Cookin' with Rosanna

My Kitchen- Adventures with an Instant- Pot

May 2020

I tend be’ slow on the uptake’ for new gimmicks and kitchen gadgets but recently my deep dives into recipe ideas and nutrition conservation keep on bringing me back to food prep with an Instant Pot.

WHAT EXACTLY IS AN INSTANT POT? It’s a countertop programmable “multi- cooker" that combines a slow cooker with a pressure cooker. The more high tech- versions of this cooking appliance offer stew, porridge, rice steamer, sautéing and yogurt prep options. Originally developed in Canada, this high tech appliance can reduce cooking time and eliminate food preparation steps, thereby making it a time saving , energy efficient food prep method. Think of it as a microwave oven in a pot, but with added benefits.

PROS:

IT’s TIME SAVING DEVICE: Generally speaking with the pressure cooking feature, food cooks in about one third the amount of time. For an example, a whole chicken which might take upwards of 1 hour and 20 minutes to bake conventionally will take a mere 30 minutes in the Instant Pot on pressure cook. Grains and pulses ( like chick lentils and split peas) tend to cook up in one fourth of the time ( pretty impressive)

IT”S LESS MESSY; in that recipes lend themselves to mixing, prepping , sautéing, and cooking in the same cooking vessel .In my reading, I I came across this list of the best things to cook in an Instant Pot They are: soups– stew , risotto (no stirring needed!)– steel-cut oats– root vegetables– stocks and broths– whole chickens– large or tough cuts of meat– hard-cooked eggs (even a dozen at a time!)– whole grains and dried beans.

TERRIFIC TENDERIZING WITH TURBO FLAVORS; Chuck meat, stew meats, shoulder and leg cuts can be tough and require long low heat cooking methods. They all flake off the bone and melt in your mouth when cooked under pressure. Because these meats can be less expensive. this is a great economical way the make these cuts tasty and tender.

BATCH COOKING; Because these pots can accommodate, 6 , 7 even 10 quarts of ingredients it’s a great way to do some quantity cookery. One dish can feed a family of four for several nights. This makes it a more energy efficient way of cooking, and less heat generating on hot summer nights!

FEATURES AND SHORT FALLS:

How does it rate Nutritionally? Pretty good. Because it is a sealed rapid cooking methods vitamins and minerals are preserved and cooking moisture is preserved. As your nutritionist , I see this as is a big’ plus’

WHAT ABOUT THE EXPLODING POT RUMORS? It’s practically impossible to have a kitchen catastrophe with the pressure cooker feature of an Instant Pot. For one thing the pot locks down and has numerous safety features that assure a tight seal, controlled pressure delivery and efficient steam release. The appliance I used was locked down like a nuclear arsenal before I could even switch the “ON” button” and unlocked with bells, beeps and hissing in reverse for the release. The best advice I can give you is avoid the curiosity, and to just ‘leave it” and let the pot count down to readiness itself. It’s that simple.

YES BUT ARE THE FOODS TASTY-? I decided to put this new ( to me) gizmo to a test with a challenge. I wanted to try out a difficult dish with a lot of subtleties and layers of flavor- namely a Lamb Tagine. This Moroccan dish is usually prepared in a clay fluted vessel and baked in the oven for many hours. The Instant Pot recipe I modified took all of 40 minutes from prep to dish- delivery and the final product was DELICIOUS. See the recipe below.

On the NEGATIVE SIDE— I hate to leave you with a downer, but “sorry.” Because this appliance is intended for a moist- heat cooking style beware that you will not get a crispy crunchy finished product. For example, the lemon chicken recipe I tried came out with a final ‘bird” that more resembled a boiled chicken and less of a broiled or ‘roasted one” – far from it. But with that in mind , if you have that pictured you will not be disappointed.

Lamb Shank Tagine: Instant Pot Style

INGREDIENTS

· 2 tablespoons grass feed butter

· 1 onion

· 1 pound lamb shanks ( about two shanks)

· 2 cloves garlic, minced

· 1 teaspoon salt

· 1/2 teaspoon ground black pepper

· 1/2 teaspoon ground cumin

· 1/2 teaspoon ground coriander

· 1/2 teaspoon ground turmeric

· 1/2 teaspoon ground cinnamon

· 1/2 teaspoon ground ginger

· 1/2 teaspoon paprika

· 1 teaspoon chili flakes

· 1 roma tomato dice

· 1/2cup sliced carrots

· 1 1/4 cups chicken broth

· 1 cup dry lentils

· 1/3 cup raisins, or more to taste

· 2 tablespoons honey

· 1 pinch salt and ground black pepper to taste (optional)

DIRECTIONS

1. Turn on a multi-functional pressure cooker (such as Instant Pot) and select Sauté function. Add butter . Add onions and lamb shanks and cook and stir until lamb is browned and onion is soft and translucent, 5 to 7 minutes. Stir in, and garlic. Cook for 2 more minutes.

2. Mix in salt, pepper, cumin, coriander, turmeric, cinnamon, ginger, paprika, and chili flakes. Stir in tomato and carrots . Add chicken broth, lentils, raisins, and honey; stir until all ingredients are well combined.

3. Turn Saute mode off. Close and lock the lid. Set vent to 'Sealing' and select Pressure cooker mode according to manufacturer's instructions; set timer for 30 minutes. Allow 10 to 15 minutes for pressure to build. Release pressure using the natural-release method according to manufacturer's instructions, for 10 minutes

Nutrition Facts

Per Serving: 401 calories; 14.6 g fat; 46.7 g carbohydrates; 13 gms dietary fiber; 28 g protein; 56 mg cholesterol; 849 mg sodium..

Have you ever wondered what it would be like to be cooking side -by -side with your dietitian? The mystery is over. Now you can have a sneak-peak into my private recipe file. These are my kitchen -tested cooking trick and routine recipes . Very often I offer my clients tips on how to prepare a food based on my personal experience. Read on for more of my ' kitchen-capers.'