Instant Pot thread

[ApK]

Originally Posted by Blossom

Sometimes I use pot roast season which comes in a packet but they forgot it.

A packet of onion soup mix is a great classic pot roast seasoning.
(See, I'm not a total food snob...)

[Cinisajoy]

Originally Posted by ApK

A packet of onion soup mix is a great classic pot roast seasoning.
(See, I'm not a total food snob...)

I usually use a bit of dried minced garlic, some dried onion, salt, pepper and a bay leaf.
(Not a food snob either. )

[Blossom]

Originally Posted by Cinisajoy

So ApK doesn't contribute to the delinquency of a cook again, you do not have brown your meat.

Though I will tell you, brown just means a very quick sear. Just long enough to change the color. It should be done in a very hot pan. Heat up the pan before adding the meat.

Thanks. I prefer it unbrown. I don't like the texture browning gives it.

I'm just excited to give it a try. Sis bought the food. She also bought some can soup, ham, bread and cheese. I'm relieved because all we had was ramen the church gave at Christmas and a very old pack of ground beef after last night chili mac meal which let me tell you does not make good leftovers. It's horrible the next day. I needed something besides another weird meal.



Sent from my XT1528

[Blossom]

Originally Posted by ApK

A packet of onion soup mix is a great classic pot roast seasoning.
(See, I'm not a total food snob...)

I use to do it that way before I got married. Hubby doesn't like the flavor. We buy a Pot Roast Bag 'N Season. Works well.

His favorite dish is potatoes, carrots, celery and smoked sausage in chicken broth. You just boil it until veggies are tender. He calls it "Poor Man's Stew"
I prefer to use turkey smoked sausage. It cooks so fast it doesn't need a pressure cooker. 25 minutes usually on stove.

Sent from my XT1528

[Cinisajoy]

Originally Posted by Blossom

Thanks. I prefer it unbrown. I don't like the texture browning gives it.

I'm just excited to give it a try. Sis bought the food. She also bought some can soup, ham, bread and cheese. I'm relieved because all we had was ramen the church gave at Christmas and a very old pack of ground beef after last night chili mac meal which let me tell you does not make good leftovers. It's horrible the next day. I needed something besides another weird meal.



Sent from my XT1528

You will let us know how it turns out.

Oh and your chili mac sounded weird.
Now we do a ground beef, cream style corn, chili, processed cheese dish. Sometimes we add tamales. We call it mess. Hubby took it to work and the others loved it.

[Blossom]

Okay so I unpacked the Power Cooker looked at everything. Picked up manual looked at page two. "Do not use extension cord of any kind." Packed everything back up.

Unpacked slow cooker I bought off Amazon four Christmases ago. Washed everything and Beef Stew is now cooking in my Hamilton Beach Set it & Forget it Programmable Slow Cooker. By Breakfast we will have a delicious meal just in time for Church. Maybe I should start a thread for Slow Cookers.

Ah well. How much power does this thing pull? Our extension cord is industrial. It runs my microwave or 4 in 1 CuisinArt Griddler with no Problem.

Found the answer 1000 Watts. I don't think it should be a problem as my Griddler is 1800 Watts. Next time then.

Found other owners who use extension cords no problems.

Beef Stew is at 3 hour mark. Hubby is getting impatient. Potatoes are not done. Another hour or two. I told him I could transfer it to the Power Cooker and it would be done in minutes. He said Nah. Made us ham sandwiches instead.

Sent from my XT1528

Originally Posted by Blossom

Okay so I unpacked the Power Cooker looked at everything. Picked up manual looked at page two. "Do not use extension cord of any kind." Packed everything back up.

Unpacked slow cooker I bought off Amazon four Christmases ago. Washed everything and Beef Stew is now cooking in my Hamilton Beach Set it & Forget it Programmable Slow Cooker. By Breakfast we will have a delicious meal just in time for Church. Maybe I should start a thread for Slow Cookers.

Ah well. How much power does this thing pull? Our extension cord is industrial. It runs my microwave or 4 in 1 CuisinArt Griddler with no Problem.

Found the answer 1000 Watts. I don't think it should be a problem as my Griddler is 1800 Watts. Next time then.

Found other owners who use extension cords no problems.

Beef Stew is at 3 hour mark. Hubby is getting impatient. Potatoes are not done. Another hour or two. I told him I could transfer it to the Power Cooker and it would be done in minutes. He said Nah. Made us ham sandwiches instead.

Sent from my XT1528

You can try it out. Just be sure to periodically touch the extension cord to make sure it isn't getting warm. If it starts to heat up, then you should immediately unplug it to prevent a fire. Manufacturers are going to assume a worst case scenario and typically they over state warnings to be on the safe side. I don't blame them as some people would not know any better and might try to use a really cheap, thin gauge extension cord with cracked insulation around the cable. If you want to be extremely safe, then do your test run outside on the patio with the extension cord plugged into an outdoor plug. But still check it often to make sure the cord isn't heating up.

As far as the searing of meat goes, that is a personal preference. Many people, myself included, like to quickly sear meat on a VERY hot surface. Why? Because it does caramelize the meat surface and imparts flavor. But it also seals the meat. So any meat that tends to dry out while cooking can be kept juicier by searing the meat as that will seal in the juices and impart a lot more flavor. However, if you are cooking the meat in a pot with plenty of liquids, then this is not as important as far as the dryness goes. Again, searing the meat at high heat for a few minutes is just a personal preference, not a prerequisite.

[Cinisajoy]

Originally Posted by Blossom

Okay so I unpacked the Power Cooker looked at everything. Picked up manual looked at page two. "Do not use extension cord of any kind." Packed everything back up.

Unpacked slow cooker I bought off Amazon four Christmases ago. Washed everything and Beef Stew is now cooking in my Hamilton Beach Set it & Forget it Programmable Slow Cooker. By Breakfast we will have a delicious meal just in time for Church. Maybe I should start a thread for Slow Cookers.

Ah well. How much power does this thing pull? Our extension cord is industrial. It runs my microwave or 4 in 1 CuisinArt Griddler with no Problem.

Found the answer 1000 Watts. I don't think it should be a problem as my Griddler is 1800 Watts. Next time then.

Found other owners who use extension cords no problems.

Beef Stew is at 3 hour mark. Hubby is getting impatient. Potatoes are not done. Another hour or two. I told him I could transfer it to the Power Cooker and it would be done in minutes. He said Nah. Made us ham sandwiches instead.

Sent from my XT1528

The reason they say do not use an extension cord is because most people would just get those thin cheap usually white or brown cords. They cannot handle the load.
If you are using an industrial one that will handle the microwave and the griddler, it will handle the load. My cord is a 13 AMP or 1600 watts. If I need a heavier one I can go grab one from hubby's stuff.
Oh and by the way, most small appliances say don't use an extension cord for two reasons. Power and the possibility of tripping over the extension cord. Although where my kitchen plugs are, no risk of tripping.
Now enjoy your new toy.

Yep, and definitely avoid doing this!

[ApK]

Originally Posted by jswinden

But it also seals the meat

That's a myth. It's been tested and demonstrated to be false several times, on cooking shows and on food science sites.
Searing causes a greater loss of juices, but it's more than compensated for by added flavor.
I hypothesize that cooks who can create a nice sear may tend to be better cooks who don:t overcook and dry out the meat, so people probably came to associate the sear with juiciness.

Originally Posted by ApK

That's a myth. It's been tested and demonstrated to be false several times, on cooking shows and on food science sites.
Searing causes a greater loss of juices, but it's more than compensated for by added flavor.
I hypothesize that cooks who can create a nice sear may tend to be better cooks who don:t overcook and dry out the meat, so people probably came to associate the sear with juiciness.

Well I totally disagree. Food TV is filled with buffoons are more interested in presentation than cooking. It definitely does seal in juices. I trust my own eyes and experience over scripted TV. It is especially effective when you are going to slow smoke meat in a smoker pit. I've never seen any of those TV idiots even attempt to smoke meat because they don't have a clue. Bobby Flay thinks BBQ is pulled pork and grilled meats. He needs to come to my state and see how it is really done!

[Cinisajoy]

At ApK and jswinden, shall we settle this with a Mise en Place contest? I am thinking 3/8 inch dice with 2 tomatoes, 3 stalks celery, 1 onion and 1 bell pepper.

[treadlightly]

Originally Posted by ApK

Here's my personal favorite:
http://www.marthastewart.com/318705/...oker-variation
I just realized it's missing the traditional lardon/bacon, but it's delicious anyway.

Thanks for the recipe, I made this one tonight. I haven't been very successful reducing sauces in the IP, maybe because the volume of liquid is so large to start with. I should dump half of it and then add the roux. I still prefer using thighs rather than breasts for juiciness in the stewed-chicken-type IP recipes but it was tasty.

[ApK]

Originally Posted by Cinisajoy

At ApK and jswinden, shall we settle this with a Mise en Place contest? I am thinking 3/8 inch dice with 2 tomatoes, 3 stalks celery, 1 onion and 1 bell pepper.

And then we throw them at each other?

Besides, it wouldn't be a fair fight. He distracted me with talk of barbeque. We haven't had really good bbq brisket since the last time we visited my wife's family in Texas.
(though i must say, Mighty Quinn's in NYC is pretty good.)

[Cinisajoy]

Originally Posted by ApK

And then we throw them at each other?

Besides, it wouldn't be a fair fight. He distracted me with talk of barbeque. We have haven't had really good bbq brisket since the last time we visited my wife's family in Texas.
(though i must say, Mighty Quinn's in NYC is pretty good.

I think they would go better in a pot with some chicken broth, chicken breasts, smoked sausage, Cajun seasoning and rice.

You do realize you could get wife's family to send you some mesquite and make your own.