Cook Meat Longer Than It Tells You To
I learned this the hard way. The first thing I tried to make with my Instant Pot was beef short ribs. I seasoned them, browned each side, added my other ingredients , and hit the beef button.
What I ended up with were the toughest beef short ribs Id ever had. It was as if I had boiled them for 15 minutes. Not good. The beef button cooked them for only 35 minutes, but they really needed to be cooked for at least twice as long.
Oh and in case youre interested, Id LOVE to send you a FREE Meal Plan! 10 super easy meals prepared in about an hour for $80! These can all be adapted to the Instant Pot easily. Sign up right below:
Instant Pot Frozen Roast
This recipe may have originated out of necessity when I forgot to thaw my roast in advance, but its quickly become our chosen way of making roast! The results are so tender, that I dont see the need to thaw the meat in advance anymore.
If youre looking for pull-apart tender pot roast with minimal effort and time, this is definitely the recipe for you!
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Instant Pot Chicken Pot Pie
Chicken pot pie is another family favorite. While were not exactly cooking a pie in the Instant Pot, you will be cooking the delicious filling we love about chicken pot pie!
When cooking with frozen chicken, increase the cook time to 15 minutes. When the cook time is complete, remove the chicken and shred it using a fork. Then add in the frozen veggies and milk and add the chicken back in. If your filling comes out more soupy than youd like you can simply add in a slurry made from cornstarch or flour and liquid from the pot. Turn on saute mode and stir until it has thickened to your desired liking.
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How To Cook Beef Stew Meat
We have used this cut in many ways. Why? It is SO cheap that it just tempts me at the store saying make me! every time I see it. I have learned a few things about it though.
You either want to cook it for a long time on low heat like our slow cooker beef tips recipe does, or make it as an easy Ninja Foodi recipe under pressure.
Submerged in some sort of liquid, onion gravy is probably our favorite, this gets more tender the longer it cooks. Yes you could do the same thing on the stovetop or in a dutch oven in the oven but it would take WAY longer. This method does take one intervention in the middle to break it up but the other would take a lot more of your time.
I am all about easy one pot meal ideas so lets just go with this one shall we? Even with the stop in the middle to break it up time it is done and ready to serve in a little over an hour. Any other method will take 4x that long so to me it is really a no brainer as to which I would choose over and over again.
Whether you find this one sale and freeze it in a freezer bag, or buy meat in bulk like we do from local farmers and get it in paper the same directions apply. The pieces will be stuck together in a big clump either way. This means you will need to break it up after about 25 minutes so the inner pieces cook evenly and get soft too.
Instant Pot Turkey Breast
Try cooking a turkey breast in the Instant Pot for your next holiday dinner! Its so easy and results in savory tender turkey.
This recipe provides tips and tricks on how to adjust your cooking time depending on the weight of your frozen turkey breasts. Serve the turkey with your favorite sides such as these delicious Instant Pot Garlic Mashed Potatoes!
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Instant Pot Frozen Chickencooking Times:
- Frozen Chicken Wings = 12 Minutes + QPR + Trivet
- Frozen Boneless Chicken Thighs = 25 Minutes + QPR + Trivet
- Frozen Chicken Drumsticks = 25 Minutes + QPR + Trivet
- Frozen Chicken Thighs = 30 Minutes + QPR + Trivet
- Frozen Chicken Breasts = 45 Minutes + QPR + Trivet
- Frozen Roast Chicken Dinner = 45 Minutes + QPR
Can You Stack Chicken In The Instant Pot
Yes, you can definitely stack chicken in the Instant Pot. The only thing youll need to be wary of is to make sure each piece is seasoned well before you stack them on top of one another. Otherwise, you may have unevenly seasoned chicken. If youre planning to just shred the meat anyway, you often cant tell, but something to keep in mind when cooking frozen chicken breasts in the Instant Pot Pressure Cooker.
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How To Make Instant Pot Bolognese Sauce With Frozen Ground Beef
Let me show you how to make thisclassic Italian dish in easy steps
Saute the onions and vegetables: Turn on your instant pot to the saute function. Pour olive oil to the inner pot and heat until IP displays hot, carefully add chopped onions, chopped celery, grated carrots and saute until soft and fragrant. This shouldnt be more than 5 minutes. Do not skip this process as it helps build the overall flavour of the dish.
Add the rest of theingredients apart from the frozen ground beef: add Worcestershire sauce, passata,tomato paste,garlic granules, parsley, basil, salt, pepper, bay leaf and lastly crumble the beefbouillon over the sauce and stir to combine. Make sure you deglaze the bottomof the pot to avoid getting a BURN notice.
Add the frozen beef: carefullyadd the frozen ground beef to avoid splatter and add ½ cup of water.
Pressure cook: lock the instant pot to safety, turning the valve to the seal position. Select manual or pressure cook and cook on high pressure for 20 minutes. After the cooking cycle is completed, allow 5 minutes of natural pressure and carefully do a quick pressure release.
Open the lid, break the ground beef and mix to combine with the sauce. If the sauce has much liquid in it, using the sauté function, simmer the sauce until reduced to desired consistency. Serve the bolognese sauce over cooked spaghetti or add it to the sauce and combine.
How To Make Shredded Beef From Frozen In The Instant Pot
Learn how to make shredded beef from frozen in the Instant Pot! Tender and juicy roast that is cooked from frozen and is for tender so shredding is easy.
Beef is always welcome in our home. We are fans of roast and this shredded beef is versatile! Toss on buns for sandwiches, serve over cauliflower rice or brown rice, noodles, and the list goes on.
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Is It Better To Cook Burgers In The Oven Or On The Stove
Is it better to cook burgers in the oven or on the stove? Its up to your personal preference! Baked burgers are a great, nearly hands-off cooking method that wont fill your kitchen with the smell of frying beef. Pan-fried burgers, on the other hand, have the benefit of a tasty sear from the cast-iron skillet.
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Be Mindful Of The Size And Shape Of Your Food When You Freeze It
For example, cut racks of ribs into 3 piece chunks. A whole rack won’t fit in your instant pot frozen solid. Same with thinks like Pork Shoulder. I often cut them into 4 chunks to ensure even cooking. Also easier to shred this way.
Same goes for things like chicken breasts. Don’t freeze the whole package in one big block. If you can freeze them as individual breasts, that is best.
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Do Try These Frozen Foods
A few of my favorite frozen foods to cook in my Instant Pot are chicken breasts, frozen meatballs, soups, and fish filets. Give them a try! Just follow the cooking instructions below.
- Boneless Chicken Breasts/Thighs Cook for 10 minutes on High, then Natural Release
- Bone-In Chicken Breasts/Thighs Cook for 15 minutes on High, then Natural Release
- Meatballs Cook for 10 minutes on High, then Natural Release
- Soup/Stock Cook for 5-10 minutes on High with 1/2 cup of water, then Quick Release
- Fish Filets Set filets on the trivet, add 1 cup of water, cook for 3 minutes on Low, then Quick Release
How Long To Cook Frozen Chicken In The Instant Pot
The cook time for boneless, skinless chicken breasts depends on the weight and thickness of the chicken breasts. Bone-in chicken will take longer to cook. Always cook chicken at high pressure.
The Instant Pot will take longer to reach pressure when you are cooking frozen foods as compared to non-frozen foods. When the contents of the pot are cold it takes longer to heat up and pressurize. So frozen chicken gets a few extra minutes of cook time while the pot comes to pressure.
When the cook time ends, allow the pressure to naturally release for 10 minutes. The chicken will continue to cook during this time.
Here are the estimated cook times for different sized pieces of boneless, skinless chicken breasts.
Instant Pot Cooking Times for Frozen Boneless, Skinless Chicken Breasts
- small frozen chicken breasts cook 11-12 minutes at high pressure, plus 10 minutes natural release
- medium frozen chicken breasts cook 13-14 minutes at high pressure, plus 10 minutes natural release
- large frozen chicken breasts cook 16 minutes at high pressure, plus 10 minutes natural release
It is always good practice to use an instant read thermometer to check that the internal temperature of the thickest part of the chicken has reached a safe 165 degrees F.
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Basic Procedure For Pressure Cooking Frozen Meat
See my guide on how to use an Instant Pot.
How to cook frozen chicken breasts in the Instant Pot: This is the best way to cook frozen chicken! Read on for all of the tips and tricks you need to make perfectly juicy chicken breasts in your pressure cooker, every time.
Even the most organized person can forget to plan ahead. If you need to get dinner on the table fast but forgot to take your chicken out of the freezer, your Instant Pot is going to be your best friend.
You can safely cook frozen meat in an Instant Pot because pressure cooking cooks foods quickly. Unlike a slow cooker, in which frozen food may stay in a dangerous temperature range for too long, the Instant Pot can quickly bring frozen food to a safe temperature.
Before getting started, read my Instant Pot Guide for my tips on how to use an Instant Pot.
Size Matters With Pressure Cooking
People often want to know if you have to double the cook time when you double a recipe in the Instant Pot. The answer is no.
However, the size of each individual chicken breast does matter. Larger chicken breasts will require a longer cook time than smaller chicken breasts because the thicker pieces take longer to cook through.
You can use a kitchen scale to find out the weight of your chicken breasts. Or, take the total weight of your package of chicken and divide it by the number of chicken breasts. For example, if your package of chicken weighs 1.5 pounds and contains 3 similarly sized chicken breasts, each breast weighs about 8 ounces.
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The Answer Like Your Cook Time With This Amazing Pressure Cooker Is Short Yes
Shutterstock / Kei Shooting
Since the Instant Pot hit the market in 2010, its become one of the hottest products on Amazon.com. And one common question people are asking about this electric pressure cooker? If its safe to cook frozen meat inside this miracle appliance. Happily, for them, the answer is a resounding yesand it works even better if you take a simple step beforehand.
Instant Pot Frozen Meat
Then lets move on to an Instant Pot frozen whole chicken! Of course youll want to choose one that doesnt have a bag of inners inside the cavity, but my organic brand doesnt.
Speaking of chicken, we have a lot of Instant Pot chicken recipes here on The Typical Mom blog! It is probably my girls favorite protein to eat.
Using a simple lemon pepper marinade you too can give your pieces tons of flavor this way. Instead of using water, you can use other combinations such as this one. Liquid is a necessity for steaming in a pressure cooker.
That brings us to frozen chicken thighs in Instant Pot and how that is done perfectly. I love this cut because theyre so tender, flavorful, and the cheapest pieces overall.
What is your favorite appetizer or snack? I bet its a batch full wings! We have made them in so many different ways because theyre just mouth watering I tell you.
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How To Cook Frozen Ground Beef In Instant Pot
This Is Not The Same As Steaming Your Food
Yes, the Instant Pot uses steam to cook your food. But this isnt like steaming vegetables its much different. Have you ever steamed a piece of beef? If you have youd know its absolutely a horrible way to cook meat. Its dry, tough, stringy the WORST.
But with the Instant Pot , the steam is under extreme pressure and forces its way into the fibers of the meat and breaks them down VERY quickly. Its the same process that happens in a slow cooker, but it happens much faster in a pressure cooker.
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How To Cook Frozen Meat In The Instant Pot
If you are like most of us, we just want a quick Instant Pot cheat sheet that gives us the times we need to cook our meat. Below, I have given you just that for how to cook frozen meat in the Instant Pot.
Keep in mind, the time to come to pressure as well as the time you cook will differ from fresh meat!
+ Instant Pot Frozen Food Recipes
Run out of fresh meat or veggies but got a stash of frozen food for emergencies? This collection of Instant Pot frozen food recipes will help you get dinner on the table in no time. Whether youve got frozen chicken, salmon, beef, corn, potatoes, or any other veggies, weve got a delicious meal for you to try.
Are you a person who loves Costco, BJs, or Sams Club? These places are perfect for finding great deals, especially in the frozen food arena. Obviously, with bulk shopping, you cant eat it all, but you can definitely freeze it. Then enjoy for several different meals in the future when you are crunched for time.
Who isnt busy and crunched for time? The thought of cleaning, cutting, peeling or thawing can suddenly turn a great meal idea to a dreaded sweat-box in the kitchen. Keeping ingredients simple and accessible makes healthy eating more attainable. Veggies that are already washed and precut saves your prep time. If its as easy as cutting a bag open and dumping it in a pot, then you are more likely to eat those peas and carrots, then order a pizza. Well, lets hope so at least.
We cant always go to the store when we want to have fresh produce or meats from the butcher. And sometimes the product is just not in season. Freezing allows you to enjoy what you love when you want to eat it.
You might also like to check out this cookbook with recipes using frozen foods.
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