Instant Pot

[Lou]

That is important to know. And raw foodists want others to believe as they came to believe, that any food cooked has its nutrients ruined. That does not have basis, showing raw food is healthier, like whole food that is plant-based does. They are not fully compatible ways. I will go with what has fully convincing studies, if any studies ever are, behind it.

If my memory serves me right (which is always questionable), the raw foodies actually have a point. About cooking reducing the nutritional value of food. However, cooking also makes some nutrients more absorbable and available. I remember seeing a chart or list a while back. If I see it again I'll post it here. or maybe someone else will.

Well, I can't find the chart but here is a couple of things that I gleaned.

"Cooked carrots, spinach, mushrooms, asparagus, cabbage, peppers and many other vegetables also supply more antioxidants, such as carotenoids and ferulic acid, to the body than they do when raw...." (1)

Broccoli is the most often cited veggie to eat raw. cooking veggies usually reduces the vitamins and minerals in a veggie. Since many vitamins are water soluble they leech out when cooking. One of the vitamins most often mentioned was vitamin C which is found in everything anyway so you probably don't need to worry about it.

The one thing that almost every article agreed on is that eating veggies is good no matter if you cook them or not.


1. https://www.scientificamerican.com/article/raw-veggies-are-healthier/

 

[FredVegrox]

If my memory serves me right (which is always questionable), the raw foodies actually have a point. About cooking reducing the nutritional value of food. However, cooking also makes some nutrients more absorbable and available. I remember seeing a chart or list a while back. If I see it again I'll post it here. or maybe someone else will.

Well, I can't find the chart but here is a couple of things that I gleaned.

"Cooked carrots, spinach, mushrooms, asparagus, cabbage, peppers and many other vegetables also supply more antioxidants, such as carotenoids and ferulic acid, to the body than they do when raw...." (1)

Broccoli is the most often cited veggie to eat raw. cooking veggies usually reduces the vitamins and minerals in a veggie. Since many vitamins are water soluble they leech out when cooking. One of the vitamins most often mentioned was vitamin C which is found in everything anyway so you probably don't need to worry about it.

The one thing that almost every article agreed on is that eating veggies is good no matter if you cook them or not.

https://www.scientificamerican.com/article/raw-veggies-are-healthier/

I saw no evidence, I should know, to deal with my serious issue when told raw eating could help my health, I would have done that, and looked into it.

 

[FredVegrox]

I saw no evidence, I should know, to deal with my serious issue when told raw eating could help my health, I would have done that, and looked into it.

If my memory serves me right (which is always questionable), the raw foodies actually have a point. About cooking reducing the nutritional value of food. However, cooking also makes some nutrients more absorbable and available. I remember seeing a chart or list a while back. If I see it again I'll post it here. or maybe someone else will.

Well, I can't find the chart but here is a couple of things that I gleaned.

"Cooked carrots, spinach, mushrooms, asparagus, cabbage, peppers and many other vegetables also supply more antioxidants, such as carotenoids and ferulic acid, to the body than they do when raw...." (1)

Broccoli is the most often cited veggie to eat raw. cooking veggies usually reduces the vitamins and minerals in a veggie. Since many vitamins are water soluble they leech out when cooking. One of the vitamins most often mentioned was vitamin C which is found in everything anyway so you probably don't need to worry about it.

The one thing that almost every article agreed on is that eating veggies is good no matter if you cook them or not.


1. https://www.scientificamerican.com/article/raw-veggies-are-healthier/

I saw no evidence, I should know, to deal with my serious issue when told raw eating could help my health, I would have done that, and looked into it.

My access is not a friend to me. I originally posted a detailed response, and the message was lost, and rather than try to do the impossible and recall it all to try to compose it again and send it, i just wrote that hurried response. Now my message this time got sent without me composing anything. I had turned to the Forks Over Knives way when I learned of how thorough the basis was. At that time I just was made aware of a serious health concern, a vegan friend online who I spoke with about this told me eating as a raw vegan would deal with it. I was ready to start doing that. I check though to be sure I really have the information for that. I found nothing showing raw veganism would deal with this health concern. Instead of basis like whole food plant-based eating has, it had no studies showing it and doctors behind it, and there was basis for concern, with missing nutrients through that. So I turned from that, after looking a long time, I still found alternatives for my concern which are effective.

 

[Lou]

Here is a side benefit that I have found with the InstantPot. It creates another incentive to do weekly meal planning

Because I have only one and it is a slow cooker, a rice cooker, a pressure cooker, and also a nice soup pot, I use it all the time. I only have one InstantPot so I when I make my meal plan I also plan my cooking using the InstantPot.

for instance when I make Cuban Black Beans, I have to make sure I have some rice or I have to make the rice the night before. When I make lentil stew I make the mashed potatoes the night before. I might make oatmeal in my instant pot one night. and I will probably make some soup one night.

I still have lentil stew in the freezer and some Cuban Black beans in the frig. so I will make rice tonight and mashed potatoes tomorrow. then I will make the soup on Tuesday.

 

[Lou]

Warning: don't use your InstantPot for canning.

Never Make This One Food With Your Instant Pot, CDC Says — Best Life

bestlifeonline.com

 

[Lou]

Instant Pot Spaghetti with Jar Sauce - Mom's Dinner

momsdinner.net

Finally made this. I have been thinking about doing it for years.
Its not significantly easier or faster than cooking it the conventional way. I just wanted to do it for the experience. I also think I will do it again

Next time I will have to be more careful in criss crossing the spaghetti. Some of mine clumped up. Also you do have to pay attention to when the the instant pot finishes the cooking part. Not real close attention but more attention than I gave it. You're supposed to let it naturally release for 5 minutes but I didn't catch it till 7 minutes had gone by. It didn't seem to hurt it any.

 

[silva]

Instant Pot Spaghetti with Jar Sauce - Mom's Dinner

momsdinner.net

Finally made this. I have been thinking about doing it for years.
Its not significantly easier or faster than cooking it the conventional way. I just wanted to do it for the experience. I also think I will do it again

Next time I will have to be more careful in criss crossing the spaghetti. Some of mine clumped up. Also you do have to pay attention to when the the instant pot finishes the cooking part. Not real close attention but more attention than I gave it. You're supposed to let it naturally release for 5 minutes but I didn't catch it till 7 minutes had gone by. It didn't seem to hurt it any.

I do pasta in the IP, but I find these tips work better than the recipes:

I do not saute veggie in IP-not only does the further cooking negate the carmelization, it makes it likely to give a burn notice, I do them on the side
I add some water, (and often frozen plant balls) then the pasta, or broken criss-crossed spaghetti, the jar of sauce and then I add water to the jar shake and add to pot, and continue till the pasta is covered.
I set the cook time to half minus a minute to what the box of pasta suggests, which is 3 for spaghetti.
If I catch the pot before it seals I;ll open and gently stir, helps to prevent sticking.
5 to 7 min for npr

 

[silva]

I'll be making pita bread today so will proof the dough in the lightly oiled pot on low yogurt setting as it's still cool today

 

[Lou]

I do pasta in the IP, but I find these tips work better than the recipes:

I do not saute veggie in IP-not only does the further cooking negate the carmelization, it makes it likely to give a burn notice, I do them on the side
I add some water, (and often frozen plant balls) then the pasta, or broken criss-crossed spaghetti, the jar of sauce and then I add water to the jar shake and add to pot, and continue till the pasta is covered.
I set the cook time to half minus a minute to what the box of pasta suggests, which is 3 for spaghetti.
If I catch the pot before it seals I;ll open and gently stir, helps to prevent sticking.
5 to 7 min for npr

Great tips.

Frozen Plant Balls? I'm guessing those are frozen plant based meat balls.
I can see the appeal of not using the word meat in their name but as far as I know all the companies that make frozen meat balls call them meat balls.

Is it illegal in some states to call plant based meat balls - meat balls? By calling them plant balls are we getting ahead of the curve or surrendering without a fight.

Also is it just me but is the term plant balls somewhat un-appetizing. I keep thinking plant balls are you get when you castrate these guys

 

[Lou]

Did someone say they needed some more Instant Pot recipes?

40 Fantastic Vegan Instant Pot Recipes - Rainbow Plant Life

rainbowplantlife.com

 

[majorbloodnok]

Did someone say they needed some more Instant Pot recipes?

40 Fantastic Vegan Instant Pot Recipes - Rainbow Plant Life

rainbowplantlife.com

A lot of those are great in themselves but variations on a theme that I think I can do better on a hobtop. That of course also means me devoting more time to it and so sidestepping the benefits of the Instant Pot, but that's a trade-off I'm happy to make.

However, the lentil and chilli gumbo is a real find. That's the kind of recipe that makes the whole site worth it just on its own. Thanks, @Lou.