Food, food, glorious food!

[cinderella]

Let's talk food/cooking. Those who like to make it, those who like to eat it - I know you're out there!
This is a place for posting any and all things about food. Share your recipes, food you've made/eaten, etc. Let's keep it light and airy - this is no place for discord or argument - unless it's done in a constructive and friendly manner.

I'll start by telling what I'm planning for the day. I am making a pasta sauce from scratch - a big ol' pot full. I am making lasagna from scratch, but want to freeze some too for when I want to make a quick pasta dish, but don't want to go thru the trouble of making the sauce from scratch - which takes hours. Well, at least ANY decent home-made sauce should take hours - lol.

Any fans of The Food Channel out there? Who's your favorite chef, and why? Favorite dishes to make? C'mon, let the chats begin! :)

Oh, and a special p.s. - ethnic foods & their recipes are especially welcome!

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[aishah]

i love food and cooking! i love making south asian food especially, when i have the time. and also recipes i learned growing up in the rural south - which are not always the best or healthiest because we didn't have access to a lot of stuff but are still so comforting to me, especially homemade mac n cheese and chocolate eclair cake :) i don't have a lot of time to type right now (hanging out in the airport between flights) but i'm so grateful you started this thread :)

i don't really have a favorite chef - i don't have tv so i catch most of my food network stuff online, but i get bored with it sometimes. i like to follow cooking blogs though. http://www.zaiqa.net is one of my favorites. for american food i like http://www.recipegirl.com and http://www.smittenkitchen.com :) i'll be back to post recipes later.

[clay]

Being southern, loving my southern delicacies, and yes, even our FRIED foods...I am always open to hearing others talk of their food love(s). It's a WIN-WIN!
It will be interesting to subscribe to this post and to follow with drooling anticipation the posts..yummmm.
One of my faves is:
Lowcountry Boil....made with bacon, kilebasa, onions, Old Bay Seasoning, and S & P to taste. Once that is browned in bottom of a pot....add a bottle of beer, diced red potatoes, and a little water...let potatoes cook, then add in corn cobettes, and add more beer/water to cook them. I add a little more Old Bay with each layer..as you want all th eingredients to have the taste. Once all this is done, I have a steamer basket I place shrimp in single layer in, sprinkle with some Old Bay and place inside top of pot and cover. Let shrimp turn a nice cooked pink (NEVER submerge shrimp in liquids!! a big NO NO) Once shrimp cooked, place steamer rack aside and dip out bowl of the veggies, meats, and potatoes and an ear of corn. Add shrimp..ENJOY!!!
Nextttttttttttttt..:)

My FAVE chef is....Paula Deen and Gordon Ramsey!!

[cinderella]

Hey, aishah & Claybaby - thanks for participating and sharing your comments & recipes. Keep 'em coming...

Yesterday, I made my own home-made pasta sauce - it cooked for about 5 hours. Tedious, I know, but I'm retired and have the time. Now I have plenty of sauce to freeze and use later on. I also made a lasagna - it came out yummy despite the fact that I had no ricotta cheese. I substituted with sour cream - who knew?? I'd never done that before, but as they say, necessity is the mother of invention, so I used what I had in hand - came out pretty nice, altho it didn't have the texture of the ricotta.

Today I'm making pork chops & maybe some white rice and black beans a la Cuban style. I admit I do use canned beans (in salted water which I rinse off). I add my own natural herbs & condiments, tomato paste, a small peeled potato for the starch to help thicken the sauce for the beans, cilantro, chopped onion & garlic, 1 T of olive oil, bring to a brief boil, then simmer on low to med heat until the sauce thickens to the consistency I want. Comes out yummy and tastes like home-made every time. Same procedure for red kidney, or any other type of bean - so yummy!

Ok, come share some more of your recipes, stories, tips/advise, questions, etc. Also, what are your fav kitchen gadgets that you have, or on your wish list. Crockpots, pressure cookers, cast-iron dutch ovens? This curious kitty wants to know! :)

[1QuirkyKiwi]

This morning I’ve made a selection for people to choose from; Italian Sun-dried Tomato, Olive and Char-grilled Artichoke pasties; Vegan Cheese and Onion pasties; Veggie mince and Onion pasties and Kumara and Veggie pasties.

Serving with; Potato and Leek Au Gratin and a Parsnip, Leek and vegan Blue Cheese Au Gratin, sautéed Carrots and Green Beans lightly dressed with a Balsamic Vinegar Dressing.

Dessert is; a homemade Lavender Ice Cream with homemade Dark Chocolate Ginger pieces.

I love cooking from Scratch; over the years I’ve experimented with veganising some recipes; some have been very successful, others not so much (more like a school science project gone badly wrong, lol!). I make my own vegan cream and Cottage Cheeses; Mayonnaise and Pates.

I cook anything from Italian; French; Chinese; Indonesian; Thai; South African; Maori; Mexican; Cajun and Creole, etc.

I don’t bake a lot of cakes and biscuits as I’m not mad keen on them. I use Gram flour as an egg replacer where needed (I’ve tried the other suggestions and they don’t seem to work as well, either that or I’m doing something wrong! LOL!).

Last night I made Lentil and Veggie soup with croutons. This morning I’ve made a selection for people to choose from; Italian Sun-dried Tomato, Olive and Char-grilled Artichoke pasties; Vegan Cheese and Onion pasties; Veggie mince and Onion pasties and Kumara and Veggie pasties.

Serving with; Potato and Leek Au Gratin and a Parsnip, Leek and vegan Blue Cheese Au Gratin, sautéed Carrots and Green Beans lightly dressed with a Balsamic Vinegar Dressing.

Dessert is; a homemade Lavender Ice Cream with homemade Dark Chocolate Ginger pieces.

Tomorrow night I’m making Pissaladiere with a green salad. Thursday night is homemade Cannelloni (not sure what the filling will be yet). Friday is vegan sausage and apple casserole with brown rice. Saturday I’m out to dinner and Sunday I’m making Roasted Mediterranean Veggie Pasta.

I plan a weeks menu and make up some things in advance if I can.

[cinderella]

Thanks for stopping by, posting, and sharing your menus - I'm sure all the vegans, and non-vegans, out there will appreciate them. I for one am a carnevoir (sp?), and couldn't live without my meat. I am esp fond of pork & bacon, lol.

I love lentil soup, and often make it - from scratch of course. However, I do put in chorizo or some sort of savory sausage. The flavor it imparts to the lentils is phenomenal.

I have heard of lavender-flavored deserts - esp ice cream. I love the scent of lavender, but have never used it or tasted it in cooking. It sounds very romantic and lovely - I would love to try it some day.

Again, thanks for sharing. I hope you will share more of your menus and cooking tips with us.

[genghisfawn]

I absolutely cook for myself and others, not only because I love to cook, but because I have to stick to a gluten-free diet or be chronically ill.

GF is not boring... I can make a lot of what I used to make, but use different ingredients in different proportions.

The other day I made a shepherd's pie... it was such a snap. I don't do recipes, but here are the instructions:

Make mashed potatoes. If you can't, I can't help you. ;)

Heat the oven to 375F (150ish C, gas mark 6).

So take a large onion, chop it fine and soften them in some oil. Throw in a pack of medium-sized pack of ground meat (usually pork or beef) and brown it nicely.

When you drain the beef, save the drippings.

Add some peas, carrots and whatever other vegetable you have dying in the crisper (or some frozen stuff - same difference.)

Put the drippings in a small saucepan and shake up some cold water with cornstarch in a mason jar. Season the drippings well with salt, pepper, a bit of cayenne and bring them to a simmer. Mix in dribs and drabs of the cornstarch water and whisk until you have gravy. Stir the gravy into the meat mix and keep seasoning to taste.

Let the meat mix cool down. Put it in a 9x13" pan and press it all down. Spread the mashed potato overtop and use the tines of a fork to swirl some pretty patterns in it. Bake in the preheated oven for about 30 minutes on the low rack, then broil the top until brown.

[Deborah]

Ooooo I LOVE recipes... reading them, looking at the pictures for them, trying new ones and of course the cooking for my honey <3

[cinderella]

gengisfawn and Deborah - thanks for stopping by and posting. gengis, a special thanks for sharing your Shepherd's Pie recipe - I've been looking for one for a long time now. I will try it soon - and yes, I can make mashed potatoes. ;)

[sylvie]

i sooo wish i got the Food Network, but i don't..=(
i like Curtis Stone, my fave.

Since working through my food addiction & eating disorder, i have grown a love of cooking once again, and it's been years since i've had that.. SO thankful.. Developing a new healthy relationship with food again, one step at a time..

Mr Mtn & i choose a new dish each week to try, after healthying it up first .. We'll both buy the ingredients, and We'll get on Skype, cook together and enjoy the meal together afterwards...♥ It's something i sooo look forward to each week..
We've recently made cabbage rolls, that i just had to make again this week.. froze a bunch, it was my first time trying them..

i've also started a Recipe Collection of Our recipes tried, in a cute lil recipe box with cards - that we'll have in Our home together... & my mother loved the idea so much, that she demanded that We make HER a collection of Our recipes as well.. LOL.

Great thread Carmen.♥ i'll be revisiting!

[clay]

I LOVE PEACH AND/OR CHERRY cobblers best!
2 cans pie filling..any flavor
1 stick butter , melted
1 cup flour
1 cup sugar
1 cup milk
Mix flour, sugar, and water together, pour in melted butter. Pour this into a greased 8x8 OR 9x13 pam, greased or sprayed with non stick coating (ie PAM). Add pie filling with a large tablespoon so as to disperse evenly. Cook in a 350 degree oven til top is golden brown and bubbly.

[Sassy]

... "Food Glorious Food" is the name of my favorite restaurant my home town.

Subscribed :)

OK, foodies, here's a puzzle for ya... I've been trying to recreate my Grandma's recipe for scalloped potatoes. She was a southern woman who made the best Sunday dinners of my childhood. What I remember of this dish is warm potatoes cooked until tender in a buttery/creamy sauce. Grandma died when I was 20 so I can't ask her what she used to do to those potatoes. And no one in my family makes the recipe, so aunts and cousins just shrug when I ask if they know what she did. I've looked up a lot of recipes online and tried them. But I think most of them are a little over the top. (C'mon ... "Herb de provence?" ... I know that wasn't in my Grandma's spice rack. LOL) So... anyone out there have a simple scalloped potatoes recipe they'd like to share? ... huh? huh? Do ya? :D

Thanks,
-S

[clay]

Oven 350 for 1 hr.
1 lge. bag Noodles (I use extra large egg yolk noodles)
2 lbs. ground turkey (can use beef or venison)
1 lge. onion chopped up
2 lge. cans crushed tomatoes
2 bags Four Cheese Mexican blend cheeses
1 lge can mushrooms
salt and pepper to taste
1 tsp. cumin
1/2 tsp each: oregano, parsley, and Italian seasoning
Brown seasoned meat, and drain. While meat is browning, add onion and let it get translucent. Just prior to drianing meat, add mushrooms to meat mixture.
Boil noodles in salted water for 2 minutes only. DO NOT overcook as they will finish cooking in the oven.
In a 9x13 pan, greased....
ADD IN LAYERS...
noodles, meat mix, crushed tomatoes, and cheese. Do this til all ingredients are used. TOP layer should be cheeses and I sprinkle with Italian seasoning blend. Place in oven til cheeses are golden brown and bubbling.
This is excellent to be frozen and tastes so good when it is reheated.

[cinderella]

Yummo!! Sounds delish, claybaby. Thanks for sharing. I will try it soon. It's true, these type of dishes always taste better the following day(s) - gives all the flavors time to meld with each other.

Oven 350 for 1 hr.
1 lge. bag Noodles (I use extra large egg yolk noodles)
2 lbs. ground turkey (can use beef or venison)
1 lge. onion chopped up
2 lge. cans crushed tomatoes
2 bags Four Cheese Mexican blend cheeses
1 lge can mushrooms
salt and pepper to taste
1 tsp. cumin
1/2 tsp each: oregano, parsley, and Italian seasoning
Brown seasoned meat, and drain. While meat is browning, add onion and let it get translucent. Just prior to drianing meat, add mushrooms to meat mixture.
Boil noodles in salted water for 2 minutes only. DO NOT overcook as they will finish cooking in the oven.
In a 9x13 pan, greased....
ADD IN LAYERS...
noodles, meat mix, crushed tomatoes, and cheese. Do this til all ingredients are used. TOP layer should be cheeses and I sprinkle with Italian seasoning blend. Place in oven til cheeses are golden brown and bubbling.
This is excellent to be frozen and tastes so good when it is reheated.

[girl_dee]

holy heck! the thread of my dreams!

i love COOKING!!!


Cajun anyone?

[Martina]

Did everbody hear about the brouhaha over Paula Deen's English pea recipe. Apparently, it's melt butter and warm up canned peas. So i gather there are many snarky replies on the site. i only read a few.

i imagine they are good that way. Mushy. But . . .

http://www.foodnetwork.com/recipes/paula-deen/english-peas-recipe/reviews/index.html

[clay]

just saw this....first time back to thread in a while...YVW. Enjoy!!!Yummo!! Sounds delish, claybaby. Thanks for sharing. I will try it soon. It's true, these type of dishes always taste better the following day(s) - gives all the flavors time to meld with each other.

[Beloved]

I like to cook and love to bake. Last night I made tamarind lentils. I especially love Indian food. I am vegetarian. A good site for vegetarian Indian food is http://www.manjulaskitchen.com/ Right now I often cook things that I know my daughter will like and not necessarily what I want. She is still in the picky stage and I am hoping she will outgrow it.

[LeftWriteFemme]

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[aishah]

i love this website for cheap vegan recipes: http://melomeals.blogspot.com/ :)

food glorious food is one of my favorite restaurants too! hehehehe. there's a restaurant where i live now called ingredient that's really great too...it's more cafe-style (they serve soup, salad, pizza, sandwiches, burgers - but they have the MOST AMAZING salads ever). i've been working on cooking at home more lately though.

i love pendle hill - it's a quaker retreat center outside philly and i've been there twice. i just got home from a weekend retreat there. they have the most amazing food...there's some info about their food philosophy and daily menus on their site, and they post recipes from time to time on their blog. every time i visit i come home energized to cook amazing food :) i also got a bag of their yummy homemade granola this time.
http://pendlehill.org/community/food-and-garden
http://pendlehill.org/blog

[*Anya*]

Cooking, and Reporting, in the Thrall of the Instant Pot

By KEVIN ROOSE DEC. 18, 2017

KANATA, Ontario — Truth be told, the headquarters of Instant Pot don’t look much like a church.

But inside this sterile, gray office building on the outskirts of Ottawa, behind a door marked only by a small metal sign, a new religion has been born. Its deity is the Instant Pot, a line of electric multicookers that has become an internet phenomenon and inspired a legion of passionate foodies and home cooks.

These devotees — they call themselves “Potheads” — use their Instant Pots for virtually every kitchen task imaginable: sautéing, pressure-cooking, steaming, even making yogurt and cheesecakes. Then, they evangelize on the internet, using social media to sing the gadget’s praises to the unconverted.

“Oh my goodness!” reads a fairly typical Amazon rave, one of more than 25,000 reviews on the site for the Instant Pot. “This is the best kitchen gadget to ever exist in the history of ever.”

An enthusiast in the Instant Pot Facebook group, which has more than 850,000 members, wrote “Using my Instant Pot has totally changed my life.” (Wirecutter, a New York Times Company, also recommended it as the best pressure cooker they’ve tested.)

The Instant Pot is hardly the fanciest appliance on the market; several models sell for under $100. But it has upended the home-cooking industry. During this year’s Black Friday sales, the Instant Pot was among the Top 5 items sold by Amazon and Target, and among the Top 3 best-sellers at Kohl’s. The company, which is privately held, doesn’t release sales data, but said it was “very happy” with Instant Pot’s sales, which have been more than doubling every year since 2011. Sales of electric multicookers have risen 79 percent in the past year to more than $300 million, according to NPD Group, a market research firm.
I went to Kanata to get a peek behind the scenes of the Instant Pot phenomenon and meet its creator: Robert Wang, who invented the device and serves as chief executive of Double Insight, its parent company.

What I found was a remarkable example of a new breed of 21st-century start-up — a homegrown hardware business with only around 50 employees that raised no venture capital funding, spent almost nothing on advertising, and achieved enormous size primarily through online word-of-mouth. It is also a testament to the enormous power of Amazon, and its ability to turn small businesses into major empires nearly overnight.

Mr. Wang, 53, did not set out to be a kitchen mogul. An engineering whiz who grew up in Harbin, China, as the son of two professors, he earned a Ph.D. in computer science and intended to develop artificial intelligence systems for a living. After a series of telecom and tech jobs, he was laid off from his dot-com position in 2008, just as the global financial crisis hit.

After a brief and unsuccessful attempt to start his own tech company, Mr. Wang turned his attention to kitchen appliances, a market that hadn’t yet been visited by the tech industry’s disruption fairies.

A lapsed home cook whose busy schedule rarely allowed him to make healthy meals for his wife and two children, Mr. Wang recruited two other engineers and spent 18 months and $350,000 of his savings developing a high-tech device that would combine pressure-cooking, slow-cooking, sautéing and other common cooking functions in a single appliance. In a news release announcing his invention in 2013, he called it the “iPot” — an Apple homage that his trademark lawyer soon nixed.

In person, Mr. Wang is soft-spoken and earnest, with a nerd’s enthusiasm for the technology that powers the Instant Pot. (That enthusiasm extends to his other creations as well: At various points during our interview, he read me excerpts from his doctoral dissertation on logic programming languages, and showed me the hand-built website he made to host photos of his family.)

In 2010, after several months of sluggish sales in and around Ontario, Mr. Wang listed the Instant Pot on Amazon, where a community of food writers eventually took notice. Vegetarians and paleo dieters, in particular, were drawn to the device’s pressure-cooking function, which shaved hours off the time needed to cook pots of beans or large cuts of meat. "Sensing viral potential, Instant Pot sent test units to about 200 influential chefs, cooking instructors and food bloggers. Reviews and recipes appeared online, and sales began to climb.

You wouldn’t know it from his small, bare-walled office, but Mr. Wang, who cooks steamed sweet potatoes and soft-boiled eggs in his three Instant Pots at home, has built a profitable empire. Exact figures are elusive because the company is private and has never raised money from outside investors, but there is no doubt that as the company’s largest shareholder, Mr. Wang has done very well.
“They’re expanding as fast as they can produce the appliances,” said Coco Morante, a food writer and author of “The Essential Instant Pot Cookbook.” “They’ve built this word-of-mouth advertising and community around their appliance that’s pretty fervent.”

But why, and why now? After all, pressure cookers aren’t new, and most of the Instant Pot’s functions are replicated by other common kitchen appliances. Mr. Wang credits the device’s technological advances — most notably, a group of sensors that keep the cooker from overheating or exploding under pressure.
Instant Pot’s internet fandom also gives it a leg up.

The food bloggers behind popular recipe sites like Nom Nom Paleo were early converts to electric pressure-cooking, and cookbook authors took note of the device’s cult appeal. Mr. Wang says that more than 1,500 Instant Pot cookbooks have been written, including several of Amazon’s current best-sellers.

Amazon has played a particularly large role in Instant Pot’s rise. Early on, Instant Pot joined the “Fulfillment by Amazon” program, in which Amazon handles the packing and shipping of a seller’s products in exchange for a cut of each item sold. Eventually, Instant Pot sent Amazon wholesale shipments directly from factories in China, and Amazon began promoting the machines in its major annual sales. At one point, more than 90 percent of Instant Pot’s sales came through Amazon. “Without Amazon, we wouldn’t be here,” Mr. Wang said.

Kitchen appliance fads tend to come and go (R.I.P., George Foreman grill). And major appliance makers like Cuisinart and Breville have taken note of Instant Pot’s success and introduced electric multicookers of their own. But Mr. Wang said he believed that the Instant Pot’s passionate online following will protect it from being crushed by a larger rival. He showed me videos in which fans sang the Instant Pot’s praises, and a blog post about a woman who credited her Instant Pot with helping her lose 83 pounds.

He also revealed a secret: in every official photograph of an Instant Pot, the unit’s timer is set to 5:20 — a series of numbers that, when spoken aloud, sounds like “I love you” in his native Mandarin. “It’s a subliminal message,” he said. “It shows how much we care about our customers.”

Mr. Wang declined to comment when I asked about Instant Pot’s plans for future products. He said the company wanted to modernize other “legacy appliances” in the kitchen by adding sensors and microprocessors, and eventually using Wi-Fi to connect them to the cloud.

Not that Instant Pot needs to branch out just yet. According to the NPD Group, only 11.5 percent of American households own electric multicookers. Which means that there are still millions more potential Potheads out there, still making their vegetarian curries and chili con carne the hard way.

Mr. Wang wants to convert these poor souls, and bring them into his flock. “We know we really make a difference in people’s lives,” he said. “It’s really gratifying.”


https://www.nytimes.com/2017/12/18/insider/instant-pot-testing.html

[homoe]

Cooking, and Reporting, in the Thrall of the Instant Pot

By KEVIN ROOSE DEC. 18, 2017

KANATA, Ontario — Truth be told, the headquarters of Instant Pot don’t look much like a church.

But inside this sterile, gray office building on the outskirts of Ottawa, behind a door marked only by a small metal sign, a new religion has been born. Its deity is the Instant Pot, a line of electric multicookers that has become an internet phenomenon and inspired a legion of passionate foodies and home cooks.

These devotees — they call themselves “Potheads” — use their Instant Pots for virtually every kitchen task imaginable: sautéing, pressure-cooking, steaming, even making yogurt and cheesecakes. Then, they evangelize on the internet, using social media to sing the gadget’s praises to the unconverted.

“Oh my goodness!” reads a fairly typical Amazon rave, one of more than 25,000 reviews on the site for the Instant Pot. “This is the best kitchen gadget to ever exist in the history of ever.”

An enthusiast in the Instant Pot Facebook group, which has more than 850,000 members, wrote “Using my Instant Pot has totally changed my life.” (Wirecutter, a New York Times Company, also recommended it as the best pressure cooker they’ve tested.)

The Instant Pot is hardly the fanciest appliance on the market; several models sell for under $100. But it has upended the home-cooking industry. During this year’s Black Friday sales, the Instant Pot was among the Top 5 items sold by Amazon and Target, and among the Top 3 best-sellers at Kohl’s. The company, which is privately held, doesn’t release sales data, but said it was “very happy” with Instant Pot’s sales, which have been more than doubling every year since 2011. Sales of electric multicookers have risen 79 percent in the past year to more than $300 million, according to NPD Group, a market research firm.
I went to Kanata to get a peek behind the scenes of the Instant Pot phenomenon and meet its creator: Robert Wang, who invented the device and serves as chief executive of Double Insight, its parent company.

What I found was a remarkable example of a new breed of 21st-century start-up — a homegrown hardware business with only around 50 employees that raised no venture capital funding, spent almost nothing on advertising, and achieved enormous size primarily through online word-of-mouth. It is also a testament to the enormous power of Amazon, and its ability to turn small businesses into major empires nearly overnight.

Mr. Wang, 53, did not set out to be a kitchen mogul. An engineering whiz who grew up in Harbin, China, as the son of two professors, he earned a Ph.D. in computer science and intended to develop artificial intelligence systems for a living. After a series of telecom and tech jobs, he was laid off from his dot-com position in 2008, just as the global financial crisis hit.

After a brief and unsuccessful attempt to start his own tech company, Mr. Wang turned his attention to kitchen appliances, a market that hadn’t yet been visited by the tech industry’s disruption fairies.

A lapsed home cook whose busy schedule rarely allowed him to make healthy meals for his wife and two children, Mr. Wang recruited two other engineers and spent 18 months and $350,000 of his savings developing a high-tech device that would combine pressure-cooking, slow-cooking, sautéing and other common cooking functions in a single appliance. In a news release announcing his invention in 2013, he called it the “iPot” — an Apple homage that his trademark lawyer soon nixed.

In person, Mr. Wang is soft-spoken and earnest, with a nerd’s enthusiasm for the technology that powers the Instant Pot. (That enthusiasm extends to his other creations as well: At various points during our interview, he read me excerpts from his doctoral dissertation on logic programming languages, and showed me the hand-built website he made to host photos of his family.)

In 2010, after several months of sluggish sales in and around Ontario, Mr. Wang listed the Instant Pot on Amazon, where a community of food writers eventually took notice. Vegetarians and paleo dieters, in particular, were drawn to the device’s pressure-cooking function, which shaved hours off the time needed to cook pots of beans or large cuts of meat. "Sensing viral potential, Instant Pot sent test units to about 200 influential chefs, cooking instructors and food bloggers. Reviews and recipes appeared online, and sales began to climb.

You wouldn’t know it from his small, bare-walled office, but Mr. Wang, who cooks steamed sweet potatoes and soft-boiled eggs in his three Instant Pots at home, has built a profitable empire. Exact figures are elusive because the company is private and has never raised money from outside investors, but there is no doubt that as the company’s largest shareholder, Mr. Wang has done very well.
“They’re expanding as fast as they can produce the appliances,” said Coco Morante, a food writer and author of “The Essential Instant Pot Cookbook.” “They’ve built this word-of-mouth advertising and community around their appliance that’s pretty fervent.”

But why, and why now? After all, pressure cookers aren’t new, and most of the Instant Pot’s functions are replicated by other common kitchen appliances. Mr. Wang credits the device’s technological advances — most notably, a group of sensors that keep the cooker from overheating or exploding under pressure.
Instant Pot’s internet fandom also gives it a leg up.

The food bloggers behind popular recipe sites like Nom Nom Paleo were early converts to electric pressure-cooking, and cookbook authors took note of the device’s cult appeal. Mr. Wang says that more than 1,500 Instant Pot cookbooks have been written, including several of Amazon’s current best-sellers.

Amazon has played a particularly large role in Instant Pot’s rise. Early on, Instant Pot joined the “Fulfillment by Amazon” program, in which Amazon handles the packing and shipping of a seller’s products in exchange for a cut of each item sold. Eventually, Instant Pot sent Amazon wholesale shipments directly from factories in China, and Amazon began promoting the machines in its major annual sales. At one point, more than 90 percent of Instant Pot’s sales came through Amazon. “Without Amazon, we wouldn’t be here,” Mr. Wang said.

Kitchen appliance fads tend to come and go (R.I.P., George Foreman grill). And major appliance makers like Cuisinart and Breville have taken note of Instant Pot’s success and introduced electric multicookers of their own. But Mr. Wang said he believed that the Instant Pot’s passionate online following will protect it from being crushed by a larger rival. He showed me videos in which fans sang the Instant Pot’s praises, and a blog post about a woman who credited her Instant Pot with helping her lose 83 pounds.

He also revealed a secret: in every official photograph of an Instant Pot, the unit’s timer is set to 5:20 — a series of numbers that, when spoken aloud, sounds like “I love you” in his native Mandarin. “It’s a subliminal message,” he said. “It shows how much we care about our customers.”

Mr. Wang declined to comment when I asked about Instant Pot’s plans for future products. He said the company wanted to modernize other “legacy appliances” in the kitchen by adding sensors and microprocessors, and eventually using Wi-Fi to connect them to the cloud.

Not that Instant Pot needs to branch out just yet. According to the NPD Group, only 11.5 percent of American households own electric multicookers. Which means that there are still millions more potential Potheads out there, still making their vegetarian curries and chili con carne the hard way.

Mr. Wang wants to convert these poor souls, and bring them into his flock. “We know we really make a difference in people’s lives,” he said. “It’s really gratifying.”


https://www.nytimes.com/2017/12/18/insider/instant-pot-testing.html

Don't have one, but we do have a pressure cooker!

[FireSignFemme]

Okay they are not perfect, sure aren't going to win me any ribbons at the county fair what for their stellar appearance, but I actually succeeded in making the best gluten free cinnamon rolls ever – Thank You Bob's Red Mill.

[homoe]

-zJbtWpcdd4

[homoe]

https://encrypted-tbn0.gstatic.com/images?q=tbn:ANd9GcT1IrPVRtaqy3oiPUaLdxwuIufzhAs17 mfrctFxax5rL1u6P9dD

[homoe]

https://encrypted-tbn0.gstatic.com/images?q=tbn:ANd9GcRp1yzWM-TMiC-jxJahIB3uyTXNYPnd6fAijAuEy4VkZYaeYDpU0w

[homoe]

https://encrypted-tbn0.gstatic.com/images?q=tbn:ANd9GcRAFAsWgeTkV5Cb22FONlermT6oO6Am6 DqWPMerltVyX2zgbzAB

[Dominique]

https://i.pinimg.com/736x/02/ea/5a/02ea5aa757c7f2e928fbf40d5a8f69bb.jpg

[Bèsame*]

https://i.pinimg.com/736x/e5/7f/dc/e57fdcebfa1fa37add2452880c87e586--a-fruit-fresh-fruit.jpg

[Bèsame*]

https://i.pinimg.com/originals/74/cb/e7/74cbe75e3a22c0b9de6e80d2043a28f4.jpg

[Bèsame*]

https://i.pinimg.com/originals/e4/f8/d4/e4f8d435b2f83e4499a8591c19babd51.jpg

[girl_dee]

https://encrypted-tbn0.gstatic.com/images?q=tbn:ANd9GcRAFAsWgeTkV5Cb22FONlermT6oO6Am6 DqWPMerltVyX2zgbzAB

this is the only steak i like!

[homoe]

https://i.pinimg.com/originals/e4/f8/d4/e4f8d435b2f83e4499a8591c19babd51.jpg

NOW you're talking!

[Bèsame*]

https://s-media-cache-ak0.pinimg.com/originals/dc/4f/7c/dc4f7cfb39f8cdb38d771918e59e3134.jpg

[Bèsame*]

https://s-media-cache-ak0.pinimg.com/originals/2c/b0/31/2cb03112d0b681fb3a130bea62a04f3c.jpg

[Bèsame*]

https://i.pinimg.com/originals/9b/d6/cc/9bd6ccc54a25ac592af7489a91437075.jpg

[homoe]

https://encrypted-tbn0.gstatic.com/images?q=tbn:ANd9GcTGfKK3p3k97NtCNoRctHQinkv25esyN 8hvpuY7kLte4zygUFoD

[Gemme]

I have four words for you that will change your life!

Hot. Pepper. Bacon. Jam.

OMG, it's delicious.

[Bèsame*]

I have four words for you that will change your life!

Hot. Pepper. Bacon. Jam.

OMG, it's delicious.

Why yes it is. Good on many things and in many things.

[Bèsame*]

https://ofbatteranddough.com/wp-content/uploads/2017/04/French-cruller-doughnut-recipe-pin-14.jpg

[Bèsame*]

http://www.savvymujer.com/wp-content/uploads/2013/12/mofongo-savvymujer.jpg

[LOQUI]

http://www.savvymujer.com/wp-content/uploads/2013/12/mofongo-savvymujer.jpg

...this mofongo picture reminded me of my beloved Island and all its flavours, music, scents, places, and "mi gente"

:puertorico:

[homoe]

https://encrypted-tbn0.gstatic.com/images?q=tbn:ANd9GcSWQZX8_gGQTx17d14xt7-52tlmgJvSYAbKndT-VFX1-cKw0Hl-LA


toasted roast beef with Havarti ....:praying:

[homoe]

https://encrypted-tbn0.gstatic.com/images?q=tbn:ANd9GcSCz0hbq1aL_-MAsY-W9SbS1_Oj28xgOOdC9nCOaDwxOT0YUTA8https://encrypted-tbn0.gstatic.com/images?q=tbn:ANd9GcSsYzbLHt_xfIKFwf7YVJQOS_16m5mFX k-SB48adD9oTqx-xSff

If Mary cooperates, I'll be digging into something similar to this at about 6 o'clock tonight........:eating:

[homoe]

https://encrypted-tbn0.gstatic.com/images?q=tbn:ANd9GcSCz0hbq1aL_-MAsY-W9SbS1_Oj28xgOOdC9nCOaDwxOT0YUTA8https://encrypted-tbn0.gstatic.com/images?q=tbn:ANd9GcSsYzbLHt_xfIKFwf7YVJQOS_16m5mFX k-SB48adD9oTqx-xSff

If Mary cooperates, I'll be digging into something similar to this at about 6 o'clock tonight........:eating:

OK make that Saturday night! We had a glitch along the way...:giggle:

[homoe]

https://encrypted-tbn0.gstatic.com/images?q=tbn:ANd9GcQqlzBOSMD-v-8lz_Ida9PCGeNZiIcCFezvatvZj4odeowaNJtK

[homoe]

https://encrypted-tbn0.gstatic.com/images?q=tbn:ANd9GcTg_Pi2koIZ1qhtMnAuQ2_FUfiJpzej4 3F_s3q4Xhu4bxB0JNWXQAhttps://encrypted-tbn0.gstatic.com/images?q=tbn:ANd9GcRvJ-tz4DEgM9CwtcM1FSKMMA0bHTLiKHzTc7DM-2MQs3J_LRW8fw

[homoe]

https://encrypted-tbn0.gstatic.com/images?q=tbn:ANd9GcSS52yzOtnpOqmcPrvhbxnsTMx34YKau W4Bcm53g7k_IywFIWda

[homoe]

https://encrypted-tbn0.gstatic.com/images?q=tbn:ANd9GcS823oOv4OywTEw1b0fZqbEgDGYU-MmM-VWlSjUyWggbEVUj_T_

[Bèsame*]

https://deanspizza.com/wp-content/uploads/2016/01/deans-pizza-gourmet-vegetarian-veggie.jpg

[homoe]

https://encrypted-tbn0.gstatic.com/images?q=tbn:ANd9GcSwH_Z7R4AiB0nIs3NMmeNmvujuSJoH4 VcMGdTtX6V0-FMacai8rg

[homoe]

https://encrypted-tbn0.gstatic.com/images?q=tbn:ANd9GcTBvc8awU0h3O6PvvH4aG99hj5-OVOkz2PUIdb54eNGHYpX1wWA

[homoe]

https://encrypted-tbn0.gstatic.com/images?q=tbn:ANd9GcS4vTMW15Yv9PvbyznVRIG3Kqk_AWXud Y1rANbRWAoxDoagtJEPcA

[homoe]

https://encrypted-tbn0.gstatic.com/images?q=tbn:ANd9GcR0HTo_io1W6t7G0bMk5sB1czszmAPFN xcxTSznYYwfkf0_Ll7n3Q

[homoe]

http://thekitchenarium.com/wp-content/uploads/2014/02/bakedpot-1024x682.jpg





.......:eating:..

[homoe]

https://www.simplyrecipes.com/wp-content/uploads/2006/09/garlic-bread-method-1-600x400.jpg

[homoe]

https://www.recipegirl.com/wp-content/uploads/2008/08/Apple-Crisp-1.jpg

[homoe]

http://d6vrtzdlbankn.cloudfront.net/wp-content/uploads/2016/11/DEC16_17_0005_Crispy_Pig-700x420.jpg

[homoe]

https://cdn.vox-cdn.com/thumbor/GTbCOc7Jg9KQPggPhIC2iOpMkEU=/114x0:1934x1365/1200x900/filters:focal(114x0:1934x1365):no_upscale()/cdn.vox-cdn.com/uploads/chorus_image/image/55684217/19942939_1730027507037540_7388492915960752676_o.0. 0.jpg

[homoe]

https://encrypted-tbn0.gstatic.com/images?q=tbn:ANd9GcSuY_xxdDPPH2fOlLNaUnsOZV9_t0yFX 4zPjXxbC5Ty86tUQtkidQ

[homoe]

https://images.media-allrecipes.com/userphotos/560x315/3770230.jpg



https://encrypted-tbn0.gstatic.com/images?q=tbn:ANd9GcSI89WTI-YfGK1JUCMGV0N2CBw_0iW8ztatRmwjM2EmG5WK8m3Jug

[homoe]

https://princewilliamliving.com/wp-content/uploads/2014/11/Prince-William-Living-Dec-141214_Local-Flavor_BJs-Pizza.jpg



Counting the days........................

[homoe]

https://i2.wp.com/www.foodrepublic.com/wp-content/uploads/2016/03/11709874_10155836993395182_6075587364434188022_o.j pg?resize=700%2C700

[homoe]

https://encrypted-tbn0.gstatic.com/images?q=tbn:ANd9GcTGfKK3p3k97NtCNoRctHQinkv25esyN 8hvpuY7kLte4zygUFoD


I bet she'd be a hoot to cook with........

[homoe]

http://itsybitsyfoodies.com/wp-content/uploads/2011/09/IMG_1057-400x280.jpg

[Bèsame*]

Found this in my latest copy of Food Network magazine. The darkest of cakes, made with black cocoa powder.

https://food.fnr.sndimg.com/content/dam/images/food/fullset/2019/9/6/FNM_100119-Black-Chocolate-Cake_s4x3.jpg.rend.hgtvcom.826.620.suffix/1567792790823.jpeg

[homoe]

https://americanaatbrand.com/wp-content/uploads/2017/08/AABSees.jpg

[homoe]

..
Racine https://racinedanishkringle.blob.core.windows.net/production//images/products/7ee1cd53-e706-441a-8a4c-fc42a1ad7d8d.jpg pecan kringle

[Bèsame*]

https://americanaatbrand.com/wp-content/uploads/2017/08/AABSees.jpg

oh the torture!! Your not right

[homoe]

https://www.theseasonedmom.com/wp-content/uploads/2017/01/Healthy-Chunky-Monkey-Protein-Smoothie-8-1.jpg




Chunky Monkey Protein Smoothie

[homoe]

https://assets.kraftfoods.com/recipe_images/opendeploy/578439_2_1_retail-4aa8ff43999e50f50a57690a4acade39cad5c271_642x428.j pg

[homoe]

http://stockfarm.com/wp-content/uploads/2017/06/k19639437-3-400x300.png

[homoe]

https://s3.envato.com/files/253916423/IMG_5856.jpg

[homoe]

https://www.jessicagavin.com/wp-content/uploads/2018/06/ribeye-steak-with-red-wine-sauce-3-600x900.jpg

[homoe]

https://s3-media1.fl.yelpcdn.com/bphoto/XibzsSRXOC2j6FwZpCtt-Q/o.jpg

[homoe]

https://i2.wp.com/www.artfuldishes.com/wp-content/uploads/2019/04/Srirach-Popcorn-2.jpg?resize=835%2C582

[cathexis]

(to the tune of "I want my MTV" by Dire Straits)

"I want my Food Stamps Now
Produce for nothing and Lobster for free"

[homoe]

oh the torture!! Your not right


I will be visiting a See's Monday and would be willing to share......:eatinghersheybar:

[homoe]

https://media-cdn.tripadvisor.com/media/photo-s/11/1e/ed/83/my-piece-of-pepperoni.jpg

[homoe]

https://blog.kitchenaid.com/wp-content/uploads/potato-chips-beauty.jpg

[homoe]

http://wafoodie.com/blog/wp-content/uploads/2013/08/DSC_0884-copy-584x386.jpg

[homoe]

https://amindfullmom.com/wp-content/uploads/2019/02/French-Onion-Chip-Dip.jpg

[homoe]

https://cdn.shopify.com/s/files/1/0087/2893/6529/files/20190410111701_large.png?v=1554866313

[Bèsame*]

https://gimmedelicious.com/wp-content/uploads/2016/07/avocado-toast-7-of-13.jpg

[Bèsame*]

https://images.lifealth.com/uploads/2017/09/pineapple-juice-2.jpg

[homoe]

https://images.lifealth.com/uploads/2017/09/pineapple-juice-2.jpg



This looks so refreshing........

[homoe]

https://bluebowlrecipes.com/wp-content/uploads/2018/11/dutch-caramel-apple-pie-11.jpg

[homoe]

https://post.greatist.com/wp-content/uploads/sites/2/2019/05/peanutbutterpie.png

[homoe]

https://greatist.com/sites/default/files/styles/article_main/public/pecan-pie.png?itok=XYZ8bwF-

[homoe]

https://www.bakedbyanintrovert.com/wp-content/uploads/2014/09/Caramel-Apple-Pie-Pecan-Streusel-Pie-Picture.jpg

[homoe]

https://minimalistbaker.com/wp-content/uploads/2013/09/Deep-Dish-Apple-Crumble-Pie-via-minimalistbaker.com_1.jpg

[homoe]

https://preppykitchen.com/wp-content/uploads/2016/11/Sweet-potato-piue-feature.jpg

[Orema]

Have been prepping food for the last couple weeks and it's helped a lot. I've lost a couple pounds (thank goodness) and, on the most part have avoided, fast-food joints.

This is what I prepped this past weekend ....

Breakfast for four days:
Oatmeal with chopped apples, unsweetened coconut flakes, hemp seeds, walnuts, cinnamon and I add unsweetened coconut milk before taking it to work. This is a perfect breakfast for me because it has the good carbs, no added sugar, fiber, and tastes good. It's worth the effort to prep on Sunday.

Lunch for four days:
Navy bean soup seasoned with chicken stock, ham hock, onion, celery, sage, rosemary, parsley, pepper, salt. Really tasty, filling, and even with he hock it's better than some fast-foods I'm tempted to have.

Dinner for a couple days:
Baked neck bones with wild rice. Reminds me of my sister and that's reason enough.

[homoe]

https://laurenslatest.com/wp-content/uploads/2016/01/Healthier-Sloppy-Joes.jpg

[homoe]

http://thesundownerpub.com/wp-content/uploads/2017/11/spag.jpg

[homoe]

https://encrypted-tbn0.gstatic.com/images?q=tbn:ANd9GcQciv5lfRkLJzVV4cNjl89iWtiaLOkv7 PnVjx9dHhPjtd74h0zr&s

[homoe]

http://www.coolmexicanstore.com/wp-content/uploads/2016/03/mexicanfood.jpg

[homoe]

https://bigoven-res.cloudinary.com/image/upload/d_recipe-no-image.jpg/fall-off-the-bone-apple-cider-ribs.jpg

[homoe]

https://1369qc12zu18n21df3oy2dus-wpengine.netdna-ssl.com/wp-content/uploads/Bananasplit1.gif

[homoe]

https://thekitchenarium.com/wp-content/uploads/2014/02/bakedpot-1024x682.jpg

[homoe]

https://www.jocooks.com/wp-content/uploads/2011/05/chef-salad.jpg

[homoe]

https://www.cartwright-hotel.co.uk/wp-content/uploads/2017/06/steak.jpeg

[homoe]

https://whatscookingamerica.net/wp-content/uploads/2015/03/MashedPotatoes225.jpg

[homoe]

https://order.zikzak.co.in/wp-content/uploads/2019/04/r0001078_600x440.jpg

[homoe]

https://foxeslovelemons.com/wp-content/uploads/2015/12/Pork-Chops-with-Spicy-Applesauce-600x899.jpg

[homoe]

https://img1.southernliving.timeinc.net/sites/default/files/styles/medium_2x/public/image/2019/09/main/2615301_thank_thanksgiving_rolls_058.jpg?itok=rtNt G0U4

[homoe]

https://i.pinimg.com/originals/cc/d9/b5/ccd9b51278382240e826643b31baef43.jpg

[Bèsame*]

https://encrypted-tbn0.gstatic.com/images?q=tbn%3AANd9GcTpRCxCII0VMjsMaLtxOvLtyg5EIGC QwUhB1TZIotSGB-zDZZNv

[Bèsame*]

https://thumbor.thedailymeal.com/9nGb0CUE2BG0I2MIwN0MVZit1Lo=/870x565/https://www.thedailymeal.com/sites/default/files/story/pom_flickr2_crop.jpg

[Bèsame*]

https://yummiestfood.com/wp-content/uploads/2016/10/Baklava-001.jpg

[homoe]

https://encrypted-tbn0.gstatic.com/images?q=tbn%3AANd9GcTpRCxCII0VMjsMaLtxOvLtyg5EIGC QwUhB1TZIotSGB-zDZZNv


Thanks for posting this Besame! It took me back to my childhood and fond memories of my father.

[homoe]

https://lh3.googleusercontent.com/eQAqulVKk7oiSj2Z5CwCy7qvTW5aDCJOyyQzN-KzffvmmAC9DtD2q_wTDZALJe-AyBsJvdHoH_a1O4DyIIo0NTblfQRu=s750

[homoe]

https://media-cdn.tripadvisor.com/media/photo-s/09/5b/20/08/cabaret.jpg

[homoe]

https://www.thechunkychef.com/wp-content/uploads/2019/01/Keto-Cobb-Salad-feat.jpg

[homoe]

https://bakingamoment.com/wp-content/uploads/2018/07/IMG_9113-best-waffle-recipe-square.jpg

[homoe]

https://fairwaypizza.com/wp-content/uploads/2018/11/food-delivery-near-me.jpg

[homoe]

https://chowhound1.cbsistatic.com/thumbnail/800/0/chowhound1.cbsistatic.com/blog-media/2015/07/ice-cream-sundae-history-recipes-chowhound-670x585.jpg

[Bèsame*]

https://mk0nationaltodayijln.kinstacdn.com/wp-content/uploads/2019/11/national-lemon-cream-pie-day-640x514.jpg

[Bèsame*]

Oh my mouth is watering for grapefruit...


https://www.varrocreative.com/wp-content/uploads/2018/10/cirtus.jpg

[homoe]

https://thumbs.gfycat.com/ChillyTepidCollardlizard-size_restricted.gif





Careful where you eat that grapefruit.......

[Bèsame*]

https://thecozycook.com/wp-content/uploads/2018/04/Cajun-Chicken-Tacos.jpg

[Bèsame*]

https://s.hdnux.com/photos/72/50/33/15369935/3/920x920.jpg

[Bèsame*]

https://www.lemonsforlulu.com/wp-content/uploads/2016/09/Italian-Chopped-Salad-with-Tortellini-Recipe-NWM-5-720x720.jpg

[charley]

Because of Covid-19 pandemic, IKEA has shared it's famous recipe online as follows:

(I used Global News' rewriting of their recipe, instead of IKEA's way of presenting this recipe so as to ensure that no one has any screws leftover when they get to the end of the recipe... :) )

So, without further ado, here’s how to make about 16 to 20 meatballs and sauce:

Swedish meatball ingredients


500 grams (about 1 pound) of ground beef
250 grams (about 0.5 pounds) of ground pork
1 onion, finely chopped
1 clove of garlic, crushed or minced
100 grams (1/2 cup) of bread crumbs
1 egg
5 tablespoons of whole milk
generous amounts of salt and pepper


Cream sauce ingredients


Dash of olive oil
40 grams (3 tablespoons) of butter
40 grams (3 tablespoons) of plain flour
150 millilitres (2/3 cup) of vegetable stock
150 millilitres (2/3 cup) of beef stock
150 millilitres (2/3 cup) of thick double cream
2 teaspoons of soy sauce
1 teaspoon of Dijon mustard


Directions

Combine ground beef and ground pork in a bowl and break it up with your fingers to get rid of lumps.
Add chopped onion, garlic, breadcrumbs, egg and mix together.
Add milk and season with salt and pepper.
Roll mixture into small meatballs. Place on a clean plate, cover and refrigerate for two hours.
Heat oil in a frying pan on medium heat. Add meatballs and brown on all sides.
Heat oven to 180 C (350 F). Add browned meatballs to an ovenproof dish, cover and cook in the oven for 30 minutes.

Cream sauce

Melt 3 tablespoons of butter in a pan.
Whisk in 3 tablespoons of flour and stir for two minutes.
Add 2/3 cup of vegetable stock and 2/3 cup of beef stock, stirring continuously.
Add 2/3 cup of double cream, 2 teaspoons of soy sauce and 1 teaspoon of Dijon mustard.
Simmer until sauce thickens.
Drizzle over meatballs and enjoy.

BTW, you will not need an Allen key to make the above :)

Screwlessball recipe..., eh!

[Bèsame*]

https://images.food52.com/-ZArAEUNY9rTPTeoiBNEDiOrmGA=/fit-in/1200x1200/86d66bff-8c63-4da3-bd51-8c1e65f0bd51--14350894_1579690669005310_1424099760_n.jpg

[homoe]

https://bakingamoment.com/wp-content/uploads/2018/04/IMG_7139-chocolate-chip-muffins-square.jpg


Good Morning.......

[Stone-Butch]

Just about anything that comes from the sea is glorious.

[homoe]

https://www.wellplated.com/wp-content/uploads/2018/10/Instant-Pot-Beef-Stew-recipe.jpg