Are you wondering what tweaks to make before you start using your instant pot as a slow cooker? You need not search further than this article because we have all the answers for you.
First, you need to make a few adjustments for the instant pot to deliver a delicious meal. These adjustments are vital in maintaining the intended flavor of the food. The tenderness is also kept the same as you would get if you were using a standard slow cooker.
Read through this article to get our insight.
1. Set Your Instant Pot
There is a function on your instant pot for slow cooking. The slow cooker settings that help a chef deliver are low, high, and warm as explained over here: https://www.corriecooks.com/how-to-use-instant-pot-as-slow-cooker/.
If you have a recipe that requires you to cook for more than nine hours, adjust your cooker to the normal settings function. You will reach up to 209 °F. It will take quite a while, but the results will be worth the wait.
Chefs who need to prepare a meal in about four hours need to set the slow cooker functions to high settings. By the end of the fourth hour, the food will be evenly cooked, giving you satisfying results.
The keep-warm setting is meant for maintaining the required warmth of the food. This function will help you wait for everybody to get ready for a meal without warming the food.
2. Look at the Heat Distribution
Heat distribution is the secret behind the great results in a slow cooker. The food in all parts of the cooker must get enough heat to make sure no food particles are left uncooked or undercooked.
The pot has a heavy and ceramic bowl, which helps in heat distribution. Whatever the pot’s main heat source is at the bottom only, radiate energy is transferred from the sides. The bowl consequently heats up, giving an even distribution of heat inside the instant pot. Food being cooked gets a tender texture.
3. The Quantity of Liquid
An instant pot is demanding when it comes to the type of liquid to be used. The liquid must have the capabilities to get optimum pressure for cooking. The liquid powers up your instant pot to give amazing results when cooking regular or steamed meals.
When you need to cook food with a thick texture in a slow manner, it is best to use the traditional slow cooker. If you use a crockpot for this function, the liquid you add initially will evaporate with time. As a result, the food will not get the desired thick texture.
On the other hand, the instant pot does not allow the evaporation of liquid. This is made possible by the tightly sealed lid. The steam valve remains open, meaning steam evaporates without affecting the results of your recipe.
You must maintain the same amount of water or preferred liquid as you would use in the slow cooker for beginners. This will help you make an informed decision when preparing your other recipes in the instant pot.
Getting watery results during the first trial demands that you use less water or liquid in the pot. Alternatively, you can get a lid that will be able to allow a little evaporation.
The best liquid level for a 3-quart instant pot is a minimum of one cup of preferred liquid or water. Homeowners with bigger pots such as the 8-quart pot can add more water to reach up to two cups of the preferred liquid. The six-quart instant pot requires the same amount of liquid as the three-quart pot.
4. The Appropriate Lid For Slow Cooking
The other crucial thing you must do is get a fitting lid to aid the slow cooking process. If you can get a glass lid, the better. With the lid’s special features, your instant pot becomes a great option for slow cooking.
The stainless-steel rim and steam vent facilitate the cooking of slow cooking recipes without overcooking or undercooking. You can also peak in to observe the progress as the food cooks through the clear glass instant pot lid.
5. Instant Pot Preparation
The first step is making sure the food you aim to cook is well prepared. Place it in the pot in the order you prefer using. Now attach the lid to the pot making sure it is properly sealed to avoid evaporation.
Select the slow cook function on the instant pot, then adjust the settings to normal or high depending on the recipe. Finally, set the time you want the food to slow cook.
Conclusion
An instant pot is efficient in the slow cooking of different recipes. With the above adjustments before cooking, you are ready to prepare amazing meals. You may require to try a few times with different amounts of liquid to get your food’s correct texture.
Trying out different recipes will help you understand the settings you will need for different foods.
Nicola Holder