From Freezer to Instant Pot: The Cookbook

This book is also for those of us who love to shop supermarket sales and to stock the freezer. (Those of us in the know raid the grocery store’s meat case the day after any holiday.)

And it’s for people who routinely shop at big-box stores and walk out with a twenty-pound bag of frozen chicken breasts and a five-pound bag of frozen bell pepper strips. We’ve got you covered.

In other words, this cookbook is the ultimate convenience tool for the Instant Pot. These recipes allow you to store meat, poultry, and seafood in your freezer until the very moment you want to start cooking—and then, without thawing them at all, make a meal in a fraction of the time you’d need to defrost, let alone cook, a conventional meal. Now that’s the power of your Instant Pot pressure cooker.

Plus, we give you options galore! In most of these recipes, you can choose to use frozen or fresh vegetables (more on that in a bit—but never thawed frozen vegetables). Whenever possible, we expand the range of the recipes by giving you the choice to use fresh or dried herbs; and sometimes you’ve got the option to select from among several flavorful cooking liquids for the dish. Then there are the “road map” recipes that let you customize a classic dish exactly to your taste (and your pantry).

Let us repeat: You need not prep food in advance for any recipe in this book. You can use frozen vegetables and a frozen cut of meat as is. And you’ll never need to cut items up, mix them in a storage bag, freeze the thing, and cook it later on.

Sure, you can do a little prep if you want. If you’ve bought fresh meat on sale and want to freeze it, it will save you time later to remove the packaging as well as any “diaper” next to the meat (for more on that, see here). If necessary, cut the meat to the right size for use in a chosen recipe, then seal it in a storage bag and put it in the freezer for a couple of months until you’re ready to prepare the meal.

Or go a little further and put all the frozen fare for a recipe in a storage bag, then seal it and store it in the freezer until you’re ready to make dinner. However, please take note: Because we calibrated these recipes to work with room-temperature or refrigerated broths and other cooking liquids, you cannot put all the ingredients for a recipe in a pre-prepped bag. But why would you want to go to all that trouble anyway? This book is about making things easy.

So much good news, right? But let’s be honest about this special way to cook a meal in the Instant Pot. Yes, there’s a lot of social media chatter about cooking frozen fare in America’s favorite appliance. Well-meaning people offer advice like “just throw it in and add a couple of minutes.”

Maybe. We tried that. A lot. And we ended up with some horrifying results. Luckily for you, we ran so many kitchen experiments that we were able to create a chart with basic guidelines for cooking anything from frozen in your pot (see here).

All of which brings up a basic question: Why’s it so hard to develop a perfect recipe for cooking a meal straight from frozen?

First, frozen foods throw off a great deal of moisture as they thaw in the pot, swamping casseroles and braises. Sure, you can toss a bag of frozen chicken breasts in a casserole. But because of all the released liquid, you’ll probably end up with rice soup, no matter what you wanted.

Second, frozen foods cook at different times in the pot based on the thickness and density (not the weight) of the meat or vegetable. The advice to “add a few minutes” is decent enough for frozen boneless skinless chicken breasts (although we do have a way to make these better here). But that advice is mere drivel when it comes to a frozen round roast or a pork loin that ends up tough at its edges but cold (and raw) at its center.

And third, frozen ground meat presents a host of problems, including the fact that the meat stays in a lump even after it has cooked. Truth be told, working with a block of ground beef is not as simple as it sounds. We’ll explain more in our techniques section below—and much more in the headnotes to specific recipes.

In fact, many of the challenges facing frozen-to-dinner dishes are recipe-specific. There’s no one set of rules to cover the many (and sometimes strange) variables at play. (Frozen ground turkey ends up in strings!) In our general timing chart for common foods, our guidelines are for the specific cut on its own, not that cut in a dish with other ingredients.

In other words, most of the culinary education in this book happens in the recipes themselves—and specifically in the recipe headnotes. Yes, some of those prattle on a bit. But don’t skip them. You’ll learn why you need to treat your ingredients a certain way for each dish. After you’ve cooked a few recipes, you’ll be able to customize them as you like, using ours as templates.

But before you get cooking, we’ll offer some notes on general techniques, then we’ll answer a few Frequently Asked Questions (that is, FAQs).

But take note: The basic operation of the pot as well as the ins and outs of pressure cooking itself are missing from this introduction and the chapter introductions. Read the pot’s manual. And consider joining one of the Instant Pot Facebook groups where you can get all your questions answered. (We’re active in two of the biggest.) And check out our previous book, The Instant Pot Bible, for a much fuller introduction that delves into the scientific explanations and culinary tricks for making great food from one of the world’s favorite appliances.

Read These Nine Important Technique Notes Before You Get Started

1. Use our weights and volumes.

If you don’t, whatever you’ve got frozen may not fit in the pot. Thawed meat and vegetables are bendable; frozen stuff is rigid. In other words, a larger cut of meat than we call for might not fit in the pot. Besides, using the recipe’s stated weights and volumes is more important in pressure cooking than in oven cooking and way more important when cooking stuff from frozen because things must thaw and cook. One warning in advance: Pay particular attention to the size of bone-in or boneless skinless chicken breasts in the recipes.

2. Watch that MAX FILL line.

Frozen proteins are like icebergs. They sit in the sauce or braising ingredients and give off lots of water and other liquid as they warm up (that is, melt). If all the ingredients start out near the MAX FILL line inside the pot’s insert, they may be well above it when the frozen fare thaws—and thus may cause the pot to fail. Don’t add ingredients willy-nilly or double the amounts unless you’re sure there will be room for everything when the frozen stuff thaws.

3. Always remove the packaging from frozen food before cooking it.

We haven’t included this step in any recipe—and yes, it’s a pain in the neck. Slicing off the plastic wrapper and removing the Styrofoam container are generally not a big problem. But then there’s what’s called in butcher parlance the “diaper,” the little pad under the meat that’s made to absorb juices and liquid the cut may give off as it sits in the supermarket’s case. That diaper is tearable, even friable. Worse yet, it’s full of a gel that’s downright gross. Most of the time it peels neatly off beef and pork; unfortunately, it sticks like mad to poultry of all sorts.

Our best advice is to run the frozen block of chicken thighs or ground turkey under lukewarm water as you peel off the diaper in bits and pieces. Once you tear the diaper, it will leak a foam into your sink. You’ll want to clean your sink well afterwards. You’ll also need to nick some of the gel off the frozen meat with a paring knife (still under running water). Leave none of that gunk behind. You don’t want it in your dinner.

4. Be prepared to take extra steps to control soupiness, our bane when we were creating recipes for this book.

There’s no way to predict how much frozen water or other liquids are stored in any given package of frozen ground beef or bone-in chicken breasts. For example, chicken “injected with a solution” will release all of that solution into the pot as the meat thaws. And kosher chicken, which is essentially prebrined, stores lots more salty water in its meat than standard North American chicken does.

If a dish ends up soupier than you like, turn on the SAUTÉ function to MEDIUM, NORMAL, or CUSTOM 300°F after cooking under pressure and boil the stew or braise down a bit, stirring quite often. Sorry about this—we were able to eliminate most of the variables here, but this one proved intractable. We provide the timing that most often worked in testing.

Remember, too, that rice and pasta continue to absorb liquid after cooking—which means dishes that contain them may need to be set aside for only 5 minutes with the lid askew before the meal “tightens” up to the right consistency.

5. Break up frozen ground beef after it’s cooked.

As we indicated, frozen ground meat stays in a block, even after cooking under pressure. Breaking that block up is a bit of a chore. We suggest holding the block of cooked meat with a meat fork, then using the edge of a metal cooking spoon to break the block into smaller and smaller bits right in the pot’s insert—often down to the size of mini meatballs but sometimes even smaller (the individual recipes will guide you).

You can also lift the block of cooked meat out of the pot with kitchen tongs, put it on a nearby cutting board (preferably one with a trough at its edge), and use a knife to cut the ground meat into smaller bits, even shreds. In many cases, the meat will still be pink or red inside. No worries! In these recipes, the shredded meat undergoes a second cooking (either with the SAUTÉ function or under pressure), so the ground beef or turkey will eventually be cooked through.

6. Invest in a pair of kitchen shears.

They are the easiest way to cut up chicken thighs or tenders right in the pot. They’re also terrific at cutting ground beef into small bits in the pot. We call for them in any recipe only as an alternative technique, but we put the advice here in the hope you’ll spend ten bucks for a tool that can make these recipes even easier.

7. Use a rack or vegetable steamer only when necessary.

In most (but not all) cases, we use a rack or a large, open vegetable steamer to protect delicate or starchy ingredients sitting in the liquid underneath. (For another way to get around this problem, which can lead to the pot flashing its burn indicator, see note 8 below.)

Here’s the problem: Frozen foods take longer to come to pressure when they sit directly in a liquid. The food is super cold, the broth (or whatever) is at room temperature, and the frozen fare chills it—which means it takes longer to come to a boil, produce steam, and get the pot to pressure. However, once all that happens, the actual time under pressure is often shorter than recipes that use fresh or thawed meat because the frozen stuff has been sitting longer in liquid that has been steadily warming up. In other words, the frozen stuff has been cooking long before the pot comes to pressure.

By contrast, when frozen fare sits on a rack or a steamer in the pot, the liquid takes about the normal time to boil and produce steam under the meat—so the actual cooking time under pressure is now longer (because the meat wasn’t sitting in liquid getting increasingly warm as the cut thawed). Pay attention to the specifics of each recipe.

When we say the “pot’s rack” in a recipe, we mean the trivet that came with your machine. If you’ve lost yours or you have an older model without a trivet, order one. Or use a vegetable steamer that fits in the pot. In fact, for a couple of the rice casseroles in this book, you must use a large, open vegetable steamer (and not the rack or trivet) because these dishes use more liquid than some others and a steamer has taller feet that allow the frozen fare to sit up higher out of the liquid.

8. Sometimes, you must heat liquid until wisps of steam rise off it before adding the frozen food and putting the food under pressure.

This step is important when you’re dealing with starchy foods like rice and pasta. A block of frozen chicken thighs drops the temperature of the liquid in the pot so much that it takes longer to come to a boil and then gives any grains of rice or bits of pasta a chance to stick to the pot’s bottom before they start to dance in the boil. Therefore, you must heat the liquid to give it a head start on getting to a boil (and thus getting the pot to pressure) once you lock on the lid. In some cases, we take care of the “temperature drop” problem with a rack or a vegetable steamer (as in note 7). But in others, we set the frozen meat right in the liquid because we want to give it a braised (rather than a steamed) texture.

Why do we say to heat until you see “many or several wisps of steam?” Why don’t we just suggest bringing the liquid to a simmer? Because we don’t want to lose too much to evaporation. Wisps of steam are enough to ensure the success of the dish.

9. Note the difference in cooking times between items out of a standard freezer, which is usually set at 0°F, and those from a chest or “deep freeze” freezer, which is usually set at –20°F.

In most recipes, this difference in freezers makes no difference in cooking. (We tested every recipe with cuts at both temperatures to make sure.) But in some recipes, particularly those that use large or dense cuts of meat, the difference can be pronounced. Every recipe will tell you if you need to adjust the timing for foods that come out of a colder chest freezer. But please note: If your chest freezer is set at only 0°F, you don’t need to adjust the recipe.

A Few FAQs

1. Must I use frozen vegetables?

No. Most of the recipes were written so that you can use frozen (but not thawed) vegetables. Throughout the book, we’ll indicate when you can use frozen or fresh, whichever you have on hand. In a few instances, we’ll tell you when only frozen vegetables will work (because of timing in all cases). And we never call for frozen root vegetables except butternut squash cubes or unseasoned hash brown cubes (in which case the fresh vegetables will not work with the timing given).

By the way, if you buy prepped fresh vegetables from the supermarket (like chopped onion or celery), use the volume amounts stated for the frozen vegetables.

2. Where’s the frozen ground pork in these recipes?

We found that casseroles and stews were just too greasy when we used ground pork. (We make an exception for the burger road map here and suggest that you can use a 50-50 combo of ground beef and ground pork.) But tastes indeed vary. You might find ground pork more to your liking in any recipe. Or ground veal. Or ground goat. In all cases, there’s no change in the timing if the weight of the block of frozen ground meat is the same.

3. You always call for white basmati rice. Will other long-grain white rices work?

Yes, so long as they are not “converted” or “instant” rice. But many other varietals, particularly the generic long-grain white rice sold under a supermarket’s in-house brand, turn mushy under pressure. White basmati stands up more consistently. We allowed ourselves a bit of fussiness with this one ingredient. By the way, you cannot substitute medium-grain white rice like Arborio or brown rice of any sort for the white basmati rice without major alterations to the recipe. Mostly, these other rices will not work with the liquid and timings given.

4. Why are the timing charts in the recipes divided into two lines?

The lines differentiate between cooking a dish in the newer Max Instant Pot (which cooks at 15 psi, roughly the same pressure as a stovetop pressure cooker) and all the former models (which cook at 12.1 psi for HIGH). If you have a Max, you can use the top row of the chart. Everyone else needs to use the second row, pressing the appropriate button (or simply HIGH PRESSURE) as indicated by the recipe.

By the way, the Max machine does allow you to set the pot for the older HIGH setting—and you can certainly do so with these recipes, using the second line of the chart for your Max machine, thereby cooking at a slightly lower pressure (and a longer time) in your newer-model machine.

5. Why do some recipes give the instructions for only a 6-quart cooker?

Look in the Beyond section to find the adaptation necessary for an 8-quart pot. In almost all cases, you must make this adaptation. (We’ll let you know when you can but don’t have to.)

6. Where’s the option for a 3-quart cooker, the way you had it in your other Instant Pot book?

We nixed it because we felt this method of cooking was impractical in the smaller cooker. First, a frozen lump of chicken thighs or a rock-solid chuck roast won’t fit. Second, it’s hard to find ½-pound packages of frozen ground meat (so the recipe for the smaller cooker would require you to plan in advance, dividing and freezing that 1-pound package of ground beef). And third, the amount of released liquid from the thawed meat plus the broth or other liquids required to bring the smaller pot to pressure often ended up swamping the dish.

7. What about a 5-quart Instant Pot?

For a limited time, Instant Pot made a 5-quart model. That model is long out of production, so we’ve crafted this book for the Instant Pots currently on the market. Every recipe (except one—the frozen turkey breast) can be made in a 6- or an 8-quart model.

If you have a 5-quart pot, you may be able to prepare some of the recipes using the stated ingredients for a 6-quart pot, particularly the soups and stews. But be careful not to fill the pot over its MAX FILL line. Most of the pasta and rice recipes will cause sputtering during a quick release in the 5-quart pot. Some may even cause excessive foaming and make the pot fail.

8. You had a slow-cooking option for hundreds of recipes in The Instant Pot Bible. Why not here?

Because despite a million internet videos to the contrary, the USDA does not recommend cooking frozen fare in a slow cooker. Basically, the food sits too long at an unsafe temperature. Yes, by the time the slow cooker heats up and cooks for several hours, it may kill the pests (or most of them, depending on what has grown in that oversized petri dish). But even putting an end to the bad stuff doesn’t solve your problems. The bugs’, um, “residue” can make you ill. Please be safe. No dinner’s worth a hospital stay.

That said, the Pot Pie road map does use the SLOW COOK function to cook the biscuit topping once it’s put over the stew.

Let’s Get Cooking!

A Master Guide

TO COOKING

STRAIGHT FROM THE FREEZER IN THE INSTANT POT

Say you just want to cook something out of the freezer right now, without consulting a specific recipe. This chart is your guide. The timings that follow are based on cooking a cut of meat or a lump of seafood either in liquid or on a rack (or in a large, open vegetable steamer) over liquid. They are for the meat or seafood alone, not with other ingredients.

You’ll note that some of the timings here are different from those in individual recipes in this book. Sauce ingredients, vegetables, the viscosity of some liquids, and the coatings on a cut affect the timings in a recipe loaded with other ingredients.

These timings and amounts work in either a 6- or 8-quart Instant Pot.

FROZEN ITEM: Beef, burger patties, 6 oz. each (up to 4)

Use a rack or metal vegetable steamer in the pot?: Yes

Add how much water or broth?: 1½ cups

MAX pressure cooking time from a 0°F freezer: 22 minutes for pink or 25 minutes for no pink

MAX pressure cooking time from a -20°F chest freezer: 25 minutes for pink or 28 minutes for no pink

HIGH pressure cooking time from a 0°F freezer: 25 minutes for pink or 28 minutes for no pink

HIGH pressure cooking time from a -20°F chest freezer: 27 minutes for pink or 30 minutes for no pink

Release method: Quick

FROZEN ITEM: Beef, chuck roast, 2 lbs.

Use a rack or metal vegetable steamer in the pot?: No

Add how much water or broth?: 2 cups

MAX pressure cooking time from a 0°F freezer: 1 hour 20 minutes

MAX pressure cooking time from a -20°F chest freezer: 1 hour 30 minutes

HIGH pressure cooking time from a 0°F freezer: 1 hour 30 minutes

HIGH pressure cooking time from a -20°F chest freezer: 1 hour 40 minutes

Release method: Natural

FROZEN ITEM: Beef, chuck roast, 3 lbs.

Use a rack or metal vegetable steamer in the pot?: No

Add how much water or broth?: 2 cups

MAX pressure cooking time from a 0°F freezer: 1 hour 30 minutes

MAX pressure cooking time from a -20°F chest freezer: 1 hour 40 minutes

HIGH pressure cooking time from a 0°F freezer: 1 hour 40 minutes

HIGH pressure cooking time from a -20°F chest freezer: 1 hour 50 minutes

Release method: Natural

FROZEN ITEM: Beef, corned brisket, 3 lbs.

Use a rack or metal vegetable steamer in the pot?: Yes

Add how much water or broth?: 1½ cups

MAX pressure cooking time from a 0°F freezer: 1 hour 20 minutes

MAX pressure cooking time from a -20°F chest freezer: 1 hour 30 minutes

HIGH pressure cooking time from a 0°F freezer: 1 hour 30 minutes

HIGH pressure cooking time from a -20°F chest freezer: 1 hour 40 minutes

Release method: Natural

FROZEN ITEM: Beef, eye of round, 2 lbs.

Use a rack or metal vegetable steamer in the pot?: No

Add how much water or broth?: 2 cups

MAX pressure cooking time from a 0°F freezer: 55 minutes for pink or 1 hour 5 minutes for no pink

MAX pressure cooking time from a -20°F chest freezer: 1 hour for pink or 1 hour 10 minutes for no pink

HIGH pressure cooking time from a 0°F freezer: 1 hour for pink or 1 hour 20 minutes for no pink

HIGH pressure cooking time from a -20°F chest freezer: 1 hour 10 minutes for pink or 1 hour 20 minutes for no pink

Release method: Natural

FROZEN ITEM: Beef, eye of round, 3 lbs.

Use a rack or metal vegetable steamer in the pot?: No