Cleaning The Air Fryer
Always wrap the drip tray in aluminium foil simply to save you time and potential frustration. You can simply throw the greasy foil away.
The trays are dishwasher safe and are really easy to wash by hand due to the nonstick coating. Theres a lot of parts to clean depending on what you decide to make. Be careful when cleaning the rotating basket by hand. Invest in using a brush instead of a sponge and watch out for your knuckles from scraping against the metal graded sides.
Now, the hard part: the door and its hinge. Crumbs and flour easily get stuck in the door hinge no matter how careful you try to cover or protect this area. It makes sense that they designed the door with that in mind so you can take the door off to wipe down. This takes a bit of fearless practice to get the hang of it. Naturally, your first instinct is to not want to break your new gadget toy over bread crumbs. There are Youtube videos to show you how to do take the door off.
Which Accessories Work For Instant Pot Mini 3qt
Raise your hand if you just love your new Instant Pot Mini but find yourself scratching your head about which accessories will fit the Instant Pot Mini 3QT?
Will your other Instant Pot 6QT & 8QT accessories fit in the 3QT too?
This blog post shares a compilation of ALL of the accessories that I have found after scouring amazon, reading hundreds of comments from online Instant Pot users, in addition to my own findings.
Recipes Made For You Instant Vortex Plus
This air fryer is still new to the market, so you might have some limited resources at first. However, as bloggers continue to develop and perfect recipes, you will definitely see more coming through the pipeline in the future.
In the meantime, you can use almost any air fryer recipe with some adjustments on how the food sits. Try using recipes that resemble the same mini-oven shape as the Vortex. At first, it might be a trial and error process until youve honed your own Vortex skills.
Remember, you cant make anything with a liquid batter unless you freeze it first and you also cant make anything in large quantities.
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So What Is This Instant Pot Air Fryer
The Instant Vortex Plus Air Fryer Oven is a multi-use countertop appliance that prepares dishes by circulating super-heated air around the food, with little or no cooking oil, to achieve crunchy golden air-fried meals. It features an advanced microprocessor and 7-preset Smart Programs. With 1500 Watts of power, you will be able to cook anything fresh or frozen with a perfectly golden crispy outside and tender inside.
Instant Pot Parts And Accessories
The first thing youll want to do is wash the parts of your Instant Pot. The Instant Pot lid, steam release valve and stainless steel inner pot are dishwasher safe; however, I wash mine by hand. The base unit is not dishwasher safe never immerse the base unit in water.
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Are Pressure Cookers Safe
Yes, electric pressure cookers like the Instant Pot are generally safe and easy to use. The Instant Pot has so many safety mechanisms built in, its hard to make a catastrophic mistake. The lid has two safety catches: a valve that releases excess pressure automatically, and a lock preventing you from opening the pot while its under pressure. If for some reason the steam-release valve isnt doing its job, the appliance has another sensor that shuts off the heating element if excess pressure builds inside the pot.
But as with any kind of cooking, there is a risk of injury if you are careless. If you follow the safety instructions, you should be good. Weve found only one confirmed report of an injury caused by an Instant Pot, and it was the result of user error: The person suffered minor burns after she covered the steam valve with a dish towel while the pot was under pressure. When she touched the towel a few minutes later, hot soup sprayed onto her arm and neck. The Instant Pot manual, however, explicitly states that all venting valves should be clean and free of debris.
Mini Eggplant & Olive Spread
An Arab dish traditionally made with eggplant that can be used as a sauce, spread or dip. ;The traditional version requires eggplants that have been grilled or;scorched. This recipe gets close to that flavor with the pressure cooker! What you lose in scorch you gain in the amazing eggplant flavor that the pressure cooker naturally preserves and enhances. Recipe from Hip Pressure Cooking.
Read Also: Instant Pot Yogurt Troubleshooting
Instant Pot Mini Cake
Most cakes for the Instant Pot arent made in the Mini and we all know baking by intuition or guessing can be dangerously disappointing. This recipe will curb your sweet tooth with a small cake perfect for dessert lovers and people who dont necessarily want the temptation of a full-size cake hanging out around the house! Recipe from Home Pressure Cooking.
What I Love Cooking Most With My Mini Instant Pot
For the majority of the time, youll find me using the Instant Pot Mini cooking jasmine rice or quinoa.
My favorite way to use the Mini is cooking chicken breasts, thighs or tenders when I need some chicken cooked for a recipe that I am making on the stove top or will be baking.
Recipes such as enchiladas or chicken fried rice always need precooked chicken and the Instant Pot Mini cooks the chicken the most tender out of all of the Instant Pot models I have.
Plus, the natural pressure release is much quicker since its so small. This makes all of those meals calling for precooked chicken SO much easier to make.
Hooray for meal times made easier!
Hopefully this post answered all of your Instant Pot Mini 3QT accessories needs! Dont forget to Pin it for later!
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You Can Get A Second Insert
Sometimes dinner needs a few different components maybe youre makingkung pao chicken and youre going to serve it with rice. Or maybe dinner is in one pot AND youre serving from it which means you cant use the Instant Pot for dessert until dinner is over AND the insert is washed.
Heres the solution get a second insert! You can buy a second insert and youll be able to make things back to back .
Use Hot Liquid In A Recipe That Calls For Cold Liquid
Mistake: Some users ran into a problem that all their Instant Pot meals were undercooked. We later found that they always start cooking by pouring hot water into the Instant Pot.
Using hot liquid in a recipe that calls for a cold liquid shortens the overall cooking time, because Instant Pot will take a shorter time to come up to pressure.
Since the food starts to cook when Instant Pot is heating up & going up to pressure, and this part of the cooking time is shortened, the food may come out;undercooked.
Solution: Use cold liquid to cook or adjust the cooking time stated in the recipe accordingly.
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Have You Been Thinking About Buying An Electric Instant Pot 3 Quart Pressure Cooker But Not Sure Which One Heres A Comparison I Put Together To Help You Choose Between The 3 Quart Instant Pot Lux Duo Duo Nova Duo Plus And Ultra Models
When did you start having an interest in the Instant Pot? And now youre starting to wonder if one can work for you and your cooking needs? Is this your first Instant Pot or are you looking for a smaller one for side dishes? I bought the Instant Pot 3 Quart because it works well for cooking for one person as well as kitchens with limited storage.
When I first purchased my Instant Pot 3 Quart Duo I only knew about the Mini Duo and Mini Lux. At the time I probably would have still bought the Mini Duo, because it was the right price to start experimenting with a new-to-me method of cooking. As any Instant Pot owner will tell you, the likelihood of picking at least one more is pretty high!
To help you choose, I put together the comparisons of the 4 Instant Pot Mini model options.
And one more note: this post contains affiliate links. This means I may receive a small commission if you buy through my link. You wont pay any more if you use this link.
Which Instant Pot Do I Like The Best And My Recommendations
The 3 qt. didnt make my rice cook any quicker, but its so cute and handy I think Ill be using it a lot as an additional helper. Plus itll be perfect to cook sides in or when cooking for 1-2 people. My sister loves to use this size to keep her cheese dips warm during parties. She likes it better than using a slow-cooker as the sides dont get overcooked or hard.
The big 8 qt. will go with my daughter when she gets married, but I have a feeling Im going to miss it. It can hold a lot. Cooking for a family of 5 or more this would be the one to go with.
The 6 qt. will probably always be out on my counter ready to go. Is it just right? Its pretty close, but if I had a growing family I think the 8 qt. would win out. And if my cabinets were just a little higher. Overall, if you are cooking for 2-4 people I think this would be the best size.
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It Helps To Consider What You’ll Be Cooking
I know it’s hard to think of what a 6- or 8-quart Instant Pot can hold. Let me give you some examples.
Whole chickens The 6-quart will fit a 5 to 6-pound whole chicken comfortably. The 8-quart fits 5 to 6-pound whole chickens comfortably side by side.
Yogurt The 6-quart will make 4 to 5 quarts of yogurt comfortably while the 8-quart will make 6 to 7 quarts of yogurt comfortably.
Spaghetti squash A medium-size or 2 smaller will fit in the 6-quart Instant Pot; 2 medium or even a large spaghetti squash will fit in the 8-quart.
Batch cooking If you batch cook at all, whether rice, beans, pre-cooked chicken, etc., you will fit more in the 8 quart, making your efforts stretch;farther.
Accessories Many of the accessories I chose fit in both the 6-quart and 8-quart Instant Pots. An exception is the stackable pans I showed you in the second video above. Those ONLY fit the 8-quart Instant Pot. However, there is a greater capacity for stacking and using larger containers inside the 8-quart Instant Pot. Wondering what I’m talking about? Like making this sourdough cornbread in a 7-cup Pyrex bowl it will fit in either size Instant Pot.
See the second video above for real-life examples of how these foods fit in the 6-quart or 8-quart Instant Pot!
If you’d like more ideas for using your Instant Pot, be sure to check out 11 Creative & Surprising Things To Make In The Instant Pot. I think some will astound you!
Back To Size, Though
Whats The Diameter Of Instant Pots
The inside of each pot is where the real action is going to be happening and how much can fit in it.
There are several things to think about when looking at the diameter. A frozen roast of good size isnt going to fit in the 3 qt. If Im going to be doing any freezer cooking where I place a frozen meal in the pot to cook Ill need to be sure to freeze the meal in a container that will be slightly smaller than the diameter of the pot.
Also, the pot in pot method should be considered too. The pot in pot method is cooking foods inside the pot in smaller pots, like ball jars, ramekins, or stackable pans. This method would work in all three sizes but will be limited with the smaller 3 qt.
To give a comparison of the size of each I placed this large steamer basket inside each one.
The 3 qt. has room for the steamer with the sides straight up.
The 6 qt has room for the steamer with the sides spread out about halfway.
The 8 qt. has room for the steamer to spread the sides out about 3/4 the way.
Of course, you can close the sides on the steamer and enclose what is being cooked and even layer this above another dish, but this way you can get a feel for the size difference.
Also Check: What Does Burn Mean On Instant Pot
A Cooking Liquid: Too Thick/not Enough Liquid
Mistake:;As a new user, its not intuitive on how much cooking liquid to use. If theres not enough cooking liquid;or the liquid is too thick, Instant Pot will not be able to generate enough steam to get up to pressure.
Solutions:;Unless stated otherwise in a recipe
- We recommend new users to use 1 cup of total liquid until they get comfortable with the machine.
- Always add thickener such as cornstarch, flour, arrowroot, or potato starch;after the pressure cooking cycle.
Cooking Spaghetti Fettuccini Or Linguini In The Instant Pot
Long, straight pasta like spaghetti, fettuccini, and linguini can be a bit finicky to cook in the Instant Pot. The method for cooking these is slightly different than other shapes, though the cook time remains the same.;
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Pros To Buying An Instant Pot
Instant Pot Mini Hard Boiled Eggs
Instant Pot Mini Hard Boiled Eggs are the perfect beginner recipe to learn how to use your new multi-cooker. The easy-to-peel eggs are great as a quick high-protein snack or for making egg salad.
The secret to a good Sriracha Egg Salad Sandwich starts with good hard-boiled eggs. Im talking creamy yolks and easy to peel shells.
If youve struggled with achieving these results using the traditional stovetop method youve got to give it a try in your 3 quart instant pot mini.
Last year we added a new member to our small appliance family, a 3 qt Instant Pot Duo Plus Mini.
After reading the manual we couldnt wait to cook something with it and settled on a batch of hard-boiled eggs.
Looking online and in the IP Books Id checked out of the library I found about 100 different methods.
The most popular is something called the 5-5-5 Method.
- You cook the eggs on High Pressure for 5 minutes
- Let them naturally release for 5 minutes
- Then carefully quick release the remaining steam
- And dunk the eggs in an ice bath for 5 minutes
We gave it a try using 2 eggs and ended up with overcooked grey yolks and cracked egg shells.
Skimming through the 5-Ingredient Vegetarian Pressure Cooker Cookbook, I noticed the author had a different version that used LOW pressure for 6 minutes followed by a quick release.
So I grabbed 2 more eggs and gave it a try. The whites were perfect but the yolks were a tiny bit overdone.
Cuisine:Category:
Also Check: My Instant Pot Says Burn
