Adele Baker - The Instant Pot: Electric Pressure Cooker Cookbook. Healthy Dishes Made Fast and Easy

THE INSTANT POT

Electric Pressure Cooker Cookbook

Healthy Dishes Made Fast and Easy

Adele Baker

C opyright 2019 by Adele Baker.

All rights reserved.

No part of this book may be reproduced in any form or by any electronic or mechanical means, except in the case of a brief quotation embodied in articles or reviews, without written permission from its publisher.

Disclaimer

The recipes and information in this book are provided for educational purposes only. Please always consult a licensed professional before making changes to your lifestyle or diet. The author and publisher shall have neither liability nor responsibility to anyone with respect to any loss or damage caused or alleged to be caused directly or indirectly by the information contained in this book. All trademarks and brands within this book are for clarifying purposes only and are owned by the owners themselves, not affiliated with this document.

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INTRODUCTION

T he appearance of the pressure cooker goes back to the 1600s. The first model was not safe enough and needed better manufacturing standards. It was a French mathematician, Denis Papin, who developed a safe valve that would allow steam to escape.

Working on the simple principle of steam pressure, a pressure cooker allows food to cook faster. It features a removable sealed pot with a removable lid and a valve that controls the steam pressure inside. When heated up the liquid inside the pot forms steam. The steam builds up the pressure which is released later through a valve. Most pressure cookers also come with some accessories such as a steam basket, a trivet, and a metal divider.

The cooking process goes like the following: as soon as the pressure cooker is filled with water or another cooking liquid and heated, the food is added and cooked at a certain pressure level. Time is set automatically after you select the button according to your recipe manual. For reasons of safety, you are not allowed to open the lid during the cooking process to taste the food. When the timer beeps you let the pressure release. There are two ways to do so: the quick release method and the natural release method. You often use the first method when cooking eggs, vegetables, or delicate foods and the second method for preparing meat, beans and legumes, rice, etc.

The ingredients that are pressure-cooked differ markedly from ones cooked with other methods. They take on the appearance of having been seared and acquire a distinctive flavor.

What you should know before using an electric pressure cooker

T he following rules will help get the most out of your pressure cooker and will make a master chef of you.

1. Do not overfill the pot. Three-quarters is the maximum fill level.
2. Remember to add liquid to the pot. With a minimum of one cup of cooking liquid you will soften the ingredients.
3. For extra flavor brown meat or certain foods before cooking under pressure.
4. The pressure cooker cannot be opened until you release the pressure from the pot.
5. The cooking process always begins with high heat. Then to maintain the pressure the heat is turned down to medium or low.
6. Make sure all the ingredients are roughly the same size to ensure the food is cooked to the same degree of doneness.

Is pressure cooking healthy?

E ating healthy doesnt mean calculating every single gram of fat or every calorie. It is all about balance, moderation and approach. The pressure cooker helps to cook diversified and nutritious food with less time and effort. Here are some facts why pressure-cooking is healthy:

1. Pressure-cooked food preserves nutrients by reducing cooking time. The heat sensitive vitamins and nutrients such as vitamins B and C will be lost if the temperature is either 119F or 350F respectively
2. The pressure cooker does not use a lot of fattening oils and food is not deep-fried.
3. High pressure reduces phytic acid found in grains and responsible for binding minerals in the digestive tract. Pressure-cooking makes grains and legumes more nutrient.

Instant Pot Terminology

I f you are a new user of this appliance, then you should know the following terminology

IP stands for the Instant Pot.

QR is a known as a quick release.

NR is known as the natural release. 10-minute XPR is referred to releasing the pressure on its own in 10 minutes.

HP Is called high pressure.

The Trivet is the rack that user place inside the instant pot.

The Seal is sealing ring for the instant pot lid.

The Pin is the Float Valve.

EPC is called Electric Pressure Cooker

Handle or Vent is a handle on the lid. You turn it to seal the pot.

The Shield is the metal that covers the steam release valve.