Great IP cookbook, but not for the novice!
I'm giving this review 5 stars because the concept and recipes are fantastic and I appreciate the author's approach and research. I love that, unlike virtually every other IP book out there, she isn't even trying to make this an encyclopedia: she's giving us a few of the very best recipes that she's tried and tested and letting us what she's learned works best in an "Instant Pot." She also tells us that she has included in her research not only the "Instant Pot," but also those made by Breville and Fagor. Still, since I'm an IP girl, I'll refer to her recipes and info as IP.
However, this book is definitely not for the novice: it's not going to help you get over your terror of turning it on for the first time. It's not going to help you figure out how to use the many buttons. If I could, I'd nick half a star for some of my pet peeves in the author's recipes. For instance, every recipe says something like, "add half a cup of oil to the pot." NO! Do NOT add anything to the Pot! Add it to the stainless-steel bowl that sits inside the Pot. Am I making this up? No, I'm an elderly, know-it-all cook who, when making her first trial of hard-boiled eggs in her brand new IP, poured one cup of water into the pot, not into the bowl. Fortunately, a) the water immediately leaked all over the counter, so I knew I'd made a mistake; and b) it was only water, not oil.
Clarity in recipe instructions is very important to me. So, dear Editors, if there's a second edition of Ms. Clark's lovely book, which I hope there will be, would you please add just a few words ....."add half a cup of [whatever] to the stainless steel pot liner."
To the author's credit, she does offer some good IP-use tips such as making an aluminum foil sling to lift out some pans from the IP pot.
I loved that she described in detail how to make several different types of rice, and I welcome her tip about letting rice steam under a dish towel on top of the IP after the lid is removed. Thank you!
She gives us several yogurt recipes. Authenticated IP yogurt recipes are actually hard to find: a yogurt recipe does not exist in the IP recipe book and they are hard to find even in other good IP cookbooks. So, again, thank you!
However, several recipes left me scratching my head: for one, homemade ricotta cheese. This takes minutes to make on my stovetop, so I'm having a hard time figuring out why I would use my IP--in fact, in terms of time and pots to wash, the stovetop is much easier than the IP. So I would have loved to read a headnote that would tell me why the author found that the taste of ricotta cheese made in the IP is superior to that I can make on my stovetop.
Another caution: the coconut cheesecake requires the use of a 7" springform pan: the concept is that the pan will fit INSIDE the IP. I have a springform plan that has been my go-to for decades, and it's 9.5". In other words, the IP pan would fit inside my go-to springform, not the other way around. So just a heads-up if you're inclined to make cheesecake in your IP.
All things considered, I'm still giving this 5 stars for the experienced cook. 3 stars for the novice: Buy an Instant Pot on Black Friday, play with it for a week or three, and then put Melissa Clark's book on your holiday wishlist.
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From the Publisher
Korean Chile-Braised Brisket + Kimchi Coleslaw
Time: 2 hours 30 minutes, plus at least 1 hour marinating
Yield: 8 servings
1. Rub the beef with the chile flakes, paprika, salt, and pepper. Cover and refrigerate for 1 hour and up to 24 hours.
2. Set the electric pressure cooker to sauté (or use a large skillet). Add a tablespoon of the oil, let it heat up for a few seconds, and then add a batch of the beef and sear until it’s browned all over, about 2 minutes per side, adding more oil as needed. Transfer the beef to a plate and repeat with the remaining batches.
3. If the pot looks dry, add a bit more oil. Add the onion and sauté until golden, 3 to 5 minutes. Add the garlic and ginger and sauté for 1 minute longer. Add the beer, gochujang, ketchup, soy sauce, brown sugar, fish sauce, and sesame oil. Scrape the mixture into the pressure cooker if you have used a skillet.
4. Cover and cook on high pressure for 90 minutes. Let the pressure release naturally for 20 minutes, and then release the remaining pressure manually.
5. To make the kimchi coleslaw, combine the cabbage, kimchi, both oils, lime juice, and salt in a large bowl and toss well. Taste, and add more salt or lime juice if needed.
6. Transfer the beef to a plate or a rimmed cutting board and tent with foil to keep warm. Set the pressure cooker to sauté and simmer the sauce for 15 to 20 minutes, until it is reduced by half or two-thirds (remember that it thickens as it cools). Use a fat separator to skim off the fat, or let the sauce settle and spoon the fat off the top. Serve the sauce alongside the beef, with the kimchi coleslaw.
For the Korean Chile-Braised Brisket
- 4 to 5 pounds beef brisket, cut into 3 or 4 pieces
- 1 tablespoon dried red chile flakes, preferably Korean gochugaru
- 1 tablespoon sweet paprika
- 2½ teaspoons kosher salt, plus more to taste
- ½ teaspoon freshly ground black pepper
- 1 to 3 tablespoons peanut or safflower oil, as needed
- 1 large onion, diced
- 4 garlic cloves, minced
- 1 tablespoon grated peeled fresh ginger
- 1 cup lager-style beer
- ¼ cup gochujang (Korean chile paste) or Sriracha
- 2 tablespoons ketchup
- 2 tablespoons soy sauce
- 2 tablespoons light or dark brown sugar
- 2 teaspoons Asian fish sauce
- 1 teaspoon toasted sesame oil
Moroccan Chickpeas + Kale.
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Osso Buco. |
Beets with Dill, Lime + Yogurt. |
Coconut Curry Chicken. |
About the author
Updated: Amazing and delicious recipes, but the instructions may not be thorough enough for a lot of cooks.
I have made and loved many of Melissa Clark's recipes. Her 'Dinner:Changing the Game' cookbook is one of my all-time favorites, so I was overjoyed when I saw she had written a cookbook for multi-cookers. While the recipes I've tried have so far been winners, I did find that this book is not entirely 5-star perfect. In fact, I would probably go so far as 3 1/2 stars.I love my Instant Pot, but I am one of those cooks whose negative past experiences with pressure cookers makes them approach any type of appliance that has the work "pressure" attached to it with a great deal of trepidation. Clark does a fine job of allaying fears with her thorough introduction, but her recipe instructions are not as thorough as other Instant Pot cookbooks I have, most notably, The Essential Instant Pot Cookbook: Fresh and Foolproof Recipes for Your Electric Pressure Cooker which does a far better job of step-by-step for the Instant Pot (along with many excellent recipes).Granted, Clark's book is written to cover pressure cookers, slow cookers (in the recipe notes) and other makers' multicookers, but for anyone who is new to the Instant Pot, this book is going to present some challenges with its lack of Instant-Pot-specific instructions. One thing that Instant Pot users know is that the pot will take forever to come to pressure if there is not enough liquid in the pot. Some of Clark's recipes do not have much liquid, but neither is it noted that you will be waiting a longer time than you might imagine for the pressure cooking to actually start.I also wish the ingredients were more geared to volume rather than number. As I mention below, "3 leeks" can be 3 cups or 4 cups, depending on the size of the leek. In fact most vegetables vary so much in size that this is potentially significant problem for a number of recipes in this book. Since the Instant Pot, and other pressure cookers, cook by volume, knowing that 3 cups of sliced leeks is the expected yield from 3 leeks would be much more helpful.Seasoned Instant Pot users will likely have no trouble figuring all of that out. For them, the main thing to know about this book is that it is not your typical cookbook, Instant Pot or otherwise. Clark is known for her adventurous recipes (and tastes) and if you are not on board that particular flavor train, you may find that this is not the book for you. I would recommend checking out her blog or her recipes in the NYTimes Cooking app to see if her recipes are the type that appeal to you.I am thrilled with the recipes in this book and, with few exceptions, will probably be cooking my way all the way through it. There are photos of almost every recipe....a big plus.— I love that she has not one, but several different yogurt recipes to try (regular, coconut and soy).— Her method for medium hard-boiled eggs is my favorite way to make hard-boiled eggs now.— Split Pea Soup with Ham Hocks is the fastest, most delicious split pea soup I've ever made. I used a chunk of a smoked ham from Whole Foods the first time I made it and we liked it much better than the smoked ham hock I used in the second go round. Could have simply been the quality of both, but the version with the ham was really good.— Moroccan Chickpeas with Kale is very delicious. The addition of tart dried apricots and even tarter preserved lemon toward the end ensured that I will make this again and again. (photo attached)— Coq au Vin Rosé is one of those "Why didn't I ever think of that?" recipes. Delicious.— Dulce de Leche. Yes, this is about the easiest way ever to make it. It is also one of the most dangerous things to have staring at you whenever you open your fridge. I find that I am doing exactly as Clark does - I'm eating his delicious, caramelly stuff by the spoonful. Little "dessert spoon" spoonfuls... but still.— Next up is the Braised Oxtail recipe. I imagine the Instant Pot, along with Clark's genius for flavor combinations, will be perfect for that.UPDATE: I made the Braised Oxtails. For a book entitled, "Dinner in an Instant," this recipe was too work intensive and took a long time to make. At one point, it seemed as though the amount of food was not going to fit below the Instant Pot MAX line. I would have appreciated more guidance from Clark here as to how much it was going to cook down.Because the Instant Pot does have a MAX line, it would be much more helpful if Clark included an approx weight or cup measurement of the ingredients. This recipe called for 3 leeks. My market only had huge leeks, but I had no idea whether that was okay or not. Same with the all of the vegetables. I had to take some of the ingredients out of the pot because they exceeded the MAX line.The resulting dish was absolutely delicious, however, and one of the richest meals to come out of my kitchen in a long time. A little bit goes a long way with this one. It is essential to serve this with mashed potatoes or cauliflower, a good bread, or something similar to counteract the richness of the meat.The Bottom Line: I love the recipes in this book, but may have to wait until I understand my Instant Pot more than I do before I tackle many of them. The instructions, at least in comparison to the Coco Morante book I mentioned, are not thorough enough to make me feel entirely comfortable enough to forge ahead without at least just a little better idea of Instant-Potting.
Top reviews from the United States
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Reviewed in the United States on October 17, 2017
Reviewed in the United States on October 18, 2017
I was surprised and happy to see an IP version of Maqluba, a Middle Eastern dish that is time and labor intensive. This is a dish I probably would never attempt on the stove but, I can see trying Melissa's version. Going to hunt down some lamb necks for the Lamb Tagine with Apricots and Olives.
There are so many outstanding recipes in this book. The Coconut Curry Chicken looks delicious. Really good instructions for making yogurt in the IP and I like that she does not shy away from using some heavy creme (optional) which really adds to the richness. There are the recipes you expect to see like Chili, pulled pork but, with a Cuban twist, brisket Korean style and of course baby back ribs. I'm looking to try the Duck Confit....There is a Green Persian rice with Tahdig that looks like something you'd see in Ottolenghi books. I'm so bad...I just ordered the non-stick liner for the IP so I can try this and a few others like the Maqluba that looks like it would be easier to unmold in a non stick liner. I didn't even mention the recipes for the soups, risottos, egg and the bean dishes. If you like desserts there is a nice assortment of puddings. I can't say enough nice things about this book. I hope there is a volume 2......
Simply the Best Cookbook out there for the Instant Pot!
Reviewed in the United States on October 18, 2017
This is by far the best cookbook I've seen for the Instant Pot and similar devices. The recipes are interesting, clever and well thought out with an international flare. Might it be a little intimidating for a newbie? Maybe, but persevere and it will be worthwhile and you will learn a lot as you go. I've been using my IP since 2014; Yet, today is the first day I attempted Salmon in the IP. ( I usually make it Sous Vide.) Melissa's Caramel Salmon looked so good I thought I'd give it a try. Frankly, I didn't think I was reading the instructions right, or maybe they left out something, because one of the basics of IP cooking is to always have 1 cup of water in the bottom so it comes to pressure.....But the liquid in the ingredients came to about 5 1/2 tablespoons and the juice of 1/2 lime.....not even enough to cover the bottom of the pot, but, that Salmon was wonderful, with great flavor and texture. I'll certainly be making that again....amazing....Reviewed in the United States on October 18, 2017
I was surprised and happy to see an IP version of Maqluba, a Middle Eastern dish that is time and labor intensive. This is a dish I probably would never attempt on the stove but, I can see trying Melissa's version. Going to hunt down some lamb necks for the Lamb Tagine with Apricots and Olives.
There are so many outstanding recipes in this book. The Coconut Curry Chicken looks delicious. Really good instructions for making yogurt in the IP and I like that she does not shy away from using some heavy creme (optional) which really adds to the richness. There are the recipes you expect to see like Chili, pulled pork but, with a Cuban twist, brisket Korean style and of course baby back ribs. I'm looking to try the Duck Confit....There is a Green Persian rice with Tahdig that looks like something you'd see in Ottolenghi books. I'm so bad...I just ordered the non-stick liner for the IP so I can try this and a few others like the Maqluba that looks like it would be easier to unmold in a non stick liner. I didn't even mention the recipes for the soups, risottos, egg and the bean dishes. If you like desserts there is a nice assortment of puddings. I can't say enough nice things about this book. I hope there is a volume 2......
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Top reviews from other countries
CG
Probably one of the VERY BEST cookbooks for a pressure cooker, multi-cooker or Instant Pot.
Reviewed in Canada on December 17, 2020