Meg Dow - The No-Shop Instant Pot 240 Options for Amazing Meals with Ingredients You Already Have

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for Amazing Meals with Ingredients You Already Have

Creator of More Momma

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THIS BOOK IS DEDICATED TO MY FAMILY.

You are the reason why I value family mealtime and strive to get meals on the table. I love you to eternity and beyond!

Hi, friend!

I am Meg, an Italian-trained chef and momma of three. I value family dinner so much that it is ranked as one of the most important times of the day for my family. So much goodness can come from sitting and eating together.

Realistically, dinnertime, or any mealtime for that matter, can be the most stressful time of the day. From all of the extracurricular activities, children needing to be held and the rush to feed all of the hungry mouths, I need quick and easy recipes to make dinnertime a success. Even more, I need recipes that dont take a lot of my time sitting in front of the stove or tending to things in the oven.

That is where the Instant Pot comes into play. The Instant Pot is my go-to cooking vessel when the craziness of life tries to overrun my family dinner goal. I love that the Instant Pot cooks without me needing to be its babysitter, because, lets face it, I already have three children to babysit.

The recipes youll find in this book are all made with ingredients you probably already have on hand. Each base recipe has four different variations, so if you dont have the ingredients for one variation, chances are you probably will have the ingredients for one of the other three. It makes it really easy to find tasty recipes that use ingredients that you already have in your kitchen.

The infographics found in each recipe can also help you to find a variation that uses ingredients you already have with one quick glance. You can easily see the different options and compare them to what ingredients you have handy in your pantry and fridge.

When talking to my readers or followers on social media, most people are intimidated by the Instant Pot. Heck, some people may have not taken it out of the box just yet. Thats okay! I will teach you all the basics plus answer the most frequently asked questions about the Instant Pot, and you will be crushing your dinnertime goals with this handy machine by the end of it!

USING LIQUID IN THE INSTANT POT

ALWAYS add liquid to the insert. The amount of water or liquid will be included in the recipe.

RELEASING PRESSURE

There are a couple of different methods to release the pressure that builds up while cooking with the Instant Pot. I will tell you exactly how to release the pressure in the directions since it will affect the cooking and doneness of the dishes.

QUICK RELEASE

When releasing the pressure by a quick release, you will be manually releasing the pressure by carefully moving the pressure valve to the venting position. You want to do this with a kitchen towel or an oven mitt since the steam will release from the valve and can burn you. Also do not put your face anywhere near the valve.

NATURAL RELEASE

When releasing the pressure naturally, you will not move the valve at all. It will automatically start to depressurize. When you see the red pin drop it means all the pressure has been released and you can open the lid. This takes about 10 to 20 minutes to do naturally, depending on how much pressure has built up.

NATURAL RELEASE AND THEN QUICK RELEASE

For this method you will want to start a timer once the Instant Pot beeps after it is finished cooking. Set the timer for the natural release time. Once the time is up, you can manually perform the quick release by moving the valve to the venting position. This method is used for things like rice where it can create a better finished product if the pressure is released slowly. I also like to use this sometimes for pasta recipes since it can spew out cooking liquid (rather than just the steam) from the valve. If this does happen, you can throw a paper towel over the valve to catch any cooking liquid and just wash the lid thoroughly.

POT-IN-POT METHOD

The pot-in-pot method is simply using another pot within the Instant Pot insert. A lot of the recipes in this book use this method. I like to cover the food with a paper towel first and then with foil. The paper towel catches excess steam and will keep your dish from getting soggy.

When cooking with pots within the Instant Pot you will want to use a pan that is oven-safe and that fits in your Instant Pot.

WHAT ARE THE ESSENTIAL TOOLS I NEED FOR THE INSTANT POT?

2 sealing rings (one for sweet dishes and one for savory dishes)

Cake pan (that fits the size of your insert)

For the pot-in-pot method, you can use a high trivet

Silicone mini muffin mold

Steamer basket

Trivet

WHAT IF I HAVE AN OLDER OR NEWER MODEL OF THE INSTANT POT AND DONT HAVE THE SAME BUTTONS AS THE RECIPE STATES?

There are many models of Instant Pots on the market. If you are reading any of the recipes and cant find a manual button, use the pressure level button, press for high or low pressure and then adjust the time with the + or - button. In some models you will need to press the start button and in some models it automatically turns on after you have pressed manual pressure and plugged in the allotted time.

HOW DO YOU USE THE SAUT BUTTON?

Quite a few of these recipes require the saut button, which every Instant Pot should have. Simply press the saut button and wait until the pot reads HOT before you start the recipe. When switching modes of cooking from saut to manual you will need to press the keep warm/cancel button to switch modes.

WHAT ABOUT ALL THE PRE-PROGRAMMED BUTTONS?

I do not recommend using the pre-programmed buttons since cooking different rice or stews will take different amounts of time. Just follow the times in the recipes.

I FOLLOWED THE RECIPE BUT MY DISH IS NOT COOKED FULLYWHAT DO I DO?

In some instances, recipes can cook differently. If your dish is not fully cooked just put the lid back on and cook for an additional amount of time. This can happen especially with things like chicken or baked potatoes. If you have a large chicken breast it may take a little longer than the recipe states. Dont worry! Just place the lid back on and cook for an additional 5 minutes, or until its cooked through.

HOW DO I CLEAN THE INSTANT POT?

The Instant Pot is actually very easy to clean. You can clean the lid and the insert under hot soapy water and then put it in the dishwasher. Place the insert on the bottom rack and the lid on the top rack.