My Instant Pot magic
When I first unwrapped my Instant Pot a couple of Christmases ago, I was thrilled! When I started experimenting with it, though, I was underwhelmed. It moved into the basement for storage and lived down there for awhile. Fast forward to me researching how to make easy-to-peel hard boiled eggs...recommendations for the Instant Pot were popping up everywhere and the rest is history! The hard boiled eggs were perfect and the Instant Pot has earned a coveted spot on the island.
The Instant Pot has many functions and a bit of a learning curve. My expectation was that I’d throw some ingredients in and have dinner done in an instant, which is not usually the case (leading to my initial underwhelm). However, I have an aunt that has fully embraced her Instant Pot and it has changed her relationship with cooking, she uses it almost daily.
For our family, it’s something that I go to for hard boiled eggs, rice, and prepping proteins. Just recently I’ve started experimenting with full blown meals and I’ve found a few favorites.
My Instant Pot magic
Hard boiled eggs – 5 eggs (add 1 cup of water) pressure cooked for 5 minutes, quick release steam and place in a cold water bath for 5 minutes.
Rice – Equal parts rice and water and hit the Rice button. We eat way more brown rice now because the Instant Pot cooks it faster than the stovetop.
Prepping proteins – You can cook frozen shrimp in a flash but my favorite is making chicken breasts to use for my lunch throughout the week. I use this recipe as my starting point and have swapped out the salsa and cumin for Indian simmer sauces or barbecue sauce for variety. I’ve also just added a little more liquid and omitted any type of sauce for a simple, plain chicken option. Chop the chicken up or put your hand mixer in (after draining most of the liquid) and shred the chicken.
Favorite Instant Pot recipe of the moment- Chicken Pad Thai served with brown rice noodles (yes, that’s a thing!). My IP-loving Aunt Karen submitted two of her favs for us - Chicken Pot Pie and Mac and Cheese. She tweaks the macaroni by cutting back on the cheddar cheese and skipping breadcrumb/parmesan topping.
What kind of magic does your Instant Pot do?