Tuesday, January 8, 2019

Instant Pot Review & Recipes

Christmas season is officially over in my little house - the tree was taken down on Sunday, and all traces of Christmas packed away until next year. 


The Magical Forest Christmas is no more, and I'm missing the twinkling lights in every corner....but it's also nice to get the house back to 'normal' again. 

It's been just over 2 weeks since I opened the Instant Pot that Sweetie got for me, and I wanted to share my opinion on it now that I've had a while to test the waters. 

You know what? I ABSOLUTELY LOVE IT!!

I didn't ask for one, I had no real interest in adding another appliance to my already overstuffed kitchen, but now that I have it I can't imagine being without it!

So what have I been making with it? All sorts of yummy dishes - here we go!!


First experiment was this lemon garlic chicken from Life Made Sweeter

Honestly, I was a little nervous, the Instant Pot seemed kind of complicated. 

But I followed the directions exactly, and the chicken was absolutely delicious!

I didn't take any photos of the process, I was concentrating too hard on figuring out what to do, sorry!

That recipe turned out so well I decided to try another chicken dish a few days later. 


This time it was Indian Butter Chicken from Two Sleevers. This was definitely out of my comfort zone, as I had never cooked Indian food before....well, except for a mild chicken curry using my favorite curry sauce powder from Ireland. I don't think that really counts as real Indian food though!

I even made my own Garam Masala seasoning...look at me go!!

This dish was actually quite simple to make, and was incredibly tasty. 


The chicken is placed whole on top of the sauce, and pressure cooked following instructions. 

Once you take the chicken out, the sauce is pureed using an immersion blender, and half of the sauce frozen for another day. 


The chicken is then sliced and mixed in with the sauce. The aroma was incredible, all those warm fragrant spices! 


While it was cooking I made some homemade naan bread using a recipe from Budget Bytes

Let me tell you something, this stuff is addicting!!!! 

What a difference from the naan I used to buy in the market - never again!


Again with the rice pilaf and green beans.....well, what can I say, I have a freezer full of green beans from the garden!


Next experiment? Mac n Cheese. 

Because.....YUMMMMM!

I used this recipe from The Salty Marshmallow, the only difference being I used condensed milk as that's what I had in the house. 


I put about half the cooked mac n cheese in a casserole dish, topped it with grated cheddar and seasoned breadcrumbs, and baked it in the oven until golden brown. 


Seriously, folks. This stuff is amazing. 


Served with a little piece of leftover cornbread....absolutely dreamy. 

Can you tell I'm getting a lot of enjoyment out of trying new recipes in my Instant Pot? 

Ok one more....my Dad's birthday was Sunday, he would have been 81. In honor of him, I made one of his favorite dinners. 

I really, really used to love to cook for him, and he is dearly missed. But I almost felt as if a little part of him was there with us, enjoying this special meal. 


In my searches online for Instant Pot recipes, I found multiple sites that raved about baby back ribs in the Instant Pot. 

I love, love, love me some good ribs. In the past, I always did a pork rub on both sides, then wrapped the ribs in heavy duty foil with a tiny bit of liquid, and cooked them low and slow in the oven. I would then slather them in BBQ sauce and finish them on a hot grill. 

This time they were cooked in the Instant Pot along with some Russet potatoes wrapped in foil. 


They were finished on a baking sheet in the oven, on the broil setting. 

Can I tell you these were fall-off-the-bone scrumptiously delicious and took only about a half hour to make!

I'm a complete convert, totally addicted to my Instant Pot now. 

So what's next?


Well, first I'm going to read my way through my new cookbooks, and then who knows? 

Yup, bought these babies on eBay and I cannot wait for the weekend to settle into my favorite chair by the fire with a good cup of coffee and this stack of books! I'll be busy with the sticky notes, marking off the pages with the recipes I want to try. 

I wonder how many I'll be able to adapt to the Instant Pot? 


I have yet to try the slow cook function, that's next as I used up the last of my chicken broth last night making potato soup for dinner. No Instant Pot needed there, it was a simple recipe to use up some cooked potatoes I had in the fridge....and boy was it delicious! 

If you have an Instant Pot, I would love to know what your favorite recipes are to make in it - please share! 

If you don't have one, are you considering getting one?  


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36 comments:

  1. I don't have one. Like you, I'm not sure I have room for other kitchen stuff. I want an air fryer too but not sure which I'd pick if I could only fit in one. Maybe the air fryer since we hardly make big meals anymore and like our veggies crispy. But that insta pot and your photos are tempting. I think I just need a bigger kitchen.
    Lisa

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    1. Ha ha, well I'm planning on replacing two of my appliances (crock pot and rice cooker) with this one, Lisa - the ones that I replace will go in the pile for my daughter, for when she buys a house, which they are in the process of doing. I've been stashing away all my old kitchen items for the past 5 years or so for her - she'll have a fully stocked kitchen when she moves out!

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  2. Your meals sound great. No I don't have an Instant Pot don't plan on getting one. I am retired so I have all the time in the world to let something cook away in my Le Creuset. Plus I have no room in my kitchen for one lol.

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    1. I love my Le Creuset pots, Penny - I have the larger dutch oven and a smaller one as well, plus some of their bakeware and other kitchenware. I never get tired of it!!

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  3. Gosh - I'm coming to your house for sure! Everything looks so yummy! Great job!

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  4. Oh, look at you just turning into an Instantpot wizard!! I just tried a second thing in mine tonight. Actually cooked a roast beef from frozen - solid as a rock. Sauteed it and then pressure cooked it for 55 minutes, then threw in some potatoes, carrots, and onions and cooked an additional 6 minutes. Juicy and good! Your meals look really good!! -Jenn

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    1. I love a good roast beef Jenn - what cut of beef did you use? Isn't it amazing you can cook it from frozen, wow!!

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  5. I considered it, but just don't cook enough. You should consider a cooking blog. They seem to make very good money from what I've heard. Maybe one specializing in your newest appliance. I'd do a search of cooking blogs. If you are interested.
    Brenda

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    1. And yet my cooking posts don't get as much traffic as my 'chatting about life' posts, Brenda - but I'll think about it!!

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  6. Hi Deb,
    I have not gotten one of these but my daughter makes wonderful meals in hers all the time. I did get an air fryer that I am getting to love. I think I might invest in an insta pot too. Your recipes look yummy.
    Kris

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    1. I love my air fryer, Kris, but I don't use it nearly enough. However, when I'm craving buffalo wings, oh boy that air fryer is the best thing ever!!!

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  7. Replies
    1. Maybe you need to add it to your wish list, Karen Ann!

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  8. I love these recipes and I really, really, really want to get an Instant Pot! I wasn't interested at all until I read your posts and saw your recipes. And now, especially those baby back ribs -- we would be in heaven being able to eat them once a week! :-) I am doing some purging in the kitchen to make room for it and hope to get one within the next month! Love and hugs sweet friend!

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    1. I'm hoping to put my crock pot in the 'for my daughter' pile and replace it with the Instant Pot, Benita....but I haven't tried making chicken broth in it yet, so stay tuned on that! Right now it has a temporary home in my pantry, but I would love to find it a permanent spot where the crock pot used to be.

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  9. Your meals are amazing! How do you not gain weight! So many people love the instant pot but it sounds a little complicated, well more than a litte, for me. Hard to teach an old dog new tricks. Nancy

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    1. Honestly, that's what I thought also, Nancy!! I don't have the whole thing figured out yet, but by following the recipes I found online it was actually really quite simple!

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  10. Every single one of those recipes looks so so delicious! Too bad blogs don't have the "scent" feature so we could smell all the good aromas and the spices! LOL I'm glad you're enjoying experimenting with your new insta pot!!

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    1. I know, wouldn't that be great!!~ My daughter was so proud of me that I actually made Indian food!

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  11. Debbie, I trust your opinion for kitchen tools, and was waiting for you to do this review - many thanks! I was hoping it would be good, and it sounds terrific. Those ribs look absolutely delicious!

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    1. They were amazing, Rita - guess what's for lunch today? :)

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  12. This comment has been removed by the author.

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    1. I have mine going right now too, Phylis - I have a great crock pot with three sizes of crocks, it's very handy. Not sure if the instant pot will replace it....I still have to experiment a bit more. I have my largest crock filled with the makings for pea soup today, it will be the perfect meal for this frigid snowy day when I get home from work!

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  13. Oh, yum!! What time should I get to your house for dinner?

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  14. The instant pot is popular! I don't have one, but it's on my list of things I want to try!

    plovesfashion.blogspot.com

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  15. I don't have one but have heard so many good things about them. I'm like you, my cupboards are full. The only way to add something new is to get rid of something I already have. Hey, can I get a dinner invitation, too :)

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    1. Sure, come on over, Connie - the more the merrier!! I think I'll have to replace my crock pot with the Instant Pot, there's definitely no room in my cupboards for anything else!

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  16. Wow, that all looks so good!!

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  17. Debbie, I finally broke down and bought one, but so far I've only used it as a slow cooker. No, wait. I did try a beef stew in the pressure cooker mode, but I wasn't completely satisfied with the results, so will be doing some refinements to it. So I'm still undecided.

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    1. That's funny, and so far I've only used mine as a pressure cooker! I made chicken broth over the weekend - about an hour in the pressure cooker vs 24 hours in the slow cooker, I'm hooked!

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  18. PS I just read your comment on Penny's post about magazine hoarding. I had a severe problem with it myself. You should read my first post of 2015.

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