Did you buy an Instant Pot so you could make your pressure-cooker meals in an instant? Sure you did! But no one said you would master the appliance instantaneously.
Whether you have an Instant Pot yourself or have only read one of the many articles or reviews about them, you know that this time-saving, do-it-all pressure cooker is quite complicated.
The Wall Street Journal described “America’s Instant-Pot Anxiety”—the anxiety and stress and overall apprehension that comes from a product that has dozens of functions and mechanisms, but stress no longer! We’ve got the antidote: How to Instant Pot.
How to Instant Pot is the guide you need to not only cook up some tried-and-tested recipes but tomaster the device with confidence.
Keep reading below to hear from author Dan Shumski himself on the his Instant Pot experience—from the nervousness of opening the box, to writing the book to help out the rest of mankind.
Maybe your initial reaction to seeing the Instant Pot was like mine: “It does all those things? Really? Hmm. . . . Okay. But does it do them well?”
Was the Instant Pot just a trendy kitchen appliance trying to tackle too much? I already owned a slow cooker. And I could steam things and make rice on the stovetop. True, I didn’t own a pressure cooker. But neither did I own an Elvis costume. Was either really necessary? Bottom line, did I need an Instant Pot?
As it turns out, the answer was yes. (For the Instant Pot, not the Elvis costume.)
Yes, to yogurt that all but makes itself while I sleep. Yes, to dinners I can prep in the morning and leave to cook all day. Yes,to dried beans that I can make for dinner without the foresight to presoak them. Yes, to steaming vegetables without having to fiddle with the stovetop temperature. Yes, to rice that comes together quickly without moving it on and off the heat. Yes, to things I couldn’t have imagined I would be saying “yes” to: quick-pickled vegetables, no-fuss hard-boiled eggs, mulled cider.
In short, yes to the Instant Pot.
On the day my Instant Pot arrived, I opened the package but had only begun to unwrap the mystery. I was excited but . . .
what had I gotten myself into? I grasped the idea of the Rice button, but why was there a Porridge button? What were the valves on the lid for?
How did I use this thing? I know how to bake, boil, skillet, and waffle (I’ve written books on the last two). But how to Instant Pot?
Cooking in an opaque, sealed chamber requires a culinary leap of faith. After the lid is locked tight, you can’t cook by sight or smell. Was I willing to take the plunge? Sure, but I had two goals:
1. Don’t ruin dinner.
and
2. Don’t anger the machine.
I was willing to sacrifice No. 2 if it meant that No. 1 could be accomplished.
I’m here to tell you that you can have it both ways. Not only that, you can take advantage of a unique and useful tool that may nudge its way onto center stage in your kitchen and change the way you cook. In short, you can master the Instant Pot.
The Instant Pot presents a new paradigm even for experienced cooks, but it’s one that you can master regardless of your experience or comfort level in the kitchen. While there is a bit of a learning curve, this book is here to make it more of a gentle slope—and one that lets you eat as you progress.
The Instant Pot is useful but not immediately intuitive. That’s where this book comes in. The main functions of the Instant Pot are covered—pressure cooker, slow cooker, rice cooker, yogurt maker, steamer—as well as the auxiliary functions that allow you to sauté food and to keep food warm.
You’ll learn:
• What the buttons mean
• How to decipher the LCD screen
• How to convert your favorite recipes for the Instant Pot
• How to clean your Instant Pot
• How the Instant Pot is different from other pressure cookers
• Which optional accessories you might want for your Instant Pot
In short, you’ll learn how to Instant Pot. Now, let’s get cooking.
Try out the anxiety-free recipes for yourself!
Buy the Book
Amazon | B&N | Indiebound | Workman
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