Instant Pot Bible: The Next Generation

You probably think it’s not worth the effort to drag out big kitchen equipment first thing in the morning. You’re wrong. The Instant Pot makes some fine porridges, as well as breakfast treats that can perk up a Monday morning. Sometimes, you might want to pull out all the stops. For those days, check out our recipes for Shakshuka (here) and a New England favorite, Red Flannel Hash (here).

Don’t worry: Not every recipe in this chapter is grandiose. Lots are for a simple hot cereal. In the original Instant Pot Bible, we have plenty of those, too, almost all using steel-cut oats. Those can be prepared right in the pot’s insert.

The recipes in this book, by contrast, call for standard rolled oats. As you’ll see, these require the pot-in-pot (PIP) method to 1) prevent scorching, and 2) get the best results.

Speaking of the PIP method (and for more information, see here in the introduction), pay special attention to the size of the required baking dish in this chapter. Some recipes call for a 1-quart, 6-inch-round, high-sided, pressure-safe baking or soufflé dish; others, for a 2-quart, 7-inch-round one. The two are not interchangeable.

The same advice goes for our three breakfast cakes that get “baked” in a 7-inch-round springform pan. Don’t be tempted to swap it out for a different size.

Since we sound a bit like culinary scolds, we might as well press on. You must pay attention to whether we ask you to cover the baking dish, springform pan, or egg-bite mold. Our timings are based on that added insulation (when it’s needed). What’s more, this whole covering bit is a little more complicated than at first glance: Some recipes ask you to seal the cover to the dish, pan, or mold; others, to loosely cover it so that things inside are protected but can expand; and some others don’t ask you to cover the pan at all. What’s more, a few recipes ask you to lay a paper towel over the top of a baking dish to protect a coffee cake or breakfast treat from drips off the underside of the lid. It’s a little extra effort up front to save a lot of disappointment later.

But breakfast is not just about baked goods: We also have a list of egg dishes using egg-bite molds, as well as pancake bites using those same molds — and made with purchased pancake mix, to boot! (For more information on these molds, check out the fuller description here of the introduction. Or watch our videos on our YouTube channel, Cooking with Bruce and Mark, for up-close visuals.)

Finally, an admission: We’ve included no yogurt recipe in this chapter. Why? Not every model of the IP has a yogurt function. Sure, people make yogurt in the pot without the special button. Out in the Wild West of the internet, you can find a wide variety of suggestions on how to get the job done. Truth be told, many of those solutions do not meet USDA safety requirements, which we must follow. Heating a pot with only the KEEP WARM function, turning the pot off, and wrapping it in a big bath towel for eight hours does not result in a constant temperature inside. Your safety is at risk. There are too many variables, such as how tightly you wrap the pot and how hot or cold your house gets. Just be safe. Make yogurt if your model can. Follow the manufacturer’s instructions. Don’t play Russian roulette with your digestive tract.

Instead, pick a morning to drag out a big piece of cooking equipment and make some fine egg bites, oatmeals, pancake bites, or even breakfast cakes. You might not have expected it, but these are some of the best reasons to own an Instant Pot.