The "I Love My Instant Pot®" 5-Ingredient Recipe Book ("I Love My")

by Michelle Fagone

[annieb123]

Originally published on my blog: Nonstop Reader.

The "I Love My Instant Pot®" 5-Ingredient Recipe Book is a new addition to the popular Instant Pot series - this one by Michelle Fagone. Due out 9th Feb 2021 from Simon & Schuster on their Adams Media imprint, it's 240 pages and will be available in paperback and ebook formats.

Electric pressure cookers have changed the face of home cooking, and they're more popular than ever, with more programmable options and different volume capacities and cooking programs. I admit that I love the convenience factor for myself and that you can add ingredients and come back to well cooked, tasty food that isn't overcooked or mushy. Especially with vegetables, overcooking destroys a lot of the nutritive value, so cooking more quickly is a definite benefit. This cookbook has one huge benefit for me, it's convenient. None of the recipes require more than 5 main ingredients (not counting spices and seasonings). At the end of a busy day of work, it's so great to be able to (mostly) pop ingredients into the cooker, program it, and come back to dinner.

The book's logical and appealing layout mean that recipes are easy to find by category. The introductory chapter ~17% of the content) covers some background, how to cook with an electric pressure cooker (it's much MUCH easier and safer than people think), an FAQ on pressure cooking, a little bit about protein and ingredients, and other general info.

The main recipes are grouped by category: breakfast, soups stews & chili, beans rice & grains, appetizers, side dishes, chicken mains, beef & pork mains, seafood & fish mains, vegetarian mains, and desserts. US/metric conversion chart and a cross referenced index are included at the back of the book.

Each recipe includes serving yields, special notes, and prep times. Recipe ingredients are listed bullet point style along with optional ingredients. All measurements are given in American standard measures only. The directions are given step by step, numbered sequentially. The nutritional information is given in a footer under the recipes and includes calories, fat, protein, sodium, carbs, net carbs, sugar, and fiber.

The recipes' ingredients are easily sourced and the resultant dishes are family friendly and appealing to kids and adults. Roughly 20-25% of the recipes include photos. Everything is well done and I heartily recommend the book overall. There are a number of these recipes which have made it into my personal potluck recipe book of dishes to take to group dinners and family gatherings.

Good recipes, full of hearty and satisfying food.

Four and a half stars. I would recommend it for busy cooks who are looking to increase their use of the instant pot in their own daily cooking. The book does rely heavily on pre-made seasoning mixes and ready-made ingredients (premade salsa in a jar for example). All of the recipes can be converted (with some effort) to avoid premade and convenience mixes/seasonings.

Disclosure: I received an ARC at no cost from the author/publisher for review purposes.