Thursday, January 5, 2017

Beginner's Guide to Cooking Eggs in the Instant Pot


All right y'all, so Christmas just passed and just based on my own Facebook newsfeed, it looks like I was among the masses with a certain gift. The Instant Pot!

If you don't know what I'm talking about, it is time to crawl out from under that rock and prepare to be amazed! It's a pressure cooker, which I hear was once a dangerous, but fairly common kitchen appliance, back in my grandmother's day. Well, never in my home, and I hear they've upgraded quite a bit since then.

The Instant Pot, and other similar brands, are digital, and very safe. I've got the DUO60 – 7 in 1 multi function – 6qt model. Other models vary slightly, but my recipes should work with whatever IP you are working with.

The first meal I ever made in this thing was one pot Spaghetti! That will come in a later recipe, but I want to work with it a few more times to get it JUST right before sharing it.

That same night, after dinner, I couldn't wait to throw something else in there and watch more magic happen. I scoured my shelves while simultaneously soaking in every Facebook group, Pinterest board, and forum for suggestions.

I settled on Hard Boiled eggs. I legit have only ever started making them 2 years ago! It gave me anxiety. My kids were too young to really dye eggs for Easter, until they weren't... and then I had to figure it out.

Once I got it down on the stove, we ate them all the time! I learned you have to watch the timer like a hawk and instantly transfer in to an ice bath and hope for the best. It was crazy-making but necessary, because we are a family that loves egg salad sandwiches like they are going out of style.

When I read the methods for using the Instant Pot (from here on, IP) I was as confused and anxious as I used to be about doing eggs on the stovetop.

“4-4-4”, “6-6-6”, “Natural release” “Quick Release” “Ice bath” “no ice bath!” Trying to understand all these new suggestions was so stressful, but no matter which I chose it still sounded remarkably easier than what I had been doing.  So, deeeep breath, here goes!

I had a total of 3 eggs in my fridge, so no major loss if it was a total fail. I also, decided while I was at it, I might as well try the most simple method I could find online.

I found This Old Gal's website and recipe for Pressure Cooker Easy Hard Boiled Eggs, and I honestly didn't believe it. There is just no way it could be this simple.

And if so, then WHY IS ANYONE DOING IT ANY OTHER WAY?! Why?

She starts by saying "Forget the 6-6-6 method.  Forget the 5-6-6 method.  Forget the 5-5-5 method and all those crazy silly other numbers people want you to remember."  Yes! My people!!

Be sure to check out that website, there is a ton of information on there, and not JUST for the IP.

Here's exactly what I did to achieve beautifully done eggs.


Instant Pot Hard Boiled Eggs

desired number of eggs
1 cup of water

Place eggs on provided IP trivet (or steamer basket)

Pour one cup of water on the bottom of the pot

Close lid, seal vent nozzle.

Click Manual (make sure it's on HIGH pressure) and put timer to 2 minutes.

When it is done pressurizing and cooking for 2 minutes, it beeps and shortly thereafter begins timer for NATURAL release of pressure.

After 7 minutes, I was highly impatient and needed to see what happened. Luckily It was already done depressurizing and I could open it right away!

Without any cold water cool off, I smacked a spoon to the side of one a few times and peeled that baby naked in mere seconds!

I HATE peeling eggs, and that is my hardest time with the stovetop method – even when I get the perfect cook, they are so fugly from getting destroyed during shell peel.

The moment of truth.....
They were gorgeous!!

My kids happily scarfed them up in lieu of dessert that night, and I had to shop the next morning so I could do a dozen more for egg salad sandwiches.

Incredibly Easy Egg Salad For a Family
I've seen so many versions filled with so many spices, or adding avocado, etc. I've tried many versions and while each are okay in their own right, nothing beats the simplicity of Egg Salad like I recall from childhood.

I6 hard boiled eggs, peeled.
Half cup mayo (don't do anything weird, like use Miracle Whip!)
2 tablespoons yellow mustard (plain Frenches' yellow has little purpose in the world...this is one of them.)
Salt and pepper to taste

Mash up your eggs really good, but leave chunks – it's the best part. I used to always just use the side of a fork over and over, until I learned that the pastry cutter in my utensil drawer I thought I'd never use, can now earn its keep. Wow, perfectly diced in under 30 seconds!

Add all condiments and whip until well mixed.

Eat right out of bowl or pile on some bread for a delicious sandwich!  A big dollop on top of some lettuce will feel like 'ladies who lunch' and will make your grandmother happy.

So back to our Instant Pot egg-periments.

Not to be outdone by my hard boiled egg revelation, my husband now wanted to try something we've never once tried, on stove, or in the IP – Soft Boiled Eggs.  These are apparently so difficult to achieve, I've seen cooking shows feature making the perfect soft boiled egg a competition task!

After completely winging it, and one attempt that fell somewhere in between hard and soft boiled, he perfected them to our taste!

Instant Pot Soft Boiled Eggs

desired amount of eggs
1 cup water

Fill Instant Pot with one cup water.

Place eggs on trivet or streamer basket.

Close lid, seal vent nozzle.

Click Manual LOW pressure and put timer to 3 minutes.

Once done, flip vent for QUICK Release.

30 seconds under cold running water (this part seems silly given what follows, but as he did it the time it worked, he's convinced if it's skipped, they won't work.  Cold water halts the cooking process.)

Submerge eggs for 3 minutes in a cold water bath.

And there you have it. Ooey gooey runny eggs, with a perfectly textured whites. I was thoroughly impressed!

I can't wait to see how else the Instant Pot can help me feel more confident in the kitchen, and bring new (and old) favorite foods into our regular lives!




22 comments:

  1. Great post and I love a good hardboiled egg. So is the IP just a pressure cooker rebranded? Very Interesting! Thanks for sharing with us at Fiesta Friday. Happy FF!

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  2. I have not heard of these new pressure cookers. I need to go look for one. Its wonderful that they are safe. The huge pressure cookers are so heavy to work with and more than a bit intimidating.

    Thank you for sharing your post on the #HomeMattersParty Leanna

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  3. HI Jackie,
    I just bought one of these Instant and just starting how to use it. I didn't get it for Christmas because I didn't read about it until right before Christmas and we buy our Christmas gifts early in our house. I had it one Amazon wish list a few days before Christmas they dropped the price $30 so I thought it now or never and bought it. I have read many good reviews about this machine and will be looking forward to keeping up with your recipes and how to use it. I too was leary of pressure cookers but understood they have made them much safer and I needed a smaller slow cooker. Thanks for sharing on Real Food Fridays. Pinned & tweeted!

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  4. I hate eggs - except I can do hard-boiled (especially if eaten as deviled eggs!). Also, I hadn't felt like buying an Insta-Pot was something I cared about, but OhMyGoodness, these sound just TOO easy using one, so I might just have to break down for the eggs alone... So glad you shared this post with us at #FridayFrivolity this week!

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  5. I eat eggs every day in all sorts of dishes. I love curried egg salads. Enjoy your new cooking pot, I think I can manage without one and I just cook for two mainly.
    Kathleen
    Bloggers Pit Stop

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  6. New reader here, Jackie! Just to let your readers know that WallyWorld (aka WalMart) now sells the Instant Pot and it is only $89.00 which is less expensive than Amazon price right now.
    Thanks so much for the egg instructions -- going to go try it tonight!

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    1. Thanks for that info! I managed to snag mine on Amazon black Firday weekend for $69

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    2. jackie - you HAVE to experiment with how to leave out the cold water step. it HAS to be possible. what i want is to turn the pot on, set for X minutes, come back in Y minutes and they are DONE, no more steps!!!

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    3. your husband's recipe is just like every other egg recipe - TOO COMPLICATED. your original one is perfect, what the ? why do you put his at the bottom ?
      yours is better! 2 minutes instapot, sit for 7 minutes, done

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  7. Wow, that's one awesome little machine thingy that you've got there Jackie. I really need to get me one of those. Pressure cookers always scare me, it's like they're going to explode and blow the roof of the house or something. And the way your eggs turned out it looks like a winner.

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  8. An Instapot is on my wish list! I'm saving your post for when I get one :-) Thanks for sharing at Funtastic Friday!

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  10. I've never heard of an instapot. Is this a pressure cooker?
    Thanks for sharing on the What's for Dinner link up!

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  11. I've heard to many things about the instapot his winter! Thanks for linking up with us at Together on Tuesdays.

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  12. Good deal! I tried eggs with the 5-5-5 method recently although i accidently did 6 minutes of NPR. Didn't quite get the results I wanted. I've heard other people liked this Old Gal's method too. I will try again!

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  13. I've never heard of doing them this way! I learned something new, thanks :) I'm so glad that you shared with us at Together on Tuesdays :)

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  14. Hope you are having a great weekend and thanks so much for sharing your awesome post with us at Full Plate Thursday.
    Come Back Soon!
    Miz Helen

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  15. I have been hearing so much about Instant Pots - but I had no idea you could boil eggs in them! Thank you for sharing this post with us at Hearth and Soul.

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  16. Jackie, I have had a pressure cooker on my wish list for quite some time. This post pushes it towards the top of the list. Egg salad is a favorite of our family also and I love all the new things you can use a pressure cooker for. Dinner making made quicker and easier? I'm all for it.

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  17. Sounds like a handy dandy thing to have on hand! Thanks for sharing with SYC.
    hugs,
    Jann

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  18. He now cooks mostly with stainless steel cookware and loves to research different types of cookware products to enhance the meal preparation experience anodized cookware

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