Instant Pot Success

Back when we were downsizing, we made the decision to sell our rice cooker and crockpot and get an instant pot (I.P.) to replace them. It seemed like a no-brainer. Living in our RV, we would have less storage space so why not store 1 appliance instead of 2? Right? Well I’m not gonna lie, there is a slight learning curve when first attempting to cook with an instant pot – it’s a little intimidating and it is different from any appliance I have ever used.   Let me tell you though, the results are well worth it and I soon realized how very much I love my Instant Pot and would not want to live without it!

I ordered the 6 quart I.P. This seemed more than adequate for our needs- it is the medium I.P., as they come in 3, 6 or 8 quart sizes. Once we received it, I read the instructions and joined a couple of I.P. Facebook groups. I also printed out an instant pot cheat sheet.

The first thing I tried was hardboiled eggs. 1 cup water, insert metal rack in the I.P., 6 eggs, seal lid, push the egg button- perfect hardboiled eggs every time- quick, easy- not a problem.

Next I tried rice. Equal parts rice and water, a little bit of olive oil & salt, push the rice button, BOOM- rice.

Once I had the basic operations down, I found a site with several “dump” recipes.  All ingredients are prepped, placed in a freezer bag and frozen. When I was ready to cook, I simply dumped the bag in the pot, pressure cooked for the required time and in less than an hour dinner was ready.  It doesn’t matter if I forget to thaw everything the night before, the I.P. will cook anything from frozen with no problems.

Be aware that you should add several minutes to the completion time when planning your meal because of the time it takes to “come to full pressure.”

Things I LOVE about my Instant Pot:

• It will cook from frozen, no pre-planning required.
• I can cook spaghetti in 1 pot – using dry pasta.
• I can use dry beans in recipes without soaking overnight.
• I can make up LOTS of rice in advance and freeze in quart size freezer bags to use with later recipes.
• Hard boiled eggs are so easy and come out perfect every time.
• The sauté feature allows me to brown ground beef directly in the I.P. without dirtying another pan.
• It takes the place of at least 2 other appliances – 3 if you count a popcorn popper!

There are SO many websites and facebook pages with Instant Pot recipes out there! We’ve tried a lot but here are a few of our favorite Instant Pot recipes:

INSTANT POT POPCORN

• 1/2 cup popcorn kernels
• 3 Tbsp coconut oil (or veg oil)
• 2 Tbsp margarine

Set Instant Pot to sauté; push sauté button again for MORE setting. When display reads HOT add oil and butter. Wait about 1 minute then pour in corn kernels.

Stir and make sure the oil is covering all the kernels.

Cover instant pot with glass lid OR flip aluminum pie pan over the top of instant pot and set a plate on top of that to hold it down. When about 2/3 of it has popped turn instant pot off and let it finish popping. Carefully remove lid and add salt and seasonings.

INSTANT POT RAMEN CHICKEN

• 1 Tbsp Sesame oil
• 4 cloves minced garlic
• 1 pkg sliced mushrooms
• 1/4 C low sodium soy sauce
• 2 boneless, skinless chicken thighs
• 8 C chicken broth
• 3 pkg ramen noodles (season pkts removed)

———-

Toppings:

Sliced green onions, Hard boiled eggs, Thinly sliced red cabbage, Chopped cilantro, Chili/garlic sauce, Sesame seeds, Fresh lime wedges

———-

Add sesame oil, garlic, mushrooms, soy sauce, chicken and broth to I.P. Cook @ Hi for 5 min. then quick release.

Remove chicken from pot, shred then add back to pot. Add dry ramen noodles and let sit 4 minutes until noodles soften.

Dish out into bowls and add toppings of your choice

INSTANT POT HONEY GARLIC CHICKEN

• 2# boneless, skinless chicken thighs -cut into bite size pieces
• 1/2 C honey
• 1/2 C catsup
• 1/4 C soy sauce
• 1 Tbsp minced garlic
• 1 Tbsp cornstarch
• 2 Tbsp water

Put Instant Pot on sauté spray with Pam add a Tbsp of olive oil. Saute chicken. Mix together honey, catsup, soy sauce and garlic. Pour mixture over top of chicken. Add 1/2 Cup water. Set Instant Pot to Manual, Hi, 8 minutes. Quick release when done. Remove chicken. Mix together cornstarch and water and stir into sauce in Instant Pot. Set to sauté stir until thick and bubbly. Serve with steamed broccoli and rice.

INSTANT POT CHILI

• 1# ground beef, browned and drained
• 16 oz dried kidney beans
• 2 -15 oz cans tomato sauce + 2 cans water
• 2 Tbsp dried minced onions
• 1 Tbsp minced garlic
• 2 Tbsp chili powder
• 1 tsp ground cumin
• 1 tsp crushed red pepper flakes

You can either dump all ingredients into a gallon sized freezer bag and freeze to cook later OR

Dump all into I.P., add 4 cups water, and cook on manual for 60 minutes.

Quick release, stir and let sit til it thickens to your desired consistency. Serve with cornbread or over corn chips or with hot dogs. Enjoy!!

INSTANT POT SPAGHETTI

• 1# beef
• 1/2 tsp each: salt, garlic powder, onion powder, Italian seasoning
• 1# spaghetti noodles
• 1 – 24 oz jar spaghetti sauce
• 36 oz water (1 1/2 jars)
• 1 – 14.5 oz can diced tomatoes

Set the I.P. to sauté and add ground beef. Add all the seasonings. Cook the beef – breaking it up until it’s completely browned. Turn I.P. off. Drain any excess grease.

Break spaghetti in half and place on top of meat in I. P. criss cross to prevent clumping.

Pour spaghetti sauce, diced tomato and water over it all.

Push spaghetti down with a spoon to make sure it’s completely covered in liquid.

Seal the I.P. and set to manual mode, high pressure, 8 minutes cooking time. When the time is up, use manual quick release. Stir well and let sit for a few minutes till desired consistency.

These are just a few of our favorites! Do you have an instant pot? What do you love about it? Any favorite recipes you could share with us? I’m sure there are some great holiday recipes out there too!