Going to pot
Some quick tips on using your new instant pot multicooker.
Remember when there were no food processors? My mom, a “gourmet” cook before “foodies” existed, used just a blender and a hand mixer until the mid-1970s, when home cooks started buying this new appliance. All of a sudden, dishes that had been out of reach to the home cook tumbled into daily meals. Pesto, bread and pastry doughs, emulsified sauces, sorbets — everything became easier — once mom learned how to use it.
Recently another appliance arrived on the scene to revolutionize home cooking yet again. When the multicooker or Instant Pot was introduced, busy folks (especially those who were not really into cooking) embraced it. Now, social media feeds are flooded with Instant Pot tips, tricks, recipes and hacks. Now that we all have the latest miracle kitchen appliance, how can we maximize its effectiveness and cook tasty food faster?
In his 1976 classic, “New Recipes for the Cuisinart Food Processor,” James Beard told cooks to “review your recipes and then figure out how the processor can act as another person in your kitchen.” We suggest a similar approach to the Instant Pot, a powerful tool with equally powerful limitations. The pot is only as good as the cook who uses it — as a wise friend told me, “it’s just a pot; you are the master” — and there are a lot of terrifying recipes floating around. Pay attention to a few guidelines, and your multicooker can become your most beloved sous-chef, as long as you do the chopping.
Use your instincts
If a recipe doesn’t call for salt or suggests an ingredient you aren’t comfortable with, adjust to your family’s tastes. Recipes from unfamiliar sources can be wild cards and should be seen as guidelines for technique. Stick with the minimum amount of liquid
needed (roughly 1 cup for all cooking under pressure) — you can always add more. And trust the timing. After much experimenting, I have learned that I am more likely to overcook than undercook when using the pressure cooker function.
Set reasonable expectations
While the electric pressure cooker function can make a truly remarkable biryani or a perfect risotto with little effort and in very little time, you still have to follow the basic rules of good cooking. If your spices are old and dusty, or you’ve bought the wrong type of rice, your Instant Pot may act more like a garbage can. Remember, you don’t have to convert your whole repertoire to succeed with an electric pot. Old favorites like pasta and veggie stir-fry, for example, probably don’t benefit from being taken off the stovetop.
Be adventurous
Like my mom’s food processor, the Instant Pot brings complicated dishes within reach. I made paneer (fresh Indian cheese) in minutes, perfectly jiggly flan and a meaty Sunday gravy that tasted as if it had bubbled all day, in under 30 minutes each. I visit parts of my supermarket (hello, dried-bean aisle) I’ve never considered before and cook elaborate Indian curries, soups and French classics on a weeknight. Resolve to try offbeat vegetables or tasty cuts of meat that once seemed difficult to conquer but can be easily taken down with a few beeps of an Instant Pot.