Super Shortcut Instant Pot

GARLIC HERB CHEESE

GENERAL COOKING CHARTS

These charts will come in handy when you want to make your own creations. Just bear in mind that these are loose guidelines, as the dish or sauce you’re making may require slightly altered ratios and times depending on what you’re making and adding to each dish (be it meat or veggies).

PASTA

If making whole-wheat pasta, cut the package’s suggested minimum cook time in half, then subtract 1 minute for softer pasta or 2 minutes for al dente pasta.

If making gluten-free pasta, halve the suggested Pressure Cook time in the chart above.

You can’t pressure cook chickpea or lentil pasta. It will turn to mush. Believe me, I’ve tried.

If making pasta without a sauce, drain the excess liquid before serving.

If using a long noodle such as spaghetti or linguine, you must break it in half before adding to the pot. True, some Italian grandmothers may chase you with their rolling pins for doing so, but if you don’t, it won’t fit or cook properly.

Always add 2 tablespoons butter or oil to the pot to prevent sticking.

Be mindful of doubling pasta because that’s double the starch, which could cause some bubbly sputtering from the valve when releasing the pressure. Remember, each of my recipes will feed up to six (some would argue eight), but if you really want to double a pasta dish, do it in an 8-quart pot since there’s more room. When doubling a pasta—especially if it contains veggies and proteins—I’d only add an additional half of the given amount of broth and seasonings. This will prevent the dish from becoming too soupy with liquids from the veggies and proteins, or too spicy or salty from the seasonings (but this can be a trial and error process depending on the recipe). The cook time would remain the same as written.

POULTRY

All cook times are the suggested general times and will vary based on the quality, cut, and size of meat, as well as the dish you are using it in.

For frozen cuts of meat, add 10–15 minutes of cook time. For a frozen whole chicken, duck, or turkey, thaw before cooking.

RICE & GRAINS

*For brown rice, you can go for 15 minutes with a 5-minute natural release for al dente rice and 25 minutes with a 10-minute natural release for softer rice.

Cook your grains in broth instead of water to really enhance the flavor!

Some people use a special rice measuring cup when measuring their rice, but I’ve found it works just as well to use a regular measuring cup, the same as you would with liquid, for the ratios above.

MEAT

All cook times are the suggested general times and will vary based on the quality, cut, and size of meat, as well as the dish you are using it in.

For frozen cuts of meat that are bite-size or larger chunks, add 5–10 minutes of cook time. For a frozen whole roast or pork shoulder, I strongly suggest thawing before cooking, but if you just don’t have the time for that, or simply forgot and have a hungry crew to feed, add another 15–20 minutes of cook time for a roast between 3 and 6 pounds.

SEAFOOD

All cook times are the suggested general times and will vary based on the quality and size of the seafood, as well as the dish you are using it in.

If using frozen seafood, increase the Pressure Cook Time by 1 minute for shrimp and 2 minutes for everything else.

BEANS & LEGUMES

All cook times are the suggested general times and may vary based on the dish you are using the beans in.

VEGETABLES

All cook times are the suggested general times and may vary based on the dish you are using the vegetables in.

If veggies are frozen, add 1–2 minutes more.