How Do You Cook Potatoes In An Instant Pot

Cook Potatoes In Your Instant Pot Pressure Cooker

We went on a picnic for Fathers Day. And at the last second we decided we wanted Potato Salad. Its a good thing I had my Instant Pot. I was able to whip up a yummy potato salad in no time. And I thought maybe it would be a good idea to share how to cook potatoes in case anyone else is wondering. The fact is you can have delicious, soft potatoes to eat in 10 minutes if you cook them in your pressure cooker. Its simple. While you are cooking your potatoes you can get the potato salad fixings cut up and the sauce made so as soon as the potatoes are done you just add the chopped veggies and mix in the sauce.

How To Make Instant Pot Potatoes And Carrots

First, wash and cut your veggies. Like mentioned above, the size is;sooo important when cooking with pressure. The carrots and potatoes need to be similar in size, that way they both will cook at the same time.;

The size will also determine how long they will need to cook for. These potatoes are cut into small, bite sized pieces. I use the tiny baby red potatoes. I cut each potato in half, and then each half gets quartered.;

For the carrots, I just sliced the whole carrot on and angle. You could use baby carrots cut in half if youd rather!;

Place all of the prepped veggies into a large zip top baggie. Pour 2 tbsp of oil into the baggie, zip the top and shake to evenly coat the veggies.;

Open the bag and pour two packets of onion soup mix into the bag. Again, shake until evenly coated.

Pour 1 1/2 cups of water into the liner of your Instant Pot. Transfer the prepped veggies into your steamer basket and place the steamer basket into the Instant Pot. If you dont have a steamer basket, you can place the veggies on top of the trivet.;

Cook on Manual HIGH for 3 minutes, quick release the pressure.;

Remove the veggies from the Instant Pot. Pour onto the serving dish. Turn the Instant Pot onto sauté, and thicken the sauce in the bottom of the pot with a cornstarch slurry.;

Drizzle the sauce over top of the veggies before serving.;

How Long To Boil Whole Potatoes In The Instant Pot For Making Mashed Potatoes

If you wonder how long should you boil potatoes in the instant pot so that they will be soft enough to make yummy mashed potatoes, here is the answer for your question.

In this recipe for boiled or steamed potatoes in the instant pot without trivet, we cook the whole potatoes for about 30 minutes in high pressure to make soft & creamy potatoes.

These perfectly cooked creamy yellow potatoes are perfect for making easy and delicious mashed potatoes.

Notice that the 30 minutes cooking time is for whole potatoes & not diced ones.

So basically, the process is so much more easier with the instant pot, because without even peeling or cutting the potatoes, you need just thirty minutes time to boil the whole potatoes.

The potatoes that we use here are yellow potatoes or yukon gold potatoes, which are perfect for making mashed potatoes.

Keep in mind that the instant pot takes a few minutes to come to pressure and another few minutes to release the pressure, which is not included in this boiling time for potatoes.

If you want to boil potatoes for a potato salad, you can use the same method of cooking but you might want to reduce the cooking time because the cooking time used in this recipe is 30 minutes, which is for making very soft cooked potatoes.

You get tender potatoes by cooking this way and you can easily pierce the potatoes using a fork.

If you want to make creamy mashed potatoes that are super soft in texture, I recommend boiling the potatoes for an adiitional 5 minutes.

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Instant Pot Mashed Potatoes:

Making mashed potatoes in the instant pot starts out just a simple and easy as if you were making mashed potatoes on the stove like my reader favorite Cream Cheese Mashed Potatoes.

You’ll start out with three pounds of potatoes.; This is about 6 medium potatoes total.; Go ahead and peel them.; I haven’t tried this recipe leaving the skin on the potatoes because we prefer ours without skin.

Next, simply slice the potatoes into large rounds.; For me, this came out to about 4-5 round slices per potato.; There is no reason to spend time cutting them into cubes.; You’ll then cover them completely in water which will be about 4-5 cups depending on what size of instant pot you’re using.; The picture below shows the potato rounds in my 8 quart instant pot.

After the potatoes are covered in the water you will add ½ teaspoon of salt.; This is just enough salt to flavor the potatoes while they cook without being overwhelming.

Then, that’s it for now!; Go ahead and place the lid on your instant pot.; Set the valve to sealed and cook on manual for 8 minutes.; Keep in mind that it will take about 8-10 minutes for the pot to come to pressure.

Once the timer goes off you can quick release the pressure from your pot.; You will need to drain the potatoes and then return them to the instant pot with the power off.

You can mash these up with a standard potato masher if you wish.; Or, you can mash then whip them with a hand-held mixer;which is what I love to do!

Enjoy!

~Nichole

Best Way To Store And Use Instant Pot Potatoes

If you’re storing your cooked taters for later use, be sure to bring them to room temperature. Then, store them in a zip-top bag or airtight container, making sure to squeeze as much air as possible. They will keep in the refrigerator for 3 to 5 days.

Potatoes don’t love the freezer, since they lose moisture there. But, if you toss them in some butter or oil, they will retain their texture. It’s best to defrost them in the fridge for a day before reheating.

Pre-cooked potatoes can be reheated in the microwave, crisped in the air fryer, or roasted in the oven. They can be used cold in potato salads or reheated and mashed with butter and milk/stock to make mashed potatoes.

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Pressure Cooker Mashed Potatoes: The Potatoes

Let me be real here for a second. When I walk up to the potato selection at the grocery store, I get a little overwhelmed. There;are so many varieties! Russets. Whites. Yellow. Red. Fingerlings. And those potatoes;whose name I can never remember.

;Best potatoes for mashed potatoes?

Cooking advice tells us;to select a starchy potato for mashed potatoes. This is excellent advice. Starchy potatoes whip up into light and fluffy mashed potatoes. However, how do you know which potatoes are starchy? Most of the time, they dont put it on the bag or on a sign at the grocery store. For a long time, I couldnt remember if I needed Russet or white potatoes for mashed potatoes.

It was Russet potatoes that I was after.

Heres what I do now: I write down the name of the;potatoes I need on my grocery list;because the success of mashed potatoes starts right at the grocery store.

For the lightest mashed potatoes, get Russets.

Mashed potatoes made with Russets whip up fluffy and light. They arent the most flavorful potatoes. This usually isnt a problem because its easy to add all sorts of flavorful ingredients to mashed potatoes. .

When I want light and flavorful mashed potatoes, I use a 50/50 blend of Russets and Yukon Gold;potatoes.;Sometimes its hard to find Yukon Gold potatoes. If your grocery store doesnt carry them, grab any type of yellow potato. They all work well.

How To Make Potatoes In Instant Pot

• Clean potatoes and remove any sprouts growing on their skin. Pierce each potato 5-6 times with a fork.
• Place trivet in the inner pot of Instant Pot. Add 1 cup water in the Instant Pot .
• Place potatoes on top of the trivet. Close the lid, vent set to sealing position. Set pressure cook or manual for 6 minutes at HIGH pressure. .
• Once cooking time is up, release pressure carefully by turning the knob to ‘venting’ position in the Duo model, or pushing down on in the Ultra model. If you’re not in a rush, you can wait 5-10 minutes to allow the steam to release naturally.
• Open the lid when the pin drops. Check for doneness. Remove potatoes to prevent overcooking, and set aside to cool.

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Baby Potatoes In Instant Pot

• Wash baby potatoes and remove any sprouts. It is not necessary to pierce with a fork since the potatoes are so small.
• Add the potatoes and 1 cup water in the Instant Pot , along with 1 teaspoon salt . Salt is optional, but it does season these potatoes well. Close the lid, vent set to sealing position. Set pressure cook or manual for 5 minutes at HIGH pressure.
• Once cooking time is up, release pressure carefully by turning the knob to ‘venting’ position in the Duo model, or pushing down on in the Ultra model. If not in a rush, you can wait 5-10 minutes to allow the steam to release naturally.
• Open the lid when the pin drops and check for doneness by inserting a knife in the center of one of the larger potatoes . Remove potatoes to prevent overcooking, and set aside to cool.

For Simple Instant Pot Steamed Artichokes:

• Chop off the tops of the artichoke. Not the stem! The top.
• Place a trivet or steaming basket into the inner pot alongside one cup of water, then insert the trimmed artichokes.
• For whole trimmed artichokes, set your pot to cook at high pressure for 15-20 minutes. Cook them for a shorter period of time if you have smaller artichokes, and cook for longer if you have larger artichokes.

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What Are Instant Pot Potatoes

This method transforms starchy Russet potatoes into classic, creamy baked potatoes, begging to be split open and served with your favorite toppings.

With their tender, fluffy centers, Instant Pot potatoes are very similar to baked potatoes, but there are two key differences that set them apart: cook time and the outer skin. Since the Instant Pot cooks the potatoes in a closed vessel with steam pressure, cooking happens in a fraction of the time youd need in the oven. This also means, however, that the skin is soft rather than crisp. Trust me the trade-off is well worth it.

For Simple Instant Pot Steamed Asparagus Stalks:

• Trim off the woody bottom ends of the asparagus as these dont cook up nicely. Wash the veggies.
• Place the asparagus into a steamer basket or trivet, then place the basket into the pot with one cup of water.
• Drizzle asparagus with olive oil or add butter, season if youd like.
• For tender, firm results: Cook on HIGH pressure for 0 minutes and perform a quick pressure release.
• For softer results: Cook on HIGH pressure for 1-2 minutes and perform a quick release.
• If you have thicker stalks: Add 1-2 minutes to each cooking time.
• If you have thin, stringy stalks: Cook on LOW pressure for 1 minute.;

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Best Potatoes For Making Mashed Potatoes

You can make this recipe with Yukon gold potatoes or russet potatoesthey have the same cook time in the pressure cooker.

Russet potatoes have a high starch content and make fluffy, wonderful mashed potatoes. The official Idaho Potato page recommends Idaho Russet Burbank potatoes.

Yukon golds are said to have a more buttery flavor than white potatoes like russets. Theyre not quite as fluffy.

Lately, when I cook mashed potatoes, I like to use a mix of russets and Yukon golds to get the best of both worldsflavor from the Yukon and fluffiness from the russets.

Do I Need To Pierce/poke The Potatoes With A Fork

I have two answers to this question the right answer and the lazy answer.

Right answer: poking the potato in several places is helpful because it allows the steam from inside the potato to escape. If you dont poke the potatoes, theres a chance they may fall apart in the instant pot.

Lazy answer: I always forget to poke potatoes and sometimes the skin breaks apart a bit but I have yet to have a potato completely fall apart.

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How To Reheat Boiled Potatoes

When you have leftover potatoes you can also use your Instant Pot to reheat them again.

They will still be as soft and steamy as when you first made them. All you need to do is pour a cup of water in the Instant Pot.

Put the potatoes in the steam basket or a heatproof container. When you use a heatproof container set it on top of the trivet.

Close the lid and set the valve to sealing and select Manual/Pressure Cook. Set the timer to 5 minutes.

This is a starting point as there are a number of factors to consider when reheating food.

It depends on the amount of food in this case potatoes you are reheating. But also the temperature of the room and the food.

If the potatoes are not warmed through add another 2 minutes.

The potatoes are moisturized by the heat so they get nice and steamy again.

Moving the valve in the venting position and quick release the Instant Pot. Open the pot and take the potatoes out to serve straight away.

How To Make Baked Potatoes In The Instant Pot

• To cook your potatoes in the Instant Pot digital pressure cooker, use the wire trivet that came with the IP. Add one cup of water to the stainless steel insert and arrange potatoes on the trivet.
• Close lid and turn the valve to sealing position. Set timer to 14 minutes for medium potatoes. Make sure the IP is set to cook on high pressure.
• When the time is up and the Instant Pot beeps, press cancel/off button and let it release the pressure naturally for about 4 minutes. The switch the valve to venting position and do a quick pressure release.
• Use kitchen tongs to remove the potatoes from the pressure cooker and set on a platter. Done! Your potatoes are ready!

Its important to poke the potatoes with a fork. It allows the steam from the potatoes to escape during cooking.

No foil is needed to cook the potatoes in your pressure cooker.

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Starchy Vegetables In Instant Pot

First, lets talk about starchy vegetables. These are the veggies that will be the most forgiving as they often need a longer time to cook: potatoes, carrots, pumpkin, squash, beets, sweet potatoes. But, not all starches are created equal. Whether you love your meat and potatoes or youre cooking your way through the hardy veg during the fall season, heres how to do it .

Should You Peel Potatoes Before Or After Boiling

I actually peeled the potatoes before boiling them in the instant pot, only because I preferred it that way when I made these.

You can peel the potatoes before boiling the potatoes, or you can peel them after you boil them, as you like.

You may also keep the skin of the potatoes if you wish to leave it on for you to enjoy.

It is really not necessary to peel the potatoes, since we use them in many recipes with skins on.

However, to use in recipes like mashed potatoes where you do not want the peels of the potatoes, you can remove them .

Whether you want to peel the potatoes before or after boiling the potatoes, is really based on what is convenient to you.

If you decide to peel the potatoes before cooking, you can use a good quality potato peeler to remove the skin.

If theres a lot of dirt in the skin of the potato, it is actually a good idea to remove the peel before you boil them.

However, if you clean the skin of the potato, you can boil the potato with the skin itself.

Once boiled, allow the potatoes to completely cool down, then you can easily remove the skin with your hands if you dont have a potato peeler.

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For Whole Butternut Squash:

• Peel the butternut squash if desired. Slice the butternut squash in half or quarters either way horizontally or vertically and remove the seeds.
• OR leave the butternut squash whole. You can skip the first step and make it seriously easy if you can fit the entire squash in the pot. It will be more difficult to scoop out the seeds cleanly, and this is not my preferred method personally.
• Place the halves into the trivet or directly into the put with one cup of water.
• Cook on high pressure for around 12 minutes and follow up with a natural pressure release for 5 minutes before performing a quick release.

Kale & Other Sturdy Leafy Greens

Kale is the ultimate superfood. You just feel healthy when you eat kale. Its a fact of life. Its actually quite tasty. Most greens are jam-packed with micronutrients that our bodies love. These micronutrients help us stay healthy and avoid deficiency. They also provide antioxidants and help us to naturally detox and fight off oxidative damage. We all know we need to eat our greens. Let the Instant Pot make it easier.

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