I got an 8 qt Instant Pot right after Thanksgiving on a cyber Monday sale. I chose the largest one because I’m generally cooking for a crowd, or at least trying to have some leftovers. I realized they were an exciting new kitchen appliance, but I did not know they were like the new breadmaker. The closer it got the Christmas, the more I heard people talk about how there was a shortage, and where could they find one? Meanwhile, mine was sitting happily in its box.
Without dragging you through paragraphs of pictures and text you don’t want to read, I’ll just say that it’s a decent appliance, but I’m not getting rid of my crockpots. If you go into the purchase with the idea in mind that you will be able to make things a bit faster, but not perform miracles, you’ll be OK. But if you think this thing turns water into wine, you’re overestimating the power of an Instant Pot. Also, did anyone else think it was Instapot?
So I’ve used this bad boy a few times now. My first victim was chili, and I will say that was ho hum. Nothing spectacular. Pork butt. OK, faster than usual. Nice. Chicken wings… again, faster, but had to broil them after so I wouldn’t gag on slippery wings. I made macaroni and cheese, and that was a success. Instead of boiling, draining, adding, throwing in a crockpot, I could do it all (and faster) in the Instant Pot.
After a couple tries, I settled on a recipe that I like pretty well. I shared it in a Facebook group, and will share it here. It’s your basic pressure cooker M&C recipe, just tailored to how I like it. I’m not too big on measuring, but I think this is pretty close. Try it and tweak it. I think you’ll be happy with it. If you’re making a smaller batch, you’ll have to do the math.
Creamy Dreamy Pressure Cooker Macaroni And Cheese For A Crowd
Mix in pot:
3# macaroni
1 stick butter (cut into chunks/tablespoons – doesn’t need to be melted or anything – frozen is even fine)
15 shakes Tabasco (or whatever hot sauce, depending on your desired flavor, I went heavy)
1 T. ground mustard
2-3 T salt (depending on your desire for saltiness, I added more at the end)
1 T. garlic powder
2 tsp. onion powder
pepper
12 c. H20
Pressure cook on HIGH for 4 minutes, use quick release. No need to drain, the pasta absorbs it all. At this point I gave it a little stir. Then…
ADD:
2 cups heavy cream & 2 cups milk (or 4 cups half and half… possibly more, depending on consistency)
2 pounds freshly shredded sharp cheddar
1 pound freshly shredded Muenster (or other soft cheese)
~ 1 pound freshly shredded parmesan
(Mix cheeses in slooooowly. I kept mine on sauté and dug deep to make sure that cheese was getting melted in real nice.)
Mangia! It’s delicious!