INTRODUCTION
The Instant Pot’s global success seems to have come out of nowhere. We were all happily getting along with our analog pots and pans, and then, in the blink of an eye, an army of these programmable electric pressure cookers appeared on kitchen counters the world over. Instant Pots had charmed their way into the hearts of millions of home cooks seemingly overnight.
No doubt, part of the Instant Pot’s immediate success is owed to its catchy name: the term “instant” makes some big promises. It sounds like you’ll be able to toss some ingredients into the pot, press a button, and a complete dinner will appear in an instant, à la that space-age stove on
The Jetsons.
Although that isn’t really the case (hard-boiled eggs in the Instant Pot
do come pretty close!), there’s enormous appeal in the Instant Pot’s convenience and adaptability. Any meal requires some prep on the front end, but once the Instant Pot is sealed and set to a pressure-cooking setting, you can walk out of the kitchen and not look back. It’s the ultimate appliance in “set it and forget it” cooking. If you’re making a dish such as Split Pea Soup (page 86) or Lamb and White Bean Tagine, it’ll pressure-cook to perfection, then stay warm on the Keep Warm setting until you’re ready to enjoy your home-cooked meal, for up to 10 hours.
As far as the “instant” factor goes, the recipes for which you’ll see the biggest time savings include long-cooking meats, dried beans, and other ingredients that would otherwise braise in the oven or simmer on the stove for hours. In the Instant Pot, Rosemary-Dijon Pot Roast, dried chickpeas for Roasted Red Pepper Hummus, and Pumpkin Spice Steel-Cut Oatmeal really do cook in about half the time.
Thanks to its flexibility and ability to cook speedily, the Instant Pot allows you to incorporate wholesome home-cooked meals into your weekly routine, regardless of your schedule. Whether you like to prepare meals for the entire week on the weekends, get your cooking done in the mornings, or throw together seat-of-your-pants weeknight dinners, there are recipes in this book to suit your lifestyle.
In addition to lots and lots of recipes (two hundred!), I’ve included all of the information you need to start using your Instant Pot like a pro. You’ll find a list of my favorite tools and accessories, an expansive FAQ, explanations for every program setting on the pot, tips for tricky ingredients (page 301), and more. Once you get to the recipes themselves, you’ll see that I’ve included clear instructions at every step, so you never have to wonder which setting to select, when to seal the pot, or how long to wait before you can open it. In addition, there’s a chapter of pantry staples that includes essentials like broths, stocks, sauces, and pickles that will make every meal more convenient and delicious.
I hope that this book becomes a new classic in your kitchen and encourages you to plug in your Instant Pot and get cooking right away. If you’re new to Instant Pot cooking, welcome! The following “How to Use the Instant Pot” section will get you started.
Happy (pressure) cooking!
Copyright © 2018 by Coco Morante. All rights reserved. No part of this excerpt may be reproduced or reprinted without permission in writing from the publisher.
