An instant pot’s magic lies in its ability to create different dishes, but are baked meals among them? Unless you are after the texture and consistency of moist desserts like bread pudding and cheesecake, the answer is no. This Making Bread in an instant pot– Bread and Buzz piece proves our point.
A classic instant pot doesn’t bake dessert; it steams it. Hence, what comes out is something with slightly crispy edges, a chewy exterior, and a moist interior. While this sounds like a perfect description for a cheesecake, it’s not the best way to describe a regular chocolate cake.
Meals That Turn Out Real Good in an Instant Pot
Despite the instant pot’s severe limitations when it comes to baking, there’s still a lot that it can do in the kitchen. In fact, there are a couple of food items that the instant pot can take to the next level, including:
Eggs
To some, egg meals sound boring whichever way you cook them. Be it sunny-side-up, scrambled, or boiled, each one sounds like any typical breakfast meal side.
Thanks to the instant pot, this doesn’t have to be the case. You can inject a bit of ingenuity into your egg-cooking adventures by making use of the classic pot’s “pressure cooker” feature. This lets you cook up to a dozen eggs at a time. You can even try special instant pot egg recipes to turn your breakfast meals into a feast.
Soup
The atmosphere in an instant pot is ideal for making soup. The high pressure and temperature offer the perfect conditions for making a delicious soup.
A classic instant pot cooks soup similarly to a slow cooker. And most of us know how the latter comes up with some delicious soup. Whether it’s beef soup or an instant-pot recipe you found online, it’s bound to become a hit with the family.
Rice Meals
We do love our Asian cuisines, especially rice meals. They are the perfect recipe for busy days when you could use the energy that a sumptuous, heavy-carb meal offers. A lot of instant pot models have a built-in rice cooker function. This means you don’t have to order in from your favorite Asian restaurant to experience some rice-meal goodness.
To do this, simply research some of the best and easiest instant-pot recipes out there and then start making your dinner. It shouldn’t be long before you get to savor your exotic culinary creation.
Any Kind of Roasts
Who doesn’t love a roast, right? That juicy, tender meat that causes an eruption of flavors in your mouth is one sure thing no carnivore can say no to. Well, roast nights are sure to become more frequent when you have an instant pot at home.
This nifty multicooker has the ability to roast pork, beef, or chicken to perfection. Plus, it doesn’t take nearly as long as a slow cooker to get the job done. Let’s say your slow cooker takes eight hours to roast; your instant pot can get it done in an impressive time of just half an hour.
Some Desserts
As mentioned, baked desserts are a no-go when it comes to instant pots. You will find these appliances to be exceptional at whipping up cheesecakes, cobblers, and puddings. These water-bathed desserts are pot winners because they are perfectly suited to the multicooker’s design and “pressure cooker” function.
Meals and Ingredients That Don’t Work With an Instant Pot
Flexibility may be one of the instant pot’s strongest suits, but that doesn’t mean it is all-encompassing. There is quite a list of meals and ingredients that it simply can’t work with. Or, if it ever can, the food item won’t likely turn out even half as good as it is supposed to.
These are just some of the following recipes you don’t want to touch with an instant pot:
Fried and Crispy Food
While instant pots cook with some level of crispiness, they are not particularly ideal for frying. This is because they are also programmed to inject a precise amount of moisture into your food. That means French fries and fried chicken are out of the question.
Pasta
Although pasta doesn’t come out completely bad in a classic instant pot, it won’t be anywhere near the best either. We usually whip up pasta for special occasions, so it would be a shame to go through all the trouble of making them only for the plate to turn out subpar. With that in mind, forget the instant pot and prepare your pasta dish the best way you know how instead.
Baking in an Instant Pot
Traditional cakes are common anyway, so you have a better chance of impressing the family with no-bake desserts that can be whipped up in an instant pot. Have friends and family sample your special instant-pot recipe for cheesecake or bread pudding. That’s sure to get them talking about your skills in the kitchen.
