What's for dinner? (recipes) (2)

[Emily]

Oh Star. I'd love an Instant Pot. Actually, the one I want isn't technically an Instant Pot. But it's similar. But I keep waffling on whether or not to buy it. Most of the multicookers are too tall to sit on my counter. So trying to sort it out.

I love apple cake too, Cookie. And I love cream cheese frosting. Often they're a bit too sweet for me. But I use less sugar, so you still get that nice cream cheese tang. Cream cheese frosting's tricky cuz it can be a bit soft. But if you add a little corn starch, it sets up nicely, and doesn't affect the flavor. Everything I've read says that you can add up to 1/2 cup corn starch to frosting without affecting the flavor. I add 1/4 cup to my cream cheese frosting, since it makes it a little more firm, and allows me to put less sugar, but I've never added more than that. (Just a trick I finally learned after many disasters...lol) So it's just cream cheese frosting with 1/3 cup dulce de leche in it. Dulce de Leche is a little hard to find here. Walmart carries it, but they were out, and none of my regular shops carry it. It's possible to make your own without too much trouble, but I just ordered the cans. I think it's more readily available in the south.

I'll post the recipe here when I get a chance for the cake. It's fairly simple.

[Overcome]

I have the instant pot, and honestly to me it’s all one big fat lie ..... yes it’s 4 minutes to cook eggs, but 10 minutes to make a seal and pressurize and 10 more to let the pressure naturally release, more than the time it takes me to do it on the stove..... same thing with all recipes, you have to add the time it takes to pressurize and the time it takes to release pressure so unless you regularly cook from frozen (meat) I hate it. I never use it, and would gladly sell mine with all the (steamer rack, cheesecake pan, ceramic pot, egg holder, etc.) to anyone who would love it, but I think it’s a waste. I’m a slow cooker girl through and through....
there’s no way to check on things you have to trust it, and I have mistimed 2/3 of everything I’ve tried in it, having to through it out because if I pull out chicken and it’s raw in the middle I freak out and have to throw it all away. I have wasted more money on that dang instant pot than is sane. I even had it replaced under warranty thinking it was an improper seal because I followed the recommended cooking guidelines and it comes out raw in the middle. Soooooo not worth the money,

[Starship]

Ohhhh boo! I haven’t heard this from anyone before. That’s disappointing, Overcome. Do you have an old version? Do you mind me asking what kind you got? There are several on the market. I LOVE my crock pot slow cooker as well. That’s pretty much how I’ve been cooking. But I was really hoping the instant pot would broaden my “abilities”...lol

[Catie]

Overcome, that sounds awful. That does sound like kind of a bait and switch about being a time-saving device. I'm sorry to hear things have gone so badly with it.

You slow-cooker lovers, a question. Every time I tried to cook beef in a crockpot, it came out feeling/tasting so dry (I used appropriate liquid). What do you do to overcome that? I love roasts and beef stew, but they were blech when I used a slow cooker. I gave my crockpots away before I moved, but there are several at my dad's. I could try again....

[cookie]

catie, are you searing your meat before you put it in the crock pot? it only takes a few mins over a high heat in your skillet. i just put a little oil in the pan and season the roast as i turn it to sear it on all sides. it really helps keep the liquids in the roast instead of letting them cook out. also, i only do roasts, etc. on low. my crock pot gets too hot on high and it will dry things out more. a large onion sliced into half inch sections under the roast will also help keep it up a little, and if you cook veggies with it (like potatoes/carrots) you put the roast on top, instead of the veggies. i still put maybe a quarter cup of broth or stock in there, but if you have too much liquid, it will boil and actually dry out your meat. i hope some of this helps. (((((((((hugs))))))))))

[Starship]

Catie, the only beef I’ve made in the crock pot has been beef burgundy and I used top sirloin cut into 1 inch squares. It cooks beautifully each time. I put the meat on the bottom and everything else on top so veggies deep down into meat. The longer I cook it, the more it falls apart easily. I’ve never had it dry out. (Also never lift the lid until it’s done.)

[Emily]

Hey Catie. Agree with Cookie on searing the meat before putting it in. It could also depend on the cut of beef. Some cuts do better in long cooking, some short. Some do better as braises, and some less liquid. For pot roast and beef stew, I nearly always use chuck..just because it cooks so well for those preparations. It's a cut with a bit more fat, but that helps keep it nice and moist.

[Catie]

Thanks, ladies! I really appreciate the tips. If I get brave and grab one of the crock pots from over there, I will use your comments as a reference. I seriously gave up on beef in a crock pot a long time ago because of whatever mistakes I must have made. I felt more confident with chicken. So, now, I'm not positive of what I did in the past. I do remember searing beef roasts first. But it's entirely possible that I peeked, or that I put too much liquid.

[Overcome]

I do okay with beef in crock pot but I haven’t done it often... I do more chicken and pork in the crock than beef.

I have a 6 qt, 16 setting instant pot ..... i purchased it a year ago but the one I have in my house is only 8 mo old, it didn’t cook the first thing I tried after I opened it from the exchange and I haven’t used it since. I had to send the box back when I had it replaced under the warranty. Yes, to me, the lie of the time just completely negates the whole worth of the instant pot because i can’t check on it, and it ruins things . The cheesecake does always turn out. Lol. But definitely not worth it to continue to use it. I haven’t had it back out in months because it just sucks. And because I have bad luck with it, I stress. The manual says it should take 10 minutes to pressurize, but sometimes it takes more like 17 before the clock switches from the lines to the timer (meaning it’s pressurized) so it definitely is just a total waste because those extra seven minutes I’m like oh lord it’s ruining everything in there, oh lord, oh lord, oh lord. It does have a slow cooker setting which I don’t use because I have a crock pot and I have the pampered chef version of a crock pot so I don’t bother. But maybe it will work if I try that one when it takes that long to pressurize the time savings of the cook time (begins after pressurization) don’t even mean anything to me because my stress level is through the roof.

[Catie]

So sorry that cooker didn't work out and was so frustrating and stress-inducing, Overcome! Sheesh...