8/8/16

0 The Pressure Cooker with a Funny Name & FaceBook Live





No, you can't click on the arrow on the picture and push play.  It's a screen shot.

Yep. That's me.

That goofy look was randomly chosen by FaceBook Live.



Yep. I stepped outside my comfort zone and did a LIVE Facebook post....


And they call themselves, "Potheads." Yeah, you heard right. 

And they give their Instant Pots names like Potsy, Harry Potter, Pepe Le Pot, you get the idea.

Seriously, this is a great group of folks who truly love to cook in their pressure cookers and love helping the "Newbies" with their big, silver machine that is sitting in the box, mocking them.

I got the idea to create a video and had the crazy thought to do it live. How about I do a Water Test?

What is a water test, you ask?

I'm glad you did. It's a simple test you do with 1 cup of water to see if your pressure cooker is working correctly. Also, it helps you get familiar with a couple of buttons...

Speaking of buttons....

My finger hovered over the LIVE button on my phone. For the longest time....

Um, I tell you, it was pretty scary. Thoughts racing through my head, heart pounding in my chest, my breathing becoming rapid, my mouth going dry.... Well, hey, these "Newbies" are a little intimidated by their new pressure cookers.  I can't be intimidated by a live video! I can do this.....


Took a deep breath, gulped, and pushed that button. 

5, 4, 3...

Oh, you want to see it?

Okay.

2, 1....  You can push PLAY on this one.....



Did you click on it?

Oh you did?  You were curious, weren't you?

Okay. I bet you are asking yourself, "What the heck is this Instant Pot thing?" 

"Oh, it's a pressure cooker."

"Well that's kind of a weird name."

I hate to break it to you, but the name really is misleading. No, it's not INSTANT like a microwave, and no, it doesn't make Pot. 

But, it is a pretty cool pressure cooker. There are a couple of things that set this pressure cooker from the Cuisinart model that I've used over the last 5 or so years. I love pressure cooking for the taste and texture of foods cooked in them. Very little water evaporates, so it is a water saver. And yes, it is QUICKER to cook most foods like a tender fall apart pot roast or a 5 minute Creamy Mac N Cheese that doesn't boil over on the stove. Oh, and it makes desserts like Cheesecake and Creme Brulee!



1. The Instant Pot has a stainless steel liner. It's shiny. Most folks prefer to cook in stainless over non stick. I have been careful not to scratch my Cuisinart liner and although it has a couple of scratches, it has held up really well. No peeling issues. Liner is a personal preference.

2. The Instant Pot Duo (and Bluetooth version) has a YOGURT setting. Yeah, yeah...big deal, right? I have made Greek yogurt in my oven, in the crock pot, and have used a yogurt maker. What makes this COOL is that you push a couple of buttons to heat up the milk without having to stand over a stove, watching it. Also, it can make a pretty large batch .... 1 gallon of milk can produce up to 10 cups of thick, creamy yogurt. It only takes a couple of quick steps, let it sit in the Instant Pot over night, strain in the fridge for a couple of hours the next morning and BAM! You have the best tasting, creamy yogurt. It doesn't use any pressure at all, just a calm, gentle heat that cultures the yogurt at a perfect temperature. It is incredibly easy. I make yogurt twice a week in my sleep. Literally.

3.  The Instant Pot has several Set-It-And-Forget-It buttons with pre-programmed settings. Rice, Meat/Stew, Bean/Chili, Porridge, MultiGrain & Soup. With these buttons, you don't have to figure out out much time to set them for. The RICE setting is only for white rice, though. You can cook other types of rice in this cooker. 

4. The Instant Pot comes in a Bluetooth version, where you can monitor the settings through an app on your phone/tablet and be more in control of the temperature settings. Because of this, sous vide cooking is possible with this model. I've made a perfect steak by putting it in a FoodSaver bag, sealing it, and letting it sit in a perfect bath of 145°F water for 90 min. No, not instant cooking, but oh. my. word. It was cooked evenly all the way through, from top to bottom, and I gave it a quick char on my cast iron skillet. So, so, good.



Well, there you have it.

The pressure cooker with a funny name. 

It's a pretty cool kitchen tool. 









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