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Copyright 2019 by Americas Test Kitchen
All rights reserved. No part of this book may be reproduced or transmitted in any manner whatsoever without written permission from the publisher, except in the case of brief quotations embodied in critical articles or reviews.
Instant Pot and associated logos are owned by Instant Brands Inc. and are used under license.
The photos on are courtesy of Instant Pot.
Library of Congress Cataloging-in-Publication Data has been applied for.
ISBN9781948703031
Ebook ISBN9781948703055
Americas Test Kitchen
21 Drydock Avenue, Boston, MA 02210
Manufactured in the United States of America
Distributed by Penguin Random House Publisher Services
Tel: 800.733.3000
PICTURED ON FRONT COVER
EDITORIAL DIRECTOR, BOOKS Elizabeth Carduff
EXECUTIVE EDITOR Adam Kowit
EXECUTIVE FOOD EDITOR Dan Zuccarello
RECIPE DEVELOPMENT Sandra Wu
SENIOR EDITORS Nicole Konstantinakos and Russell Selander
ASSOCIATE EDITOR Lawman Johnson
EXECUTIVE MANAGING EDITOR Debra Hudak
EDITORIAL ASSISTANT Brenna Donovan
ART DIRECTOR, BOOKS Lindsey Timko Chandler
DEPUTY ART DIRECTORS Allison Boales, Courtney Lentz, and Janet Taylor
ASSOCIATE ART DIRECTOR Katie Barranger
PHOTOGRAPHY DIRECTOR Julie Bozzo Cote
PHOTOGRAPHY PRODUCER Meredith Mulcahy
SENIOR STAFF PHOTOGRAPHER Daniel J. van Ackere
STAFF PHOTOGRAPHERS Steve Klise and Kevin White
ADDITIONAL PHOTOGRAPHY Keller + Keller and Carl Tremblay
FOOD STYLING Chantal Lambeth, Catrine Kelty, and Ashley Moore
PHOTOSHOOT KITCHEN TEAM
PHOTO TEAM AND SPECIAL EVENTS MANAGER Timothy McQuinn
LEAD TEST COOK Jessica Rudolph
ASSISTANT TEST COOKS Sarah Ewald, Jacqueline Gochenouer, and Eric Haessler
SENIOR MANAGER, PUBLISHING OPERATIONS Taylor Argenzio
IMAGING MANAGER Lauren Robbins
PRODUCTION AND IMAGING SPECIALISTS Dennis Noble, Jessica Voas, and Amanda Yong
COPY EDITOR Debra Hudak
PROOFREADER Kelly Gauthier
INDEXER Elizabeth Parson
CHIEF CREATIVE OFFICER Jack Bishop
EXECUTIVE EDITORIAL DIRECTORS Julia Collin Davison and Bridget Lancaster
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CONTENTS
WELCOME TO AMERICAS TEST KITCHEN
This book has been tested, written, and edited by the folks at Americas Test Kitchen. Located in Bostons Seaport District in the historic Innovation and Design Building, it features 15,000 square feet of kitchen space including multiple photography and video studios. It is the home of Cooks Illustrated magazine and Cooks Country magazine and is the workday destination for more than 60 test cooks, editors, and cookware specialists. Our mission is to test recipes over and over again until we understand how and why they work and until we arrive at the best version.
We start the process of testing a recipe with a complete lack of preconceptions, which means that we accept no claim, no technique, and no recipe at face value. We simply assemble as many variations as possible, test a half-dozen of the most promising, and taste the results blind. We then construct our own recipe and continue to test it, varying ingredients, techniques, and cooking times until we reach a consensus. As we like to say in the test kitchen, We make the mistakes so you dont have to. The result, we hope, is the best version of a particular recipe, but we realize that only you can be the final judge of our success (or failure). We use the same rigorous approach when we test equipment and taste ingredients.
All of this would not be possible without a belief that good cooking, much like good music, is based on a foundation of objective technique. Some people like spicy foods and others dont, but there is a right way to saut, there is a best way to cook a pot roast, and there are measurable scientific principles involved in producing perfectly beaten, stable egg whites. Our ultimate goal is to investigate the fundamental principles of cooking to give you the techniques, tools, and ingredients you need to become a better cook. It is as simple as that.
To see what goes on behind the scenes at Americas Test Kitchen, check out our social media channels for kitchen snapshots, exclusive content, video tips, and much more. You can watch us work (in our actual test kitchen) by tuning in to Americas Test Kitchen or Cooks Country on public television or on our websites. Listen in to test kitchen experts on public radio (SplendidTable.org) to hear insights that illuminate the truth about real home cooking. Want to hone your cooking skills or finally learn how to bakewith an Americas Test Kitchen test cook? Enroll in one of our online cooking classes. However you choose to visit us, we welcome you into our kitchen, where you can stand by our side as we test our way to the best recipes in America.
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INTRODUCTION
Here in the test kitchen we are always on the lookout for new appliances that can make cooking better or easier. So when Instant Pot came out with its Ace Multi-Use Cooking and Beverage Blender, we were intrigued to say the least. Did it work? And what, exactly, could you make using a blender that cooks? We were in uncharted territory.
As the blogosphere lit up with reviews and a clamoring for recipes beyond the usual smoothies, we put this blender through its paces. We found much to like about it (see ), but realizing the full potential of this cutting-edge device is not intuitive. The Ace blender has eight discrete smart functions (four cold and four hot), but it is the two soup programs (chunky and creamy), which combine chopping, pureeing, or mixing with heating, that truly set this device apart from other blenders on the market. Ultimately it was the power of these two functions that convinced us that this was an appliance worthy of space in a home kitchen.