Read “IP (Instant Pot) Part 1: Instant”
I like to use IP to bulk cook ingredients, like root vegetables, fall/winter squash, and rice. Those choices are forgiving with the timing. If you are not sure, cooking longer not only does not hurt much, but can be even better tasting. The last thing I want is to find out after depressurizing is that the huge sweet potatoes are not done in the center! I usually let them cook for 25 min and “natural release” (as compared to “quick release”, you just let it go and don’t need to do anything). It’s pretty much fix-and-forget-it style with little supervision. You can do this with a crockpot, just a little slower, which can be another post in the future. With the ingredients ready, I can easily mix and match and make a quick stir fry or soup throughout the week. Simple spices or seasonings, like Trio, always make food taste more gourmet. Cooking is not supposed to be that complicated.
When using an IP to cook rice, it is actually steaming rather than boiling the rice. Like I mentioned above, for making breakfast cereal, I like to use a lot of liquid. Cooking rice is different. It’s more dry. The leftovers can be used for another stir-fry dish or added to a soup. Other than Trio, I also like to have cooked beans and brown rice ready in the fridge. One, for a quick filling and nutritious meal. Two, they cool down the boiling-hot soup and make it ready to eat sooner! The cookware we use for steaming rice is actually more of a steel utensil holder! It fits our IP perfectly! We are thankful to have found one just right at the thrift store! It’s amazing to witness so many of those provisions from God in the details of life.
If you are ready for a few more extra steps, you can make a variety of one-pot dinners and soups. (See “Further Reading” for a link for more details.) Interestingly enough, the function I use often to make soups is not the pressure cooking, but the “Slow Cook” option. Every week, I also use IP to make loaves of sourdough whole wheat bread. I use a round Pyrex glass bowl or IP bread mold. Steamed bread is more spongy, softer, with a crispy edge my children like to peel off to enjoy. Some of us in my family actually prefer the steamed bread as compared to the baked ones.
When I first started making sourdough bread, I couldn’t find sourdough recipes using an IP. Some people have creatively used the IP yogurt function to speed up the proofing process.
In China, a lot of buns are steamed rather than baked. I have seen a friend with a much wider IP to make cooking whole chicken easier. I wonder whether we might have a taller IP to make stacked steaming easier. Well, that’s the job for the engineers and marketing department. I am glad I tried the steaming method even though IP does not produce many loaves at a time like a big oven. If you want to experiment with steaming the bread, just be sure to put a piece of foil on top to cover the bread. This way the foil sheet will prevent water or steam dripping down into the bread to make your bread soggy.
So far I have not talked much about the “instant” part about using an IP. I am actually more hesitant to use the precise pressure cooking method. IP cooks faster but if you let it go and allow it to naturally release the pressure, some foods can be overcooked. You really need to keep an eye on the timing if you want to keep your vegetables, fruits, fresh looking, and nutritious, rather than mushy. (Check the time table for the minutes you need for cooking different foods if needed.) Our life with small children and animals around can be interrupted or distracted often. The precise timing is too much thought to afford sometimes. I like flexibility and often opt for convenience. A plain stove pot for a quick boil/steam works better for me, so I can open the pot lid and check on the progress more easily.
As you follow the time table for quick steaming, be aware that you need to include the time for the pot to build the pressure and quick-release the pressure. Recently, I was able to explain to a friend why when the time was up (in her case, she even unplugged the pot), she was still not able to open the lid. Use a towel/washcloth to cover the pressure release valve, so the steam will not splash everywhere. However, there are a few things I am willing to go for the extra steps for a better outcome. For example, I regularly cook hard boiled eggs with the IP. I usually cook two dozen eggs at a time on a steaming rack for 5 min or even shorter for a more runny yolk (remember to include the time for pressure building and release)! In order to not overcook the eggs, I do need to have another step of “quick release”, but it is well worth it. I dump the cooked eggs into iced water right away. Eggs cooked from IP are much easier to peel! Unlike the more fragile steamed fruits or vegetables, eggs will still taste fine, just a little tougher or drier if you forget to “quick release”. You can still use those eggs for salads, sandwiches or eat them plain with some salt, sesame/olive oil or hummus.
There are a few things I prefer not to cook with an IP. I still prefer the old-fashioned pot to cook beans. I soak the beans the night before, and then dump the water (or save the discard water for the plants). Start cooking the beans with a new patch of fresh water. I like to skim the foam periodically as they start to boil. If I use the IP, I will most likely use it like a normal pot if the IP is not too busy that day. :-) If I am tight on time, I might use pressure cooking after the foam is mostly skimmed off. One thing worth noting is that you still want to soak the beans before cooking for better nutrition and digestion, even though you may be instructed to simply add a few more minutes when cooking unsoaked beans with a pressure cooker.
Another thing I really don’t like using an IP to make is pasta! You can use the IP to make pasta sauce, but I don’t have much success with making pasta. I either overcook them and turn them into a pile of mush or they are all stuck together even if I steam them like rice. The quick release can go wrong with white gooey liquid splashing everywhere (Yes, I mentioned this before, but painful memories stick…:-)). My family are not picky eaters. Nothing was wasted. But I am more comfortable using a bigger pot to make a lot of pasta at one time. I can save the liquid for thinning thicker soups for other meals. The leftover pasta functions like rice in meal prep but adds some variety. My kids are always excited by different shapes of pasta.
What is your IP experience? We’d love to hear your ideas of using them! Last but not least, I would like to share how my holy God can permeate every moment of my life to sanctify me. IP use is no exception.
Even if you are not interested in the “instant” part for cooking, are you interested to know someone who really can bring instant healing to you? Don’t worry! This is not about promoting a remedy, witch doctors, or quick fix health and wealth. This person loves you and can heal not only your body, but also your soul. He can instantly change your eternal direction from death to life. When He says “instant”, there is no delay at all! Does this all sound too good to be true in this fallen world? Yes! That’s the power of the Gospel! His name is “Jesus”, which means “God Saves”! Is the name of “Jesus” too familiar to you to feel his intimacy or mighty power? Or is He as foreign to you as he was to me decades ago? Whatever the case, call on His name, He is listening!
If you already put your trust in Jesus Christ as your Lord (to obey) and Savior (from sin), who can you pray for? How can I pray for you? By faith, we can intercede for our loved ones or anyone. By faith, we are not bound by time, location, race, spiritual realm or anything. Jesus’ miraculous power outshines anything “instant” or “grand” in this world. He knows and He hears our faithful prayers! He is faithful and true! As mentioned in the verse at the top of this post, he INSTANTLY healed a severely demon-possessed daughter of a foreign woman. This Jewish man is the Messiah, the anointed chosen One of God.
Jesus is the descendant of David, who first came to the lost sheep of Israel to fulfill prophesy. Jesus, the son of God, will come again to judge the whole earth, and each soul. He will reign forever and ever! He is the King of kings and Lord of lords! May He grant us greater faith as He reigns in every aspect of our lives! So next time, if your IP fails you, or life throws a curve ball at you, pause and redeem that time by thinking more of your all-powerful Savior! He is relentlessly pursuing you with His unfailing love. The fact that you are still alive, with the interest to read this post this far could be His love and mercy.
Thank you, Lord, for being so real and present. You are right here with me even when I don’t see you or feel you. You are no longer on the Cross. The tomb is empty. You are risen. You are risen indeed! You have overcome death!!
He is with you too, if you put your trust in this instant healer with all your heart. Even though we can not see Him here now, one day soon, just like He has promised, He will come back in an instant, for His beautiful Bride, the Church! The same Lord who can bring instant healing in answering the foreign woman’s plea is willing to hear your cry. Come to Jesus, at this very instant!
Further reading:
- Matthew 15:21-28 for the complete true story. Note: The original Greek word for the “dogs” is used for “household dogs” or “pet dogs”, not “wild dogs” used often to refer to the Gentiles. Jesus was testing the woman’s faith and teaching his disciples about her great faith.
- Two of Everything – Chinese folk tales about a magical pot which doubles everything. You can explore some multicultural concepts, math skills and talk about self-control or greed with your children. (Best for ages 4-8)
- Food, Inc.: A Participant Guide: How Industrial Food is Making Us Sicker, Fatter, and Poorer-And What You Can Do About It and the Film
- Salt Sugar Fat: How the Food Giants Hooked Us by Michael Moss
- See the resource page for my simple Go-to IP Recipes for my family. Hopefully, you can find something helpful as I work on training my children in food prep.
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