GeneralAsked Sep 14, 2020 by ann B.
I'm sitting in a smoke filled house in Seattle. I put a pot of your chili con carne on as a kind of aroma therapy. It's working a little too well. My veg husband now wants the chili, but with beans and veg crumble. The seasonings in this smell gorgeous, so I can't blame him. Can I add two or three cans of black beans or kidney beans and use the same method? Or I could soak some dried beans? I wouldn't want them to become mush, but I'm out of my depth here.
Answered by Lynn Clark
Hi Ann - Although I think you could \definitely\ adapt this to a vegetarian chili, we haven't tested it so I can't offer a quick modification. If I were testing this recipe, I'd probably try to combine this recipe for Indian Spiced Kidney Bean Stew with the recipe for Chili con Carne to create a vegetarian chili in the Instant Pot. It may require some tweaking, but that would be my recommendation for where to start. So sorry I can't give you a quick fix! Best, Lynn C.
Read MoreAsked Sep 04, 2020 by Mei T.
I was curious about the water to rice ratio in the coconut rice with beans recipe in the Fast and Slow cookbook. Usually the water to rice ratio in the Instant Pot is 1 to 1. In this recipe, it asks for 1.5 cups rice to 2.5 cups coconut water. It’s not clear why this ratio is different in this case so I just wanted to make sure this is correct before proceeding with the recipe. Thank you!
Answered by Lynn Clark
Hi Mei - Yes, this amount is correct because we are not only cooking rice in water. In addition to the rice and the coconut water, we've got scallions, garlic, bell peppers, and cilantro stems, all of which contain some amount of water too. After testing the recipe multiple times we've tried to anticipate how much water those vegetables will release and adjusted the amount of coconut water accordingly. Hope that helps explain the difference. Best, Lynn C.
Read MoreAsked Aug 31, 2020 by beth S.
In the mexican cornbread recipe that was on the recent podcast, should I cook the corn prior to removing from the cob? Or does this recipe call for raw corn kernels?
Answered by Lynn Clark
Hi Beth- The recipe calls for cutting raw kernels off the cob. No need to cook it! Good luck and enjoy. Best, Lynn C.
Read MoreAsked Aug 28, 2020 by Kate R.
I've been cooking a lot less meat, and have been stretching to boost flavors, and one of the things I've found that can work is adding tea in the background. However, as I've moved from meat to more meat substitutes or alternative protiens (eggs or cheese instead of meat or meat-subs, for example,) I've begun to have difficulty balancing the flavors, ie I use a green and everything gets too vegetal and a bit metallic, I use a smoked black and the tannins become very apparent. Do you have any tips I can use to fix this? It's also generally when I do Asian-style noodle dishes, and I would like to branch out in ways that are not well...really obvious (making a barbecue sauce for a bean and nut "meat"loaf with a lapsang souchong base, or a mushroom sauce with an addition of a pu-erh, for example.)
Answered by Lynn Clark
Hi Kate - My advice would be to continue to use the tea, but just use less. Start by cutting back by 1/2 and work your way up until you find a flavor balance that works for you. Good luck! Best, Lynn C.
Read MoreAsked Aug 24, 2020 by Susan L.
I made your Pour in the Pan Pizza in your last magazine. FAB U LOUS!!! I'll be making it again and again. At any point can the dough be frozen and saved for other times to top and bake?
Answered by Lynn Clark
Hi Susan - I checked with Diane Unger, the recipe developer and our Director of Recipe Development and, because this dough is so wet, she doesn't advice freezing it. Best, Lynn C.
Read MoreAsked Aug 19, 2020 by Lula G.
Which one of your cookbooks has the recipe for the Walnut pie/tart that was featured on the television series?
Answered by Lynn Clark
Hi Lula - You can find the recipe for our French Walnut Tart in our Season 3 TV Companion book. It also appeared in our November-December 2018 issue of the magazine. Finally, you can also access the recipe on our website. I’ve included a temporary link to it here. Happy cooking! Best, Lynn C.
Read MoreAsked Aug 17, 2020 by Marie N.
Help! I have an abundance of hot banana peppers, poblano chiles, and jalapeños. Could you suggest ways to use them? Most recipes require just 1-2 and I have bags! I'm at a particular loss for using the hot banana peppers. Or if there are good ways to preserve/freeze them. Thanks.
Answered by Lynn Clark
Hi Marie - Here are some ideas:
Pickling - This is an especially good option for the banana peppers. Use them on sandwiches, in salads, on pizza, or for nachos.
Freeze - You can chop and freeze peppers for future cooking. I would chop, spread on a sheet tray, then freeze. Once they are frozen you can transfer into small zipper-lock freezer bags. They will lose much of their crunch, though, so I would only recommend using them in cooking where you are hoping to soften them anyway. You could also use these to make hot pepper jelly.
Drying - This is a little bit more complex, but could be a fun project. The easiest way to do this is with a food dehydrator. They \can\ be dried in the oven on a very low temperature, but it can take days of having your oven on continuously to do that. You can also string them up and let them dry outside in the sun. Follow the instructions here.
Here are some Milk Street recipes that could help "deplete" your abundance as well!
Pickled Chiles
Cilantro-Jalapeño Adobo Sauce
Guatemalan Salsa (Chirmol)
Good luck! Best, Lynn C.
Read MoreAsked Aug 10, 2020 by Jimmie B.
I purchased your Hot Honey and would like a recipe for an appitizer, maybe bread to go with it.
Answered by Lynn Clark
Hi Jimmie - We don't have any appetizer recipes per se, but I think the hot honey pairs well with cheese - brie, goat cheese, parmesan, ricotta. It's also nice with roasted vegetables. You could combine the two into a toast or a tart. Top slices of toasted bread with roasted broccoli, ricotta, and drizzle with hot honey. Or make a butternut squash tart with sage and parmesan and drizzle with hot honey after it's baked. We also love it drizzled over fried chicken or in a spicy vinaigrette. I think it would be great in this tomato and watermelon salad as well. Good luck and enjoy your hot honey! Best, Lynn C.
Read MoreAsked Aug 05, 2020 by Anthony T.
Specific to the Lemony Orzo with Chicken and Arugula.
If I scale up to 32oz of chicken, from 12oz. How much more time, if any, is required to cook protein through under pressure? Any negative impact on Orzo?
Answered by Lynn Clark
Hi Anthony - We haven't tested this recipe using 2 pounds of chicken so I can't give a definitive answer. However, I am sure that the additional chicken will not only affect cooking time but also the texture of the orzo and the overall dish since it will add more water (from the chicken) which will throw off the balance of the ingredients. These Instant Pot recipes with grains and pasta have a \very\ delicate balance of liquid-to-solid ratio so I imagine it would require a fair amount of testing to get it just right. Sorry I can't be more helpful! Best, Lynn C.
Read MoreAsked Aug 05, 2020 by Garth H.
So I have a question regarding vegetables and freezing them. Mostly I am tired of buying produce and have it go bad before I use them. I was curious if things such as chopped Romain, onions, or celery can be frozen to be used later. I know it seems odd but i just grow weary of going to chop things to find it’s bleh. Thanks!
Answered by Lynn Clark
Hi Garth - You can freeze chopped onions and celery (carrots and peppers too for mirepoix or sofrito) as long as you are going to then use them in cooked applications. The freezer causes ice crystals to form which will break down the cell walls of the vegetables and soften them more than you would like if eating them raw. Since they will soften as they cook anyway, they should be fine for cooked applications. On that same note, I wouldn't advise freezing lettuce since the breakdown that occurs with lettuce is even more evident and will turn most lettuces slimy in the process. One exception might be kale but, again, I would probably only recommend it if you were going to then cook it. Hope that helps! Best, Lynn C.
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