Bittman discovers the Instant Pot

Few kitchen gadgets have taken the world by storm as the Instant Pot and its derivatives. Many online forums have sprung up for recipes and advice. Most of the chatter online has been peer-to-peer, but that’s about to change. Many of the food world’s heavyweights, including Mark Bittman, have become enamored with the IP.

Bittman recently posted four new recipes made especially for the Instant Pot – can a book be far behind? The four recipes are updated takes on classic dishes: caldo verde, shrimp scampi, sticky glazed ribs, and choucroute garni. While some of these recipes may not seem well-suited to the IP, Bittman asks us to trust him. 

Of the shrimp scampi recipe, he notes that using the IP allows for the dish to be less greasy than its traditional counterpart. If you think that the texture of the shrimp might suffer, Bittman dispels the notion. “The texture is such a pleasant surprise,” he says. “You’d think the shrimp might be tough or mushy but it’s firm, tender, and briny.”

With more food writers discovering the benefits of the Instant Pot, we can look forward to more and even better cookbooks for the device and its relatives.