For Mashed Sweet Potatoes:
- Begin with the recipe above and fully cook the desired amount of sweet potatoes.
- When the NPR is finished and you release pressure from the pot, unseal the lid. Reserve 1/2-1 cup of the cooking liquid and mash with the desired add-ins. Follow the same instructions for regular mashed potatoes.
- Add-in ideas: coconut oil, butter, olive oil, coconut milk, buttermilk, heavy cream, milk, salt, pepper, cinnamon, nutmeg, chives, nut butter, pecans, sugar/coconut sugar.
How To Make Vegetable Beef Soup In The Instant Pot
Making Bone Broth Under Pressure
Its so simple and hands-off to make bone broth in the Instant Pot! Put the bones right back in after you pick off the chicken, add some onion ends, carrots, celery, and garlic, fill the pot to about 2 inches from the top with water, and youre good to go!
The last time I was sick I had only frozen broth in the house, but I had some bones in the freezer too it was quicker to make broth in my IP than to thaw a jar, and I cannot tell you how glad I was to have warming, nourishing broth in a mug and going into my parched body!!!
Watch this video to learn more about bone broth from me and my kids!
Don’t Miss: How Long To Cook Potatoes In Instant Pot
For Instant Pot Shredded Cabbage:
- Remove the flimsy outer leaves from your cabbage and shred it. I prefer to shred mine in the food processor because it is easy to clean and very fast. You can also do this with a mandoline slicer or a knife, of course.
- Place 1-2 cups of water or broth in the inner pot, then place the cabbage in. You dont need to use the trivet or steaming basket for this.
- Cook on high for 2 minutes.
- For soups or for a softer result:;Let the pot naturally release pressure.
- For a side or crisper result: Perform a quick release to finish up with.
- Check out these 20 Instant Pot cabbage recipes and make sure to try out Sri Lankan Coconut Cabbage.
Can You Steam Frozen Broccoli
Yes, you can. I prefer steamed vegetables over boiled because boiled vegetables lack:
- Flavour You will notice the difference in flavour straight away when you go from boiled vegetables to steamed vegetables.
- Nutrients When broccoli is boiled the nutrients leave the broccoli and you dont get all the benefits that broccoli has to offer.
- Texture Because frozen broccoli has more water in it and you add boiling to this, you end up with very mushy broccoli.
I swapped boiling broccoli for steaming broccoli back in 2012 and couldnt imagine going back to boiled again now.
Don’t Miss: How To Cook Tuna Steak In Instant Pot
Instant Pot Uses: Natural Release Vs Quick Release
When you start reading through Instant Pot recipes youll see reference made to natural release or quick release. These terms refer to the way the pressure is released from the Instant Pot.
With a natural release, you let the Instant Pot sit for around 15 minutes after the recipe is finished cooking to allow the pressure to gradually lower. At the end of the 15 minutes, or after the pin has dropped, you can safely open the lid.;
With a quick release, you move the nozzle from sealing to venting as soon as the recipe is finished cooking.;Use caution. The steam can cause burns. I like to use a wooden spoon or similar utensil to move the nozzle from a safe distance. Once the steam has released from the Instant Pot , it is safe to remove the lid.
A natural release is better for recipes with high liquid content, like soups or broths, or for thick recipes like chili or porridge. A quick release is best for steaming vegetables or cooking other delicate foods at risk for becoming overcooked.
Also read: 10 Recipes my Husband Successfully made in the Instant Pot
For Whole Spaghetti Squash:
- Start by cutting the squash in half. My personal preference is to slice the spaghetti squash crosswise rather than lengthwise because it produces longer strands that better resemble spaghetti. Youve gotta get a good twirl on your fork! They also soak up sauce better this way. Then, remove the seeds.
- Place a steamer basket or trivet in the pot along with one cup of water.
- Place the squash halves into the basket or trivet and seal the lid.
- Set the pressure cooker to cook on high for 7 minutes and follow up with a quick release. You can do a natural pressure release for a few minutes if you prefer your pasta well done. A quick-release will give you al dente results.
Read Also: How To Cook Tapioca Pearls In Instant Pot
Instant Pot Stir Fry With Chicken And Vegetables Is A Great Dinner Idea Thats Healthy And Packed With Lemon Pepper Flavor Youve Gotta Try This One
Instant Pot stir fry. Sounds interesting right?? Its probably one of your favorite meals when you go out but havent tried it yourself. Its easier than you think. We used chicken but steak stir fry would be an easy swap out too. Its not only healthy but Keto friendly and gluten free too! Find this and many more on our roundup of easy Instant Pot recipes.
- Of course you could use any pressure cooker you have to make this. They all have the saute function.
Thats all you need. So grab your Crock Pot Express or Ninja Foodi pressure cooker and air fryer and lets get going.
Lets start with a few basic tips:
- Make sure to Bookmark our InstaPot recipes page. We add new ones each week!
For reference, this is the pressure cooker I have and use for all recipe creations.
Instant Pot Basics: How To Use Your Instant Pot + 10 Techniques
December 15, 2016) by
This post may contain affiliate links which wont change your price but will share some commission.
Wanna lean how to use an Instant Pot? Can you boil water in the Instant Pot? This Instant Pot basics will guide you through IP uses, address safety concerns, and put your IP to use making delicious real foods with 10 basic Instant Pot techniques. Plus Ill toss in a few more tips and tricks to make sure youre getting the maximum benefit out of this countertop kitchen appliance.;
Back when the Instant Pot was first released many years ago, I was a total skeptic. I thought, If theres one thing my kitchen cant handle any more of, its a one-hit wonder!
Those huge items that can only be used to make one thing, like tortilla presses , rice cookers that can only make rice, or those quesadilla cookers that were really popular Christmas gift items a million years ago take up TOO MUCH SPACE and drive me crazy!
But.
Those appliances that can be used over and over for a bajillion things, like my food processor and my blender, now were talking.
So what about the Instant Pot? Was it just another one-hit wonder? Or the next perennial kitchen staple?
Well, we use the Instant Poy constantly and now we have a second larger Instant Pot that we took on vacation with us one summer! I couldnt imagine cooking in Airbnbs without it .
Recommended Reading: How To Cook Black Beans In Instant Pot
Keep A Positive Mindset
When we surveyed our readers about their initial experience with the Instant Pot, many users had the advice to just have fun with the pressure cooker! Set aside any expectations, know the Instant Pot is an exceptionally safe kitchen device, and try something new. Even if it doesnt go according to plan, it should boost your confidence.
Over to you! Do you have any further questions about how to use the Instant Pot as a beginner? What foods or recipes do you plan to cook first? Anything else we can help you with? Leave your feedback and comment below!
Instant Pot Frozen Vegetables
These Instant Pot frozen vegetables are amazing and work as such a great side dish for your dinner meal!
Not only do you save time, but the veggies come out perfectly tender every single time. All you have to do is just dump a bag of frozen mixed veggies into the Instant Pot, add a little bit of water and the Instapot will cook it perfectly!
Don’t Miss: How To Know When Instant Pot Is Done
Instant Potfrozen Broccoli Overload Method
There is sometimes that I cook my Instant Pot FrozenBroccoli for 2 minutes instead of 0 minutes and that is when I use the overloadmethod.
If you want to cook other vegetables at the same time, thattakes longer to cook, such as Brussel Sprouts then you overload the InstantPot.
Place the Brussel Sprouts at the bottom as they take longestto cook and then load the top of the steamer with broccoli .It means that the broccoli has less chance to breathe, meaning that it needs alonger cook time.
Can You Use Frozen Vegetables In An Instant Pot
This recipe for making Instant Pot steamed vegetables is based on using fresh veggies. You can use frozen vegetables, but they will need a little extra cook time.
Rather than setting the cook time to zero minutes, you will just set it to one minute. An alternate method is to allow the pressure to release naturally rather than doing an instant pressure release.
You May Like: How Long To Cook Fava Beans In Instant Pot
How To Steam Vegetables In An Instant Pot
This article was co-authored by our trained team of editors and researchers who validated it for accuracy and comprehensiveness. wikiHow’s Content Management Team carefully monitors the work from our editorial staff to ensure that each article is backed by trusted research and meets our high quality standards. This article has been viewed 14,210 times.Learn more…
Say goodbye to mushy, overcooked vegetables! If you have an Instant Pot, use the steamer basket to perfectly cook almost any type of vegetable. Steam a batch of your favorite veggie or mix a flavorful assortment in the basket. Since most vegetables finish steaming by the time the Instant Pot pressurizes, you’ll have delicious, perfectly cooked vegetables in no time.
Pressure Cooking Requires Liquid
Before we continue, we must mention the most important aspect of pressure cooking. It requires liquid. This is because the pressure is built by the steam accumulating inside the pot, which is produced from the liquid.;
Whether youre cooking rice, chicken breasts, pot roast, carrots, stew or cheesecake, you will need at least a cup of liquid for the Instant Pot to do its job.
This is a total amount of liquid and can be in the form of water, stock, tomato sauce, juice, wine and liquids released from the food while cooking , or a combination of those. Amount of liquid required varies depending on the recipe and amount of food but as a rule of thumb, 1 cup is always a good starting point. Also, the food doesnt need to be completely covered or submerged in liquid to cook.;
You May Like: How To Use Instant Pot As Crock Pot
Can I Use Any Steamer Basket In An Instant Pot
Most of the models of Instant Pot brand pressure cookers are sold with a free steamer basket. If you own an electric pressure cooker made by a different company, that may not be the case. You have nothing to worry about, though. Any steamer basket that fits inside of your pressure cooker will work just fine.
The steamer basket for making Instant Pot steamed vegetables is made of metal. If you need to buy a steamer basket from the store, you can find them near the kitchen tools. They are available in either metal or silicone. Choose whichever type you prefer; both types will work exactly the same way.
The reason youll want to use a steamer basket for steaming vegetables in an Instant Pot is to keep the vegetables elevated above the water. If you place them directly into the liquid, they wont steam, they will boil. As a result, you may end up with limp, overcooked veggies.
As a last resort, you can also place the veggies into a fine mesh sieve, but only if its made out metal or silicone. You should never use plastic in an Instant Pot because it is likely to melt.
Understanding The Pin Mechanism
The pin, or float valve, is a small piece that can move up and down and is either metal or colored. When your Instant Pot gets up to pressure, this pin will rise, and you cannot open the lid until it falls back down. On some Instant Pot models the pin rises to be flush with the lid, on others, it will rise above the lids surface.
It is incredibly important to understand for safety that you should never try to force an Instant Pot lid open. Thats how they explode. Even when Im impatient, I usually give my IP at least 30 seconds after the pin has dropped before I try to open it.
Understanding the pin mechanism is also good for troubleshooting, because if the pin never goes up, your Instant Pot has not come up to pressure and you may not have enough liquid.
I asked her about the pin function and she gave me a blank stare. A quick second later, with the Instant Pot lid in hand, she realized she had been oblivious to this feature for more than 3 years! She learned to use the IP from following recipes, like so many others do and had never even noticed this super important safety feature.
We shared a quick laugh because it really was funny in the moment, but I know she was also so relieved there had never been a terrible accident caused by that lack of knowledge.
You May Like: How To Meal Prep With Instant Pot
How To Make Instant Pot Asparagus
To get started, trim the asparagus so the woody ends are removed.
Youll want the spears to be short enough to fit in the Instant Pot but they dont have to lay flat on the trivet so dont worry about cutting off too much of the ends.
Place the metal trivet inside the Instant Pot and pour 1/2 cup water into the pot.
Arrange the asparagus spears on top of the trivet and drizzle with olive oil. Dot the softened butter and sliced garlic clove atop the asparagus and season with salt and pepper.
Place the lid on the Instant Pot and set the valve to the sealing position.
Press manual cook and set the time to zero minute .
Thats highlighted because its important and it is not a typo.
The time it takes to come to pressure is all the asparagus needs to cook properly in the Instant Pot.
Once it comes to pressure, it will beep that its done.
Quick release the pressure by manually turning the valve to the venting position and remove the lid once the metal float drops.
I dont recommend this recipe or using a pressure cooker in general if you have very thin asparagus spears. This lemon roasted asparagus is a better option if you have thin asparagus.
If you have very thick spears, however, follow the same method but set the time to 1 minute for cooking instead of 0.
Once the lid is removed, transfer the asparagus to a serving plate and garnish as desired.
Instant Pot asparagus goes with almost any meal from grilled steak, to a simple pork chop or chicken.
Safety Lesson 2: Dont Overfill The Pot
My Instant Pot has a max fill line, which I understood to be the fullest I can make it but I was wrong. That line is for slow cooking, not pressure!!! To pressure cook, these are the max fill rules:
- Dont fill over 2/3 with food.
- Dont fill over 1/2 if cooking legumes, grains, or anything like that that could expand or foam.
Breaking that rule can lead to problems, including safety issues but also your food might not cook because the pot cant get up to pressure without air/steam space.
Don’t Miss: Which Instant Pot To Get
Why Youll Love This Instant Pot Vegetable Soup
What better way to start the year than a nutrient-rich, warming bowl of soup? This one features vibrant flavors with herbaceous undertones. It gives canned vegetable soup a serious run for its money, and will surely become a family favorite.
Reading: how long to pressure cook made up vegetable soup quarts
A pressure cooker like the Instant Pot imparts slow-simmered flavor in a fraction of the time. Its perfect for days when time is of the essence, but youre still craving for a home-cooked meal. Plus, this soup leaves you with just one pot to wash in the end, which is ALWAYS a win in my book.
A mix of fresh, canned, and dry ingredients give this soup layers of complexity that make it taste like it was simmering all day long. You can switch up the fresh ingredients depending on whats in season, and even use frozen produce in a pinch.
Top it off with freshly grated Parmesan and serve with crusty bread for peak coziness.
