Unusual Things You Can Do In An Instant Pot

Do you frown at the entire process of preparing your foods from sorting the ingredients, cooking, and finally serving? The process can be a bit tiring. The cooking part usually takes most of the time. The choice of cookware will determine the taste of the final product and how long it will take to be ready.

Instant pots are multi-purpose cooking appliances that you will find in most kitchens. People love these appliances as you can have foods such as carrots, beef chunks, potatoes simmering within a few minutes. Whole grains that need more than 30 minutes to simmer will require a few minutes in an instant pot. Let us explore some unusual ways you can use an instant pot.

Prepare homemade bread

If you love bread, then you can enjoy the convenience of preparing one at home. Using an instant pot allows you to skip the tedious process of making the dough rise as all you need is to mix the ingredients. A trivet comes in handy when you want to prepare homemade bread. A trivet stand protects steam from contaminating your meal during the pressurization process by ensuring that the bread or any other food is always above the water level, as you can see in this guide at Corrie Cooks.

Place your loaf pan on the trivet stand and lower it in your instant pot. You need to readjust the setting on your instant pot when you are preparing homemade bread. For instance, the yogurt setting is fit to make the dough rise. Bread dough takes almost 24 hours to rise, but with an instant pot, you can reduce this time to almost one hour. Once the dough rises, you can now press ‘cancel’ and then cook at high pressure for about 40 minutes. Wait for natural pressure release once the cooking time is over and then allow the bread to cool for about 3-4 minutes. You can then enjoy your bread with coffee.

Hard boil your eggs

Some of the essential nutrients that you can get from eggs include proteins, biotin, Vitamin B12, iodine, selenium, riboflavin, Vitamin D, and pantothenic acid. You can either take your boiled eggs in the morning or snack at any time of the day. Boiling your eggs in bulk is very efficient when you have an instant pot on your side.

You need a trivet stand where you will lower a basket and then add a cup of water. You can then place as many eggs as you want on this basket and then place the lid. Cooking on high pressure for about four minutes will give you soft-cooked eggs. However, if you want hard-cooked eggs, then you can cook 5-6 minutes. You need about 15 minutes in total for the eggs to be ready: five minutes to pressurize, another five minutes as cook time, and five minutes to release the pressure.

Melt chocolate

Investing in a double boiler does not make sense when you do not dip fruits into chocolate often. An instant pot allows you to improvise a double boiler, which will still serve the purpose. The first step is to fill the pot with water almost to the brim. You can then turn the Sauté function and let the water heat.

Find a glass bowl that is slightly larger than the opening of your instant pot and place it inside. Ensure that you do not overflow the water and then pour either chopped or chipped melting chocolate into this bowl. You can then wait five to ten minutes for the water to heat, and the chocolate will start to melt. Stir the melting chocolate occasionally until it becomes smooth and uniform. Turn the pot off and then on to keep the chocolate warm.

Applesauce

It is one of the best fruits to eat if you are struggling with weight loss as it comes with pectin fiber that lowers the absorption rate of excess fats. Other benefits of taking apples include enabling smoother digestion, regulating blood sugar, boosting brain power, and regulating dehydration and diarrhea.

Preparing applesauce is simple when you have an instant pot. The first step is to slice the apples. You can either peel them or retain the skin, as they are a great source of fiber. Put the sliced apples in your instant pot, add water, and then spices of your choice. Stir the apples, add salt and then place the lid on the instant pot. Set the pot to cook on high pressure for 5-7 minutes. Let the pot release the pressure naturally and then remove the lid. You can then blend your apples and store then up to 10 days in your fridge.

Make fruit jelly and preserves

Fruits are beneficial to the body as they contain low fats, calories, and sodium. Some of the nutrients you can get from fruits include; dietary fiber, potassium, and Vitamin C. Some of the benefits one gets after taking fruit preserves include; reducing the risk of stroke, lower blood pressure, reduce risk of kidney stones, help in weight management and keep both teeth and bones healthy.

You can use a variety of fruits to make fruit jelly. Clean and slice a few pounds of strawberries. Extract juice from an orange and then add a tablespoon of sugar. Turn on your instant pot and then set the mode to ‘manual.’ Cook for about four to five minutes and then let the pressure release naturally. Ensure that the fruit is falling apart when you stir or cook for a few more minutes. You can then remove the strawberry mix and use a food processor to create a smoothie. You can then pour the jam into jars and enjoy it with snacks such as oatmeal, biscuits, or even toast.

It is quite evident that you can use an instant pot to prepare different meals. Knowing that your health is your choice will make you conscious about the foods that you eat.  Ensure that you adjust the settings accordingly, depending on the meal that you are preparing.