Alexis Mersel - Everyday Instant Pot: Recipes for Breakfast, Lunch, Dinner & Dessert

EVERYDAY

INSTANT POT

ALEXIS MERSEL

PHOTOGRAPHY BY

ERIN SCOTT

ALEXIS MERSEL

CONTENTS

Homemade Hummus ()

Cinnamon French Toast ()

Writing this book turned everything I knew about cooking on its headin a good way. I went to culinary school in Europe, where I studied classic French cooking techniques along with cuisines from around the world. I dont own a slow cooker (although my mom has tried to give me one on many occasions) but instead use old-school cast-iron Dutch ovens (I own ve) to cook almost anything and everything. So when the Instant Pot came into my life, I will fully admit that I was a bit intimidatedand intrigued.

I love slow-cooked meats. So much so that Im known in my circle of friends for my pork carnitas and my beef brisket, the latter of which is personally transported to me by a dear friend with Austin, Texas connections. My husband, a good midwesterner, loves anything with the word pulled in the recipe name. After tacos, soup is my favorite food group. About once a month, I spend an entire Sunday making homemade stock. I have a silent fear of cooking rice, even though Ive made it many times, and I never cook dried beans because, Ill be honest, I always forget to soak them. So there were many reasons why I was excited about this new machine. Dare I say my expectations were met, and often exceeded, when I nally took the Instant Pot plunge. The meat was perfectly cooked and tender, soups took a fraction of the time, and Im nally making rice with dinner.

Whether youre a rst-time Instant Pot-er or have been using it for a while and are in search of new dishes, this book is for you. Packed with more than sixty recipes for every meal of the day, it will reveal new ways to tackle classics as well as some unexpected new favorites (cheesecake with a no-bake crust, anyone?). Now I can actually get dinner on the table relatively quickly after a full day of work, and it tastes delicious. (Not to mention the money we save by not ordering as much takeout.) As with any cooking tool, its important to understand how the pot works before you get started (see the primer on ). Never one to cut corners when it comes to food, Ive included bonus steps throughout the book where I felt that putting in a little extra time goes a long way, and a variety of helpful tips to make life easier in the kitchen. Because after all, cooking should be fun, and no-fuss, fast, set-and-forget cooking should be just awesome. I hope you enjoy your Instant Pot adventure as much as I am enjoying mine.

Bon apptit!

COOKING UNDER PRESSURE

So what is all the fuss about? In a nutshell, the Instant Pot cuts cooking to a fraction of the time, making traditionally long-simmering dishes at record speed. Meat is always tender and never dried out, because the pressure seals the liquid into the potand into the meat. Hearty grains and beans with typically long soaking and cooking times are ready for dinner without a lot of prep or planning. Soups come together in minutes, not hours, making a cozy weekend favorite possible any night of the week.

HOW DOES IT WORK?

The tightly sealed pot boils liquid quickly, then traps the steam and generates pressure. With pressure cooking, heat is very evenly, deeply, and quickly distributed. The machine is available in a selection of models and sizes, each with slightly dierent cooking features and programs. A general rule of thumb regarding size is if youre primarily cooking for 4 to 6 people, a model with a 6-quart (6-L) capacity should be suicient, but if youre often feeding larger crowds of 8 or more, an 8-quart (8-L) capacity might be more useful. The recipes in this book were developed and tested using the Duo Plus 6-Quart Instant Pot. If youve just purchased an Instant Pot, read the user manual rst to get

comfortable with your models specic parts, buttons, settings, and indicator lights. Here are some key points to know before you start.

FUNCTIONS & SETTINGS

Each model has slightly dierent cooking features, with up to sixteen dierent cooking programs to choose from, depending on the model. Since not all models have all settings, most of the recipes in this book use the manual pressure cook setting.

Essentially, you can saut, sear, steam, simmer, slow-cook, pressure-cook, and braise in this machine. The two most common functions used in these recipes are Pressure Cook and Saut. You will discover that recipes often use both, with many starting with a saut step, followed by pressure cooking, and nishing on the saut function once again. It might seem like a lot of fuss, but once you get the hang of it, it wont feel that way at all. Just think about all the time and eort you are saving by not transferring food from pot to pot or stove to oven and back again!

Most models also have settings specic to a type of food, such as Soup/Broth, Meat/Stew, Bean/ Chili, Cake, Egg, Rice, Multigrain, Porridge, and Yogurt. These settings have built-in automatic

INSTANT POT PRIMER

Welcome to a new world of fast, even, and flavorful cooking. The Instant Pot combines the power of a pressure cooker, slow cooker, rice cooker, and yogurt maker into one countertop machine. The key to making the most of it is not only learning how to use it but also knowing what cooks best in it.

INSTANT POT PRIMER

programs set to the amount of time and pressure level needed for most ingredients in that category, but you can adjust them as needed. Experiment with these for the recipes you cook oftenthey might help popular dishes in your household become truly set-and-forget meals.

Some models also have a Sterilize function, which can be used to sterilize bottles and jars easily and eciently, but it is important to note that the machine is not safe for pressure canning.

Saut: This function allows you to sear meat, simmer liquids, reduce sauces, and more, similarly to how you would in a saut pan on the stove. It has three modes: Less is ideal for simmering, thickening, and reducing liquids; Normal is best for pan searing; More can be used for stir-frying or browning meat. The timer on this function is automatically set for thirty minutes, but in the rare case when you might need it on for longer than that, just press the Saut button again after it has shut o and continue cooking. Never put the locking lid on while using it.