E6 EZ EE THE WASHINGTON POST.WEDNESDAY, MARCH 2 , 2022
tea kettle). Sometimes the ques-
tion is more of a personal prefer-
ence, depending on what equip-
ment you feel like dealing with
or whether you care about a few
minutes’ difference here or
there. Do you have to make
lentils in the Instant Pot? No.
Can you? Absolutely.
Particularly delicate foods
aren’t always good candidates
for the Instant Pot, at least not
without adjustments (more on
that below). Take care with
delicate pieces of fish or quick-
cooking vegetables. Dairy prod-
ucts can also curdle under pres-
sure, says cookbook author Ivy
Manning, who has written sev-
eral Instant Pot cookbooks, in-
cluding “Instant Pot Miracle 6
Ingredients or Less.”
Adjust the timing. One of the
best things about the Instant Pot
is the time it can shave off many
recipes. Manning’s very vague
rule of thumb is to start by
reducing the cook time — the
time under pressure vs. what it
would be on the stove or in theoven — by about a third. The
timing will vary depending on
what you’re cooking, but that’s a
good place to start. It’s better to
underestimate the reduction
than overestimate. If something
is not done, you can always
return the Instant Pot to pres-
sure and cook for additional
time. In that scenario, you may
find it hard to put the lid back
on. Manning says that’s because
the silicone gasket expands un-
der pressure to allow a seal to
form. You can remedy the situa-
tion by briefly running the lid
under cool water and trying
again.
Adjust the liquid. Because it’s
a sealed environment that
doesn’t allow for evaporation,
you may need to reduce the
amount of liquid in a recipe.
Still, “there’s no equation for
this,” Manning says, though her
general rule is to cut the liquid
by half. For soups, Manning
doesn’t reduce the liquid that
much since they generally aren’t
cooked down much, even on thestovetop. If you decide you want
to concentrate the flavor more
or achieve a slightly thicker
consistency, you can always sim-
mer the soup with the lid off
after pressure cooking using the
saute function.
Keep in mind that 1/2 cup of
liquid is a pretty safe minimum
amount to avoid burning. You
may be able to get away with
less, even a few tablespoons, if
you anticipate that whatever
you’re cooking will give off a fair
share of liquid. Vegetables such
as cauliflower and broccoli are
especially prone to releasing
water, Mundhe says.
Mind the browning. Many
recipes with meat require that
you brown it before proceeding
with pressure cooking. If you’re
doing that in the Instant Pot,
keep in mind that you typically
have less surface area to work
with than in a wide skillet on the
stovetop. You may need to
brown the meat in more batch-
es, as overcrowding will cause it
to steam more than sear, result-ing in a “sweaty mess,” as Man-
ning says. She offers a few
pointers for this step. First, she
recommends brushing the meat
with the oil rather than adding
the meat to oil in the pot. That’s
because fat tends to pool at the
edges of the Instant Pot insert
due to its raised center. If you
place meat in the center where
there’s no fat, you may get
sticking. She also says you
shouldn’t feel obligated to
brown every piece of meat on
every side. Often, she’ll sear just
a portion of it, which is enough
to get the benefit of the flavor
without spending an inordinate
amount of time on the process.
It’s also easy to set the saute
feature to high and then forget
to adjust it. But as with a
stovetop, you may need to play
around with the heat level in an
Instant Pot. Even more so than
on a cooktop, I find that foods
can go from fine to scorched in a
matter of seconds. So pay atten-
tion and use the lower saute
levels as needed. To keep onionsBY BECKY KRYSTALI’ve had my Instant Pot for
more than three years now. I
wouldn’t say I started out as a
skeptic of the appliance itself,
but I was unsure of my ability to
make buying one worthwhile.
Those doubts have long since
passed. I am officially an IP
enthusiast, if not someone who
tries to cook everything in it.
Still, I often ask myself how I
can wring even more use out of
it.
I know I’m not alone. Among
the questions that pop up in my
inbox or in our weekly live Q&A
(Wednesdays at noon at wash-
ingtonpost.com/live), Instant
Pot inquiries are common. A
frequent topic: How can I make
this recipe in my Instant Pot?
The good news is that many
stovetop and oven recipes are
prime candidates for pressure
cooking in an Instant Pot or
other electric multicooker.
Here’s what you should keep in
mind about whether and how to
convert them.
Decide whether the Instant
Pot makes sense. Let’s get one of
the more obvious exceptions out
of the way first. If the dish you’re
considering is intended to be
golden brown and crispy, In-
stant Pot cooking is not the way
to go. Ask yourself, “Is this a
recipe that needs pressure cook-
ing?” says blogger Archana
Mundhe, author of “The Essen-
tial Indian Instant Pot Cook-
book.” Dishes needing dry heat,
such as quick sautes or stir-fries,
are best left to the stovetop.
The Instant Pot is a sealed
environment, meaning moist
heat — either through direct
contact with liquid or above it,
as in steaming — is a given. But
that still leaves large swaths of
recipes in contention for Instant
Pot cooking: braises, soups,
stews, curries, risotto and more.
Dishes that transform dry or
tough ingredients into tender,
soft perfection are ideal for
pressure cooking. Think beans,
grains (steel-cut oats, rice, bar-
ley, etc.) and large, sinewy cuts
of meat.
Some foods cook so fast on
the stovetop that the Instant Pot
isn’t worth it, Mundhe says. She
gives the example of upma, an
Indian semolina dish that comes
together in minutes. Similar
would be something like cous-
cous (which I recently realized
doesn’t even need the cooktop if
you just boil the water in your
from burning, Mundhe sautes
them with the glass lid from one
of her skillets set over the
Instant Pot. That allows them to
soften faster with less risk of
scorching, as the lid will trap a
little bit of the moisture that
tends to cook off rapidly in the
appliance. And don’t be afraid of
hitting the cancel button, either,
if something starts to get too
dark or you need to step away.
The top rim of the insert tends
to stay cooler, so it’s safe to lift it
out if you have to, especially
while wearing oven mitts. Have
your ingredients measured and
nearby so you can work as
quickly as possible. A little bit of
your liquid poured into the
insert followed by a scrape
along the bottom with a spoon
or spatula can save you in many
instances when food is threaten-
ing to burn and trigger the
automatic cutoff.
Adjust the order of ingredi-
ents. Much burning can be
avoided simply by adjusting the
order in which ingredients are
added to the Instant Pot. Mund-
he notes that dry ground spices
are prone to burning, so if you’re
going to be cooking them under
pressure, sprinkle them on top
of the other ingredients. Or
simply stir them in at the end of
cooking, which also allows you
to adjust the spice level for
varying tastes before you add
the entire amount called for in a
recipe. Manning sometimes
takes a similar approach to
dishes with thicker tomato sauc-
es susceptible to burning, choos-
ing to place the tomatoes on top
of the other ingredients before
pressure cooking.
Consider elevating more deli-
cate proteins, either on top of
the other ingredients or on a
trivet, so they don’t overcook.
This works with chicken breasts
and some cuts of fish. Many
types of seafood, though, are
best left to the end of cooking.
Mundhe makes a salmon tikka
masala in which the salmon is
stirred in after the sauce has
been pressure-cooked. The fish
pieces cook in just 2 to 3
minutes on the high saute set-
ting. Likewise, Manning adds
shrimp to her gumbo at the very
end, when the residual heat can
be enough to cook them. Stir in
dairy (milk, cream, cheese, etc.)
at the end of cooking, too. Flours
or starches used for thickening
are best added at the end as well,
Mundhe says, because they can
scorch.HOW TO
Convert your oven and stovetop recipes for the Instant Pot
TOM MCCORKLE FOR THE WASHINGTON POST; FOOD STYLING BY LISA CHERKASKY FOR THE WASHINGTON POSTEvery Wednesday at noon, The
Washington Post Food staff fields
questions about all things edible
at live.washingtonpost.com. Re-
cently, Hannah Crowley, an exec-
utive editor at America’s Test
Kitchens and co-host of its “Gear
Heads” on YouTube, joined the
chat. Here are edited excerpts.
Q: I have a baby who is about to
start eating solids/purees and I
would like to make the food
instead of buying it. I’m
considering the merits of
buying a baby food maker vs.
just steaming foods in a pot and
(for purees) mixing in a blender
or food processor.
There seem to be three
categories: blender/food
processor only, steamer and
food processor in one container,
and separate containers for the
steamer and food processor
functions. Some of latter two
can defrost, reheat, and even
warm or sterilize bottles with
steam.
Priorities for me would be
easy to clean, something I
would get real use out of, and
the ability to make safe food
with age-appropriate
consistency. We’re looking
forward to giving our little one
a good start to a lifetime of
eating real food for nutrition
and enjoyment.
A: I never went with the
separate appliance, for space and
financial reasons. I found it easy
enough to steam food in the
usual ways (pot or Instant Pot)
and puree with the multiple
other tools I have — blender,
immersion blender or food
processor. If you have those
things, safe and nutritious are
achievable with what you have.
Purees also freeze well,
especially in a silicone tray or
mold, so if you’re hoping to
streamline and cut work, make a
big batch and freeze portions for
later.
— Becky Krystal
A: We tested baby food makers
and they all had a ton of parts to
clean. Steaming and using an
immersion blender with a cup
will be a lot easier to use and
clean.
— Hannah CrowleyQ: I hadn’t contemplated getting
an air fryer until I heard
someone say everything tasted
better cooked in it than any
other way, even oil-fried. I live
alone and don’t want to turn
over too much counter space or
money to a gadget meant for
family meals. But if it’s that
good, I want it! Is there an air
fryer for me?
A: I’m just wondering if you
wouldn’t be happier with a
higher-end toaster oven. Do you
have one? If so, does it have a
convection or even a super-
convection setting? You might be
able to use that to get similarresults to the air fryer. You can
get one with an air-fryer setting
as well.
That way, you’d be able to use
it to bake, roast, broil and air fry.
Just a thought. I love my
Breville, but it wasn’t cheap.
Air fryers do eat up counter
space. That said, most of the
ones I’ve seen have smallish
baskets that actually work well
for smaller portions of food, so,
in that way, they’d work well for
you.
— Ann Maloney
A: An air fryer would be excel-
lent for a single person house-
hold. It takes up some counter
space, but it also means you
don’t have to heat your whole
oven. They are essentially coun-
tertop convection ovens (in oth-
er words, a n oven with a fan forfaster cooking and better brown-
ing, broadly speaking). This
opens up a world of things you
can do beyond the fries and
chicken nuggets you might pic-
ture (no shame). Air fryers are
cool to the touch, they turn off
when they’re done, so they’re
more hands off, and they don’t
have to preheat, so they’re faster
and will keep your kitchen cool-
er in hot months. I was initially
suspect because they don’t really
do anything different than your
oven, but I’ve realized over the
years they’re more like a smaller,
easier-to-use oven, and they can
deliver notably crispier results
thanks to their convection fans.
— H.C.Q: W hat do most people use a
blender for? I have a 14-cupMagimix food processor, but I
know a blender would be nice
for making smoothies, purees
and... what else? My husband
keeps harping, “I can’t believe
you don’t want a blender, you
have every other gadget and
appliance,” which isn’t entirely
true. We cook daily, because we
both like to cook. I’m always
trying out new recipes. So,
convince me I need a blender.
A: Blenders are great, in my
opinion. Smoothies, for sure.
And frozen drinks, of course!
You can also make something
like horchata, which is fun, and
in the summer, I am always
using it to make gazpacho.
Dressings, too. Even pureeing
warm soups.
— B.K.Q: My ancient box grater is on its
last legs — n ot rusty, but the
edges are dull, making it hard to
use. What would you
recommend, a set of flat plates, a
few Microplanes? I have a food
processor, but who wants to take
it out for^1 / 2 cup of grated
cheddar?
A: I would just get a new box
grater. Sturdy, relatively
compact, and you won’t have to
deal with multiple utensils that
inevitably get buried in a drawer
or utensil crock. And pretty
simple and quick to clean. I use
mine all the time and, to me, it’s
the fastest, easiest way to grate
cheese, which I do a lot. If not
every day, almost every day.
— Becky Krystal
A: If you find a box grater diffi-
cult to hold and want something
else, you might consider a rotary
grater. There are more parts to
clean, though.
— Kari SondeQ: I received an electric pressure
cooker as a gift. It does have
some other cooking functions,
but it’s not a brand name Instant
Pot. Is it worth the kitchen space
to keep and use this, or should I
get an Instant Pot?
I typically cook four to six
servings at once (dinner andleftovers). Usually chicken/
turkey or fish, veggies, and
potatoes or grain for a starch. I
also like to cook vegetarian and
dishes where meat is n ot the
main focus. I have a new baby in
the house, so less time at the
stove would be good.
A: Brands other than Instant Pot
make good multicookers, so
since you have that one already
at home, I’d say use it and see
how you like it. An 8-quart size
would be ideal for the servings
you’re looking to do, 6 quarts
would work, too. Instant Pots
and electric pressure cookers
like them are excellent for all of
those things you listed. Folks
always think of meat for
pressure cookers, but since they
create a steamy, enclosed
environment, they’re great for
fish because they keep it nice
and moist and tender. Mussels,
too. When you steam mussels
under pressure (which takes 1
minute at pressure by the way),
every shell opens nice and
evenly, with perfectly plump and
juicy mussels, more so than on
the stovetop. As a new mother, I
have found an electric pressure
cooker to be great for saving
time, because it’s more hands off.
— H.C.Q: W hich do you recommend, a
mini-chopper or food processor?
Is the only difference the size/
capacity?
A: Yes, the primary difference is
size, so it depends on what you
want to use it for and how much.
For the longest time, I only had a
mini chopper, and it works great
for chopping herbs and small
amounts of vegetables, making
sauces (like chimichurri), and
even making my own nut
butters. However, with a larger
food processor, you can do more,
especially if it comes with
attachments (you can make pie
dough and shred and slice
ingredients). And food
processors have a few more parts
than mini choppers, so there’s
more to clean with each use.
— Aaron HutchersonFREE RANGE EXCERPTS
Readers ask about tools: Baby food makers, air fryers, blenders and more
TOM MCCORKLE FOR THE WASHINGTON POST; FOOD STYLING BY LISA CHERKASKY FOR THE WASHINGTON POST
Find the recipe for Spicy Air Fryer Bacon-Wrapped Shrimp at washingtonpost.com/recipes.