Considering purchasing an Instant Pot, or upgrading your current Instant Pot? I’ve listed this short guide on the latest upgrades Instant Pot has introduced to their new product.
I’ve also included a quick and easy recipe, which highlights just how easy it is to use an Instant Pot to make amazing, tasty meals!
Table of Contents
- What is so good about Instant Pots?
- Instant Pot DUO Plus 9-in-1 vs DUO 7-in-1
- Recipe: Instant Pot Chicken in Red Wine Sauce
- FAQs
- Instant Pot Duo vs Duo Plus: Both Are Good!
What is so good about Instant Pots?
The idea behind pressure cooking is a very old method. In recent years, there have been some new generations released, and the shift from a stovetop to an appliance cookware product has really improved the safety and ease of pressure cooking.
Why should I buy an Instant Pot?
Healthy
Instant Pots are a great way of cooking tasty, healthy meals, in a method that locks in all the nutrients and moisture, providing seriously juicy meats with all the nutrients, while preserving the fiber in vegetables.
Ability to cook
Instant Pots are great cookware appliances thanks to their low use of energy, reduce cooking time by up to 70%, and gets rid of the need to defrost your food!
Instant Pots are also great for tenderizing tough cuts of meat compared to normal cooking methods. It also prevents your food from scorching to the inside of the pot.
Other functions
Not only can Instant Pots be used as a pressure cooker, but they can be used to bake, brown, boil, steam roast, poach, braise, stew or roast your food!
Safety
Thanks to the shift from stovetop to electrical appliances, pressure cookers are much safer than before. Instant Pots work as a set-and-forget product. Once you’ve programmed and started your cook. It will alert you when the food is ready!
Not only this but Instant Pots are kitted out with many safety features so leaving your Instant Pot can be left unattended during the cooking process.
Materials
The quality from which these pots are made is corrosion-resistant, making it the best in terms of durability.
It is good to note that you are best to use wooden or silicone utensils with your Instant Pot. Some have a non-stick coating on the interior and metal utensils will scrape this off!
Instant Pot DUO Plus 9-in-1 vs DUO 7-in-1
Similarities of both Instant Pot DUO Plus 9-in-1 vs DUO 7-in-1
Firstly, I will run through the similarities of both the products. Both products are actually pretty similar. I have the comparisons listed below before indulging in the differences!
Common features of both Instant Pots
- Teflon coating on interior
- Dishwasher safe
- Comes in 3, 6 and 8 quart sizes
- Convenient, fast cooking with a one-touch program
- Easy to use panel
Differences between Instant Pot DUO Plus 9-in-1 vs DUO 7-in-1
New features in the DUO Plus 9-in-1
- Cake/ egg function
- Sterilize mode
The Cake/egg function is a new pre-set that is a one-touch function that can make up to 9 perfectly hard-boiled eggs!
The cake pre-setting has three different modes in which it can cook cakes at high pressure for different lengths of time
- Less setting: 25 minutes – for New York style cheesecakes
- Normal setting: 40 minutes – light, moist cakes
- More setting: 50 minutes – denser, moist cakes
Another great function of the 9 in 1 is the sterilization function. This can be used to sterilize your utensils, or even pasteurize milk!
Steam- release button
The Duo Plus button has a steam release button which is a great new addition. In many Instant Pot recipes, you’re required to manually let the steam release, which could take between 5-30 minutes. This new addition cuts this time out using this easy steam-release button.
Display panel
The display panel on the 9-in-1 is larger and easier to use. There are the extra preset buttons for sterilization and cake/egg function.
Different pressure settings
Also unlike the Instant Pot Duo 7-in-1, the 9-in-1 model can be changed mid-cycle.
For example, you can change from high to low-pressure mid-cycle, or change the cooking mode altogether at any stage of the cooking process.
Recipe: Instant Pot Chicken in Red Wine Sauce
Follow this really easy recipe to make the tastiest chicken infused with many, seasonings and red wine. It’s sure to impress your family or dinner guests!
Ingredients
- 1 tbsp Olive oil or vegetable oil
- 3 ounces of back bacon, smoked or unsmoked. Cut into small lardons
- 6 boned, skin-on chicken thighs – trim excess fat
- 1 cup of red wine, I recommend a full bodied, Bordeaux
- 2 garlic cloves, minced
- 1 tbsp tomato paste
- 0.5 teaspoon dried thyme
- 1 bay leaf
- 3 tbsp unsalted butter
- 0.5lbs of button mushrooms (quarter if large)
- 1 tbsp all-purpose flour
- 0.25 – 0.5 low sodium chicken stock
- Buttered broad noodles
- Salt and pepper (to taste)
Recipe
Chicken in Red Wine Sauce Using Instant Pot
Add ingredients
Set your Instant Pot to the sauté function. Add 1 tbsp of olive oil to the pot. Fry off the bacon until exterior is lightly browned, for approximately 2 minutes. Transfer the bacon to a plate. There should be about 3 tbsp of oil left in the pressure cooker. If not, add another tbsp of olive oil.
Cook chicken
Ensure your chicken thighs are dry using a paper towel. Add them to the pressure cooker (may need to be done in batches). Cook until the skin is golden on all sides, taking approx 7-8 minutes. Transfer chicken to a plate. Turn off sauté function.
Pause and add
Stir in your wine to the olive oil. Scrape any browned bits from the bottom of the pot with a wooden spoon (not metal!). Add garlic, tomato paste, thyme, and bay leaf. Season with salt and pepper and stir. Return the bacon and chicken thighs to the instant pot, along with any of the from the plate. Arrange the chicken so that the skin side is down, which will allow the chicken to absorb more color and flavor. Cook on high pressure for 25 minutes.
Make mushrooms
While this is cooking, heat a medium pan and add 2 tbsp of butter over a medium-high heat until bubbles begin to form. When foamy, add the mushrooms and fry, tossing the mushrooms until they are tender and lightly browned all over. this may take about 5 minutes. Lightly season with salt and pepper, remove from heat source and allow to cook.
Mash
In a small bowl, mash the flour and the remaining 1tbsp of butter to form a smooth paste. This is your beurre manié.
Cook noodles
When the pressure cooker reaches the time, you’ll need to manually release the steam. Let the instant pot sit until the pressure naturally releases. While this is happening, it would be worth starting the buttered broad noodles. Boil a pot of water and add the noodles and cook until ready.
Transfer
Transfer the chicken to a plate and leave the liquid in the pot and discard your bay leaf.
Make sauce
Set the sauté function on, bringing the remaining liquid in the instant pot to a simmer. Using a whisk, beat in the beurre manié until the sauce becomes glossy and coats the back of a spoon. If the sauce becomes too thick, add in the stock, starting with 1 tbsp.
Adjust
Taste and adjust the seasoning, adding salt and pepper as needed.
Combine and enjoy
Reintroduce the chicken to the pressure cooker, along with the mushrooms. Heat until satisfied and serve with your buttered broad noodles. And enjoy!
FAQs
Can you leave a pressure cooker unattended while in use?
Pressure cookers are safe to leave unattended while cooking, but I would not recommend leaving the house while they are in use. After all, they still are electrical appliances.
What other alternative is there to pressure cooking?
If you’re looking for a substitute for pressure cooking, there are so many options, some of which you might already have! Check out my other blog post on this topic and see for yourself, by clicking through the link.
Can you use an Instant Pot for frying?
You cant use an Instant Pot for frying. If you’re looking for a product that works really well as a fryer, maybe an air fryer is the product for you. I have a separate blog post outlining the key differences between a pressure cooker and an air fryer, so check it out!
Instant Pot Duo vs Duo Plus: Both Are Good!
Both products are great in their own right. If you already have the Instant Pot Duo 7-in-1 (aka the Instant Pot Duo), it’s important to consider if the extra functions of the duo plus are worth it.
That being said, the steam release button is a great new feature in the Instant Pot Duo Plus (aka the 9-n-1). This is good if you’re making lots of recipes that require manual steam release.
Either way, both products are a great addition to your kitchen. You’ll find it become your go-to appliance for easy dinner making!
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