New to the Instapot generation, I am just now sticking my toe into the water of the possiblities I can create in this magical vessel. I purchased it last November during the Amazon black Friday sales and I’ve made maybe two recipes in it. It was intimidating because most IP cookbooks just give you ingredients and basic instructions, but not how to work your machine.
Miss Bee gifted me with a fantastic book that I think may help me overcome my fears of “the machine.” I am sure in about 10 years, the size of the Instapot as we know it today will be much smaller – kind of like the size of microwaves back in the 70s that were as big as Buicks and came on their own rolling cart. We gave one to Mother one year for Christmas. She cried.
Enter the book that is a must for your library — the Instapot Bible by Bruce Weinstein and Mark Scarbrough authors of 32 cookbooks. I like this book because they tell you how to work your Instapot in the first section of the book. Each recipe has been tested in every authorized IP model. So, there is no fear in when to do what – especially whether or not you should release the steam which seems to scare the beejeezas out of everyone who still has their IP in the box! They literally walk you through each and every step. It’s foolproof. You just need to know what size IP you have which will say in your owners manual or on the box.
Miss Bee selected three recipes for me to make and ALL THREE have been amazingly easy to prepare and delicious to eat. So much so that she has asked for the chili mac at least twice and I’ve only started cooking from the book in the last few weeks.
Instapot Chili Mac – my IP has a saute feature (which I recommend you choose the pot that has the saute feature) so you can cook your ground meat and your onions in the IP without having to cook in two separate pans. Once browned you dump everything into the IP, including uncooked pasta. 15 minutes later, and little mess, you have a giant pot of love topped with shredded cheese.
Next for a potluck at work, I made their Mac and Cheese. OMG. This is so creamy and much better than the baked version because it doesn’t get dry or crunchy on top. I used both white and orange sharp cheddar, but they suggest other varieties of cheese to use to change it up.
And here’s the IP Monkey Bread. In my Facebook post I said I might just give up cinnamon rolls #myspiritanimal for this monkey bread. Gooey, buttery and full of cinnamon goodness. All I needed to buy was a can of biscuits, all the other ingredients were in my pantry. This would be a perfect baked good to take to brunch or as a hostess or Christmas gift. You prepare it in a springform pan, but I didn’t have a small enough one to fit down inside the IP, so I used a small bundt pan and it worked great. I inverted it onto a pie plate once it was finished (hence the messy presentation in the photo).
I wish I could link to the recipes, but the authors don’t have a website to access recipes. Amazon lists it for $15.72, but you could check with your local library and check it out first to see if you like it. I know you will.
Let me know if you purchase the book and what you make!
Hospitality is in my DNA. I founded Home with a Twist, a daughter’s twist on her mother’s traditions, in memory of my mother to celebrate her life and the gifts she shared with me. Mother loved to celebrate life’s occasions – big and small.
Which size of the Instant Pot did you get and where did you but it.
Hi Shelly! It’s a 6 quart instapot. I purchased mine at Costco, but you can easily find them at Target and Walmart. Prices are pretty competitive at the holidays. Thank you for following my blog.