, although takes much less time than that.

MarchSurprise · 05/10/2018 21:18

I am desperate for one and reading this has made me think I cannot wait until Black Friday and should just order one!

GrannyHaddock · 05/10/2018 21:29

Go for it March, you won't regret it!

MonolithiK · 05/10/2018 21:41

Is an instant pot the same as a pressure cooker? sorry if i sound very vague, the recipes sound delicious but i want to know why i would buy one rather than cook in a normal saucepan.

Lougle · 05/10/2018 22:07

MonolithiK it's a multi-function electrically programmable pressure cooker.

MonolithiK · 05/10/2018 22:09

Grin Thanks Lougle. I sued to have a pressure cooker yonks ago, wasn't programmable though and i only ever used it to cook oxtail. Had not idea it could cook all these other things.

buckeejit · 05/10/2018 23:28

Mine arrived on Monday night-so far so good. I have done eggs, (I did them too long but they were ok), rice, (pretty good), chicken breasts, (easy), & tonight macaroni cheese (vvg)

Tomorrow will try chill con carne-have mince, veg & jars of sauce - should I brown mince & onions in sauté mode first? And can I add tinned kidney beans at the start or should I do it at then end? Thanks 😁

Also have been doing Persian style steamed rice lately & its awesome-is there a steamer option of rice in instant pot?

HalloumiGus · 06/10/2018 11:00

@buckeejit would you mind sharing your IP macaroni cheese recipe? I'd love a really good one.

I used to love the fast IP pasta recipe - any meat and veg you like in the bottom, a tin of tomatoes, tin of water and throw in pasta and stir. Chuck in herbs wine stock powder etc anything you fancy and one final stir. Then 6 mins on high pressure and pressure release straight away. Brilliant and made 4 good portions. I was low carbing for a while which knocked it on the head.

HalloumiGus · 06/10/2018 11:01

There are brilliant Facebook groups with zillions of recipes including niche ones like instant pot vegan / gluten free / vegetarian / low budget etc.

user1473069303 · 06/10/2018 12:07

Try "Amy + Jacky Pressure cook recipes", their stuff looks really good (haven't had time to try anything yet).

WeAreSailing · 06/10/2018 12:24

@Lougle do you have a basic IP chicken casserole recipe?

Am overwhelmed by a gazillion FB posts and only recipe sites I can find are American Confused

Lougle · 06/10/2018 13:58

For a basic chicken casserole I would just slice a couple of large onions, some carrots, a couple of peppers and a couple of parsnips and put them all in the IP. Chuck in some mushrooms if you have them.

If you are using chicken meat, dice it and chuck it in. If you are using chicken joints, nestle them in the IP. If you are using a whole chicken, place it in and move it around with the veg so that you'll be able to get the lid on. (If you have time, you could use the sauté function to brown the onions and meat before you add the other veg, but it's not essential.)

Add a Cup- 1.5 cups of chicken stock to the pot and cook on manual for 30 minutes.

When it's cooked, you can either put the IP on sauté to bring it to the boil and thicken with cornflour or thickening granules, or drain the liquid from the IP and thicken that to form the gravy in a pan separately.

I sometimes add potatoes to make it a 'one-pot' meal.

CassieStuart · 06/10/2018 15:31

Instant pot arrived earlier this week. Going to try it out today.

I have a boneless lamb shoulder so was thinking of making a Greek-style lamb with lemon and garlic and potatoes.

Any tips or links to recipes l can follow?

Off to set it up now and do the water test - just a little bit nervous!

TolstoyAteMyHamster · 06/10/2018 15:55

Have made the best Chinese ribs today - garlic, star anise, chili, ginger and ribs sautéed, then soy sauce, apple juice and cider vinegar in the pot. Whack it all on high for 35 minutes. They are so tender.

WeAreSailing · 06/10/2018 20:13

Epic fail. Did easy cook rice in the 'rice' setting and came out extremely gloopy and clumpy Sad

grannycake · 07/10/2018 08:02

2nd week of my IP and I have made macaroni cheese - used recipe linked from FB site and was a bit ?? because it used evaporated milk - it was, however, delicious and very quick.

More yogurt and soup made in the week and a delicious beef and red wine casserole after work on Friday.

Trying pulled pork today.

Only slight failure has been porridge where I seriously misjudged the quantity needed.

Have ordered a cakepan from Amazon to try a cheesecake next week

IStillMissBlockbuster · 07/10/2018 08:30

I wish there was a way to search the whole thread. Can anyone tell me where the macaroni cheese recipe is please?

grannycake · 07/10/2018 08:42

This is the one I used - but I omitted the jalapenos.

www.everynookandcranny.net/instant-pot-chorizo-jalapeno-mac-cheese/