My son and daughter-in-law got me an Instant Pot for Christmas and I just now got the nerve to use it.
I'm not afraid of pressure cookers, I've used one all my married life. My mom got me one a few years after I got married. But this one is a little fancy and I was kind of uneasy about using it for the first time.
Isn't this cute. It has it's own little chair to sit on in my dining room.
We're going to my cousin's house today for a get together of hot dogs, potato salad and baked beans. I was making the potato salad, so I thought this was the perfect time to use my Instant Pot to make hard boiled eggs. I had read on the internet that this was the easiest thing to do and perfect to get your feet wet, so to speak, when using the Instant Pot.
Just let me say this, "I will never boil eggs the old-fashioned way again."
I should have timed myself. I had the peelings off of the eggs in probably 30 seconds - and not one messed-up egg. Aren't they pretty?
IN CASE YOU'RE WONDERING. Put one cup of water in the pot. Put your eggs in the little lift-out rack that comes with the Instant Pot. Close the lid and turn the steam valve to the sealing position. Set the pot to manual/pressure, high pressure and use the +/- button to set the cook time to 5 minutes. For an 8 qt. pot, when the cooking time is finished, do a quick release. Which means to turn the steam valve to the venting position. Use a long handled utensil to do this and don't let the steam get on you. When the red float valve drops down, the pressure has been released and it is safe to open the lid. Lift the eggs out and put them in a bowl of ice water. Let stand for 5 minutes. I then peck the ends on the counter top and roll the eggs between the palm of my hand and the countertop. Then - THE SHELLS PEEL OFF SO EASY!
Next I put the cubed potatoes and carrots in the pot. I put in about 1 1/2 cups of water in the Instant Pot and placed 4 cups of cubed potatoes and and about 2/3 cup of those tiny carrots in the pot in a steamer basket.
Lock the lid in place and make sure the steam valve is in the sealing position. Select high pressure and put the cook time to 4 minutes and press start. When the timer beeps, do a quick pressure release - just like you did with the eggs. When the red float valve drops down, the pressure has been released and it is safe to open the lid. After they were cooked, I diced the carrots. I didn't want to put diced carrots in the cooker for fear they would turn to mush.
I then proceeded to use my potato salad recipe and put it together.
Yeah! My first dish using my Instant Pot!
Always remember, to read and follow all the instructions and safety procedures when using your Instant Pot.
Do any of you have one? What is your favorite recipe or thing you like about it?
This is where I first read about making the potato salad.
