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Pressure Cooker Pumpkin Cheesecake

November 14, 2017 by Mike Vrobel 14 Comments

Hey Dad, I like the Pumpkin Spice Cheesecake!

Oh no. No. Nonononono. I went over to the dark side. I've joined…the Pumpkin Spice zombies! (Join us…join us…mmrrmmm...pumpkin spice...mrmmmm...)

But…but this cheesecake is so good! I have to share it!

(Music Break!)

Ahem. Sorry. Pumpkin spice is towering over the food world right now. (I picture it like Godzilla wearing a Halloween pumpkin head.) But seriously, this is a fantastic fall dessert. I'm making a couple of these cheesecakes for Thanksgiving dinner.

I know pressure cooker cheesecake seems strange, but using the pressure cooker as a steamer is a great trick. The key to pressure cooker cheesecake is a 7-inch springform pan - just large enough to fit in a 6 quart Instant Pot. (Or Fagor Lux, or any other 6 quart electric pressure cooker - they're all roughly the same size.)

And, as much as I love pressure cooker cheesecake, I had to change my cheesecake technique for this recipe. The change: do NOT cover the cheesecake pan with foil. This recipe puffs up as it cooks...and sticks to the foil, making a mess of the top. Once I got rid of the foil, I found out how much it was slowing down the cooking, too. I cut the cooking time to 20 minutes without foil. And finally, foil makes the cheesecake cook unevenly - I'd wind up with the outside cooked, but the middle still soupy. So, no more foil on the cheesecake!

(Why did I foil the cheesecake? To protect the cheesecake from steam. Turns out, the steam is no big deal. If water condenses on top. of the cheesecake, I dab it off with paper towels, and the cheesecake is fine.)

Recipe: Pressure Cooker Pumpkin Cheesecake

Pressure Cooker Pumpkin Cheesecake - Step by Step Tower | DadCooksDinner.com — Pressure Cooker Pumpkin Cheesecake - Step by Step Tower

What do you think?

Questions? Other ideas? Leave them in the comments section below.

Pressure Cooker New York Cheesecake
Pressure Cooker Salted Caramel Cheesecake
My other Pressure Cooker Recipes
My other Pressure Cooker Time Lapse Videos

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Things I Love: Pinch Bowls

November 2, 2017 by Mike Vrobel 9 Comments

A few of my pinch bowls | DadCooksDInner.com — A few of my pinch bowls

Get your %@#$ together with your @#$%$#@ing Meez
-Anthony Bourdain, Kitchen Confidential

Mis En Place - from the French “Everything in its place” - is how professional chefs think about their work. They have to have Mis En Place - shortened to Meez in the hustle of a restaurant kitchen. To serve hundreds of meals a night, everyone needs their prep work done, and to know exactly where it is at all times. “Get your Meez together”...usually punctuated with a few choice words...means that you’re not ready, that you’re falling behind.

Meez is a great idea in home kitchens, too. Now, I don’t go as far as professional chefs. I’m only cooking a few dishes at once, and I can multitask my onion chopping while the meat browns, and make the salad dressing while the pasta boils - but I can feel the difference once I have everything prepped and ready to cook. Everything slows down, and all I have to do is cook. That’s when I can relax, and enjoy the process.

(Unless I’m cooking a stir fry. I have to have everything ready to go before I start heating the pan - a stir fry moves too quickly to be prepping my meez once I’ve started.)

FCC Notice: My "Things I Love" posts are not sponsored - I paid for everything myself, and use them in my own kitchen. I am an Amazon affiliate, though. Any purchases you make through the links on this site will earn me a small commission, and help support DadCooksDinner at no extra cost to you. Thank you!

My key to keeping my meez in order? Pinch bowls. I love pinch bowls! I have a few different pinch bowls, which I grab for different things:

Bring me ALL THE BOWLS

Amco Stainless Steel pinch bowls: Years ago I picked up a 4-pack of these small pinch bowls. They are 4 inches across, about ¾ inch deep, say “AMCO, 18/8 stainless, India, 238” on the bottom. I love them - and I’ve never been able to find them again. These small metal bowls with low, sloping sides are perfect for holding spices, herbs, and small amounts of aromatics. They’re steel, so they’re indestructible and easy to clean, and the low sides make it easy to grab a pinch, or pour into the mixer. I keep these in a cabinet at my right hip, so I can grab one whenever I need it. Now, if only I could find more. (The link above is the closest thing I could find on Amazon - uxcell stainless steel “dipping dishes”. I bought a set of ten - they’re cheap - and I hope they come close to my beloved pinch bowls.)

Pyrex 6-ounce Custard Cups: These are my bigger pinch bowls, up to about ¾ of a cup. I also use ramekins for this, but I switched to the Pyrex cups because they show of the ingredients better on camera. I’m such a food blogger.

(And...I know I have Amazon links for these, but don’t buy them through Amazon unless you’re desperate. For some reason they’re really expensive on Amazon, and much cheaper if you can find them at a local store.)

(And another thing...as I grab the links from Amazon, I find out there are larger Pyrex 10-ounce custard cups. What?!? Why didn’t anybody tell me about those?)

Now, the downside to Pyrex is - it is glass. It’s tough glass, and takes a lot of abuse, but it is still glass. Treat them gently and they’ll last forever; if you’re tougher on your kitchen tools, maybe get some small stainless prep bowls instead.

Fiestaware Fruit Bowls: Fiesta! Look at all the pretty colors! Holds about the same amount as my custard cups, in a wider, lower bowl. I use them when the wider bowl is more useful than the deep bowl of the custard cups.

Pyrex 2-Cup Glass Measuring Cup: Sure, it says “measuring cup”. To me, it is a small bowl with a handle. (With convenient measurement markings on the side.) A cup or more of ingredients? Whisking a sauce? Pureeing with my stick blender? It all goes in my Pyrex 2-cup. And yes, I know that’s not a pinch bowl…but I had to throw it in.

What do you think?

What are your favorite pinch bowls? Talk about them in the comments section below.

Things I Love: Kitchen Timers

Things I Love: Victorinox Paring Knives

Things I Love: Oxo 7 Piece Measuring Beaker Set

Grilled Frozen Ribeye Steak

October 26, 2017 by Mike Vrobel 4 Comments

Grilled Frozen Ribeyes | DadCooksDinner.com — Grilled Frozen Ribeyes

Thank you to my friends at Certified Angus Beef® Brand for sponsoring DadCooksDinner. Please check them out at hashtag #BestBeef for more beef recipes, and visit them at the Certified Angus Beef Kitchen Community on Facebook. Thank you!

I missed the Great Frozen Steak Rush of 2012. Nathan Myhrvold suggested it in his massive food science bible, Modernist Cuisine, and pretty soon it was everywhere.

Grilling steaks is right in my wheelhouse. How did I miss this wave? In my defense, I was already falling in love with Sous Vide steak, so I thought “why bother cooking from frozen when I can sous vide from frozen, and get more consistent results?”

That was my answer for years…until a few weekends ago. My friends at Certified Angus Beef sent me a care package of steaks, and I really wanted a ribeye for Sunday dinner. Life got in the way, though; I had to do a Sunday software install for the day job. The install ran late - even later than I thought it would. I found myself with frozen steaks and not a whole lot of time. That’s when the thought “why not try from frozen?” popped into my head.

But…cook from frozen? How? Why?

Why grill a frozen steak

The general idea is the same as sear and move steak, taken to an extreme. Sear the outside first over high heat, then move the steak away from the fire, close the lid, and gently bring the steak up to temperature. This gives us a dark, browned crust on the outside, while the inside is cooked slowly and evenly to our desired doneness. (I’ll take mine with an 125°F internal temperature for medium-rare, please.)

Starting from frozen works the same way - it just takes longer. For the searing step, the outside needs to warm up before it will start to brown. Be patient, and make sure you get good grill marks on the exterior. You can take your time on this, because you won't overcook the steak. Searing the outside doesn’t warm up the inside much when you start from frozen. At best, the center is thawed out a bit by the time the searing is done.

Next comes the "and move" step. Cooking to doneness happens on the indirect heat side of the grill, as the gentle heat slowly brings the steak up to temperature. The result is a beautiful steak - evenly cooked from edge to edge, with a browned, seared crust.

So, am I switching to grilling frozen steaks, and letting my sous vide gather dust? Which one is better? Which makes the best steaks? Well…it depends.

Sous Vide’s advantages:

Perfectly cooked edge to edge - the entire steak is the desired temperature before we sear.
Overcooking is almost impossible. If you need a steak to sit for a few hours, waiting to sear and serve, sous vide is what you want
Shorter active cooking time. Drop the steaks in the water bath…and walk away for 60 to 90 minutes. Pull the bags out of the water, open, pat the steak dry, and sear for a couple of minutes a side. Done.

Grilling from Frozen advantages:

More even from edge to edge than typical sear and move - but not as good as sous vide
Overcooking is harder - but not as hard as sous vide. With indirect cooking and a good probe thermometer, you can pull the steak exactly when you want it. But…a few minutes too soon, and the steak is the "blue" side of rare; a few minutes too long, and you're in Medium territory. You still have to pay attention, and time things right.
Shorter total cooking time. Sous vide from frozen means 60 to 90 minutes in the water bath, plus searing. Grilling from frozen takes about 30 minutes.
Better grilled crust on the steak - the frozen interior lets you get a really good sear on the outside without overcooking the inside.

In other words, I’m going to cook my steaks sous vide and from frozen, depending on what I need. I love having options when I need them!

Grilled Frozen Ribeyes Collage | DadCooksDinner.com — Grilled Frozen Ribeyes Collage

What do you think?

Questions? Other ideas? Leave them in the comments section below.

Grilled Thick Cut New York Strip Steaks, Sear and Move Style

Sous Vide Grilled Ribeye with Salsa Criolla

Grilled Ribeye Delmonico Steaks With Tex-Mex Rub

My other Grilling Recipes

New Book Covers!

October 19, 2017 by Mike Vrobel 1 Comment

My new book covers are (finally) loaded for all editions on all stores! Whoo hoo!

As my designer worked on my new blog theme, they asked if they could take a crack at my book covers as well. I think my old covers offended their design sensibilities. (Hey, I'm not a designer - those covers are what you get when you ask a computer guy to design something.) I jumped at the chance for them to clean them up, and love the new look:

Now, the only thing that has changed is the covers - the interior is still the same, so don't go out and buy a new copy. (Unless you're me, in which case you bought one of each, just to have the new covers on my shelf.)

[UPDATE: Sigh. The new cover is not showing on the paperback on Amazon yet. It is still working its way through their system. If you order the paperback now, you get the new cover...I'm pretty sure.]

Pressure Cooker Italian Sunday Gravy

October 17, 2017 by Mike Vrobel 4 Comments

When I imagine the sauce that an Italian grandmother spends all Sunday simmering, I picture a simple tomato sauce. Garlic, onions, olive oil, tomatoes, basil, and a lot of stirring.

Then I read about Sunday Gravy - pork, beef and sausage, simmered all day…and I knew I had to try it. Now, this isn’t an exact recipe - I’m not Italian, so I never had a Nonna simmering sauce all Sunday long. And, it seems like there is a lot of disagreement about the meats. Some want spareribs, some want sausage. Some want braciole (thin-sliced meat rolled around stuffing), and some want meatballs. They all agree on a mix of pork and beef, so that’s what I’m going with. (And I threw in sausage, because I always want to throw in sausage.)

The name “Italian Sunday Gravy” was messing with my head, because this really is a meat stew. It’s not thin like gravy, or a sauce; it’s more like an Italian style chili. But, no matter what it’s called, it is fantastic!

Of course, instead of simmering all day, I pressure cook for a little under an hour; 30 minutes pressure cooking with a natural pressure release. (My apologies to your Italian Nonna who is spinning in her grave right now at the thought of pressure cooking.) That said, this really is a Sunday recipe - the pressure cooker speeds up the “simmer all day” part, but there are a lot of steps to get there. Three different meats to brown, onions to sauté - assume at least a half an hour of work before the pressure cooker lid is locked.

Video: Pressure Cooker Italian Sunday Gravy - Time Lapse (2:04)

Pressure Cooker Italian Sunday Gravy [YouTube.com]

Pressure Cooker Italian Sunday Gravy - Tower Image | DadCooksDinner.com — Pressure Cooker Italian Sunday Gravy - Tower Image

What do you think?

Questions? Other ideas? Leave them in the comments section below.

Pressure Cooker Italian Meat Sauce

Pressure Cooker Quick Tomato Sauce

Pressure Cooker Penne with Sausage and Peppers

My other Pressure Cooker Recipes

My other Pressure Cooker Time Lapse Videos

What Can I Use Instead of Wine?

October 12, 2017 by Mike Vrobel 3 Comments

The glass is half full | DadCooksDinner.com — The glass is half full

A question about my Pressure Cooker Beef Short Ribs recipe:

Could I just leave the wine out if I don't want to use alcohol or should I replace it with another liquid? If so, what is best?

Some people can’t (or won’t) use alcohol in their cooking. I’m not one of them, but I understand where they’re coming from. I don’t want to get my guests blitzed by making beef stew, you know?

I do use alcohol in my recipes, usually wine or beer. Sometimes hard cider, particularly with pork. I’m going to refer to “wine” from now on, because it is my go-to cooking alcohol, but everything I that follows applies to beer and cider as well. Also, this is pressure cooking specific - that’s what the original question was about - but the basic ideas apply to all types of cooking.

Can I boil off all the alcohol?

For my pressure cooker recipes, I always boil the wine for a minute before locking the lid, to simmer off some of the alcohol. Alcohol boils at 172°F, so it starts evaporating sooner than the water reaches a boil.

Here’s an excerpt of the chart in the USDA table of Nutrient Retention Factors, Release 6. If you stir alcohol into a dish, and then simmer (or bake it), the amount of alcohol remaining is:

Baked/Simmered for	Alcohol remaining
15 min	40%
30 min	35%
1 hr	25%
1.5 hr	20%
2 hr	10%
2.5 hr	5%

In other words, if you’re trying to absolutely avoid alcohol, skip it entirely - you can’t simmer it away.

Does this concern me? No. My recipes don’t boil the wine to remove *all* the alcohol. I want the flavors of the wine in the dish - more on that later - but I also want to boil off some of the alcohol, or the dish tastes a little “hot”. A minute or two is enough for me. And, in pressure cooking, I have to do it before I lock the lid. A pressure cooker is a sealed environment - nothing is evaporating, it’s all trapped in the pot to build pressure.

A splash of cider in the pot | DadCooksDinner.com — A splash of cider in the pot

The other reason adding wine doesn’t concern me? I don’t have that much wine in my recipe to start with. I usually add ½ cup to 1 cup of wine to my recipes. (Especially when I’m pressure cooking. That sealed environment again - I don’t want to overload the dish with alcohol when it can’t simmer off.) Combine the bit of alcohol I boil off with the other liquids I add to the pot, and the juices released by the food as they cook - by the time we’re done, each individual serving has a very small amount of alcohol left in it, and you’d have to eat an entire pot of stew yourself to get the equivalent of a glass of wine.

I enjoy cooking with wine. Sometimes I even put it in the food

- Julia Child

Why use alcohol in cooking?

After all that…why do I bother? Flavor. Wine adds complex flavors that you can’t get from water; it is made from fermented grapes, after all, and there’s a lot going on in there. Also, my understanding of the science is some flavors are alcohol soluble - the alcohol can unlock flavors you wouldn’t get to taste otherwise.

What can I substitute for alcohol in a recipe?

Still not convinced to use alcohol in the recipe? That’s OK, I won’t hold it against you. (I just got rolling on the science, and couldn’t help myself.)

To answer the original question: substitute broth or water, preferably chicken broth, for the wine. (If you have a pressure cooker, because you should always have some homemade chicken broth in the freezer.) If the recipe has water as the main liquid, then I’ll add more. But I prefer broth. Broth, like wine, adds extra flavors to the recipe - but it’s a different set of flavors. Broth has body and sweetness, wine has acid and sweetness. The recipe will come out differently, but it will still be good.

Another trick is a splash of vinegar. Balsamic vinegar, red wine vinegar, white wine vinegar, sherry vinegar…there are many options. Vinegar is made from wine, so it adds the acid I’m looking for. (Vinegar does have trace amounts of alcohol in it, but they’re miniscule. That said, if you are really, truly opposed to any alcohol whatsoever, you may have to skip the vinegar). Some recipes recommend adding 1 cup of stock and a teaspoon of vinegar as a wine substitute. I usually stir a splash of vinegar in at the end, in the “season to taste” step. Most soups and stews need a little hint of acid - that’s why I use wine so often - and a splash of vinegar helps bring up the taste of the dish. Don’t use too much vinegar. “Hey, this smells like vinegar” is not what you want to hear. Add a little, stir, taste, and when the flavor perks up, stop.

Speaking of secret ingredients - did you know Tabasco is a vinegar based hot sauce, adding a little heat to go with the acid? Add a shake or two, stir it in, and I’ll bet no one notices, other than to say “hey, this tastes great!”

What do you think?

Questions? Other ideas? Leave them in the comments section below.

Pressure Cooker Short Ribs

Pressure Cooker Beef Stew with Mushrooms

Pressure Cooker Browned Chicken Broth

My other Pressure Cooker Recipes

My other Pressure Cooker Time Lapse Videos

Pressure Cooker Penne with Sausage and Peppers

October 10, 2017 by Mike Vrobel 14 Comments

Now that school is back, I’m looking for quick weeknight meals from my pressure cooker. Here’s one that got raves from the kids - penne with sausage and peppers from the pressure cooker.

This is not the red-sauce pasta I had growing up - which I still love - but this feels different. Instead of a sea of red sauce, it has big, defined chunks. Pieces of sausage, peppers, chunks of diced tomato, and the short penne noodles that are - shhh - much easier to eat than my beloved childhood spaghetti. This is why I was amazed how much the kids like it - I was worried they would turn me down because they can see the pieces. But they devoured it, and asked me to make it again. (“Maybe without so many peppers next time” was the only suggestion. Not likely, kid!)

Penne with Sausage and Peppers is a one-pot special. Everything goes in the pressure cooker, my beloved Instant Pot. To serve, I pull the pot liner out of the pressure cooker base and set it on a hot pad in the center of the table. I’ll drop a ladle in the pot, set the block of parmesan and the grater on a plate, grab the jar of red pepper flakes (for my wife), and toss a Caesar salad on the side.

Is it as quick as jarred pasta sauce? Not quite. I insist on browning the sausage, and sautéing the onions, because they add so much flavor to the finished dish. But it’s still quick, and hands off once the pot is closed. And, oh my, does this taste better than any jar you can get at the store....

Pressure Cooker Penne with Sausage and Peppers Tower Image | DadCooksDinner.com — Pressure Cooker Penne with Sausage and Peppers

What do you think?

Questions? Other ideas? Leave them in the comments section below.

Pressure Cooker Italian Meat Sauce
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Instant Pot Pastalaya (Cajun Jambalaya with Pasta)
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Instant Pot Fettuccine Alfredo

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What if I Don't Have a Fat Separator?

October 5, 2017 by Mike Vrobel 2 Comments

Removing a refrigerated fat cap | DadCooksDinner.com — Removing a refrigerated fat cap

After last week’s talk about draining ground beef, I have a follow up fat question.

Reader Lysandra asked about the fat separator step in my Pressure Cooker Pot Roast recipe:

What can I do if I don't have a Fat Separator?

I have three suggestions...maybe four:

How to remove fat if you don't have a fat separator

Skip the defatting step. Who's got time to let fat settle? Dump everything in a serving bowl and go. I do this more often than I'd like to admit, especially on busy weeknights.
Let the pot settle, then skim. This is the old school method. Fat is lighter than water, and if you let everything settle, fat floats to the top of the pot. Do what they do in professional kitchens - get out a big spoon and start skimming. (In professional kitchens that is a large part of the saucier's job - skimming the fat off of their sauces as they simmer.) I can scoop out a lot of fat this way, but it takes patience and a steady hand.
Refrigerate overnight, then scrape off the solidified fat cap. This is my favorite option - even better than a fat separator - but I have to plan ahead. After cooking, take the inner pot out of the pressure cooker base, set it aside, and let it cool for an hour. Then move it into the refrigerator overnight. (It helps to have a non-pressure lid to put on the pot.) The fat will float to the top of the pot and solidify. The next day: scrape off the fat cap, put the liner pot back in the pressure cooker, set to saute, and reheat until simmering. I did this all the time when my wife was on bed rest with our third kid. I'd pressure cook tomorrow's dinner while I did tonight's dishes and refrigerate it overnight. A quick scrape of the fat, followed by reheating, and dinner was ready in about 15 minutes. If you're cooking soup or making chicken broth, the fat cap will form a solid disk floating on top of the liquid - you can lift it off in two or three big pieces. If the meal is more chunky - think a chili or stew - the fat cap will be stuck to the ingredients, so you have to scrape it off as best you can.

And my personal favorite, "buy a new kitchen toy:"

Buy a fat separator:Amazon Prime will deliver a fat separator to your door in 2 days. A fat separator is one of my go-to kitchen tools; I've always had one, but it was a smaller 2 cup size. I bought the 4 cup OXO separator with a built-in straining lid, and was kicking myself for not getting one earlier.

Oxo 4 cup fat separator (photo courtesy of Amazon.com)

Yes, I’m the kind of cook who answers most questions with “Cool! I get to buy a new kitchen gadget!” I wrote a paragraph about “don’t be like me”, but I deleted it. I figure:

If you are like me, you know you aren't going to change. (And you already have a couple of fat separators in your kitchen, or you clicked on the link above and ordered it before you even got to this sentence.)
If you are not like me, you said "Pfft - why would I buy a gadget when I can skim off the fat with a spoon? No kitchen unitaskers!"
Either way, I'm preaching to the crowd.
Oh, and a FCC Notice: I am an Amazon affiliate, so anything you buy through the links support me with a small commission. (Also, I am an Amazon Prime addict. Two day shipping is awesome!)

What do you think?

How do you skim your fat? (And does that question sound oddly personal?) Tell us about it in the comments below.

Pressure Cooker Beef Pot Roast
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My favorite Pressure Cooker Tools
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My other Pressure Cooker Time Lapse Videos

Pressure Cooker Lollipop Drumsticks

October 3, 2017 by Mike Vrobel 1 Comment

My friends say they enjoy reading about my kitchen struggles. It helps them to know an accomplished home cook has struggles, just like they do. They'll be happy to read about this recipe…

It seemed like such a great idea - a row of photogenic chicken lollipops, glazed with barbecue sauce. It’s a huge hit on barbecue internet - all the BBQ friends that I follow have a version of this recipe on their blog. I'll do my own spin on it, I thought. Weeknight lollipop chicken drumsticks from the pressure cooker. What could go wrong?

I’ll tell you what could go wrong. Cleaning the @#$%$#@ing skin off of the bottom of the drumsticks, that’s what!.

Sure, lollipop drumsticks are an awe-inspiring presentation to turn in to the judges at your local BBQ contest. 1 Chicken skin is slippery, and it sticks tight at the knuckle end of the drumstick. I spent *25 minutes* wrestling the skin off of 12 drumsticks. On a weeknight. While the kids come in, one after the other, and say “when’s dinner going to be…oh, it’s a blog meal. Never mind.”

After struggling with the first couple of drumsticks, I said to myself “Self! This is not a competition. I’m not presenting to a judge. Why am I doing this?”2 The next time I made the recipe, I used regular drumsticks. The results tasted every bit as good. Sure, you don’t have the clean-to-the-bone handle, but it changes this from a chicken wrestling match into an easy weeknight dinner.

Pressure Cooker Lollipop Drumsticks - Step By Step Tower | DadCooksDinner.com — Pressure Cooker Lollipop Drumsticks - Step By Step Tower

What do you think?

Questions? Other ideas? Leave them in the comments section below.

Pressure Cooker Teriyaki Chicken Drumsticks
Pressure Cooker Chicken Legs with Herb Rub
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Do you drain ground beef? Why?!?

September 28, 2017 by Mike Vrobel 39 Comments

Drain Ground Beef? Why? | DadCooksDinner.com — Drain Ground Beef? Why?

Q&A with a Commenter on my Quick Chili in an 8 Quart Pressure Cooker video:

COMMENTER: I'm surprised you don't drain your ground beef.

DadCooksDinner: What? Why in the world would you do that?

COMMENTER: To drain off the fat. After cooking. Everyone does it.

If everyone jumped off a bridge, would you jump too?

Every now and again I get asked “Why don’t you drain your ground beef?”. I was surprised the first few times I was asked. I had never heard of such a thing.

Do I drain my ground beef? No! Why would I? Sure, it may get rid of some of the fat. But I want that fat in the recipe - fat is flavor.

Speaking of flavor, I’m not just draining fat. I’m draining all the juices that escaped the meat - that’s even more flavor down the drain.

If you worry about fat, buy leaner ground beef. “Ground Beef” is usually 70% lean, 30% fat. Maybe I could understand draining that. But, why not buy 80% lean ground chuck instead? Or 85% lean ground round (my favorite for chili), or ultra-lean 90% to 92% ground sirloin?

Why throw out all the flavor?

Ahem. Sorry. I'll stop ranting, and ask a question:

Reader survey: Do you drain ground beef?

So, it’s time for a survey. My question to you, dear readers:

Do you drain ground beef? Yes or no. If yes, why? Why?? WHY!?!?!?!?

Please let me know in the comments. I promise I’ll stop yelling.

Today is the last day to order the DadCooksDinner limited edition t-shirt. Orders close tonight, Thursday, September 29th at 11PM EST. If you want one, this is your last chance!

Click here to check them out. [Teespring.com]

Pressure Cooker Quick Chili (with Canned Beans)
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Pressure Cooker Cincinnati Chili
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Pressure Cooker Chinese Kale

September 26, 2017 by Mike Vrobel 1 Comment

I was checking out our new Whole Foods 365 store, and saw bunches of kale on sale for 50 cents. Sale kale? Pressure cooker time!

I know, I know, “Whole Paycheck”…but I always like having another option for good ingredients. And, as I’ve said before, if you want good vegetables, go to a store that caters to vegetarians. (And, I was pleasantly surprised by how low the prices are. Not sure if it’s the Whole Foods 365 concept, or the Amazon.com influence, but the prices seemed reasonable.)

This is my pressure cooker kale basic technique by way of China. Or, at least Chinese-American. It is inspired by the plates of steamed Chinese vegetables I order at dim sum restaurants. (I need a little something green to counteract all the steamed dumplings and sticky buns.)

If there’s a trick to this recipe, it’s trimming the kale, and cutting out the thick inner stem. That prep work takes as long as the rest of the recipe. When I’m in a hurry - and the kale sale is over - I will cheat and buy bags of pre-washed, pre-trimmed kale. Hey, sometimes you just need an easy green side dish, you know?

Video: Pressure Cooker Chinese Kale - Time Lapse (1:33)

Pressure Cooker Chinese Kale [YouTube.com]

Pressure Cooker Chinese Kale - Tower Image | DadCooksDinner.com — Pressure Cooker Chinese Kale

What do you think?

Questions? Other ideas? Leave them in the comments section below.

Pressure Cooker Chinese Ribs
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Pressure Cooker Chinese Pepper Steak
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Grilled Short Ribs with Smoked Spanish Paprika Rub

September 21, 2017 by Mike Vrobel 14 Comments

I'm a sucker for grilled short ribs. I saw these beauties in the meat case at my local grocery store - flanken cut beef short ribs, lined up in their trays - and I had to buy them. Had to, I tell you!

Flanken style short ribs are the style used in Korean grilled beef short ribs, cut across the bone, about ¼-inch thick. I wasn't in the mood for Korean, though; We had stir fry for dinner last night. I had a taste for something a little more American, so I went with… Smoked Spanish Paprika rub. (Yes, I know, not very American. Oh, well.)

Beef short ribs on the grill, with some flareups in the background — Grilled Short Ribs with Smoked Spanish Paprika Rub

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What does Flanken mean, anyhow? It's derived from the Yiddish and German word for "flank", because the ribs are cut from the flank of a side of beef. Flanken was a cheap cut, because short ribs are tough and chewy. Normally it takes long, slow cooking to tenderize it. (Don't use a thick cut for grilled beef short ribs; save them for braises or barbecue.) But, if the short ribs are cut thin enough, against the grain of the meat, they become perfect for grilling, with a big beefy taste.

Ingredients to Make Short Ribs

Beef Short Ribs, ½-inch thick, cross cut through the bones (aka "flanken cut")

What Seasonings to Use

Smoked Spanish paprika
Kosher salt
Garlic powder
Onion powder
Ground coriander
Ground cumin
Fresh Ground Black Pepper

See recipe card for quantities

🥘 Substitutions

Can't find flanken-cut ribs? I find them at my local Whole Foods, or Mexican specialty market, or I go to the meat counter at my local grocery store and ask for them. (Cross cut ½-inch thick).

Don't have smoked Spanish paprika? That's OK, use regular paprika instead.

To simplify the rub, substitute a tablespoon of chili powder for the paprika, garlic powder, onion powder, coriander, cumin, and black pepper. (Chili powder is a blend with a lot of those ingredients.)

Should I Use Bone-in or Boneless Short Ribs?

Use Flanken cut (that is, thin cut, across the bone, ¼-inch thick) bone-in beef short ribs for this short ribs recipe. I've never seen thin-cut boneless short ribs, but they would work in this recipe as written. The other good substitute is thin-cut beef chuck steaks - they also cook the same.

What Temperature Should I Use for this Recipe?

Set your grill up for direct medium heat, 350°F to 400°F, for grilled beef short ribs. On my gas grill, I set the burners to medium; on my charcoal grill, I spread a chimney of coals out in a tight single layer.

How to Grill Short Ribs

Season the ribs with the spice rub.
Set up the grill for direct medium heat. Preheat a gas grill for at least 10 minutes with the burners set to medium, or light a chimney of charcoal and spread it out in a tight, single layer of coals.
Cook the ribs for 8 minutes, or until they are browned and crispy but not burnt. I cook for 8 minutes, flipping every 2 minutes, in a 2-2-2-2 pattern.
Serve and enjoy!

Tips for this Recipe

Short ribs are so thin that "doneness" doesn't really come in to play. That's fine; grilled beef short ribs are all about the crispy, spicy crust, and big beefy taste. Cook them until they're well browned and don't worry about medium-rare.

Side Dishes to Serve With Grilled Short Ribs

I like to grill vegetables as my side dish. I've already heated up the grill, so I want to put that extra heat to use. Grilled asparagus is my favorite, closely followed by grilled peppers and onions, or foil pouch grilled green beans.

☃️ Storage

You can store the grilled beef short ribs in the refrigerator for a few days, but they are obviously best hot off the grill. If I'm saving them, I cut away the bones, then thin slice the meat and use them in tacos. (Mmmm...tacos.) I don't recommend freezing the short ribs.

What do you think?

Questions? Other ideas? Leave them in the comments section below.

Korean Grilled Short Ribs (Kalbi)
Grilled Mexican Short Rib Tacos
BBQ Beef Short Ribs on a Kettle Grill
Instant Pot Spare Ribs
Grilled Tomahawk Steak - Long Bone Ribeye, Reverse Seared
Grilled Thin Pork Chops
Grill Smoked Pork Shoulder Ribs
My list of Grilling Recipes

Grilled Short Ribs with Smoked Spanish Paprika Rub Tower - Seasoning ribs on the bottom, grilling ribs on the top — Grilled Short Ribs with Smoked Spanish Paprika Rub

Pressure Cooker Pork Pot Roast

September 19, 2017 by Mike Vrobel 19 Comments

Pressure Cooker (Instant Pot) Pork Pot Roast recipe. Pot roasted pork shoulder, tender and juicy thanks to pressure cooking.

Pressure Cooker Pot Roast | DadCooksDinner.com — Pressure Cooker Pot Roast

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Fall is here, and I have a taste for pot roast. Time to convert one of my slow cooker recipes to pressure cooking.

Pork shoulder is one of my favorite cuts of meat, especially for pressure cooking. It is meant to be cooked long, low, and slow…but we're going to cheat by applying pressure. We'll still get melt-in-your-mouth pork roast, but it will only take a couple of hours, end to end.

This recipe will look familiar to you if you follow this blog - it's my "fall pork" flavor profile. Apples and thyme, onions and garlic, a little hard cider (or regular cider) and some carrots. The only trick is cutting the roast in half before pressure cooking. Even in a pressure cooker, it takes time for heat to penetrate into the middle of a large pork shoulder, so we're speeding things up by breaking it into two smaller pieces.

Pressure Cooker Pork Pot Roast - step by step tower image | DadCooksDinner.com — Pressure Cooker Pork Pot Roast

What do you think?

Questions? Other ideas? Leave them in the comments section below.

Pressure Cooker Beef Pot Roast
Slow Cooker Pork Pot Roast
Pressure Cooker Pork Country Ribs with Cider and Mustard

My other Pressure Cooker Recipes
My other Pressure Cooker Time Lapse Videos

The New Theme Is Here! (And...T-Shirts!)

September 14, 2017 by Mike Vrobel 4 Comments

As you probably noticed, my new theme went live! Thanks to Jasmine and Chris at RXVP, I have a new design, logo, and color scheme.

We're still cleaning up the details and a few messes. (I apologize about the weird right-shift on Tuesday's email - that should be fixed. And, if you were looking for last week's Thermoworks Smoke Gateway writeup, it is back online.)

In honor of my new look, I'm trying something new - blog swag - a limited edition run of t-shirts and coffee mugs. Want to proudly display your love of DadCooksDinner, and my new Pressure Cooker icon? You can order from my Teespring storefront:

https://teespring.com/stores/dadcooksdinner [Teespring.com]

Men's t-shirts are available in black and white, Women's t-shirts are in black and purple, and the coffee mugs are in black and white.

If you want one, don't delay - they are only on sale for two weeks. The sale ends September 29 at 11PM EST. And, yes, I am mainly doing this to get my own t-shirt and mug. If you order one, you're supporting my writing here at DadCooksDinner.

(Wait...one? One or more...buy more! Buy them for friends, family...strangers walking by on the street... Sigh. I'm bad at this marketing stuff.)

If the sales go well, I'll be doing more shirts in the future, with different designs and some of my other icons. 3

Thanks again for supporting DadCooksDinner!

Thermoworks Smoke Gateway - WiFi bridge

September 7, 2017 by Mike Vrobel Leave a Comment

Thermoworks Smoke with Smoke Gateway Wifi Bridge and iphone | DadCooksDinner.com — Thermoworks Smoke with Smoke Gateway Wifi Bridge

Disclaimer: I am a Thermoworks affiliate. Buying a thermometer through my Thermoworks links earns me a few dollars. I love Thermoworks thermometers – I was a fan of theirs long before I became an affiliate. If you buy a thermometer from them, you’re buying the best, and supporting DadCooksDinner at the same time. Thank you!

Last year, I talked about the Thermoworks Smoke – a two probe thermometer with a remote receiver. Before the Smoke, my experience with remote thermometers was not good. They worked as long as I was standing near a window where I could see the grill – but if I went farther into the house…like sitting on the front room sofa – the remote was too far away, and it wouldn’t connect. (The worst ones wouldn’t know they were disconnected – they’d keep reporting the same temperature, even though they’re out of range, and I’d get chicken surprise when I went out on the deck…the bird would be 50°F higher than I thought it was.)

I bought a Thermoworks Smoke and fell in love. It has serious range – the remote is rated for 300 feet away. That may be true; I’ve never tested it to its limits. What I do know is: I can go anywhere in my house, and the remote still connects, showing me the temperature for both my grill and my food. I was thrilled, and use my Smoke whenever I have a multi-hour cook in the backyard.

But what if 300 feet is not enough? What if I want to check the temperature from far, far away? Let’s say, hypothetically, that I forgot to buy red peppers and ginger, and I have to run to the store while a pork shoulder is smoking all afternoon on the grill. Hypothetically, of course. I didn’t forget the red peppers and ginger last Sunday, no I did not. Um. OK. So, 300 feet is fantastic range for a remote thermometer, but what about a few miles away at the grocery store?

Thermoworks Smoke Gateway WiFi Bridge Close up | DadCooksDinner.com — Thermoworks Smoke Gateway WiFi Bridge

That’s where the new Smoke Gateway comes in. It is a bridge between the Smoke base unit and the new Smoke app on your iPhone or Android phone, using your home WiFi. It’s broadcasting over the internet – as long as my phone can get an internet connection, I can check my Smoke temperatures. That way I can tell that the grill is doing fine while I’m standing in the checkout line at my grocery store.

Sure, it adds another $89 onto the already expensive $99 smoke…and I really shouldn’t wander off when I’m cooking…but it’s SO COOL. I can barely contain myself. I keep opening the app and checking the temperature (and the handy graphs of the entire cook), even though I’m sitting on my deck, and I can see the base unit from where I’m sitting. Yes, yes, I know. I’m such a geek. But I love my cooking technology!

(Note: the Smoke doesn’t have to be dedicated to outdoor cooking. It is a scaled up version of the ChefAlarm probe thermometer. I pull it out when I’m cooking my Thanksgiving turkey – I can catch the football game in the TV room, remote in my pocket, and not worry about about overcooking the bird.)

Thermoworks Zippered Case - courtesy of Thermoworks | DadCooksDinner.com — Photo courtesy of Thermoworks

And, while I was on the Thermoworks website, I came across the new TX-1010X-SC zippered case…and immediately ordered it. I’ve been jamming the Smoke back into its original box, wires everywhere, and having a case to keep everything organized fits my strain of OCD perfectly.

Links to Thermoworks.com:

Thermoworks Smoke Gateway – WiFi Bridge

Thermoworks Smoke

Thermoworks TX-1010X-SC Zippered Storage Case

What do you think?

Questions? Other ideas? Leave them in the comments section below.

Pressure Cooker Chicken Potato Soup (from Scratch)

September 5, 2017 by Mike Vrobel 6 Comments

Pressure Cooker Chicken Potato Soup | DadCooksDinner.com — Pressure Cooker Chicken Potato Soup

I'm on a mission. If you own a pressure cooker, no more store-bought chicken broth! The best chicken soup comes from homemade broth, and the best broth comes from your pressure cooker.

Now, homemade doesn't mean you should rush out and buy a chicken. Sure, I do that sometimes, but more often my stock is made up from chicken scraps. I don't throw away trimmings from chicken - they all go into a gallon zip-top bag in the freezer. Butterflied chicken? The back goes in the bag. Cutting up chicken wings? The wingtips go in the bag. A leftover rotisserie chicken carcass? Into the bag. If it's got bones and some clinging meat, it's good for stock.

When the bag is full, I'm ready for chicken broth. My wife has a bunch of small potatoes coming out of our backyard garden, so it's time for pressure cooker chicken potato soup. Now, if you've been following my recipes, you should have picked up on my standard chicken soup formula: 8 cups of broth, sautéed aromatics (I like onion, carrot, and celery), a little herbs (thyme), a little wine to deglaze the pan and add acidity, and a starch (my potatoes). After that, it's up to you. Have some tougher root vegetables you want to throw in the soup? Add them with the potatoes, and pressure cook them. Have some tender vegetables you want to add, like green beans or zucchini? Add them at the very end, and simmer until tender. Potato soup is refrigerator velcro - it's perfect for using up the odds and ends from your garden…or your refrigerator's vegetable bin.

If you're looking for a thicker, chicken-forward recipe, try my instant pot chicken stew. Or, if you don't have the chicken, try my Instant Pot Potato Soup.

Video: Pressure Cooker Chicken Potato Soup (from Scratch) (2:08)

Pressure Cooker Chicken Potato Soup (from Scratch) - Time Lapse YouTube.com

Pressure Cooker Chicken Potato Soup (From Scratch) Step-by-step tower | DadCooksDinner.com — Pressure Cooker Chicken Potato Soup (From Scratch)

What do you think?

Questions? Other ideas? Leave them in the comments section below.

Pressure Cooker Chicken Soup with Rice (From Scratch)

Potato Soup Recipe

Pressure Cooker Chicken Noodle Soup with Vegetables

Pressure Cooker Tortilla Soup (Sopa de Tortilla)

My other Pressure Cooker Recipes

My other Pressure Cooker Time Lapse Videos

Nine Years of DadCooksDinner

August 31, 2017 by Mike Vrobel 5 Comments

Working on a recipe video | DadCooksDinner.com — My favorite PicOfTheWeek: Working on a recipe video

The other day, my friend Judy said that Fall is the real start of the new year. “That’s it!”. She’s absolutely right - I think it’s the rhythm of the school year - but I always treat Fall as when I start new projects. (New Years Resolutions are for when those projects aren’t going so well…but that’s another story.) So, it’s appropriate that my blog anniversary is in late August.

Specifically, August 20th, 2008. DadCooksDinner started when I posted a recipe (and I use the term “recipe” loosely) for Chipotle en Adobo Puree. It’s 2017 now - holy cow - and I’ve been writing here for 9 years. I’ve know I’ve been doing this for a while, but 9 years? That’s a lot of recipes.

2016-2017 recap

As you probably noticed, I leaned into pressure cooking even more over the last year. This has been good for the blog, from a traffic standpoint; the Instant Pot is a cultural phenomenon, and pressure cooker baby back ribs, chicken legs, quick chili, and New York cheesecake are some of my most popular recipes.

I have also focused on video, making a short time lapse of almost every recipe this year. I enjoy these, and they are expanding my video skills, but they have not been that popular on YouTube. (They’re doing a little better of Facebook, but Facebook doesn’t bring me a whole lot of love. Facebook wants you to stay on Facebook, not leave to some blog for the recipe.) I’m going to keep making the videos - they’re pretty easy to put together with my current workflow - but I’m considering changes in the new year.

I also took a month off from the day job. (One of the best perks of my day job is a sabbatical every 5 years.) We hit the road to the East Coast, and had a great time in Montreal, Maine, New York City…and then “back home” to our cottage in Madison, OH. I still feel like I’m trying to get caught up after the trip, though…gone for a month punched a huge hole in my schedule.

So, what’s coming in the next year? That blog theme redesign I teased last week is Coming Soon. Very soon. (Hopefully next week. Fingers crossed.) I’m plugging away at my pressure cooking cookbook; I’m finally keeping the procrastination monster at bay, and making progress on the writing. And…other than that, I don’t know what the new year will bring. That’s part of the beauty of blogging: I never know what’s coming next.

Finally, a shout out to my loyal readers. I love writing this blog, but I doubt I could have kept it up for 9 years if you were not reading what I have to say. Thank you!

Top 5 recipes in 2017

Pressure Cooker Macaroni and Cheese - Dad Cooks Dinner

Pressure Cooker Corned Beef and Cabbage - Dad Cooks Dinner

Basic Technique: Grilled Sausages - Dad Cooks Dinner

Pressure Cooker Baby Back Ribs | DadCooksDinner.com — Pressure Cooker Baby Back Ribs

Pressure Cooker Baby Back Ribs - Dad Cooks Dinner (Did I mention this is my new breakout hit? You'll see it again soon...)

Grilled Tomahawk Steak (Long Bone Ribeye, Reverse Seared) - Dad Cooks Dinner

Honorable mention:

Top 5 new recipes (recipes published in 2017):

Pressure Cooker Baby Back Ribs - Dad Cooks Dinner

Pressure Cooker Quick Chili with Canned Beans - Dad Cooks Dinner

Pressure Cooker Chicken Legs with Herb Rub

Pressure Cooker New York Cheesecake

Pressure Cooker Teriyaki Chicken Drumsticks - Dad Cooks Dinner

Honorable mention:

Top 5 7 Instagram Pics from 2017 (most of them on the road)

(Sorry, I couldn't help myself - had to add a couple of time lapses at the end there...)

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A post shared by Mike Vrobel - Food Blogger (@dadcooksdinner)

What do you think?

Questions? Anything you’re looking forward to in the next year? Leave them in the comments section below.

Enjoyed this post? Want to help out DadCooksDinner? Subscribe to DadCooksDinner via eMail or RSS reader, recommend DadCooksDinner to your friends, and buy something from Amazon.com through the links on this site. Thank you.

Pressure Cooker Beef Brisket Enchiladas with Red Chile Sauce

August 29, 2017 by Mike Vrobel 6 Comments

Pressure Cooker Beef Brisket Enchiladas | DadCooksDinner.com — Pressure Cooker Beef Brisket Enchiladas

Thank you to my friends at Certified Angus Beef® Brand for sponsoring DadCooksDinner.Please check them out at hashtag #BestBeef for more beef recipes, and visit them at the Certified Angus Beef Kitchen Community on Facebook. Thank you!

It started with my brother Pat’s brisket. He did a real barbecued packer brisket, 12+ pounds, low and slow for 18 hours. He knew we wouldn’t finish it in one sitting…we’re carnivores, but that’s a lot of beef, even for us. His plan for the leftovers was almost as good as the original brisket - beef brisket enchiladas.

I came home from vacation, opened up the freezer, and saw the brisket I bought back in May. Sigh. I had plans for it, a lazy weekend, multi-day, low and slow barbecue. And then life intervened. Suddenly, it’s August, the kids are back in school, and I need to free up space in the freezer. Time to get to work.

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A post shared by Mike Vrobel - Food Blogger (@dadcooksdinner)

I trim the brisket, save the point for another meal, and cut the flat into cubes so it will cook quicker. Instead of store-bought Enchilada sauce, I toss dried peppers, an onion, and some garlic in the pot. They’re the base of my homemade enchilada sauce. They soften up in the long cooking time, and then I blend them up with tomatoes and some defatted pot liquid.
(If dried peppers are a step too far, you can use store-bought enchilada sauce - see the recipe notes. In fact, if you have a couple of pounds of leftover beef from my pressure cooker barbecued brisket, you can use canned enchilada sauce and skip to step 5 - shred the beef.)

Most pressure cooker recipes are quick…but not this one. Enchiladas are a multi-step process. Cooking the brisket, shredding the beef, rolling the enchiladas, and baking - it takes a couple of hours, end to end. Now, a lot of that is free time, because there’s not much to do while the pressure cooker is cooking, or while the enchiladas are baking. The pressure cooker does what it does best - compress time, and cook the brisket in about an hour. (Not that there's anything wrong with low and slow barbecued brisket - but sometimes you don't have a whole weekend to dedicate to a cooking project.) My only request: don’t try this recipe on a busy weeknight - make tacos instead.

What do you think?

Questions? Other ideas? Leave them in the comments section below.

Pressure Cooker Beef Brisket Enchiladas - Step by Step Tower | DadCooksDinner.com — Pressure Cooker Beef Brisket Enchiladas - Step by Step Tower

Instant Pot Shredded Beef
Pressure Cooker Boneless Beef Short Rib Tacos with Dried Chile Pepper Sauce
Pressure Cooker Shredded Chicken in Black Mole Sauce
Pressure Cooker Braised Lamb Shoulder Tacos (Cordero Guisado) - Dad Cooks Dinner
My other Pressure Cooker Recipes
My other Pressure Cooker Time Lapse Videos

Theme Moving Day

August 24, 2017 by Mike Vrobel 4 Comments

If everything goes according to plan, as you read this we'll be moving my blog to its new theme and color scheme. If not, I'll be shaking my fist at the computer gods, and we'll be trying again in a week or so. Wish me luck!

[Update 2017-08-27: And...not this week. Darn. We've rescheduled for the week after Labor day. So, stop back in two weeks to see what's up...)

Pressure Cooker Umbrian Lentils and Sausage

August 22, 2017 by Mike Vrobel 10 Comments

One of our stops in New York City was Eataly. It is a wonderful stop for a food fanatic like me - it houses multiple restaurants, a wine bar, and an Italian specialty market, with a butcher, fishmonger, and cheesemonger. I can entertain myself for hours, wandering around the market section, drooling over the steaks and seafood on display, fingering the kitchen tools, and...grabbing a bag of Umbrian lentils. (And an orange pepper mill. I had to.)

Umbria is famous for its lentils; other than French Lentils du Puy, they are the only lentils I know sold by region, not color. (That is, all the lentils I can buy in Northeastern Ohio are either just "lentils" - brown lentils - or sometimes green and red lentils are available.)

Pressure Cooker Umbrian Lentils and Sausage | DadCooksDinner.com — Pressure Cooker Umbrian Lentils and Sausage

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I usually substitute brown lentils when I want to do an Italian style lentil dish, but now I am stocked up. It's time for Umbian Lentil and Sausage stew - Salsicce e Lenticchie all'Umbriana - the traditional meal from the region.

🥫Ingredients

This is a simple dried bean recipe, so the ingredients list is pretty basic

Extra virgin olive oil
Italian Sausage
Umbrian lentils
Onion
Carrot
Celery
Garlic
Italian Seasoning
Petite Diced Tomatoes

See recipe card for quantities.

🥘 Substitutions

Regular lentils: If you can't find Umbrian lentils, try French green lentils - they have a similar texture, firmer than regular lentils. That said, if you can't find either go ahead and use regular (brown) lentils; they'll work fine in this recipe.

Italian Sausage: Uncooked, sweet or hot sausage. I prefer hot sausage - I like my lentils to have some kick - but if you don't want heat, go with regular (sweet) Italian sausage.

Vegetarian version: Skip the sausage, and add an extra tablespoon of olive oil.

Italian Seasoning: I keep an Italian herb blend in my pantry; if you don't have one, use dried basil, or a mix of dried basil and oregano.

Petite diced tomatoes: I think the smaller tomatoes match the lentils better, but regular diced tomatoes are fine if that's what you have handy.

🛠 Equipment

A 6-quart pressure cooker. Pressure cooker dried beans are one of the reasons I became a pressure cooker convert, and love my Instant Pot. Try them - you'll never go back to canned beans. (OK, maybe you will, for convenience - but see the Storage section for tips on make ahead freezer beans.)

📏Scaling

This recipe scales down easily - cut everything in half if you don't need as many beans, or have a 3-quart pressure cooker. Scaling up runs into space issues; if you have an 8-quart pressure cooker, you can double this recipe, but it's too much to fit in a 6-quart pressure cooker.

🤨 Soaking lentils?

I get the "to soak, or not to soak?" question all the the time. Don't soak lentils. They cook too quickly - if you soak them, they fall apart when pressure cooked.

💡Tips and Tricks

Salt your lentil water! "Salt toughens beans" is a myth. Salting before cooking helps season the beans all the way through as they cook.
Try to buy lentils from a store with lots of bean turnover. Beans dry out as they age, which makes them a little tougher to cook.
Simmer to thicken: If you have the time, and want thicker bean liquid, simmer the beans for 10 minutes after pressure cooking. I set my Instant Pot to Sauté mode adjusted to low, set the timer to 10 minutes, and leave the lid off to let the broth evaporate.

🎬Video

Pressure Cooker Umbrian Lentils and Sausage [YouTube.com]

Pressure Cooker Umbrian Lentils and Sausage - Step by Step Tower Image | DadCooksDinner.com — Pressure Cooker Umbrian Lentils and Sausage - Step by Step

☃️ Storage

A 2-cup container of beans and sausage will last in the refrigerator for a few days, and freeze for up to 6 months. This makes a great freezer lunch; I grab my 2-cup container, microwave it for 5 minutes or so (until it is hot in the center), and lunch is ready.

Pressure Cooker Pasta and Bean Soup (Pasta e Fagioli, AKA Pasta Fazool)
Pressure Cooker French Lentils
Pressure Cooker Quick Tomato Sauce
Instant Pot Lentil Curry Recipe
My other Pressure Cooker Recipes
My other Pressure Cooker Time Lapse Videos

Electric Pressure Cooker Tote Bags

August 17, 2017 by Mike Vrobel 2 Comments

Question from a reader: Have you tried a pressure cooker carrying bag?

Years ago, I bought a slow cooker that came with a travel bag. I used it a lot, especially for potlucks and my annual chili cookoff at work. Now that I have an Instant Pot, my pressure cooker is gathering dust in the cabinet…but I miss having that travel bag.

So, when I got this question, I went over to Amazon to see what was available. I found two pressure cooker tote bags: the $30 Pressure Chef, and the $40 Quick & Carry; I ordered them both to see what I thought of them. (The things I do for my readers…like order more stuff from Amazon.

Quick & Carry Travel Tote Bag

The Quick & Carry is the fancier of the two bags. It has a main central pouch for the pressure cooker, with a zipper around the lid of the bag to lift the cooker in and out. It also has two zippered accessory pockets - one on the top of the lid and one on the front - to carry extra equipment. It has a shoulder strap on the sides, and a padded handle strap on the lid. The Quick & Carry is made of heavy, woven nylon, with padding in the sides and bottom. It is available in both 6 and 8 quart sizes. I bought the 6 quart, and it was a tight fit for my 6 quart Instant Pot Plus and Fagor Lux cookers.

Pressure Chef Storage & Tote Bag

The Pressure Chef is a more minimalist bag - nothing but a zippered central pouch and a handle. The other difference is the material - it is a smooth, insulated nylon bag. It is also a tight fit for my 6 quart Instant Pot Plus and Fagor Lux cookers. It is only available in a 6 quart size.

Electric Pressure Cooker Tote Bags - Open with cookers inside | DadCooksDinner.com — Bags open - note the top zipper on the Quick and Carry vs the middle zipper on the Pressure Chef

Which do I prefer?

Of the two, I prefer the design of the Pressure Chef. It feels more solidly built: the handle is sturdier, and the extra insulation protects me when I’m moving a pot full of hot chili. The zipper around the middle of the bag makes it easier to get the pressure cooker in and out, and the smooth sides will be easier to clean. It collapses down when not in use, so it’s easy to store under my kitchen island. The Pressure Chef is the bag I’m reaching for when I need to take my Instant Pot on the road.

However…that doesn’t mean the Quick & Carry is a bad bag. The extra zippered pouches come in handy if you want to keep all your pressure cooker accessories in one bag - you can fit a non-pressure lid and some pinch mitts in the top pouch. (When I’m traveling, I bring lots more equipment than just my Instant Pot accessories, so I already need a second bag.)

Also, if you want a tote bag for a larger 8 quart cooker, the 8 quart Quick & Carry is your only option - the Pressure Chef doesn’t come in a larger size.

Taking your cooker on the road? Get a tote!

What do you think?

Questions? Other ideas? Leave them in the comments section below.

The Case of the Missing Inner Pot

August 10, 2017 by Mike Vrobel 17 Comments

Pressure Cooker Red Pepper Hummus | DadCooksDinner.com — Don't forget the inner pot!

The cook at our house cooked rice in the instant pot, but since the stainless container was soaking in the sink from the previous use, the cook didn't remember there was a container to put it in first! So it went directly into the bottom of the InstantPot.

I've managed to get most of the burned and uncooked rice out of the InstantPot, but there are a few rice kernels inside. I removed the bottom of the InstantPot and was able to get more of them out this way also. Oil was used along with the water in the cooking process.

- Commenter Treva

Oh, Treva, I know exactly how this feels.

Years ago, I was teaching Tim how to pressure cook his favorite side dish - black beans. This was a while ago - I think we were still using my Instant Pot Lux, or maybe my Cuisinart Electric Pressure cooker. Anyway, I showed Tim how to sort beans, and had him set up on the counter next to the kitchen sink. The pressure cooker itself was plugged in on our kitchen island. When Tim finished sorting, I had a great idea - I'll bring the inner pot to him, and set it in the sink next to him. That way, he can pour the beans into the pot, any beans that miss will wind up in the sink, and we can fill it up with water right there. This all worked great - Tim was ready to go, with the pot full of dried beans and water in his hands.

I told him "Put it in the pressure cooker", then checked how the other kids were doing (we were all working on Taco Night.) I saw Tim cross the kitchen with the inner pot, lift it...and pour the contents into the pressure cooker base.

I felt like I was moving in slow motion - "Noooo! Stop!" - and most of the beans and water were poured into the pressure cooker base before he realized that something was wrong. Water was streaming out of the pressure cooker base - I found out there are a lot of holes in there. I quickly unplugged the base, then we started mopping up the counter with towels.

Not having any better ideas (like contacting InstantPot.com/support to find out what I should have done), I dumped the beans out and dried the pressure cooker base with paper towels, reaching under the heating element with the edges of towels to try to absorb as much of the liquid as possible. I left the cooker base sitting upside down in our dish drain for a handful of days, until it looked completely dry, then crossed my fingers and plugged it in. And...everything worked! The control panel lit up, all the buttons responded when I pushed them, and a "2 cups of water" pressure test was a success.

That pressure cooker was still chugging along when I upgraded to the Instant Pot Duo a few years later. If it's the Lux, I passed it on to my sister-in-law, where it is still working.

They must build electric pressure cookers knowing mistakes will be made - liquid will wind up in the base of the cooker - and drain properly. That said, after writing this post, I sent an email off to Instant Pot, asking what I should have done. I'll update my Instant Pot FAQ with their answer.

Any Instant Pot mistakes you'd like to share?

How about you? Any kitchen disaster stories you'd like to share? (They seem much funnier in hindsight.) Tell us about them in the comments section below.

Matt’s La Caja China Pig Roast

August 8, 2017 by Mike Vrobel 6 Comments

La Caja China Pig Roast

My brother Matt is our king of the pig roast.

Years ago, he bought a La Caja China roasting box. Ever since, about once a year, he treats us with a pig roast. There's nothing quite like inviting 30 friends over, dropping a whole pig on the kitchen island, and telling them: "dig in!".

The roasting box is a metal lined wooden box. You dump a lot of charcoal on the lid - a LOT of charcoal - and the heat radiates through the metal lid, turning the box into a high heat roasting oven. The roasting box cooks a whole pig in about 3.5 hours, depending on the size of the pig. (50 to 100 pounds - a small pig - is about right for the large #2 size La Caja China). I've made some fantastic pork in my day, and this pig matches any of them.

La Caja China Pig Roast - prep steps collage | DadCooksDinner.com

Clockwise from top left: Pig in the roasting rack; pig in the box; starting the coals; adding more coals after an hour

For the last day of our cottage vacation, Matt ordered a 75 pound pig from the West Side Market and invited our extended family for a pig roast. I've been meaning to blog about Matt's pig roasts for a while, so this was my big opportunity. I was there for the whole process ~~and had time to help out~~ and had time to take pictures while my brother Pat helped out with the cooking. (Sorry, guys!)

La Caja China Pig Roast - cooking steps collage | DadCooksDinner.com

Clockwise from top left: Adding more coals; shaking out the ashes; peeking at the pig skin; ready to serve!

Having a second person to help is important. A whole pig is too large for one person to handle, especially when it is spread out in the roasting box's cooking grid. Now, don't worry - a roasting box is surprisingly hands off. Most of the job is sitting around the roasting box ~~and drinking beer~~ while the pig roasts inside. Add some charcoal every hour; shake out the coals and flip the pig for the last 30 minutes to crisp up the skin. That's it; after 3 ½ hours, you have a gorgeous roast pig to shock and awe your dining crowd.

Recipe: Matt's La Caja China Pig Roast

Inspired by: Roast Pig instructions, La Caja China [lacajachina.com]

La Caja China Pig Roast - finishing up collage | DadCooksDinner.com — Clockwise from top left: Pig in rack, spread out and ready for the grill; improvised windbreak; 3 generations of Vrobels check on the pig; the star of the show, ready for his closeup

What do you think?

Questions? Other ideas? Leave them in the comments section below.

Rotisserie Pork Shoulder with South Carolina Mustard Sauce
Slow Roasted Pork Shoulder with Beer and Mustard Sauce
Rotisserie Leg of Pork Roast with Injection Brine and Herb Rub
Instant Pot Pernil

Sugar in Grilling Rubs? Doesn’t It Burn?

August 3, 2017 by Mike Vrobel 2 Comments

A question from reader Brian: "Why does every recipe I see for grilling rubs contain so much brown sugar, which burns nearly immediately on the grill? It doesn't seem to add any real sweetness that I can sense, in the same way that I can tell where the salt, cayenne or paprika influences the taste. Seems odd to think that burnt sugar would be something I'd want to add to my ribs or chicken, and that the sugar is better left to sauce that you add after cooking."

I got this question from reader Brian (by way of my old friend Geoff) in a Facebook message. My reply to him turned into a rant, and then this post. I’ve warned against sugar and grilling in a couple of recipes, but never put my thoughts in one place on the blog.

So, here’s my response:

Brian, you're right - grilling rubs with sugar in them are not a good idea.

Sugar will burn, and I try to avoid it in rubs that are going over direct heat. (Though, now that I think back, I may occasionally use a little, especially with pork.)

Why is it in so many rubs? Because sugar is one of the main parts of the "Barbecue" flavor profile. If you're doing traditional low-and-slow barbecue, you're staying below the temperature where sugar burns. (Somewhere between 275°F and 300°F, if I remember right). So, in traditional barbecue, sugar is a common ingredient. (Sweet rub, sweet sauce, etc…) But when you take those rubs to the higher-heat grilling side of things...it burns, and quickly.

Grilled Pork Chops with Ancho Chili Rub - which has a little sugar, whoops. (Recipe here)

Like I said, I try to avoid it in direct heat recipes, but I will use it occasionally with indirect heat recipes in rubs and brines. I find that a little sugar helps the flavor of pork, which can be kind of bland without a pick-me-up from sugar and salt. (The same goes with boneless, skinless chicken breasts - they need something to give them some flavor).

Also, I may be used to the flavor of a little burned sugar in the rub - I don't notice it. But...where it really bothers me is with barbecue sauce. The "Soak the chicken in sauce, toss it on the grill" approach results in burnt skin and raw chicken meat. That's why I'm careful to add my barbecue sauce at the end of a cook. I brush it on during the last ten to 15 minutes of cooking (with indirect heat) to give it time to tighten up, but not so long that it will burn. With direct heat, I'll brush with sauce, flip, brush with sauce again, then get it off the grill. I want a little caramelization, not something that looks like volcanic ash.

Grilled BBQ Chicken Thighs (recipe here)

Cook to your own tastes

If you don't want sugar in your rubs, leave it out! Adjusting recipes to your own taste is always a good idea. (Especially if you don't notice the flavor of the sugar to begin with.)

One more comment, then I'm done - if you're grilling on a weak gas grill, a little sugar may be a good thing. I've grilled on some horribly inefficient grills in my day, where the grill barely has enough heat to cook, and forget about searing. (Think just about any grill you could buy at your grocery store for $200.) On those kinds of grills, sugar helps with browning and grill marks.

Hope this helps...

Mike

What do you think?

Questions? Other ideas? Leave them in the comments section below.

Homemade BBQ Rub

Rotisserie Grilling: Barbecued Chicken - Dad Cooks Dinner

What does “Season to Taste” mean, exactly? - Dad Cooks Dinner

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Country Ribs vs Western Ribs

August 1, 2017 by Mike Vrobel 4 Comments

Elwood: What kind of music do you usually have here?
Claire: Oh, we have both kinds - Country *and* Western.

I get the question all the time in my Pork Western Shoulder recipes - I can’t find pork western shoulder ribs at my store…can I use country ribs?

Well, yes, you can…but I have a preference for western ribs. Or at least I thought I did. Turns out, it’s complicated. Here’s why:

What's the difference between country ribs and western ribs?

Country-style loin ribs are cut from the pig’s ribcage, right before it meets the shoulder - they are the first few rib bones before we get to the back ribs.
Western shoulder ribs aren’t really ribs at all - they’re pieces of pork shoulder, cut across the shoulder blade so it looks like a rib.

Country rib bone vs Western rib bone with markup showing the bones | DadCooksDinner.com — Country rib bone vs Western rib bone

You can see this in the picture above; the country style loin rib actually has a rib bone, curving down on the left side; the western rib has a piece of the shoulder blade - not really a rib. (I think I got the tip of the shoulder blade roast in my western ribs; the other ribs in the pack were boneless.)

They cook a little different. Use country ribs for grilling or roasting; western ribs for barbecue or pressure cooking. But you don't have to be militant about it.

They are both tougher cuts of meat, that take well to longer roasting or braising recipes. But…the country-style ribs, because they are cut from the loin, are leaner, with less collagen - the connective tissue that breaks down into lip-smacking gelatin with long cooking. The hard-working shoulder muscle has lots more collagen. For grilling or roasting, I prefer the leaner country ribs. For pressure cooking or low-and-slow barbecue, I prefer the western shoulder ribs, because the extra collagen stands up to the longer (or higher pressure) cooking, keeping western ribs from drying out.

But what about finding Western shoulder ribs?

How far west can you find Western?

And I thought the “Boston butt is actually a pork shoulder” thing was confusing…
Here in Ohio, my grocery store carries western shoulder ribs all the time. I actually have to seek out Country-style loin ribs. But, I have readers out west who swear that they cannot get “Western” ribs - they have country-style ribs or nothing. That’s what inspired this post - I wanted to show them the difference between the two.

I went to the one store I know carries country ribs - my local organic grocery. In the meat case, there was a big sign: “Country style ribs”. I bought them to take pictures for this post, then swung by my regular grocery store for a pack of Western shoulder ribs for the other side of the picture. I set them up, took my pictures, then wrapped them back up for later in the week. And then…as I balled up the butcher paper from the organic grocery store, I noticed the price sticker. Right above the barcode was printed the name - “Western ribs.”

Country ribs in the case...Western ribs on the label

What?

OK, I know these are country style ribs. I can see the whole rib bone in two of the three ribs, and I’ve eaten enough racks of ribs in my day to consider myself an expert. (Also, you can see the curve of pork loin meat on each rib - that’s part of how I identify them, even when they’re wrapped in packaging.)

I went to PorkBeInspired.com, the National Pork Board’s official site, to see if I can figure out what’s going on.

(Footnote: my friends at the National Pork Board have sponsored this blog a number of times in the past, but not today. I’m on my own for this one.)

The National Pork Board doesn’t list a cut called Western ribs, but they do have Country-style ribs. And then, in marketing materials for butchers, I find loin country-style ribs…and shoulder country-style ribs, which are obviously my “Western” ribs, cut across the shoulder blade.

Ugh.

So, as I understand it - my beloved Western ribs are all marketing speak for Midwesterners. I knew that going in - I was buying them because they’re from the shoulder, after all - but I still feel like I’m being fooled somehow. Those genius marketers got me again! (Shakes fist.) I’m going to have to change the text in my recipes to Western shoulder ribs “or shoulder country-style ribs”.

Don't sweat it too much

In the end, both “country-style” loin ribs and “western” shoulder ribs are pretty similar cuts of meat. Most of my recipes call for western shoulder ribs, because I want that extra collagen to break down. If all you can get are loin country ribs, go ahead and use them in my western ribs recipes. The loin ribs might be a little dry, but it won’t matter much - they do have enough connective tissue to stand up to pressure cooking.

If you live out west, and you want to make sure your country ribs come from the shoulder, and not the loin, pay attention to the sticker on the package - you want to see the word “shoulder” somewhere. Or, go with the DIY approach and buy a (boneless) pork shoulder roast and cut it into strips - voilà, boneless western shoulder ribs.

(Or, even better, talk with your butcher and ask for a pork shoulder blade roast cut into 1.5-inch thick strips…they have a bandsaw back there, which makes short work of cutting through the bone.)

What do you think?

Questions? Other ideas? Leave them in the comments section below.

Pressure Cooker Pork Western Shoulder Ribs with Barbecue Rub and Sauce - Dad Cooks Dinner
Slow Cooker Pork Western Shoulder Ribs with Barbecue Rub and Sauce - Dad Cooks Dinner
Grill Smoked Pork Western Ribs - Dad Cooks Dinner
My other Pressure Cooker Recipes

The Big Apple (Road Trip Week 3)

July 27, 2017 by Mike Vrobel 1 Comment

New York City | DadCooksDinner.com — New York City

New York City was hot, noisy, dirty...and full of energy, people, and fun things to do.

We went to the top of the Empire State Building at night, and the Statue of Liberty and Ellis Island on a gray and overcast day. We toured the Whitney museum and MOMA, piloted remote control sailboats in Central Park, and visited the somber memorial for 9/11.

We enjoyed street cart kabobs and chili dogs, modern Sichuan at Café China, flat whites at Birch Coffee, the fried yard bird at Red Rooster Harlem, prosecco and rosé at Eataly, pop up food trucks on Broadway, table side guacamole at Rosa Mexicano, and a last day in the city breakfast at Balthazar.

Now, after weeks on the road, we are relaxing on the shores of Lake Erie. I love traveling - but sometimes I need a vacation from my vacation.

Instant Pot Coconut Rice

July 25, 2017 by Mike Vrobel 6 Comments

Instant Pot Coconut Rice recipe - a quick and easy rice side dish from the pressure cooker.

One of my pressure cooker's killer apps is weeknight Thai curries. I love the hands-off meal - stir everything into the instant pot, lock the lid, and I can unlock the lid to dinner. Well, almost - I can't enjoy a curry without rice to soak up the delicious, spicy sauce.

Pressure Cooker Coconut Rice | DadCooksDinner.com — Pressure Cooker Coconut Rice

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My favorite side dish for Thai curries is coconut rice. Now, if I only owned one pressure cooker, I'd make it on the stovetop. But I own many pressure cookers…probably too many…and I can always pull out one of my backup cookers to make a batch pressure cooker coconut rice.

This is a simple recipe. It has four ingredients, and two of them are water and salt. The tricky ingredients are jasmine rice and coconut milk. They're easy to find in your local grocery store nowadays; look in the asian food section of your international aisle. But, if you use them as much as I do, find your local Asian market. They will almost always have the coconut milk cheaper, and I buy jasmine rice in big, 25 pound bags. (We go through a lot of rice in my house.)

What is Coconut Rice?

Coconut rice is rice cooked in coconut milk. This easy instant pot coconut rice recipe is a great way to make coconut rice. You only need a handful of ingredients…

Ingredients

Jasmine or long grain rice
Fine sea salt
Coconut Milk
Water

How to Make Instant Pot Coconut Rice

Everything in the pot: Add the rice to an Instant Pot, sprinkle with the salt, then stir in the coconut milk and the water.
Pressure cook for 4 minutes, with a 10 minute natural release: Lock the lid and pressure cook on high pressure for 4 minutes. (Use Manual, Pressure Cook, or Pressure Cook - Custom mode in an Instant Pot). Let pressure come down for 10 minutes, then quick release any remaining pressure in the pot. Fluff the rice with a fork, serve, and enjoy.

Which Type of Coconut Milk Should I Use?

You want to use full fat coconut milk or light coconut milk. The regular, full-fat version has a lot of coconut cream mixed in the coconut water. Light coconut milk has less of the coconut cream and more of the coconut water. Both of these are unsweetened coconut milk; avoid sweetened Cream of Coconut - aka "Coco Lopez". That is for mixing in cocktails, and way too sweet for this recipe.

Serving Suggestions

This easy instant pot coconut rice recipe is my favorite side dish with Thai curries, like my Instant Pot Massaman Chicken Curry, Instant Pot Thai Shrimp Curry, or Instant Pot Thai Panang Curry. It also makes a great side dish with grilled meat with a Thai flavor profile. Or, really, any Asian flavor profile that leans on soy sauce goes well with this rice.

FAQ

Why don't you use the rice function on your Instant Pot?

Two reasons. One, I want to write a generic "pressure cooker" recipe, not an Instant Pot specific one. I don't know what kind of cooker you have, so I don't know if I can trust the rice cooker function. Two, I've been making pressure cooker rice since before there were Instant Pots - I'm used to this method, and it works great. I've never felt the need to try out the rice function.

This doesn't seem faster than stovetop rice - why bother?

It's true, with "up to pressure" time and natural release time, it's not a whole lot faster than stovetop rice. (It is faster - but only by a few minutes. It's not a the time savings you get from pressure cooking a long-simmering stew.) My answer is convenience - I can stir everything into my pot, lock the lid, push the buttons, and I don't have to worry about the rice until the natural pressure release is done. Easy peasy.

How do I store and reheat rice?

Rice can be stored in an airtight container in the refrigerator for a few days, or frozen for a few months, but make sure to reheat leftover rice completely. For safety, rice should be reheated to 165°F in the center of the rice. (Source: Safe Handling of Cooked Rice, University of Wisconsin Extension)

What do you think?

Questions? Other ideas? Leave them in the comments section below.

Pressure Cooker White Rice - Dad Cooks Dinner
Pressure Cooker Brown Jasmine Rice - Dad Cooks Dinner
Coconut Rice - Dad Cooks Dinner
My other Pressure Cooker Recipes
My other Pressure Cooker Time Lapse Videos

Thank You for the Maine Suggestions (Road Trip Week 2)

July 20, 2017 by Mike Vrobel Leave a Comment

Thank you to everyone who gave me suggestions for Mount Desert Island, Bar Harbor, and Acadia national park. We had a fantastic time, even if the hike up the north ridge of Cadillac Mountain almost finished me.

Favorites from the trip

Lobsters, lobsters everywhere! Lobster rolls were on the menu no matter where we went. My favorite meal was the whole steamed lobster and mussels at Thurston's Lobster Pound...but it was hard to go wrong with any of the seafood choices on Mount Desert Island
The Island Cruise with Bass Harbor Cruises was the highlight of the trip. I learned a ton about lobster fishing, the islands of Downeast Maine, and got some fantastic photos of the seals lounging on the rocks. Highly recommended.
Popovers at Jordan Pond restaurant in the park. Unfortunately, it was raining when we visited, so the view from the terrace was gray with low cloud cover. The popovers made up for the dreary view - they were massive and airy.

Thanks again to everyone for the food suggestions. Once again, my only regret was I couldn't get to all of them - if I could eat at a lobster pound every day I would be happy - but the kids would mutiny.

Pressure Cooker Southwestern Pinto Bean Soup

July 18, 2017 by Mike Vrobel 18 Comments

Pressure Cooker Southwestern Bean Soup | DadCooksDinner.com — Pressure Cooker Southwestern Bean Soup

I have a short head note for today’s recipe because I’m writing it while on the road…in Maine, as far away from the Southwest as you can get and still be in the continental United States.

I love bean soup in all its forms. I love the cooking of the American Southwest and Mexican North - the Norteno borderlands between the two countries, where cooking traditions have been mingling for centuries. I picture this recipe as what happens when an American cowboy cook and a Mexican vaquero cook meet on the trail and swap notes about what their respective cowboys want to eat…if I went back in time and handed them an electric pressure cooker.

(Looking for a different flavor profile? Try my Cajun 15 Bean Soup with Sausage.)

What do you think?

Questions? Other ideas? Leave them in the comments section below.

Looking for some other bean soups? For a taste of the US Senate, try Pressure Cooker Senate Bean Soup. For Italian bean soups, try my Instant Pot Minestrone Soup or my Pressure Cooker Tuscan Bean Soup. Or, if you have a bag of 15-bean mix, use my Pressure Cooker Bean Mix Soup recipe. If you want a meal-in-a-pot recipe, try my Instant Pot Cowboy Beans.
For other recipes, check out my Instant Pot (Pressure Cooker) Recipes

Grilled Beef Sirloin Kabobs

July 13, 2017 by Mike Vrobel 2 Comments

Thank you to my friends at Certified Angus Beef® Brand for sponsoring DadCooksDinner. This month, we’re talking kabobs on the grill. What do I put on my #BestBeef Kabobs? Read on and find out!
Check out hashtag #BestBeef for more beef kabob ideas, and come visit the Certified Angus Beef Kitchen Community on Facebook. Thank you!

I don’t like marinades. But…there are exceptions to every rule, and my exception is Kabobs.

As I have said in the past, marinades have issues. They don’t tenderize meat, and they don’t penetrate. All you get is a thin layer of flavor on the outside of the meat.
2

But kabobs avoid these issues. It doesn’t matter that marinade doesn’t penetrate- the meat on a kabob is cut small enough that I get some surface with every bite. Also…I cheat with this marinade. It is more of a brinerade than a marinade - the salt in the soy sauce seasons deep into the meat.

Kebabs are also my favorite use of sirloin. I love ribeye steaks, so sirloin steaks seem like a less-tender cousin. But in bite-sized kabobs? Their big, beefy flavor is the perfect base for a complex marinade.

What do you think?

Questions? Other Ideas? Leave them in the comments section below.

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Amazon Prime Day 2017 - Instant Pot Deals?

July 11, 2017 by Mike Vrobel 1 Comment

Prime Day 2017 - July 11th | DadCooksDinner.com — Prime Day 2017 - July 11th

Looking to buy an Instant Pot? Heads up! Amazon has had great deals on the Instant Pot Duo the last two years on Prime Day, their annual “Christmas in July” sale.

[Update 8:46AM EST: It's the Instant Pot 8 Quart Duo on sale - if you want one, hurry on over to Amazon!]

Why am I telling you this? Because, today is Amazon Prime Day for 2017. I’m in Downeast Maine with only a hint of cell phone coverage, so I don’t know any details, but… I have a feeling there will be deals on the Instant Pot today. (And, if we’re lucky, on the new Instant Pot Plus).

Check out the current prices below - I’ve got the list prices, so you can check if a good deal is available:

Instant Pot 6 quart Duo (Regularly $99)
Instant Pot 6 quart Duo Plus (Regularly $119)
Instant Pot 8 quart Duo (Regularly $129 - NOW $89!!)

Also, I am an Amazon affiliate - any purchases made through my Amazon links support DadCooksDinner at no extra cost to you. So, if there’s a Prime Day deal burning a hole in your pocket, please use one of my Amazon links and I’ll get credit for it. Thank you for your support!

Thank You for the Montreal Suggestions (Road Trip Week 1)

July 6, 2017 by Mike Vrobel 3 Comments

Montreal Smoked Meat at Snowdon Deli | DadCooksDinner.com — Montreal Smoked Meat at Snowdon Deli

Thank you to everyone for the road trip suggestions! Montreal Smoked Meat was every bit as good as advertised, Poutine got mixed reviews (I loved it, the kids…not so much), and my French is every bit as bad as ever.

Favorites from the trip (So Far):

Everyone recommended a visit to Schwartz's Deli for the smoked meat, and I'm sure it is fantastic, because there was a line out the door, down the street, and around the corner. We needed lunch, not a 2 hour wait, so we had to switch plans. We went to Snowdon Deli instead, and were able to walk right in and start eating our Montreal Smoked meat sandwiches. (Picture at the top of the page) It was worth the trip - very similar to corned beef or pastrami, but the smoke gives it a little something extra.

Selections from Marche Jean-Talon - collage of asparagus, rotisserie chicken, and mixed berries | DadCooksDinner.com — Selections from Marche Jean-Talon

I'm a sucker for farmers markets, and Marche Jean-Talon is a good one. The central vegetable market is surrounded by a sea of specialist food places. I loved wandering around, seeing what was in season, and the beautiful displays of vegetables. It's strawberry season in Montreal, and we polished off two quarts of mixed berries that we bought as snacks by the time the evening was over.
Poutine. French fries with gravy and cheese curds. What could go wrong? I thought it was great - potatoes and gravy are my favorite at Thanksgiving - but the kids were not fans. Oh, well, their loss.

French Food, Montreal Style: We stopped at Bistro L'Express, which is a traditional style French bistro, and we enjoyed it. But, for me, the highlight of the trip was Le Saint-Jacques, a French/Italian place serving modern French and Italian dishes. (Even better, it was just around the corner from our Airbnb.) I am still thinking about the chopped avocado, pineapple, and pepper salad that reminded me of a ceviche, with an emphasis on the vegetables. And, after the kids stopped freaking out about the French-only menu, they had some awesome ravioli, and steak frites to die for.

Poutine T-Shirt | DadCooksDinner.com — My new favorite T-Shirt

Thank you to everyone for the suggestions! My only regret was we couldn’t get to more of them - Joe Beef is still calling my name - but we only had two full days to visit. Next stop, Maine! (After a slight detour to Waterbury, Vermont for a visit to the Ben & Jerry’s factory. I need a little Chunky Monkey to fuel me for the rest of the trip.)

Pressure Cooker Smashed Red Skin Potatoes

July 4, 2017 by Mike Vrobel 7 Comments

I love smashed red skin potatoes on a weeknight. They're so much less fussy than real mashed potatoes - no peeling, no dicing, no worries about lumps. Lumpy potatoes? Who cares! They're smashed, that's how they're supposed to look.

A bowl of smashed red skin potatoes — Pressure Cooker Smashed Red Skin Potatoes

My pressure cooker makes these instant pot red skin mashed potatoes an easy weeknight side dish. Toss everything in the pot, set the timer, then ignore them until the pressure cooker beeps. The potatoes are perfectly done. Quick release the pressure, mash 'em right in the pot, and they're ready to go. (If I'm really in a hurry, I bring the pot liner full of mashed potatoes to a hot pad on the table, stick a spoon in the pot, and let everyone serve themselves.)

Ingredients

Butter
Garlic
Red skin potatoes
Fine sea salt
Water
Whole milk

How to Make Smashed Red Skin Potatoes in a Pressure Cooker

Prep the potatoes: Melt the butter using Saute mode in an Instant Pot (medium heat in a stovetop PC). As soon as the butter stops foaming, add the potato slices and the garlic to the pot. Stir the potatoes in the Instant Pot to coat with butter. Sprinkle with the salt, pour the water and the first ½ cup of milk into the pot, and stir again.

Pressure cook the potatoes for 7 minutes with a Quick pressure release: Lock the lid on the pressure cooker and cook at high pressure for 7 minutes in an Instant Pot or other electric pressure cooker (Manual, Pressure Cook-High or Pressure Cook-Custom in an Instant Pot), or for 6 minutes in a stovetop PC. Quick release the pressure, then open the lid away from you.

Smash the potatoes: Smash the potatoes in the pot with a potato masher to break them up, then pour in the second ½ cup of milk and smash until you get the right consistency, adding a little more milk if they're too thick. Serve and enjoy!

Substitutions

Other potatoes: I prefer red skin potatoes for this recipe. If you're going rustic, you want the red skins to stand out, and waxy potatoes hold up a little better to smashing than floury potatoes like russets. You can substitute Yukon Gold potatoes for the red skins, and they taste great, but they yellow skins aren't as fun to look at in the mash.
Sour Cream for some of the milk: If you like the tang of sour cream, use it in place of some or all of the ½ cup of milk that's stirred in after pressure cooking.
Heavy Cream vs Skim Milk: If you want extra-rich potatoes, substitute cream for some or all of the milk. (Heavy cream and butter. Yum!) If you're looking to cut calories, substitute 2% milk or skim milk for the whole milk.

Storing Leftovers

Leftover mashed potatoes store well. They'll last for a few days in the refrigerator, or up to 6 months in the freezer. I store them in 2-cup containers so they're easy to microwave when I need to reheat them.

What's the difference between mashed and smashed potatoes?

Mashed potatoes are peeled, smooth, and evenly mashed. Smashed potatoes are more rustic, mashed with their skins still on, and noticeable lumps of potatoes afterwards. (That's why I like them for a weeknight. I don't have to be careful, I just mash until it feels right.)

What do you think?

Questions? Other ideas? Leave them in the comments section below.

Pressure Cooker Collard Greens with Bacon
Pressure Cooker Champ (Irish Mashed Potatoes)
Pressure Cooker Chicken Stew
My other Pressure Cooker Recipes
My other Pressure Cooker Time Lapse Videos

Montreal and Maine Suggestions? (East Coast Road Trip 2017)

June 29, 2017 by Mike Vrobel 12 Comments

How we'll be spending our summer vacation | DadCooksDinner.com — How we'll be spending our summer vacation

DadCooksDinner is on the road again! My day job gives me a month long sabbatical every five years. It’s that time again, so I’m using it to take a trip out East. I have two teenagers and a pre-teen. (How did that happen so fast?) So I think this is our last chance for a while to take a big family road trip.

I’ve never been to Maine, so we are heading there to spend a week at Acadia national park. We’re going by way of Montreal for a few days (my wife’s request), to Maine, and then driving down the east coast to New York City (the kids request.)

After that, we’re heading to my family’s cottage on Lake Erie, to hang out by the beach until the end of the month.

Why am I telling you all this? Two reasons:

Posting will be spotty for the month of July. I have some posts ready to go, but not enough for the whole month, and posting three times a week is probably not going to happen. (Unless I get really enthusiastic about sharing my vacation photos. If you are really, really interested in vacation photos, you should follow me Instagram.)
I need restaurant recommendations! Anyone out there familiar with Montreal or the Acadia/Bar Harbor area of Maine? I know to get Poutine in Montreal, and Lobster Rolls in Maine, but that's all I know…what else is out there?
I think we're OK on New York City - our problem there is we have too many places to go - but if there's anything we absolutely should not miss, let me know.

Thanks everyone, and I’ll see you all in August!

Pressure Cooker Chinese Ribs

June 27, 2017 by Mike Vrobel 3 Comments

Pressure Cooker Chinese Ribs recipe. Sweet soy ribs, inspired by the appetizer menu at my local hole-in-the-wall Chinese American restaurant.

But…but they're not red!

My kids are on a serious Asian food kick right now; every day, it's "I want Teriyaki", or "can I put Gochujang on that?". And, always, where's the rice?

Now, I'm not against this - I love Asian food myself - but I don't want to make stir-fry every night of the week, especially when I need to do a recipe for my pressure cooker. If you're a regular reader, this recipe will look familiar - it's my Pressure Cooker St. Louis Cut Spareribs, but with a Chinese-American flavor profile. Chinese Spare Ribs are a standard appetizer in every street corner Chinese restaurant I've gone to, and with good reason - the reddish, sticky sauce is great with tender pork.

So…why aren't my Chinese ribs red? Because the red color comes from food coloring…yes, even the ribs at your local take-out. Me? I didn't feel like digging out the Christmas cookie box to find the little bottles of food coloring buried in the bottom. The other ingredients in the glaze, especially the hoisin sauce, will give it a hint of red - but hoisin has always looked more black than red to me.

Also, these ribs are a lot more melt-in-your-mouth tender than they are crispy and stir-fried. That's the pressure cooking - it does a fantastic job of tenderizing the ribs in about an hour. Sometimes, when I want to get fancy, I'll run the ribs under the broiler to crisp them up a bit - see the optional step at the end of the recipe.

As for the kids? They were suspicious that the ribs were not red. (That's a quote up at the top.) But, once they tried them, we blew through the rack of ribs in no time.

Recipe: Pressure Cooker Chinese Ribs

Video:

Pressure Cooker Chinese Ribs - Time Lapse [YouTube.com]

Pressure Cooker Chinese Ribs - before and after tower | DadCooksDinner.com — Pressure Cooker Chinese Ribs - before and after

What do you think?

Questions? Other ideas? Leave them in the comments section below.

Pressure Cooker Baby Back Ribs
Pressure Cooker Chinese Pepper Steak
Pressure Cooker Chinese Pork with Plum Sauce
My list of Pressure Cooker Recipes
My other Pressure Cooker Time Lapse Videos

Grill Smoked Cut Up Chicken

June 22, 2017 by Mike Vrobel 2 Comments

I meant to write about grill smoked chicken breasts. Really I did. I love the dark side of the chicken so much, and I should really balance it out with some white meat chicken recipes.

And. And! My local grocery store had a sale on chicken breasts. Perfect time, right? Except…I thought I picked up two packs of bone-in breasts. Instead, I got two cut up frying chickens. Whoops.

(And yes, I'll confess, the dark side is strong in me, and may have influenced my decision. But really! I had the best of intentions!)

This is my go-to chicken technique when I have white meat involved. Dark meat can stand up to the heat of the grill, but white meat overcooks so easily that I want to give it a wet brine. The brine seasons the chicken all the way through, and helps the meat hang on to a little extra water when it's cooking, giving us an extra cushion.

As for the grilling itself - I grill-roast, using indirect heat. I never have any luck with direct heat and chicken pieces - the dripping chicken fat causes huge grease fires, and I get sooty outside and underdone inside on the chicken.

Indirect cooking also gives me extra time - which lets the smoke perfume the chicken meat. I get the best results when I use my charcoal grill and wood chunks for grill smoking. Gas grills have a lot of ventilation, so the smoke escapes quickly; my kettle grill traps the smoke in with the chicken. Two fist-sized chunks of wood (or their equivalent in smaller pieces) are just right to add smoke, without making the chicken taste like a bonfire.

Probe Thermometer and Grill Smoked Cut Up Chicken | DadCooksDinner.com — Probe Thermometer, ready to close the lid

My secret weapon for juicy chicken breasts is a probe thermometer. I stick the probe into the deepest part of the chicken breast, run the wire under the lid (and away from the coals), and set the temperature for 160°F. Then, I close the lid and walk away. When the alarm goes off, the chicken is done.

If I'm feeling adventurous, and willing to risk a chicken fat flareup, I'll sear the chicken. I move the breasts to the platter - don't want to overcook them - and then move the wings, thighs, and drumsticks over the direct heat part of the grill. A minute or two a side crisps them up - but I have to watch them like a chicken-hawk to make sure they don't overcook.

I know this sounds complicated, but it is one of the simplest grilling recipes I know. No flipping, no checking - set up for indirect heat, close the lid, and come back when the alarm starts beeping. That said, simple doesn't mean plain. Brined chicken, seasoned all the way through, and flavored with a touch of wood smoke is one of my absolute favorite meals.

Grill Smoked Cut Up Chicken Collage - Brining the chicken, a fistfull of wood, and chicken over indirect heat | DadCooksDinner.com — Brining the chicken, a fistfull of wood, and chicken over indirect heat

What do you think?

Questions? Other ideas? Leave them in the comments section below.

Grill Smoked Chicken Thigh Tacos
Baby Back Ribs (Grilling Basics)
Grill Smoked Trout
Grilled BBQ Chicken Thighs
My other Grilling Recipes

Throwback Tuesday: Revisiting Favorite Instant Pots

June 20, 2017 by Mike Vrobel 4 Comments

What’s that? It’s supposed to be #ThrowbackThursday? Whoops…

Last week was crazier than usual - planning for an extended vacation, a couple of big birthdays (Happy Birthday, Dear!) and a health scare in my family. (Get well, Matt!) I didn’t have the time - or, more importantly, the focus - to work on a new recipe post, so I spent the time cleaning up a few things that have been bothering me.

Fagor Lux and Instant Pot Duo | DadCooksDinner.com — Me? Have a pressure cooker problem? Doesn't everyone own six pressure cookers?

Some of the work is behind the scenes - there’s a blog redesign coming! - but some of it is updates to my Which Pressure Cooker Should I Buy and Instant Pot Frequently Asked Questions posts. If you are a newer reader, and haven’t seen those posts, head on over and check them out. They are two of my most popular posts, and they answer a lot of the questions I get.

If you already read them, here’s a summary of the two big changes:

My favorite pressure cooker is now the Instant Pot Duo 60 Plus. It pushed my long-time favorite, the Instant Pot Duo, out from under my kitchen island. That's where my primary pressure cooker lives. (All my other pressure cookers are on a shelf in the basement - they're easy to get to, but not quite as convenient as the one I keep upstairs, so they only come out when I think I need them for something specific - recipe testing, or a large recipe that needs the 8 quart pots.) If you own the Instant Pot Duo, I would not rush out to replace it with the Plus, unless you're a kitchen gadget fanatic like me. The Duo is still a great pressure cooker. That said, I like the updated display on the Plus - It has much more information than the LED numbers on the old Duo.
Adding the information from the comments in the Instant Pot as a Slow Cooker? post to my Instant Pot FAQ. Thank you to everyone who took the time to comment - I wouldn't have learned as much about the problems with Instant Pot slow cooking without your help. I rarely use the slow cooker settings on my Instant Pot. The summary in the comments is: the IP is not a good slow cooker - don't throw out that old crock pot yet. (This doesn't bother me, and I still recommend the Instant Pot, because it is my favorite Pressure Cooker - like I said, I rarely use the slow cooker modes.)

So, did I miss anything? Anything else I should add to the Instant Pot Frequently Asked Questions, or my Which Pressure Cooker Should I Buy posts? Let me know in the comments below.

Instant Pot Frequently Asked Questions
Instant Pot as a Slow Cooker?
Which Pressure Cooker Should I Buy?
My Pressure Cooker Recipes

Instant Pot Ceramic Nonstick Inner Pot

June 15, 2017 by Mike Vrobel 6 Comments

Instant Pot Ceramic Nonstick Pot Liner | DadCooksDinner.com — Instant Pot Ceramic Nonstick Pot Liner

Instant Pot has released a ceramic nonstick inner pot!

(Yes, I know they've had one on their website for years, but it was always out of stock. This new pot liner is available now on Amazon, a sign that Instant Pot has caught up with demand. That said, if you want one, grab it soon, just in case it sells out.)

Now, I prefer durable stainless steel pots. I don't have much luck with nonstick - I always scratch it, and have to replace it after a few years. So, I'm reluctant to use a nonstick pot in my main, workhorse pressure cooker. The stainless steel inner pot is one of Instant Pot's big advantages.

But as a backup, especially for sticky recipes like Mac and Cheese? I'm happy that Instant Pot now has an official nonstick inner pot.

Backup inner pots are also useful to have around. I have a few extra, for when I'm slow on dishes, or when I need a second pot to strain chicken broth. I'm glad to add a nonstick pot to the lineup - even with my fear of scratching it, the easy cleanup of a nonstick pot is hard to resist.

Instant Pot Ceramic Nonstick Inner Pot [Amazon.com]

What do you think?

Questions? Other ideas? Leave them in the comments section below.

Which Pressure Cooker Should I buy?

My other Pressure Cooker Recipes

My other Pressure Cooker Time Lapse Videos

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Pressure Cooker Salted Caramel Cheesecake

June 13, 2017 by Mike Vrobel 5 Comments

Once I had my pressure cooker cheesecake technique pinned down, it was time to move on to Salted Caramel cheesecake - my second favorite cheesecake topping.

Pressure Cooker Salted Caramel Cheesecake | DadCooksDinner.com — Pressure Cooker Salted Caramel Cheesecake

Turns out, if you make the caramel too thick, pour it all out on top of the cheesecake, and let it set, you get...a hard disk of caramel on top of a soft cheesecake. A thick, solid disk. And, while you're trying to saw through it with your bread knife, you are slowly squeezing the cheesecake out from beneath it, like a hydraulic press squashing an ice cream sandwich...ahem. Sorry.

So, if there's a key to the caramel topping, it's the milk - don't skimp on it, because it keeps the caramel from hardening. Also, there's a reason every picture of caramel cheesecake online has the caramel drizzled on - thin strips of caramel are easy to slice through, even if they turn solid.

Enough about my caramel trouble. For more details about pressure cooker cheesecake, see my original cheesecake recipe, Pressure Cooker New York Cheesecake. In summary:

Pressure cooker cheesecake cooks smooth and easy - steaming at 240°F to 250°F in the pressure cooker is more gentle than a 300°F+ oven.
A 7-inch springform pan just fits in a 6 quart electric pressure cooker - so that's what this recipe is sized for. (And, it gives you six slices, which is a perfect size for my family of five...until everyone starts fighting over the last slice.)
Some people make a foil sling to lift the cheesecake out when it's done cooking - but the little arms on my Instant Pot's cooking rack are just tall enough for me to grab and lift the cheesecake out of the pot.

Want a bit of decadence out of your pressure cooker? Try Salted Caramel Cheesecake. You won't be disappointed.

Adapted from Bite-Sized Salted Caramel Cheesecakes [Kraft.com]

Pressure Cooker Salted Caramel Cheesecake - Step by step tower image | DadCooksDinner.com — Pressure Cooker Salted Caramel Cheesecake - Step by step tower image

What do you think?

Questions? Other ideas? Leave them in the comments section below.

Pressure Cooker New York Cheesecake

Pressure Cooker Day-After-Thanksgiving Turkey Carcass Soup

Pressure Cooker Macaroni and Cheese

My other Pressure Cooker Recipes

What Recipes Are You Looking For?

June 8, 2017 by Mike Vrobel 10 Comments

Pouring salsa verde onto the kebabs - Grilled Chicken Kebabs With Italian Salsa Verde | DadCooksDinner.com — Pouring salsa verde onto the kebabs

What recipes are you looking for?

I avoided Pressure Cooker Beef Brisket for a long time - but, eventually, reader questions pushed me to try it out.

And...why did I wait so long? Sure, it's not Franklin BBQ, but I loved the brisket (and leftover brisket enchiladas...mmm...), and, even better, the post is doing really well online.

Time for me to stop ignoring the obvious, and ask you, my readers: what other recipes are you looking for? What would you like me to try out?

Sure, I've got my own list that I'm working on. But I like to, y'know, actually write stuff that you want to read. Now, I can't promise anything soon. I've got a some posts in the can, and I'm going on a month-long trip to the East Coast with my family this summer. (July is is going to be a black hole - I'm trying to get ahead of it.) But I'll try to work the best ideas that come up into my schedule.

So, let me know in the comments: What recipes do you want to see on DadCooksDinner? What are you looking for?

Recipe: Pressure Cooker Pumpkin Cheesecake

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