I wasn’t in my sewing room much last week, so I thought I’d share some of what I’ve done in the Kitchen. I have an electric pressure pot, but it’s not the popular Instant Pot. I have found that the recipes are basically the same.
My most favorite “dish” to cook in the electric pressure pot is Hard Boiled Eggs. I’ve always struggled when making Hard Boiled Eggs, because I dreaded peeling them. It seems I would pull off most of the egg whites when removing the shell.
Now the shells of my Hard Boiled Eggs just slide off. I frequently make a dozen Hard Boiled Eggs and put them in the refrigerator for breakfast, salad or just plain snacking.
Another favorite “recipe” is making Baked Potatoes. It is so simple.
- Just wash the potatoes (I usually do three medium-to-large Russet Potatoes),
- Slice nearly in half,
- Rub the skin with olive oil and sprinkle a bit of Kosher Salt,
- Place on rack in the Pressure Pot,
- Add 1 to 1-1/2 cups of water (per your electric pressure pot’s instructions),
- Set for 20-25 minutes (I just select any button that allows me to adjust the time)
- After cooking time has ended, do a Quick Release (carefully turn the to allow the steam to be released)
- Honestly, if the rest of the dinner isn’t ready, I just let the potatoes set in the pot to keep warm
Cooking Baked Potatoes in an electric pressure pot still takes some time. Cooking time is 20-25 minutes, but it takes 10-15 minutes to raise the pressure before it starts the timed cooking. If I let it Natural Release (drop pressure without releasing the steam quickly). it takes another 10-15 minutes.
Sometimes I cook Sweet Potatoes the same way and top with butter, cinnamon and a little brown sugar.
Yesterday I made Spaghetti and Meat Sauce in my Pressure Pot. I basically follow the recipe I printed from a Blog I follow – Instant Pot Spaghetti by Smashed Peas & Carrots. I’ve made it a couple of times and am happy with how it comes out.
First I assembled the simple ingredients. It uses a 24 oz jar of sauce, but you want you could substitute 3 cups of homemade sauce. I was going for quick and simple so I just grabbed a jar of sauce. Look closely at the box of pasta. It is a pound of spaghetti, but it is short and fits the pot better.
Her recipe calls for browning the ground beef & sautéing the onions & garlic in the pressure pot by selecting the Sauté feature. I like to drain the fat off the ground beef (trying to be a bit healthy) and find it easier to use my cast iron skillet.
All ingredients are layered into the pot, beginning with the Ground Beef & Onion/Garlic mixture. I like using the short Spaghetti. It is still a full pound of pasta but no need to break the long noodles in half to fit into the pot. The noodles must be covered/wet. I found that if I put about 1/3 of the noodles on top of the ground beef, then add the canned tomatoes, repeat a layer of 1/3 of the noodles and then add 1/2 jar of sauce, and finally layer the last 1/3 of the spaghetti and finish with the remaining sauce and jar of water, I have fewer ‘clumps’ of stuck together noodles. The recipe only calls for some dry Basil, but you can add other herbs/spices that you might want.
After only 8 minutes cooking (plus about 10 minutes to build up steam before the cooking countdown begins), followed by a quick release and a good stir, your Spaghetti with Meat Sauce is ready to serve! If it is a bit soupy, just stir it while either using the Keep Warm feature or the Sauté feature. The pasta does not stick to the pot, but for good measure I usually spray the pot with cooking spray (like Pam).
This makes a lot of Spaghetti and there is only the three of us. As pasta will do, the leftovers will continue to soak up the sauce. So you may want to have additional sauce to put on your Spaghetti the next day.
This week I promise to spend more time in the Sewing Room than in the Kitchen.
Hope you are getting some stitching done!
Happy Stitching!
Quilt Mouse
QuiltMouse 
Yum, looks delicious!! Nothing like a slow cooker meal simmering while you sew.
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