How to Make a Template for Measuring IP Accessories

Posted on by drlanaperez

As you get more comfortable using your Instant Pot, you will find that you nearly any recipe can converted for the pressure cooker. Often times though you will need to use what is known as the Pot-in-Pot Method which literally means cooking in a separate pot inside of your IP liner (ever wonder what that trivet was for?). There are lots of accessories out there made specifically for pressure cooking. However, as long as the material of the accessory you have is suitable for high temperature cooking, there is no end to the different bowls and pots and pans you can use.

Some of the best places to find accessories that don’t cost an arm and leg, are Homegoods, Marshalls, Walmart, and my restaurant supply store. But one of the most frustrating things is never knowing if the cool bundt pan I find will actually fit in my Instant Pot. Here is a great idea I came up with to keep your from having to carry around your IP Pot wherever you go.

Perfect Instant Pot Template

-Trivet that came with your Instant Pot

-Pen

-Paper

-Scissors

1.Place the trivet on the paper with the legs of the trivet folded over. Trace around the trivet with a pen.

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2. Cut out the circle you drew. If you have more then one size Instant Pot, make sure to label each template so you know which size corresponds with what pot.

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How To Dry Out Your Instant Pot When You Pour Water Into the Main Appliance

Posted on by drlanaperez

It’s going to happen no matter how much you try and avoid it. At some point you are going to accidentally pour water into your Instant Pot without the liner being in. I’ve done it even though I have what I thought were full proof ways to avoid it.

You are going to cry, but it will be ok…..maybe. The best advice is to quickly unplug it and let it dry. But that can seem so passive and if you are like me, your anxiety will set in and you will feel like you just aren’t doing enough to save your best friend, um…I mean your IP.

So, I wanted to share my homemade contraption to help dry out your IP and hopefully get it working again.

Homemade Contraption to Dry Your Wet Instant Pot

by Lana Horruitiner-Perez

-2 cookie cooling racks

-2 shoe boxes or stack of books

-1 small fan

 

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-Place a cooling rack somewhere near a plug and in an out of the way place in your home. (In the picture I used a folded dog crate underneath. Anything that will allow air to flow.)

-Place the fan facing up on the rack so when turned on the air will blow upwards.

-Place the 2 shoe boxes (or stacks of books) on either side of the fan.

-Place the second cooling rack on top of the shoe boxes. Make sure it is not touching the fan.

-Place the Instant Pot on top of the cookie sheet sot he air from the fan will blow through he mechanism.

-Turn the fan on and leave it for 48 to 72 hours.

*Here are some tips to help keep it from happening…..as often. 🙂

  1. When the liner is not in the Instant Pot, place the cord and the trivet in the pot. This way you can’t turn on the pot without the cord and it will hopefully remind you that the liner is not in it.
  2. Always keep your IP unplugged until right before you are going to cook.
  3. Worse comes to worse, buy an extra liner so when one is soaking or drying after cleaning, you can put the second one inside so there is always a liner in the IP.

The Instant Pot A B C’s of this Blog.

Posted on by drlanaperez

A is for Authentic

  • The recipes you will find here are about being as authentic as possible. Actually, it’s the reason I started this whole thing to begin with. I went looking online for Cuban recipes for the Instant Pot, and kept seeing ingredients that were not only nontraditional, but changed the dish into something completely different.  Fusion is great, but sometimes I think the best recipes are those that are passed down from generation to generation. Pressure cooking is not a new phenomenon. Other cultures have been using it in their cooking for decades and there are so many great family recipes that can easily be modified for the Instant Pot and still keep the authentic flavors and ingredients just as if they were being cooked in your abuela’s kitchen.
  • Blog Tip: I recognize that ingredients from different cultures are not readily available to everyone. A great thing about Cuban and Jewish cooking is that they come from humble beginnings and most ingredients are easy to find in just about any grocery store. However, when I post my recipes, those ingredients that are not always easy to come by, I will list directions for a substitute in red. 

B is for Budget

  • Everyday cooking for a family has to be economical. Good food doesn’t have to cost a lot! Most of the recipes I chose to share are quick (thanks to the Instant Pot) and cheap (thanks to my lack of funds). Both Cuban and Jewish cultures stem from people surviving and thriving, at times, on what they had available to them. Which often times was very little. But the food is delicious none the less. This makes these two cuisines perfect for the typical family table.

 

C is for Comfort

  • These Instant Pot recipes are all about comfort food, either passed down from my family and friends or from cookbooks that have been passed down. I also want to share recipes that I love that aren’t necessarily from my family. I love baking, but apparently my family wasn’t big on baking because I couldn’t find many recipes. So, I will have a separate section for my baking concoctions. These are recipes from either cookbooks or online that I have tried and are a big hit with my family.
  • Blog Tip: I will make sure to include the source of the recipe I have posted. This will be written at the top in blue.