First dinner with InstantPot

[Voted4Reagan]

Get a crock pot... Safer

You might otherwise end up on the pressure cooker watch list....

[Gunny]

Poor Jim. So sad, really. Reduced to posting pics of his dinner.

Now I'm freakin' hungry.

[Kathianne]

http://instantpot.com/benefits/safety-features/

In the past, most pressure cooker disasters could usually be attributed to user error. Instant Pot was carefully designed to eliminate and avoid most of the potential problems. Instant Pot is made by the No.1 electric pressure cooker manufacturer with over 10 million units already in household use worldwide. Instant Pot products are certified by UL/ULC providing unprecedented peace of mind in safety.

InstantPot’s pressure sensor mechanism

The stove-top pressure cookers use the weight of pressure regulator on the lid to limit the cooking pressure. Instant Pot’s patented pressure senor technology regulates the pressure in the inner pot in a much more precise and automatic fashion. When pressure builds up in the inner pot, the Flat Flexible Board (see diagram on right) shifts downwards to trigger the pressure sensor. Conversely, when the pressure is lightened, the Flat Flexible Board moves upwards and again triggers the pressure sensor.

Pressure control mechanism in the base

The pressure sensor controls the power of the heating element to maintain the pressure within a preset range. The photo of the actual pressure sensor is shown on the left.
This technology revolutionized the safety of pressure cooking. Apart from this unique innovation, Instant Pot has 10 level of safety protections.

1. Lid Close Detection

If the lid is missing or not closed properly, Instant Pot will not activate pressurized cooking. Only the keep-warm and sauté (in applicable models only) functions work with the lid being open.
2. Leaky Lid Protection

In the case that the cooker lid has leakage (e.g. the steam release not closed properly, the sealing ring being missing), the cooker will not reach preset pressure level. Allowing this to continue would risk burning the food. Instant Pot detects this by measuring the pre-heating time. If the pre-heating is unusually long, the programming will be switched to Keep-warm to avoid burning the food.
3. Lid Lock under Pressure


If the cooker is still pressurize, the lid will be locked to prevent accidental opening.

Anti-jam shield prevents jamming of the steam release

4. Anti-blockage Vent

During cooking, food particles could jam the steam release vent. Instant Pot has specially structured vent shield (see picture on right) to prevent jamming the steam release.

Thermostat under the inner pot

5. Automatic Temperature Control

The thermostat under the inner pot regulates the temperature of the inner pot to be within a safe range, based on the type of food being cooked.
6. High Temperature Warning

If the cooker is operating without water or moisture, pressure will not be built up in the pot. Over heating become the most likely outcome. Excessive temperature may also build up due to situations such as, missing inner pot, inner pot not in proper contact with heating element, or inner pot having heat dissipation problem (e.g. burnt starch at the bottom of the inner pot blocking heat dissipation). Under such conditions, Instant Pot will stop heating when the temperature is over a certain limit.
7. Extreme Temperature & Power Protection


Instant Pot is equipped with a special fuse which disconnects power at excessively high temperature, i.e. 169°C ~ 172°C or 336°F ~ 341.6°F, and extremely high electrical current. A extremely high electrical current drawn by the cooker indicates an unsafe situation.
8. Automatic Pressure Control

The patented pressure sensor mechanism (shown in diagram at the top) keeps the operating pressure between 70kPa-80kPa, or 10.12psi ~ 11.6 psi.
9. Pressure Regulator Protection

If the pressure exceeds 105kPa (15.23 psi), the steam release (comparable to the pressure regulator in stove-top pressure cookers) will be pushed up to allow the steam being released to bring down the pressure inside the pot.

Over-pressure leaking mechanism between the lid and inner pot

10. Excess Pressure Protection

If the pressure becomes too high and pressure regulator protection malfunctioned, Instant Pot’s internal protection mechanism will activate, shifting the inner pot downwards to create a gap between the lid and the inner pot. Steam will be released from the gap into the internal chamber and heating stopped.

[Gunny]

BBQ in the back yard. Pound charcoal and some lighter fluid and I'm good. I don't like gadgets. They take too long to clean. I can clean the grill in a couple of minutes.

But to each his own. The GF has every goofy cooking gadget I think that's ever been invented. I hate washing them damned things. Civilians are S-O-O-O inefficient. Try eating out of your canteen cup. After you shave out of it, then make your coffee in it. In the end, I have just a canteen cup to wash.

Besides, I'm just at Jim. He'd feel all neglected and butt hurt if I didn't give him some crap about something.

[Kathianne]

BBQ in the back yard. Pound charcoal and some lighter fluid and I'm good. I don't like gadgets. They take too long to clean. I can clean the grill in a couple of minutes.

But to each his own. The GF has every goofy cooking gadget I think that's ever been invented. I hate washing them damned things. Civilians are S-O-O-O inefficient. Try eating out of your canteen cup. After you shave out of it, then make your coffee in it. In the end, I have just a canteen cup to wash.

Besides, I'm just at Jim. He'd feel all neglected and butt hurt if I didn't give him some crap about something.

Jim's pot took a minute to clean! LOL! What I like about this pot is that it's stainless, not coated with 'anti-stick' stuff. I really wonder about that stuff and I'm all for 'easy' cleaning.

[jimnyc]

Poor Jim. So sad, really. Reduced to posting pics of his dinner.

Now I'm freakin' hungry.

I had that same conversation with the wife once. I mentioned the assholes on facebook who post every single meal they eat, even snacks, drinks...

I can't believe I'm finding joy in appliances. What has happened to me?

Friday today though, pizza night!

[Kathianne]

I had that same conversation with the wife once. I mentioned the assholes on facebook who post every single meal they eat, even snacks, drinks...

I can't believe I'm finding joy in appliances. What has happened to me?

Friday today though, pizza night!

I have a recipe for that too! Trust me, you'd think you went to heaven!

[jimnyc]

I have a recipe for that too! Trust me, you'd think you went to heaven!

Gotta be too much work!! Can't possibly be easier than dialing 7 numbers and getting some great local pizza.

But I can never get enough pizza. You should post your recipe or how you make it. I'm sure I can find a way to stuff even more into my face and belly.

[NightTrain]

Gotta be too much work!! Can't possibly be easier than dialing 7 numbers and getting some great local pizza.

But I can never get enough pizza. You should post your recipe or how you make it. I'm sure I can find a way to stuff even more into my face and belly.

Try these guys, Jim. They rock!

Not sure if you're outside of their service area, though.

http://tuscanapizzaak.com/

[Kathianne]

Gotta be too much work!! Can't possibly be easier than dialing 7 numbers and getting some great local pizza.

But I can never get enough pizza. You should post your recipe or how you make it. I'm sure I can find a way to stuff even more into my face and belly.

I usually do this over two sessions-not because it's 'hard,' I just like having the crusts done and ready to go. I find that it's more in my style to do the crusts early in the morning and throw them in the freezer. When I want something 'easy' just grab one and build it. They freeze well for about a month. I have used 'same day' crusts, I can't tell the difference between those frozen and those used immediately.

I make the dough in bread machine, usually two batches, which gives me 8 individual pizza balls that I freeze. I take them out about an hour before on the counter or in the morning put in the fridge then on the counter 15 minutes before shaping, when I'm ready to use. (I'm giving regular directions, not 'bread machine.' If using a bread machine put ingredients in order listed, use 'dough' setting. When finished, let rise 1/2 hour. Then cut into portions.) To freeze: I make into balls, then flatten slightly-easier to roll or shape by hand later. I put them in individual quart freezer bags and stack.

Ingredients

3 1/2 to 4 cups bread flour, plus more for rolling (Chef's Note: Using bread flour will give you a much crisper crust. If you can't find bread flour, you can substitute it with all-purpose flour which will give you a chewier crust.)
1 teaspoon sugar
1 envelope instant dry yeast
2 teaspoons kosher salt
1 1/2 cups water, 110 degrees F
2 tablespoons olive oil, plus 2 teaspoons

Combine the bread flour, sugar, yeast and kosher salt in the bowl of a stand mixer and combine. While the mixer is running, add the water and 2 tablespoons of the oil and beat until the dough forms into a ball. If the dough is sticky, add additional flour, 1 tablespoon at a time, until the dough comes together in a solid ball. If the dough is too dry, add additional water, 1 tablespoon at a time. Scrape the dough onto a lightly floured surface and gently knead into a smooth, firm ball.

Grease a large bowl with the remaining 2 teaspoons olive oil, add the dough, cover the bowl with plastic wrap and put it in a warm area to let it double in size, about 1 hour. Turn the dough out onto a lightly floured surface and divide it into 2 equal pieces. Cover each with a clean kitchen towel or plastic wrap and let them rest for 10 minutes.

Read more at: http://www.foodnetwork.com/recipes/b...ml?oc=linkback

A bit more complex, but worth it:

INGREDIENTS

• 
  
  • 1 1/3 cups water ( Or 1 Cup Water and 1/3 Cup Flat Beer for better flavor)
  • 2 tablespoons olive oil
  • 1 teaspoon sugar
  • 1 teaspoon honey
  • 1 1/4 teaspoons salt
  • 2 tablespoons cornmeal
  • 3 1/2 cups flour
  • 1 teaspoon baking powder
  • 1/4 teaspoon garlic powder
  • 1/4 teaspoon onion powder
  • 1/2 teaspoon italian seasoning
  • 1 1/2 teaspoons yeast

DIRECTIONS

1. Add ingredients to machine in the order listed.
2. Set to “Dough” mode and let the machine run through its cycle.
3. Once completed, place in greased pan to rise about 20-30 min, and split in half.
4. If you aren't going to use the dough right away, fear not. Simply divide the dough and place in ziplock bags, then stack flat to be used as needed. When the special day arrives, slap it on a cornmeal/floured surface, and roll flat, If you're fortunate enough to have a wife who doesn't mind you twirling it in her kitchen (like me -- as long as I clean up my own messes) -- have fun with it before going for the big-bake!
5. Add light layer of sauce and pre-bake your crust at 400 degrees for 5-7 minutes. Believe me--you'll want to follow this step (thank me later).
6. Remove from oven and add toppings of your choice.
7. Bake in oven at 400 degrees until done(approx 20 min, depending upon topping thickness).

I included the baking directions from the above recipe. I do it differently though.

Before baking, get all your choice of toppings prepped and ready to use. Clean up! I have two old cookie sheets*, beat to hell that I only use for pizza-you only need 1 if making 1 or 2 individual pizzas. I flip them over to underside up, spray with Pam. Sprinkle with Cornmeal. Preheat oven to 550, then drop to 475-500.

While preheating, shape the dough, 2 will fit on backside of 1 cookie sheet. Spray or brush with a bit of olive oil-I like garlic infused, be sure to very lightly cover all of the dough, including edges.

Pre-bake for 5-7, take out and put on sauce, build your pizzas! (You can add sauce to the pre-bake, like above, I just like my crust 'crispy' and the sauce more noticeable.)Work quickly, you want the oven to be as hot as possible, but it's 'dropping.' (550 is 'too hot' for most of the toppings and you do want the crust to be fully cooked-BE CAREFUL, the pan is HOT!). Stick those babies in, start checking at 12 minutes to gage how long to go.

I've had parties of 12 where I made 'pizza party.' For these I bought tons of toppings, from jalapenos, pineapple, ham, prosciutto, etc.

My own basic is mozzarella, parm, pepperoni, spinach, a few halved cherry tomatoes-heirlooms a great, and a bit of bacon.

I buy a basic pizza sauce, but add more oregano, a bit of parm, garlic, onion powder, and a mix of Italian seasonings. In all honesty, the pizza sauces you buy are pretty good 'as is,' I just like to fool with it.

*I have pizza pans, pizza stones, the cookie sheets just work better, imo. You may hear a 'low bang' when they start heating up-no problem, they're just getting sorta warped-which is why I use the beat to hell ones.

[GravyBoat]

I bought the "As Seen On TV" Power XL 6-quart electric pressure cooker a while back. It was $75 on sale at Thiesen's. It's great for soup, takes like 20 minutes for beef soup, a little longer for chicken. It's excellent for many things, but not so much for rice in my opinion. For pork ribs and pork loins, they get very succulent and juicy after an hour. You can also use it like a crock pot and slow cook things.

But if I could do it over, I'd but the 10-quart model from the website. It's like $150 but you get some accessories, like this basket, which would help when making pork ribs, because they fall apart and you can't hardly get them out of the pot, they get to swimming in all the grease that the pressure cooker boils out of them ribs. And it's much larger, the 6-quart size fills up quick once you start adding meat, taters, onions, carrots, and celery to a soup.

YouTube has many stove top pressure cooker explosion videos, but I think people either boiled them dry or used too much heat, boom. But this Power XL is said to have many safety devices. First, it has pressure and temp sensors, and you can't unscrew the lid while it's pressurized. Then it has a mechanical valve like other pressure cookers. I feel safe using it. But you must be careful in taking the lid off, the steam can severely burn. I usually wait twenty minutes for the steam to go down anyway. The food stays warm for hours in the pot.

[Kathianne]

I bought the "As Seen On TV" Power XL 6-quart electric pressure cooker a while back. It was $75 on sale at Thiesen's. It's great for soup, takes like 20 minutes for beef soup, a little longer for chicken. It's excellent for many things, but not so much for rice in my opinion. For pork ribs and pork loins, they get very succulent and juicy after an hour. You can also use it like a crock pot and slow cook things.

But if I could do it over, I'd but the 10-quart model from the website. It's like $150 but you get some accessories, like this basket, which would help when making pork ribs, because they fall apart and you can't hardly get them out of the pot, they get to swimming in all the grease that the pressure cooker boils out of them ribs. And it's much larger, the 6-quart size fills up quick once you start adding meat, taters, onions, carrots, and celery to a soup.

YouTube has many stove top pressure cooker explosion videos, but I think people either boiled them dry or used too much heat, boom. But this Power XL is said to have many safety devices. First, it has pressure and temp sensors, and you can't unscrew the lid while it's pressurized. Then it has a mechanical valve like other pressure cookers. I feel safe using it. But you must be careful in taking the lid off, the steam can severely burn. I usually wait twenty minutes for the steam to go down anyway. The food stays warm for hours in the pot.

Having been looking at various blogs and reviews on electric pressure cookers for some time, your review seems to point out the main flaw I've seen with the XL, where the valve is located.

Those accessories can easily be found on amazon or ebay.

Here's one site that illustrates some of the differences:

http://topreviews.best/main-review/p...gWMRoC9svw_wcB

[Gunny]

I had that same conversation with the wife once. I mentioned the assholes on facebook who post every single meal they eat, even snacks, drinks...

I can't believe I'm finding joy in appliances. What has happened to me?

Friday today though, pizza night!

You're losing it.

[Kathianne]

I had that same conversation with the wife once. I mentioned the assholes on facebook who post every single meal they eat, even snacks, drinks...

I can't believe I'm finding joy in appliances. What has happened to me?

Friday today though, pizza night!

Well it's been awhile, time for another suggestion? On the list:

https://www.amazon.com/Philips-Airfr.../dp/B00D7N43UA

[Kathianne]

Two years since the last post! I bought a new toy for the Instant Pot. Egg bite molds. My daughter made some for me last Christmas, so good! I got home and sort of forgot about them. A friend wanted Starbucks last week, lo and behold they were featuring 'egg bites.' I do not patronize Starbucks, cause of how they have treated the police and I don't like their coffee anyways. So, ordered the molds and made some. Merry Christmas to me!

https://apnews.com/da3f87e9c5da4e12b4022b0bd84f59ec