All posts filed under: Ramblings

High Altitude Pressure Cooking Adustments

Published by Mike Vrobel

My question…do you know how long I would cook Instant Pot Pinto Beans at an altitude of 5000 ft? Commenter Rhonda V The rule of thumb for high altitude pressure cooking, Instant Pot or otherwise: For every 1,000 feet above 2,000-foot elevation, increase cooking time by 5 percent. In metric, that’s 5% for every 300 meters above 600 meters. Pressure Cooking Adjustment By Altitude Altitude Increase % Multiply Cooking Time By 3000 ft / 900 m 5% 1.05 4000 ft / 1200 m 10% 1.10 5000 ft / 1500 m 15% 1.15 6000 ft / 1800 m 20% 1.20 7000 ft / 2100 m 25% 1.25 Pressure Cook America Because I’m a habitual map looker, I stumbled across this list of the cities in the United States by elevation. Here are the cities with a population over 100,000 by elevation (according to Wikipedia): City State Altitude Population Increase % CO Springs CO 6035 feet / 1839 m 465,101 20% Centennial CO 5830 ft / 1777 m 110,250 15% Lakewood CO 5518 ft / 1682 m …

Pic Of The Week: Frankenstein Cheesecake

Published by Mike Vrobel

The University threw me out. They said I was disturbing things better left unknown. They called me mad, I tell you. Me? Mad? I’ll show them. I’ll show them all! Bwahahahahahaha…cough…ahem. Sorry, got a little carried away. We’ll see if avocado cheesecake works out; I have my doubts. Until then, here are some other cheesecake recipes to keep you entertained: Cheesecake Recipes Instant Pot Lemon Cheesecake Instant Pot Chocolate Cheesecake Instant Pot Caramel Apple Cheesecake And, my Instant Pot Pressure Cooker Recipes list. What do you think? Questions? Other ideas? Leave them in the comments section below. Enjoyed this post? Want to help out DadCooksDinner? Subscribe to DadCooksDinner via email and share this post with your friends. Want to contribute directly? Donate to my Tip Jar, or buy something from Amazon.com through the links on this site. Thank you.

Pressure Cooker Turkey and Black Bean Chili | DadCooksDinner.com

Throwback: Weeknight Turkey Chili

Published by Mike Vrobel

My kids are lobbying for chili, the grocery store has a sale on ground turkey, and my bean box has black beans. Time for some Turkey and Black Bean chili. Recipe: Pressure Cooker Turkey and Black Bean Chili Link: Pressure Cooker Turkey and Black Bean Chili Related Posts Pressure Cooker Quick Chili with Canned BeansInstant Pot Steak Chili Instant Pot Quick Turkey Chili with Canned BeansTurkey and Dried Black Bean Chili (Stovetop version)My other Instant Pot Pressure Cooker Recipes Enjoyed this post? Want to help out DadCooksDinner? Subscribe to DadCooksDinner via email and share this post with your friends. Want to contribute directly? Donate to my Tip Jar, or buy something from Amazon.com through the links on this site. Thank you.

Pressure Cooker 7 Hour Leg of Lamb (in 90 minutes)

Dad Cooks Easter Dinner 2019

Published by Mike Vrobel

Well, not really. Easter dinner is at my brother-in-law’s house this year, so I’m just bringing a dessert. But, maybe you’re looking for an Easter feast? Here are a few suggestions to get you going: Pressure Cooker 7 Hour Leg of Lamb (in 90 minutes) Rotisserie Fresh Ham with Injection Brine Grilled Ham with Honey Bourbon Glaze Rotisserie Whole Leg of Lamb with Orange and Fennel Dry Brine Now, my real Easter Dinner tradition is a grilled steak after Saturday night’s Easter Vigil mass. This is what my family used to do, back when I was growing up; nowadays, I skip the vigil mass and go on Easter morning…but I still cook those steaks to break our lenten fast on Saturday night. And, for me, “steak” means a ribeye: Cedar Plank Grilled Ribeye with Peppers and Onions Grilled Ribeye Delmonico Steaks with Tex-Mex Rub Grilled Tomahawk Steak (Long Bone Ribeye, Reverse Seared) What do you think? What are you cooking for Easter dinner? Talk about it in the comments section below. Enjoyed this post? Want …

A cracked oxo 1-cup measuring beaker

Measuring Cup Massacre (Another Kitchen Gadget Murder)

Published by Mike Vrobel

Nooo! I open my kitchen cabinet, and what do I see? Yet another gadget, cut down in the prime of life. Oh, the humanity! This is what I get for having agents of entropy do the dishes. (Those agents of entropy also know my kids.) A roving band of teenagers constantly remind me the universe trends towards chaos. No matter how many times I say “Gently! Careful! Easy there!”, they still bang stuff around like it’s made out of adamantium. This time, it was the 1-cup beaker from my set of Oxo Measuring Beakers. Sigh. Time to re-order. Kitchen gadgets aren’t supposed to be consumables, right? Oxo 7-Piece Measuring Beaker Set [Amazon.com] What do you think? Share your tales of kids destroying everything in the comments section below. Enjoyed this post? Want to help out DadCooksDinner? Subscribe to DadCooksDinner [via email] and share this post with your friends. Want to contribute directly? Donate to my [Tip Jar], or buy something from [Amazon.com] through the links on this site. Thank you.

Pressure Cooker and Oven Roasted Chickpeas | DadCooksDinner.com

Throwback Thursday: Crispy Chickpeas

Published by Mike Vrobel

I was chatting with a foodie friend at work, and she complained about cooking garbanzo beans. “Chickpeas!” I said. “They’re easy in the Instant Pot!” (Garbanzo beans! Chickpeas! Garbanzo beans! Chickpeas!) Then I told her about the joys of crispy chickpeas, especially when you cook them from dried. Now, you don’t have to cook them yourself – the recipe will work with canned chickpeas. But I’m always surprised by how much flavor home-cooked dried beans have compared to canned. If you’ve never cooked chickpeas, and you have an Instant Pot, you have to try them. Have to, I say! (Pounds fist on table.) Mia, this recipe’s for you: Recipe: Pressure Cooker and Oven Roasted Chickpeas Pressure Cooker and Oven Roasted Chickpeas – DadCooksDinner What do you think? Questions? Other ideas? Leave them in the comments section below. Related Posts Basic Recipe: Pressure Cooker Chickpeas Pressure Cooker HummusPressure Cooker Chickpeas with Toasted Parmesan Bread Crumb CrustMy other Pressure Cooker Recipes Enjoyed this post? Want to help out DadCooksDinner? Subscribe to DadCooksDinner via email and share this …

DadCooksDinner and the Scale of Doom – January 2019

Published by Mike Vrobel

Ugh. My weight has crept up again over the last year. (One of the occupational hazards of food blogging.) I want to weigh 225 pounds; I was so close last summer. Then I had hernia surgery and sat around for a couple of weeks recovering. More important, I stopped paying attention to what I ate at about that time and my weight started creeping up. To slow down the extra pounds, I started exercising a few months ago, determined to fill the exercise rings on my Apple watch. And, even though I’ve met my exercise goal for (checks phone) the last 131 days, my weight still went up. It seems to have leveled off, bouncing around 245 pounds for the last month or so. That’s…not good. It’s the New Year, and it’s time to carefully follow my rules for losing weight. Portion control is the big one – I keep reaching for a second helping, even when I know I shouldn’t. Wish me luck… What do you think? Questions? Other ideas? Leave them in the …

Happy New Year 2019

Published by Mike Vrobel

Happy New Year, everyone! Welcome to 2019. Sorry for the slow posting over the last week or so; first I was spending time with my family, then I got a nasty ear infection that knocked me down for a few days. Here’s a look back at some of my most popular posts from 2018, top 5 list style: Top 5 new recipes for 2018 Pressure Cooker Asian Zing Chicken Wings (From Frozen)Pressure Cooker Baby Potatoes with Butter and ParsleyPressure Cooker Pork Steaks, St. Louis BBQ StylePressure Cooker Oreo CheesecakePressure Cooker Beef Back Ribs Texas BBQ Style Top 5 non-recipe articles from 2018 Review: Instant Pot Ultra 6 Quart (vs Instant Pot Duo Plus 6 Quart)What to Do if I Dump Liquid Into My Instant Pot Without the Pot LinerHow to Fix Instant Pot Quick Release Spraying StarchIs Instant Pot Delay Start Safe to Use?Reader Survey: Pressure Cooking Frozen Chicken Drumsticks? Top 5 Holiday Recipes in 2018 New Year’s Day: Pressure Cooker Black-Eyed PeasEaster: Pressure Cooker 7 Hour Leg of Lamb (in 90 minutes)Father’s Day: Grilled …

A plate of cookies and a glass with candy canes in front of a Christmas tree with streaky lights

Merry Christmas 2018

Published by Mike Vrobel

Merry Christmas, everyone! Happy holidays to you and yours, and thank you for following along on my cooking adventures in 2018. (The “beams of Christmas lights” is a trick I learned from Tony & Chelsea Northrup’s YouTube channel. Thanks, Chelsea!) Enjoyed this post? Want to help out DadCooksDinner? Subscribe to DadCooksDinner via email and share this post with your friends. Want to contribute directly? Donate to my Tip Jar, or buy something from Amazon.com through the links on this site. Thank you.

Fagor America is now Zavor

Published by Mike Vrobel

ZAVOR is the inspired creation of the team behind Fagor America. After closing its doors, the minds behind the top pressure cooker brand in the country put all their efforts into continuing the product line on their own terms, enter ZAVOR. ZavorAmerica.com I was worried we were losing the Fagor line of pressure cookers. Great news! I was wrong! Zavor has risen from the ashes of Fagor America. My long-time favorite stovetop cooker, the Fagor Duo, is back as the Zavor Duo (along with the Zavor Elite, a Macy’s exclusive, and the Versa, a Bed Bath and Beyond exclusive..) Even better, the Fagor Lux electric pressure cooker line is now the Zavor Lux, Lux Edge, and Lux LCD, all in 4-, 6-, and 8-quart sizes. They’re my favorite “Non Instant Pot” electric pressure cookers, and I’m glad they’re still around to keep Instant Pot on their toes. Zavor fixed a couple of my complaints from earlier models. They changed the gasket holder on the 8-quart lids, and they added a “Mute” feature to stop the …