Instant Pot Magic

It seems that every couple of years, a new craze sweeps across the kitchens of America. One of the most recent crazes has been the Instant Pot, which is a countertop electronic pressure cooker that promises to do so much more.

I was intrigued about this mystical pot, and read lots of reviews and recipes before finally jumping on board. I found one on a decent Cyber Monday sale last November. Since then, I have been learning to master this new contraption.

Let me clarify that Instant Pot is a brand of appliance, and the type I own. There are other brands and many models to choose from and my opinions are based on my own appliance and experience. I use the Instant Pot Duo Plus 6 quart pot.

So, what’ the big deal? Is it really as magic as it seems? My answer is yes! I have used mine to boil eggs, cook rice, make yogurt, and make many one-pot meals, including pasta, soups and stews.

I have memories from my childhood of my mother’s pressure cooker. It was a big scary pot that sat on the stove and made terrifying noises and threatened to blow the roof off, if used improperly. But these modern countertop versions are more convenient and very safe, when used correctly.

I will admit to being scared to death the first time I used it. I read the directions again and again and stood next to it, staring at it while it cooked. I watched over it, holding my breath. It was ridiculous. But it worked! It used the perfect balance of liquid and heat to build up pressure and steam to cook the food much faster than on the stove top. The pressure and steam also help to meld the flavors together, much like a slow cooker, but in a fraction of the time.

Now, I do have to tell you that “Instant” Pot is a bit a a misnomer. But Instant is easier to say than “Pretty Darn Quick After Pressure is Built Up” Pot. See, to make the magic happen, the pot needs to come to pressure first. So when a recipe says it takes 20 minutes to cook, that is AFTER the 10-20 minutes it takes to build up the pressure first. Then there is added time if you allow the pot to naturally depressurize. But overall, it is still faster than the stovetop and can save you when you forgot to load up the slow cooker.

The recipe I am sharing today showcases the best of the Instant Pot’s abilities. This recipe is for chicken and wild rice soup. I have made this soup in the slow cooker and on the stove top before, but I think the Instant Pot has become my favorite method.

One of the truly magic parts of the pressure cooker is that it can make your meat deliciously tender. For this recipe, I used chicken tenderloins – still frozen. You read that right! I popped frozen chicken tenderloins right into the pot, no thawing. Magic.

For the soup to have the taste and texture it should, you need real wild rice, not a blend, but straight up black Minnesota wild rice.

When I was in high school, my family lived in Minnesota and it was not hard to find wild rice – it’s the designated state grain, after all. As a teenager, I did not appreciate the complexity of this grain. It is actually an aquatic plant, and not at all related to common rice. It is also mostly grown in the Great Lakes region. This makes it harder to find outside of the Midwest. But thanks to the internet, you can now order it online. My rice came from North Bay Trading. It costs about $8.00 for a pound of Minnesota Wild Rice, which will last you at least a couple batches of soup.

This recipe also calls for poultry seasoning, which I did not have on hand. So, I Googled it and ended up making my own. The recipe I found came from Allrecipes.com. It called for 2 tsp dried sage, 1 1/2 tsps dried thyme, 1 tsp dried marjoram, 3/4 tsp dried rosemary, 1/2 tsp ground nutmeg, and 1/2 tsp black pepper. I put that all into my mortar and pestle bowl and ground it together. I admit that I questioned the nutmeg while mixing it, but it really does add a subtle, unexpected note to the soup. Of course, you can always use pre-mixed poultry seasoning, too. I just like to mash up my own seasoning mixes every now and then – it’s a great stress reliever.

I have learned a few things while experimenting with my Instant Pot. The first and most important thing is to have all of your ingredients prepared and at the ready. This definitely streamlines the process.

The other thing I have learned from personal experience, as well as from the wisdom of other bloggers, is that you don’t mess with the amount of liquid required. This is the secret to perfectly cooked rice, beans, etc. In general, your solid ingredients should be just covered by your liquid, in this case, the chicken broth. You may want to second guess it and add more, but don’t.

This soup actually has two steps, but neither one is terribly complicated. The chicken, wild rice and veggies will all do their thing with the broth in the Instant Pot for 45 minutes, once it’s to pressure.

After that has finished and you have manually released the steam from the pot, you will make a roux on the stovetop by melting butter and stirring in flour and milk. This will give you a creamy thickening sauce to mix into your soup that is waiting in the Instant Pot.

Serve this hearty, comforting soup with some crusty bread and you will surely feel like a gourmet chef and you will win dinner.

If you got an Instant Pot recently, please share your favorite recipes with me. I’d love to try them.

Recipe adapted from http://www.pinchofyum.com