21 Easy And Comforting Instant Pot Recipes To Try This Winter (2024)

FAQs

What foods should not be cooked in an Instant Pot? ›

The Instant Pot is a fantastic small kitchen appliance for beginners as well as those who want to cook simple meals, like stews and oatmeal. But it's also excellent for more advanced cooking projects that involve tougher cuts of meat like baby back ribs or other proteins that usually require a long cook time.

To ensure proper pressure build-up and cooking performance, never fill your cooker more than two-thirds full, and for foods that expand during cooking like grains and rice, aim for only half full. Be careful with your liquids: Pressure cooking typically uses significantly less liquid than traditional cooking methods.

Foods containing dairy, like milk, cream, or yogurt, should not be pressure-cooked. The high heat and pressure can cause dairy products to curdle or separate, ruining the texture, taste and flavour of the dish. Cooking fried foods is a strict no no, when it comes to pressure cookers.

Con– The Instant Pot uses steam under pressure to cook food and not everything is meant to be cooked in the Instant Pot. I attempted a crustless quiche which turned out well but it was too wet and moist to my liking and I prefer to cook it in the oven with dry heat.

It takes about 5 minutes for the cooker to come up to high pressure, 5 minutes to cook the eggs, and then 5 minutes of natural pressure release before removing the eggs from the cooker—hence the "5-5-5" method.

In general, the Instant Pot Duo seems to be the most popular, because it offers excellent value — it's the most affordable model but still cooks seven ways and has basic, intuitive controls. The Duo also offers the Duo Crisp model that can also air fry.

Ease of use: Air fryers are good for beginners, while Instant Pots have a learning curve. Price: Although both are quite affordable, Instant Pots offer better value for the money because of their versatility.

Ease of use: Crockpots are generally easier to use because you just adjust the time and heat (low, high, and warm). Instant Pots have many more functions and steps, which add more potential points of confusion. Cleanup: This depends on the brand and model.

What is the average life of an Instant Pot? ›

The average lifespan of an Instant Pot ranges from 2-5 years, but it can last longer depending on how often it's used and how well-maintained it is. So it's safe to say Instant Pots aren't commonly being replaced, and may even be a one-time purchase.

Also, an overly-full Instant Pot can lead to a clogged pressure release knob, because food and liquid can get sucked up inside. To stay on the safe side, don't fill your pot over that two-thirds line, and stay below half full for foods that expand while cooking, such as beans and lentils.

Using too much liquid.

Adding too much liquid can leave you with a finished dish that lacks flavor, or a sauce that's too thin. Follow this tip: While at least 1/2 to 1 cup of liquid is essential to well-cooked food in the pressure cooker, too much liquid will pull the flavor out of foods.

In general, Instant Pots do so much more than just pressure cooking and can be used as a rice cooker, slow cooker, steamer yogurt maker, sauté pan, and a meal warmer.

They are most commonly used in industrial settings to quickly prepare meat or stocks. However, in most scenarios, Elite Chefs avoid using pressure cookers because they provide less control over the final dish. Chefs often prefer slow cooking techniques that accentuate and pull out the flavors of the food.

In general, seafood such as fish, oysters, shrimp, muscles and clams are just too delicate for pressure cooking and slow cooking modes.

Mostly we boil potatoes in a pressure cooker, but like rice, potatoes also contain a lot of starch. This is the reason why boiling or cooking in this pressure cooker is not considered good for health. If you still plan to use cooker for the same, add a lot of water and wash them thoroughly post cooking.