Janet A. Zimmerman - The Ultimate Instant Pot® Cookbook for Two

Copyright 2019 by Rockridge Press, Emeryville, California

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Interior and Designer: Jamison Spittler

Photo Art Director / Art Manager: Sue Smith

Editor: Stacy Wagner-Kinnear

Production Editor: Erum Khan

Photography by Marija Vidal, 2018, food styling by Cregg Green

ISBN: Print 978-1-64152-388-2 | eBook 978-1-64152-389-9

To my late parents,

Rene and Larry Zimmerman, who, in very different ways, taught me about food and cooking.

And to Dave,

who kept everything going while

I was writing the book.

contents

This book is near and dear to my heart. I cook for two nearly every night, and have for most of my adult life. Ive also spent much of my professional cooking career developing recipes for two.

One cooking appliance Ive long relied on when developing recipes for myself and others is the pressure cooker. I wrote The Healthy Pressure Cooker Cookbook in 2015 to make pressure cooking with a stove-top or electric pressure cooker easy for everybody. It published just as buzz about the Instant Pot was heating up. Like so many other cooks, Ive mostly shelved my trusty stove-top pressure cookers. Walk through my kitchen and youll find not one, not two, but three different Instant Pot models. Needless to say, it was a natural and enjoyable process to expand my pressure cooking expertise with the Instant Pot. My second pressure cooking cookbook, Instant PotObsession, published in early 2017, and its been very well received.

Somewhere along the way, though, pressure cookers have become known for big batches of foodpots of chili or stew for a crowd, pounds of meat cooked in minutes, or huge batches of beans or pasta. Many people seem unsure about using the Instant Pot for just two. It doesnt help that there are so few reliable pressure cooker recipes out there for two people. Lets face it, these days so-called Instant Pot experts are thick on the ground. Some of their recipes work; some, well, not so much. And its even worse for small-batch recipes. The few that can be found online seem destined for failure, and the cookbook offerings for two have been sketchy at best.

Thats where this cookbook comes in. Not only do I include a wide variety of great recipes for two, I also offer tips thatll help you shop for two, plan your meals, and deal with recipes that unavoidably make some leftovers. Once you get started, I trust youll agree that your Instant Pottogether with this bookwill make cooking for two as quick, easy, and enjoyable as I know it can be.

For many people, especially couples, dinner is the best time to spend time together, enjoying a meal while you catch up on the day. But whether youre cooking for a spouse, partner, child, or roommate, it can be daunting to cook dinner every night. You want to make sure your meals are nutritious and satisfying, but youre probably pressed for time. Because its just two of you, it can be tempting to let cooking slide and order takeout or fast food instead. The time the Instant Pot gives back to people, not to mention the hands-off convenience, is a huge part of why its been such a revelation for home cooks everywhere.

My For Two Philosophy

Ill let you in on a secret. Cooking for two is much easier than cooking for a crowd, or even a small familyespecially with an Instant Pot. The more people you cook for, the more variables you have to contend withwho had a late snack, who skipped lunch, or whos feeling sicknot to mention all the food likes and dislikes. But with two, once you know your appetites, its a breeze to cook exactly the right amount of food. No leftovers, unless you want them.

The recipes in this book may yield some leftovers; thats because I write them for average appetites. I dont want you to go hungry, so I tend to err on the side of too much rather than too little. As you cook through the book, you can make notes on the amounts you prefer and use those as guidelines for future meals. In a few cases, its difficult to cook just two servingswith some desserts, for example. In those cases, the leftovers will keep for a couple of days, or can be used in further meals. (And who doesnt like having extra dessert?)

At first glance, it might seem that a pressure cooker is made for larger mealsbig pots of stew, pulled pork for a crowd, racks of ribs. But its just as great for making small batches. Even better, in some ways. The less food you have in your Instant Pot, the faster it will come to pressure. Without a pot full of food, you can get by with less liquid, which means your stews wont be watery and your sauces wont need thickening. If youve never used your Instant Pot to cook for two, youll be amazed at what it can do.