Instant Pot on Inverter

[mizterwizard]

There is a saying that applies to much of life. The more you know the less you need. Perfectly yummy meals can be prepared with nothing but the ingredients and the contents of your head if your head has the right contents.

Cooking on a shovel, flat rock or directly on the coals works great for some things but it's hard to make soup that way. What ever method one comes up with there will be a situation where it won't work. There will also be situations where it works very well.

I've never done the shovel method but I've heard of it. I see it as sort of a stunt. You would need either a new shovel or a lot of prep time on an old shovel. It could be a lot of fun with the right crowd though. I've done foil, roasting sticks, cast iron pots and many other methods and they all work. Having a well developed appetite helps the food go down a lot easier, no matter how it is cooked.

By far the best way to cook food when camping or boondocking is to have someone else do it who knows what they are doing. My wife is the best someone for that task.

[Iowa Dave]

The pitchfork fondue at Medora North Dakota was fun and tasty. The cowboys did all the work and fondue pot cooked a nice steak for us. The pause came when the wagon master / foreman asked the cowboy wielding the pitchfork if he had cleaned them up after using them in the barn stalls earlier in the day. Potlucks are a good thing most always too.
Iowa Dave

[gbaglo]

Advice column in local paper published hint for tenderizing a steak. They recommended you place it in a plastic bag, place it under your front tire and drive over it once or twice.
That I did, using my Jeep Cherokee Chief with off road tires. Then we picked the gravel out of the steak and BBQ'd it.
Next morning we awakened by heavy equipment digging up the leaking septic field, which is where I tenderized the steak.

[mizterwizard]

Originally Posted by gbaglo

Advice column in local paper published hint for tenderizing a steak. They recommended you place it in a plastic bag, place it under your front tire and drive over it once or twice.
That I did, using my Jeep Cherokee Chief with off road tires. Then we picked the gravel out of the steak and BBQ'd it.
Next morning we awakened by heavy equipment digging up the leaking septic field, which is where I tenderized the steak.

EEEUUUUUWWWW! I hope you cooked it really well. Come to think of it, this is a perfect example of where a pressure cooker would be a good idea.

If you watch Survivor you come to realize that we can actually survive eating a lot of things that don't seem all that reasonable. Most of us have eaten things as a toddler that would turn our stomachs today.

I think using a flat rock or concrete would improve the performance and odds of this technique.

[R:Escape]

Being mostly "graze and grill" cooks, R:Escape is configured for boondocking--dutch ovens, grill, things that don't require constant electric current. However, for those trips where power is available, we're accumulating a "shore power" bin for appliances--popcorn popper, toaster oven, stuff like that-- and the Instapot is a part of this optional equipment. Our biggest problem is that the recipes leave us underwhelmed. Does anybody have a favorite cookbook for an Instapot Mini?

[Old Fulica]

Originally Posted by R:Escape

Being mostly "graze and grill" cooks, R:Escape is configured for boondocking--dutch ovens, grill, things that don't require constant electric current. However, for those trips where power is available, we're accumulating a "shore power" bin for appliances--popcorn popper, toaster oven, stuff like that-- and the Instapot is a part of this optional equipment. Our biggest problem is that the recipes leave us underwhelmed. Does anybody have a favorite cookbook for an Instapot Mini?

We get most of our recipes from the internet. After using the 6 quart Instant Pot for 10 months we now have a pretty good idea on how and what to cook. We are presently on a trip with our instant pot for the first time, and wont leave home without it again. I cook the porridge in the morning and it is busy for almost every cooked meal after that. When the meal is cooked we often put water in pot, heat it up (saute mode) and wash the dishes right in the pot. When we get home we may look at the 3 quart, just for the trailer. One of things Dian does is brown some beef, throw in a bunch of veggies, a package of prepared beef stew spices (those little gravy, chilli packages are great ) and a cup of water. 10-15 minutes later we are eating and have enough for the next days lunch. Dian says we should the replace the oven with the instant pot.

[h2owmn]

I am a fan of Indian food so I bought a recommended Indian cookbook and I like it so far. I eat spicy lentils for breakfast a lot--not a cereal fan.

Like the folks above, I use the internet. Two sites that I like are This Old Gal and Pressure Luck. A quick hint. The old gal site recipes begin with a looooong description of what's in the recipe and the steps for preparation. Skim down to the very bottom and you will find the traditional recipe format of ingredients, concise directions, pressure settings and release type/time. I made the Ginger Garlic Balsamic Chicken recipe at the Osoyoos rally and it was all gone pretty fast. I used a small table and plugged the pot in the outside outlet.

[R:Escape]

Thank you both, Old Fulica and h2owmn, for thoughtful and encouraging responses. Our adventure starts Sept 27, and we will practice, and study, and hope to meet you and feed you something wonderful soon.

[redarrow]

looks great

if you flour bacon it doesn't shrink as much

[StillCampin]

Originally Posted by War Eagle

Pot of Navy Beans: 5 minutes to pressure up, 30 minutes cooking under pressure, 10 minutes to pressure down. Done. 45 minutes total isn't "instant", but it's a whole lot faster than an old cast iron pot hanging over a campfire.

Maybe up to double the pressure time but NO overnight or even "quick soak" time required with that pot of beans in the Instant Pot.

I use it a lot for Yogurt. Once the milk is at the desired temp (~105°F), turn off the pot and wrap good to keep it warm. 10 hrs later I have yogurt without needing to power the pot all day.

[StarvingHyena]

What's wrong with a regular pressure cooker? Mine is stainless steel, works great on the stove top, won't run down the batteries …..

Tom


My banner below sums it up.

[Fox hunt]

i'm not sure what is different about the insti pot i have a multi use rice cooker/pressure cooker that i like looks just like an insti pot.

[rbryan4]

Originally Posted by Fox hunt

i'm not sure what is different about the insti pot i have a multi use rice cooker/pressure cooker that i like looks just like an insti pot.

Instant Pots are a bit more versatile. They can sear, bake, brown, simmer, steam, saute, slow cook, pressure cook, do rice, make yogurt, even bake a cake or bake bread. You just choose a cycle and go. Sort of a all-in-one cooking device that takes up little room. We love it when we have hookups. We recently made some Korean style beef short ribs in it that were to die for, fork tender in about 20 minutes. There are other brands that have cropped up that can do the same thing, now that the Instant Pot has become popular.

When boondocking we don't usually use any 120V appliances however, and prefer to cook on the stovetop or outside. In places where we're allowed to have a campfire, we enjoy cooking with the fire as well.

[StillCampin]

Originally Posted by StarvingHyena

What's wrong with a regular pressure cooker?

Nothing wrong with the ol' regular pressure cooker and even has the advantage of being able to actually can food (if large enough) where the new fangled electrics are a lower pressure thus lower temperature.

But, not only are the electrics move versatile and probably safer, they have the great advantage of definately not needing constant watching: close lid, press appropriate buttons and walk away.

[cpaharley2008]

Since I do not have gas in my home kitchen area, I use electric appliances at home. On the road I use propane or charcoal or open fire, just a matter of cooking preference. I like both types of pressure cookers as well as both types of slow cookers, but prefer open fire cooking/grilling on cast iron.

[StarvingHyena]

A few months ago, several forum-ers were excited about Thermo Pots. Basically a pot you heated up on the stove and then placed the pot in an insulated container or wrapped it with insulation. Once brought up to temp - no more heat required.


Anyone still using one? Are you happy with it? I thought it would be a good idea.

Tom