Instant Pot sale

Some of us were frightened of the stove top pressure cookers, so we never bought one!

Instant pot took care of any fear.
 
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One of the issues I am finding (and this is not specific to the Instant Crockpot) is that bean lots are not always consistent. So, one lot cooks well at 25 minutes and another lot from the same company needs more cooking time. However, giving more time to all lots results in mashed or overcooked beans with some lots. No right answer for this issue probably, although people have here often have good ideas.
 
DEC-1982 said:
One of the issues I am finding (and this is not specific to the Instant Crockpot) is that bean lots are not always consistent. So, one lot cooks well at 25 minutes and another lot from the same company needs more cooking time. However, giving more time to all lots results in mashed or overcooked beans with some lots. No right answer for this issue probably, although people have here often have good ideas.
Click to expand...



The age of the beans has a lot to do with that, but figuring out how old the beans are isn't easy since most of the packages don’t have dates on them. I soak my beans even before cooking in the IP. Of course that means you have to plan ahead, but we usually cook a large pot of beans and then freeze several containers. I found that I get more consistency with the soaked beans vs. cooking them dry.
 
An issue I have is with sequential one-pot cooking. On the stovetop I can saute onions and other vegetables in a very controlled way before adding the beans or rice. It seems to save time, because I can start the items needing the longest saute first and then continue cutting and adding as I go. IP seems to require that you have everything ready to go in advance, because the two saute settings are both hot and saute too quickly.

At some point, I think I'll start an IP cooking thread in the Other forum, since this is nominally about sales. Or does one exist already?
 
fosterscik said:
I use a (slightly) modified version of this recipe for baby-back ribs
https://www.dadcooksdinner.com/pressure-cooker-baby-back-ribs/
to make it less sweet.

My ingredient list is:

• 1 meaty slab baby back ribs
• ½ cup water

Barbecue Rub
• ¾ tablespoon paprika
• ½ tablespoon chili powder
• ½ teaspoon ground black pepper
• ¼ teaspoon garlic powder
• ⅛ teaspoon dried thyme
• 2 teaspoons kosher salt

Barbecue sauce
• ½ tablespoon honey
• ⅛ cup cider vinegar
• ½ tablespoon Worcestershire sauce
• ½ tablespoon soy sauce
• ½ tablespoon Srirachia sauce

But the prep and cooking are the same. I'm sure you'll enjoy either version. The pork is melt in the mouth tender!
Click to expand...
I am a KCBS (https://www.kcbs.us/) certified barbecue judge and will add a couple of thoughts:

After you apply rub (generously) to one side of a slab, let it sit until the rub acquires some moisture from the ribs and develops a wet-looking sheen. maybe 10-15 minutes. Then turn the slab over and do the same thing. This helps keep the rub from falling off the ribs and is especially important in the IP where the slab will not be horizontal.

My strong preference is to use no sauce. A good rub will develop the ribs' flavor while sauce, particularly cold sauce, will kill it. YMMV of course. When I use sauce, I measure a scant 1/2 teaspoon per rib and apply it very thinly.

Ribs that fall off the bone are overcooked and tend towards mushiness. The KCBS standard is that "the area of the meat where the bite is taken shall be pulled off the bone with minimal effort. The exposed bone of a well done rib will dry almost immediately." Said another way, the bite should leave a clean round divot hole in the rib meat with clean exposed bone and should not loosen any other meat. IMO overcooking is the most common sin with amateur and most restaurant ribs, resulting in a loss of flavor and texture --- mush, IOW.

Edit: Forgot to mention that you should always strip the membrane of your ribs: https://amazingribs.com/more-technique-and-science/more-cooking-science/how-remove-membrane-ribs
 
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Pellice said:
An issue I have is with sequential one-pot cooking.
Click to expand...
I agree. I think the saute setting, itself, is just a marketing ploy to make the IP seem more useful, to justify a higher price/higher sales. The IP is a pressure cooker and slow cooker. Its design supports those modes. They've done nothing other than adding some software and a button to make it a suitable fry pan or saucier. I was initially quite surprised how many complaints there were about how using the IP for sauteeing led to extra work (cleaning the IP), work more substantial than the advantage of one-pot cooking.
 
AnneG said:
The age of the beans has a lot to do with that, but figuring out how old the beans are isn't easy since most of the packages don’t have dates on them. I soak my beans even before cooking in the IP. Of course that means you have to plan ahead, but we usually cook a large pot of beans and then freeze several containers. I found that I get more consistency with the soaked beans vs. cooking them dry.
Click to expand...

We do soak our beans (usually overnight). I think black eyed peas is the exception, only soaked for 3 hours. The issue with the level of cooking beans is after the overnight soaking.
 
bUU said:
I agree. I think the saute setting, itself, is just a marketing ploy to make the IP seem more useful, to justify a higher price/higher sales. The IP is a pressure cooker and slow cooker. Its design supports those modes. They've done nothing other than adding some software and a button to make it a suitable fry pan or saucier. I was initially quite surprised how many complaints there were about how using the IP for sauteeing led to extra work (cleaning the IP), work more substantial than the advantage of one-pot cooking.
Click to expand...

I’ve had good luck using the sauté setting to cook onions and brown meat before finishing the cooking in the IP. I let the pot get hot, add a little olive oil, and brown the meat. Then I use some of my cooking liquid to deglaze the pot, put the meat back in, and cook as the recipe directs. That results in a bit more flavorful meat, with the brown bits, and a pot that is easy to clean.
 
DEC-1982 said:
One of the issues I am finding (and this is not specific to the Instant Crockpot) is that bean lots are not always consistent. So, one lot cooks well at 25 minutes and another lot from the same company needs more cooking time. However, giving more time to all lots results in mashed or overcooked beans with some lots. No right answer for this issue probably, although people have here often have good ideas.
Click to expand...

Right - age of beans. I usually get my dry beans from places with fast turnover and don’t keep them long at home. Easy to do here in Hispanic country.

I don’t soak my beans for use in the IP.

I find it easy to add another 5 or 10 mins pressure if I’m not satisfied with them being done.
 
I find the sauté feature to be a most useful feature of this pot. I’m searing the meat while I finish chopping the veggies, although I’ll have a lot of veggie prep done ahead. It does a beautiful job of the sear, especially on larger cuts like for pot roast. Then sauté veggies and maybe deglaze before returning everything to pot. There are three level settings for sauté and I occasionally turn the pot off if I need it to cool off a bit.

I have had the most amazing stews and things like lamb shanks and other boney cuts. I even made ox tail stew the other day. I was never satisfied with my stove top or oven stews. I think the pressure breaks down that connective tissue and pushes the flavor into the meat like the other methods never did and so much faster.
 
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audreyh1 said:
Some of us were frightened of the stove top pressure cookers, so we never bought one!

Instant pot took care of any fear.
Click to expand...

My Grandmother and Mother instilled this fear in me. A great aunt had one blow, made a huge mess.
As a kid a local KFC pressure cooker blew and killed 3.
 
My wife is the cook; she routinely uses the saute feature like @Audreyh1 does. One additional advantage is the high sides, which prevent grease droplets from jumping out like they do with a low-sided pan & onto the stove. The saute feature is definitely not a gimmick.

DW also routinely uses her IP to make yogurt. Says the result is better than she can buy, cheaper, and she can flavor it with jams and jellies however she wants. She also routinely uses it to make rice & is very happy with the result.
 
I agree - using the sauté function keeps the mess and cleanup to a minimum. I've never had trouble cleaning it - Bar Keepers Friend works great for getting the stainless clean. The only time I don't use the sauté function is if I want to make a roux and gravy afterwards - like when I make smothered turkey wings. Then I'll brown in the cast iron and make the roux and use the juices from the pot to make the gravy.

We make a batch of yogurt about every 2 weeks - far better than anything in the grocery store and much cheaper!

I agree too on the flavor - I almost never used a crockpot because to me the food tasted really bland but the meals I've made in the IP are amazing.
 
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