What are you cooking in your Instant Pot

I'm not a fan of the texture of boiled meat, unless it's soup. That's what crockpots do, they boil the meat, and an insta-pot just does it faster.

One neat thing about insta-pots, I've heard that certain models are able to pressure-can foods. I have a huge, cumbersome All American pressure cooker, for canning, and I've never filled it to capacity.

Now, the Air Fryer is freaking bad ass. I mostly roast in it. I roasted a beef tenderloin for the first time in my air fryer the other day... it was better than any beef tenderloin I have ever cooked. I highly recommend them. I bought a Phillips brand.
 
I don't have an instant pot. I might be the only one around here who prefers to put on an apron, pour a glass of wine, turn the music up and spend the night cooking. Even if that means I'll be eating at 8pm.

I prefer low and slow. Take that any way you want.

What Mona said... Although I've never heard of an instant pot, and just recently heard of an air fryer. Also love my cast iron skillet. Feeling old, but know I can still cook when the power goes out...
 
I'm not a fan of the texture of boiled meat, unless it's soup. That's what crockpots do, they boil the meat, and an insta-pot just does it faster.

One neat thing about insta-pots, I've heard that certain models are able to pressure-can foods. I have a huge, cumbersome All American pressure cooker, for canning, and I've never filled it to capacity.

Now, the Air Fryer is freaking bad ass. I mostly roast in it. I roasted a beef tenderloin for the first time in my air fryer the other day... it was better than any beef tenderloin I have ever cooked. I highly recommend them. I bought a Phillips brand.

I'd guess any insta-pot would be able to pressure can small batches.
 
I'm not a fan of the texture of boiled meat, unless it's soup. That's what crockpots do, they boil the meat, and an insta-pot just does it faster.

One neat thing about insta-pots, I've heard that certain models are able to pressure-can foods. I have a huge, cumbersome All American pressure cooker, for canning, and I've never filled it to capacity.

Now, the Air Fryer is freaking bad ass. I mostly roast in it. I roasted a beef tenderloin for the first time in my air fryer the other day... it was better than any beef tenderloin I have ever cooked. I highly recommend them. I bought a Phillips brand.

For some meats (like most of the ones you would braise), there is a definite benefit from cooking low and slow. You don't quickly blow through the temperatures where enzyme activity is high and beneficial denaturing of the proteins happens, or the higher temperatures where collagen is converted to gelatin. A pressure cooker simply raises the temperature of the braising liquid, and faster cooking comes at a price of reduced tenderness and flavor.

I've been experimenting with sous vide cooking with spectacular results. It's not for everything, but when it's right it's outstanding.
 
Title says it all.


Super easy BBQ Pork shoulder!

Get some pork shoulder/porkbutt, I usually get 2 lbs

throw it in with a bunch of your choice of bbq sauce, and a can of root beer. i'll have to check cooking time but i think its like 20 mins on high pressure, then slow release?
 
Bought an instant pot after Christmas when I returned our five year old crock pot to Costco because it developed a couple of hot spots (yes, I know five years is a long time, but it's their policy, not mine). The instant pot is still in its box in the laundry room. Had to have it because- new gadget. I'm sure we'll break it out eventually. Also got an air fryer, haven't used it yet, but at least it's out of the box and up on the kitchen counter. Baby steps.
 
I have both the Instant Pot and the Phillips Air Fryer.


Instant Pot-

Last thing- Beef Stew pressure cooked. We can't tell the difference between it and the slow cooker version. I use red wine as the liquid in this recipe, so that may be the X factor. In general I would agree that a slow cooker develops better flavor/ pressure cooking needs more seasoning.

I also use it instead of my rice cooker. You know how a microwave saves time on small amounts of food, but is less efficient with large ones? Well, the Instant Pot is the opposite vs. a rice cooker. The bigger the batch, the more time it saves.

Mostly I use it as a soup machine. It saves hours of standing and stirring. My knees and back appreciate this. I recommend it for soup enthusiasts.


Air Fryer-

I haven't used this a lot. I think it would be better for single people. I've made egg plant fries, sweet potato chips, and crisped some Canadian bacon. Grilled a sandwich once. All of it was good. But with good food, you tend to want bigger basketfuls of it. So I do it 5 times and then ask myself if I'd have been further ahead with the conventional oven. Not my favorite thing to clean. I haven't figured out it's best use.
 
I have both the Instant Pot and the Phillips Air Fryer.


Instant Pot-

Last thing- Beef Stew pressure cooked. We can't tell the difference between it and the slow cooker version. I use red wine as the liquid in this recipe, so that may be the X factor. In general I would agree that a slow cooker develops better flavor/ pressure cooking needs more seasoning.

I also use it instead of my rice cooker. You know how a microwave saves time on small amounts of food, but is less efficient with large ones? Well, the Instant Pot is the opposite vs. a rice cooker. The bigger the batch, the more time it saves.

Mostly I use it as a soup machine. It saves hours of standing and stirring. My knees and back appreciate this. I recommend it for soup enthusiasts.


Air Fryer-

I haven't used this a lot. I think it would be better for single people. I've made egg plant fries, sweet potato chips, and crisped some Canadian bacon. Grilled a sandwich once. All of it was good. But with good food, you tend to want bigger basketfuls of it. So I do it 5 times and then ask myself if I'd have been further ahead with the conventional oven. Not my favorite thing to clean. I haven't figured out it's best use.


I got the air fryer because my gf was bitching about me using the deep fryer so much because it was "killing me".

But you're right, people generally clean kitchen appliances. I realize I might just be gross. I just kinda... wiped it down with a rag and called it a day.

I'm deathly ill. These things might be related.
 
I like it for cooking big batches of oatmeal, so I don't have to think about breakfast. It's great for rice when I don't have a burner handy, and beans when I've completely forgotten to presoak.

Most stuff I like the process of cooking, but I haven't played around with the pressure cooker as much as I like. Oh, I did make bone stock in it, but it's just not big enough for the amount I'm wanting. I like the stock pot that could fit a toddler for that.
 
But it makes things crispy, no?

Kind of? That's actually the distinction I was talking about. Like you know how if you cut up a tater, season it, put it in a deep fryer and then let it sit a second those fries get nice and crispy and delicious?

Now, you know how if you took those same fries and put them in the oven they come out just... different? And part of that difference is that they don't have the same texture?

The ones in the air fryer feel like they're baked. They're not as crispy.
 
Bottom round roast beast.

Using the slow cook option.

It's a good looking piece of meat.
 
This is one slow slow cooker. Heh. Put the sucker under pressure.
 
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