The "I Love My Instant Pot®" 5-Ingredient Recipe Book is a new addition to the popular Instant Pot series - this one by Michelle Fagone. Due out 9th Feb 2021 from Simon & Schuster on their Adams Media imprint, it's 240 pages and will be available in paperback and ebook formats.
Electric pressure cookers have changed the face of home cooking, and
they're more popular than ever, with more programmable options and
different volume capacities and cooking programs. I admit that I love
the convenience factor for myself and that you can add ingredients and
come back to well cooked, tasty food that isn't overcooked or mushy.
Especially with vegetables, overcooking destroys a lot of the nutritive
value, so cooking more quickly is a definite benefit. This cookbook has
one huge benefit for me, it's convenient. None of the recipes require
more than 5 main ingredients (not counting spices and seasonings). At the end of a busy day of work, it's so great
to be able to (mostly) pop ingredients into the cooker, program it, and
come back to dinner.
The book's logical and appealing layout mean that recipes are easy to
find by category. The introductory chapter ~17% of the content) covers
some background, how to cook with an electric pressure cooker (it's much
MUCH easier and safer than people think), an FAQ on pressure cooking, a
little bit about protein and ingredients, and other general info.
The main recipes are grouped by category: breakfast, soups stews & chili, beans rice & grains, appetizers, side dishes, chicken mains, beef & pork mains, seafood & fish mains, vegetarian mains, and desserts. US/metric conversion chart and a cross referenced index are included at the back of the book.
Each recipe includes serving yields, special notes, and prep times. Recipe
ingredients are listed bullet point style along with optional
ingredients. All measurements are given in American standard measures
only. The directions
are given step by step, numbered sequentially. The nutritional
information is given in a footer under the recipes and includes
calories, fat, protein, sodium, carbs, net carbs, sugar, and fiber.
The recipes' ingredients are easily sourced and the resultant dishes are
family friendly and appealing to kids and adults. Roughly 20-25% of the recipes include photos. Everything is well done and I heartily
recommend the book overall. There are a number of these recipes which
have made it into my personal potluck recipe book of dishes to take to
group dinners and family gatherings.
Good recipes, full of hearty and satisfying food.
Four and a half stars. I would recommend it for busy cooks who are looking to increase their use of the instant pot in their own daily cooking. The book does rely heavily on pre-made seasoning mixes and ready-made ingredients (premade salsa in a jar for example). All of the recipes can be converted (with some effort) to avoid premade and convenience mixes/seasonings.
Disclosure: I received an ARC at no cost from the author/publisher for review purposes.
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