Multicooker Perfection: Cook It Fast or Cook It Slow-You Decide

To prepare for this review, I was browsing the book after some time away from it and was surprised by the number of recipes I’ve tried. Below are all the recipes I’ve followed (including the number of times I’ve made it) so now I can feel qualified to give my thoughts.Tortilla soup x2-3Spicy Moroccan-style chicken and lentil soupWild rice soup w coconut and limeChipotle pork and hominy stewIndian vegetable curry x2-3Easy beef stew x2Braised chicken breast w tomatoes and capersSpanish-style chicken and couscousBraised chicken thighs w white beans, pancetta and rosemaryTeriyaki chicken thighs w carrots and snow peasGlazed meatloafMacaroni and cheese x3-4Braised sausage w lentils and kaleShrimp and Parmesan farrottoSoft pork tacosGreek-style stewed zucchiniParmesan risotto x2Overall, my experience with this cookbook was positive and it will be staying within my collection. Although this cookbook was designed for 6-8 qt pressure cookers, I was able to make most recipes work in my 5 qt Lux model without major adjustments. One trick I’ve learned for soups is that I can leave out some of the liquids if it’s approaching the maximum level and add the liquid back after it finishes cooking. That also helps to cool down the soup quicker.On exception was the beef stew, which didn’t cook fully after 1 run. I don’t believe the pressure cooker came to the proper pressure, although it did start counting down. This was an issue with overfilling the pot, not the recipe itself, which I enjoyed very much. I was able to make it work by running the timer again and found the beef was properly cooked. Unlike some reviews here, I did not experience the burning issue both times I made it and believe this could be user error. If theres a layer of gunk at the bottom of the pot, the roux was likely not dissolved properly. I added the broth slowly into the roux while whisking vigorously to made sure it was fully dissolved. Despite ATKs efforts to make their recipes foolproof, they can’t control how closely their readers will follow the techniques.I didn’t find that ATK was biased against the Instant Pot at all and was amused by some people taking offense to their review of the Instant Pot. Their data showed that the Instant Pot simply cannot reach proper slow cooking temperatures and certain recipes cannot be made using the Instant Pot slow cooker function (such as the beef stew) so it kind of fails being a multicooker. I’ve found this to be true in my experience and you will find this documented in other reviews of the Instant Pot, although this fact is often ignored due to the cult following and the Instant Pot mostly being used as a pressure cooker rather than slow cooker. Thanks to their findings, I decided to purchase a separate slow cooker and found that I enjoy the slow cooking lifestyle better. It is worth noting, they do give specific instructions for Instant Pot users if the slow cooking time differs from other models.One of my favorite recipes is the Indian vegetable curry. It was very quick to pull together after a long day and satisfying to have a ton of vegetables incorporated into my meals with little effort. Just sauté onions with a couple of spices, dump some chopped vegetables, canned tomatoes and chickpeas, and you have a healthy meal after setting the timer for just 2 minutes!A couple of recipes didn’t work for me including the teriyaki chicken thighs. I wasn’t a fan of the sauce, which became too goopy as it cooled. I would have preferred a thinner and less sweet sauce, so maybe teriyaki sauce is not for me. I also thought the 3 lb of pork was too much in the chipotle pork and hominy stew. It might be my preference to have the ratio of meat to other ingredients to be on the lower side.I haven’t revisited too many chicken recipes since I don't like the chicken fat splattering all over my counter. Unfortunately, the Frywall doesn’t exist for this type of pot yet so I prefer to fry chicken on a sauté pan. Again, this is personal preference and not a problem with the flavor of the recipe itself.Other recipes I would like to try are the chicken in a pot with lemon herb sauce, braised beef short ribs, brown rice with shitakes and edamame, drunken beans, mussels in white, and flan.I’m sorry I don’t have photos, but it’s really the last thing I want to do after a day of working and cooking. ATKs recipes are generally reliable so my food did match the photos in the book--no surprises there. There is one photo for each recipe if that matters to you. Lastly, I found that there are just enough recipes and variety without being too overwhelming. Once I learned how long it takes to cook certain ingredient, I was able to swap and substitute ingredients to positive results.Thanks for reading. I hope this review helps with your purchase.

I gave this to my daughter for a gift to go along with her new pressure cooker. She is a great cook, and she was delighted with this cookbook.

Get this for the professional amateur cook in your life! The one who should use Dewey decimal system for their spice collection.I love the directions include steps for slow cooking or pressure cooker (…ahem, instant pot) for every recipe. Also photos for every dish. The recipes are delicious, which is to be expected, it’s americas test kitchen after all!!I’m passionate about food and cooking, and I don’t mind investing 2+ hours in the kitchen on a weeknight. I am not everyone…Objectively - this and most ATK cookbooks are NOT for people who want quick, simple meals, new to pressure cooking, or novice chefs. (fellow ATK fans are nodding their heads, admiring the gleam of their All-Clad).While their recipes are fantastic, the ingredient list and steps can be daunting. Most recipes are not “throw it in the pot, stir, and forget it”. Recipe instructions occasionally require finesse or sheer grit that comes with experience. Such as coring 2 lbs of plum tomatoes for fresh tomato sauce, (pg 93). Not rocket science, but certainly not as easy as popping open a can of Cento San Marzano tomatoes.

First, I expected better tutorials from ATK. There are many introductory pages about multicookers, but zero information of the type that will help new users get over their fear of turning it on--no step-by-step instructions. "Multicooker 101" offers a lot of information, including the results of their equipment tests; however, except for one page of useful "Do's and Don't's", very little practical advice. Moreover, the book is not specific to the Instant Pot ("IP"), which is what I have. "Getting to Know Your Multicooker" describes only the Fagor; they say "see your instruction manual" for other brands. This is my sixth "IP" book (Zimmerman, Clark, Randolph, Laurence, plus a really lousy one), but Zimmerman "Instant Pot Obsession" is far and away the best book for the IP novice, IMO. For one thing, it's specific to the IP; it tells us all about the IP in a very practical, useful way: It tells us "What the Buttons Mean" and answers many FAQ's rather than giving us graphs demonstrating the science behind pressure cooking, as ATK does.Next, the number of recipes is disappointing: there are only 75, plus 11 variations. I wasn't tempted to make any, but I did appreciate a few of the tips offered (add coconut milk after cooking for a fresher flavor). I noted that most of the recipes use the quick-release function, which doesn't work well with my IP: if I don't cover the release lever with a potholder and stand there holding it--trying to avoid burning my hand as the potholder quickly becomes soaked--the aromatic steam sprays all over my condo's kitchen pass.I question some of their timings: for example, "Black Bean Chili" uses dried beans, soaked, and no meat. The recipe calls for 40 minutes of cooking at high pressure. Black beans cook very quickly in my IP: 15 minutes max, and after 20 minutes they are mush. "Boston Baked Beans" uses dried navy beans, soaked, and call for 50 minutes at high pressure. I use 10-15 minutes, and all other sources I checked suggest 20-25 max. We agree on 20 minutes for chickpeas, soaked. The recipes assume use of a Fagor; however, they frequently offer a variation in instructions for the IP.The recipes are very meat-centric, but that's a good thing if you want more ideas for using your IP to cook chicken. I don't eat meat, but if I did, the first thing I would try would be North Carolina-style pulled pork. The "Ten Unexpected" recipes aren't exactly unexpected, but they're a nice selection: almond milk, mulled cider, strawberry jam, applesauce, cheesecake, flan, steel-cut oatmeal, Boston brown bread, Buffalo chicken wings, mussels with white wine and garlic. One wonders how they missed hard-boiled eggs (to my mind, the IP's crowning achievement) in this list.Kindle format: TOC is clickable to chapter title pages, which are clickable to individual recipes. Index is clickable. Headnotes, as always with ATK recipes, are excellent, telling us what is special about the recipe and/or how they tweaked it. Every recipe has a color photo.

Not one cake receipe in it only 1 flan other receipes . Never worth what i paid for so not happy one bit. Dont waste your money its not worth it .

The first thing I did was to check out the claim from other reviewers that mention some of the recipes have thickeners like flour added to the pot before pressure cooking. Not a good idea with pressure cookers. Thickeners tend to burn to the bottom of the pot which will prevent the recipe from turning out right because the required amount of thickener isn't available to the dish. Most of it is burnt to the bottom of the pot.This problem was mentioned in the reviews of their first release of these recipes. America's Test Kitchen addressed this and other problems with this second release or so they claim. They didn't.The recipes are still good though but you have to keep the "add the thickener after the dish is cooked". In other words - after the pressure is released turn on the low temp saute/brown program then stir in the flour and stir till thickened.

I am a long-time fan of ATK, but this collection of recipes is surprisingly uninspiring and lacks some basics that would be routine multi-cooker tasks.

I found the recipes too complicated and too many different ingredients that would not be readily available in the area I live. I will probably just look recipes up online in the future.

America's test Kitchen is an incredible show. Their recipes are thoroughly tested. This cookbook is no exception. Every recipe I have made turned out as expected. Love it!