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Sunday, February 10, 2019

RECENT INSTANT POT COOKBOOKS: report...

RECENT INSTANT POT COOKBOOKS: report...
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There has been a slew of Instant Pot (IP) cookbooks: it has been one of the hottest selling  electric implement in the kitchen. It's an extremely versatile piece of equipment, performing about a dozen different uses. So no need for single-purpose appliances. It can pressure cook, slow cook, saute, steam (cook rice), bake (breads), make yogurt, and more. But it cannot do everything, such as broil a roast or sheet pan cooking. There is also a temptation in Instant Pot cookbooks to re-format typical and standard pressure cooker and slow cooker preps which have been around for about a century, contributing nothing new – just bringing them across from previous books to the new IP book. The only real problem with IP is: you might want (or have) to use two or more of its functions at the same time – you can't do it. So time management is here important.
 
 
3.HEALTHY INSTANT POT COOKBOOK (Alpha, 2018, 160 pages, ISBN 978-1-4654-7663-0 $19.99 USD paperbound) is by Dana Angelo White, RD. She provides very helpful information about the basic usage of the Instant Pot (with black and white photos) in nine pages, the longest stretch of the three books. For her, Instant Pot is a boon. Not only is it energy efficient and fast, but also it is healthier – the flavours and nutrients are locked in. So she has 100 light and simple preps for breakfast through to dessert, with meatless options. Along the way, she cuts back on fats (thus promoting a leaner mac 'n' cheese or lassagna). Each prep (such as caramel popcorn crunch) has symbols and words to indicate the program (e.g., pressure cooker), the pressure level (e.g., high) and the release (e.g., quick). Calories and cooking times are listed as well as nutrition per serving. The book could have been improved if it also used metric in the recipes, or at least had a metric conversion chart. Quality/price rating: 90
 
 
4.KETO IN AN INSTANT (Alpha, 2019, 160 pages, ISBN 978-1-4654-8073, $19.99 USD paperbound) is by Stacey Crawford, a blogger who has celiac disease. To her, good health is being grain-free and low-carb – the ketogenic diet. She too has 100 keto recipes for the Instant Pot in the breakfast to dinner range, with several gluten-free and paleo-friendly options. It is also possible to be dairy-free. She's got the nutrient breakdowns for each prep, as ell as the setting and the release modes. She's only got less than a couple of pages on the Instant Pot, with more space on the ketogenic diet. The two books nicely complement each other in their preps. The book could have been improved if it also used metric in the recipes, or at least had a metric conversion chart. Quality/price rating: 89.
 
 
5.FIX-IT AND FORGET-IT INSTANT POT COOKBOOK (Good Books Skyhorse, 2018, 228 pages, ISBN 978-1-68099-431-5 $19.99 USD paperbound) is by Hope Comerford, who has taken over from Phyllis Good, the original author of many Fix-It and Forget-It books which centred around the slow cooker. Well, maybe it is bye-bye time for the slow cooker and welcome to the Instant Pot!! It certainly frees up a lot of time and space in the kitchen. Like the other two recent books (see above), she has 100 recipes for the breakfast through dessert scroll. But unlike the other two she has tables of metric equivalents and a whole series of tips and tricks. She has indications for setting, pressure and release. But no nutritional data section. Most of the preps are from readers or followers of the Fix-It series. Quality/price rating: 88
 
 
6.THE MODERN MULTI-COOKER COOKBOOK (Ryland Peters & Small, 2018, 144 pages, ISBN 978-1-84975-973-1, $19.95 USD hardbound) is by Jenny Tschiesche, who also runs the UK nutrition website  www.lunchboxdoctor.com and develops recipes. Previously she had authored "Sheet Pan Cooking" for this publisher. Overall, what sets this book apart from the others above is that it is hardbound and it has 101 recipes (one more than any of the rest reviewed here) – and manages to keep the price to under $20. Indeed, it is the least expensive book here. That may be because it concentrates on recipes, keeping the IP material to just one page of small typeface with no illustrations. That promotes it to the "Intermediate" level, by assuming that the user already has an IP. It's arranged by course or ingredient, with breakfasts, soups, "speedy" suppers, rice and grains, curries and chillies, casseroles and roasts, sides, desserts. Also, the preps seem to be a bit more upscale, with carrot and cashew hummus, sweet potato and pancetta frittata, cod in parma ham with lemon butter and veggies, veggie biryani, Thai chicken with cauliflower rice, Malaysian chicken, and lamb tagine. The book could have been improved if it also used more metric in the recipes (it still had tablespoons and teaspoons), or at least had a metric conversion chart. Quality/price rating: 90.
 
 

Chimo! www.deantudor.com

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