Healthy Instant Pot Comfort Food Recipes - The Foodie and The Fix (2024)

FAQs

Are instant pot meals healthy? ›

While it might not be the best option out there for nutrient retention, you should never feel bad about making a home-cooked meal in your Instant Pot, as there is no "perfect" preparation method for food.

For instance, the flank steak with cheesy hash brown waffles will be an immediate favorite, along with the pierogi and meatball skillet, French bread pizzas, and creamy cauliflower soup. For Ree Drummond, chicken pot pie is the one comfort food that just can't be beat.

Among them are dairy and fried foods, as well as burgers and steaks. These foods are not Instant-Pot-friendly for a multitude of reasons. And while Instant Pots are a useful tool when baking cheesecake, custard, or mousse, it's definitely not the best method for other types of desserts.

Con– The Instant Pot uses steam under pressure to cook food and not everything is meant to be cooked in the Instant Pot. I attempted a crustless quiche which turned out well but it was too wet and moist to my liking and I prefer to cook it in the oven with dry heat.

“Instant pot recipes are absolutely healthy as long as what you put in the recipe is healthy,” she says.

Funeral potatoes, crocks of macaroni and cheese, cakes, pies, cookies, and the ubiquitous casserole exist for a reason, she says. These foods, it turns out, do more than satiate an empty stomach. They bring us solace during a time of need.

Foods containing dairy, like milk, cream, or yogurt, should not be pressure-cooked. The high heat and pressure can cause dairy products to curdle or separate, ruining the texture, taste and flavour of the dish. Cooking fried foods is a strict no no, when it comes to pressure cookers.

Chefs frequently check on their foods while they cook. The best usually continually taste, color, etc. An Instant Pot does not allow you to monitor the food inside. Although most recipes have perfected the exact cook time, your food may be overdone or undercooked if you are experimenting with something new.

Can bacteria survive Instant Pot? ›

The pressure cookers used can inactivate up to 10¹⁰ CFU/mL bacteria and 10⁷ CFU/mL fungi. The ultimate test for a sterilization device uses the most heat-resistant organisms, commonly Geobacillus stearothermophilus endospores. If the hardiest of microorganisms is killed, than all other microbes should die as well.

When it comes to preserving nutrients, the Instant Pot's high-pressure cooking generally wins the battle. If you're looking for quick, healthy meals with minimal nutrient loss, the Instant Pot is your go-to. For rich, complex flavors and fall-off-the-bone tenderness, the slow cooker takes the crown.

Cooking methods vary in their ability to retain nutrients, and pressure cooking stands out. Research, including a study from the 1990s, suggests that pressure cooking retains about 90 to 95 percent of food nutrients, outperforming other methods like steaming, roasting, and especially boiling.

Despite its popularity in professional kitchens, a pressure cooker is rarely featured on cooking shows. But that doesn't mean celebrity chefs don't appreciate their value. In fact, many renowned chefs have sung the praises of pressure cookers.

Maybe you don't know how to cook or just don't enjoy it. Whatever your reasons, ready meals aren't always as nutritious as cooking a meal from scratch. This is because they don't always provide your body with the nutrients it needs to stay healthy. Ready meals can be high in salt and fat and low in other nutrients.