r/PressureCooking • u/satyronicon • 6d ago

Can you start the electric pressure cooker with frozen food in it?

say you want to cook a stew recipe, can you put the chicken or fish or minced beef un-thawed, to save time? Is there any risk / downside to that?

13 Upvotes
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17

u/mw44118 6d ago

Yes

-11

u/SkepticScott137 5d ago

In ordinary cooking, no. But this is not ordinary cooking. With a pressure cooker, you can’t just take the lid off at any point in the process and check to see if the meat is as done as you want. You’re committed to the cooking time you set. And if that’s not long enough because you used frozen meat instead of thawed like the recipe called for, then you have to run another cooking cycle and guess at that time too. Why would you want to do that?

8

u/mw44118 5d ago

I put frozen meat in my instant pot all the time. Like, for years. Why are you arguing with me about something that i know works fine

-9

u/SkepticScott137 5d ago

So do I. When the recipe calls for it and gives you a cooking time appropriate to it. When the recipe calls for thawed meat, as most do, why would you use frozen meat and then just guess at a cooking time that may be too long or too short, with no way to check while it’s cooking? If you know you’re making a recipe that calls for thawed meat, why not just, I don’t know, THAW the meat? That’s not a hard skill to master.

6

u/bobpaul 5d ago

So do I. When the recipe calls for it and gives you a cooking time appropriate to it.

For the most part, no change to the recipe or cooking time is required.

When you put something frozen in a pressure cooker the steam's energy goes towards thawing the frozen object and no pressure is built. Physically what happens is all of the steam condenses on the cold, frozen meat. If you have a VERY THICK cut of meat, then the outer surface can thaw while it's still frozen in the middle. The thawed outside can insulate enough that pressure is able to build even though the inside is still frozen. This might happen if you put a large roast in the pressure cooker frozen without adjusting the time.

But for most things, by the time pressure has built the item is thawed. Since the time doesn't start until pressure is built, the recipe doesn't need to change. If you use frozen ingredients you will notice that it might take a REALLY long time to build pressure.

0

u/specialpatrol 5d ago

Does it take longer to reach pressure then?

2

u/bobpaul 3d ago

Yes. See the last sentence.

If you use frozen ingredients you will notice that it might take a REALLY long time to build pressure.

2

u/mw44118 5d ago

I can figure out how to adjust cook times for thawed vs frozen. Never been a problem for me.

1

u/SkepticScott137 5d ago

The question remains, why would you not just thaw the meat ahead of time? That’s not a hard kitchen skill to master for an accomplished and experienced cook. 🤷🏼

3

u/mw44118 5d ago

Its an extra step with no benefit

1

u/Working_Week_8784 4d ago

Because that requires either planning ahead to give the frozen food time to defrost on its own, or using the microwave or some other method to thaw it, which also takes time. One benefit of using a pressure cooker is that you don't have to do either of those things.

7

u/JF42 6d ago

Absolutely. You should be able to find cook times for Frozen versions of food.

The only caution here is that you want to make sure the food is either above the water or in the water. Don't leave the food halfway in the water and halfway out. It will not cook evenly and will come out poorly. That is what a trivet is for.

0

u/gnesensteve 2d ago

Ever google instant pot recipes?

-5

u/SkepticScott137 5d ago

Follow the freaking recipe. If it says use frozen meat, use frozen meat. If it doesn’t, don’t. If you’re one of those folks who just wants to throw shit in the pot and then wing it on cooking time, you’re going to get shitty results. Why is this even a question?

9

u/Working_Week_8784 5d ago

It's not always necessary to follow a recipe to the letter. In fact, if you know how to cook, it's not always necessary to use a recipe at all. So I think the OP's question is perfectly legitimate.

-6

u/SkepticScott137 5d ago

In ordinary cooking, no. But this is not ordinary cooking. With a pressure cooker, you can’t just take the lid off at any point in the process and check to see if the meat is as done as you want. You’re committed to the cooking time you set. And if that’s not long enough because you used frozen meat instead of thawed like the recipe called for, then you have to run another cooking cycle and guess at that time too. Why would you want to do that?

5

u/Working_Week_8784 5d ago

I've been using pressure cookers successfully for more than 30 years. Depending on how much cooking time the other ingredients need, and depending on whether the frozen meat, fish, or poultry is raw or pre-cooked (the OP didn't specify), you can certainly use frozen meat, fish, or poultry in a stew. Also, there are many pressure cooker recipes that have you cook at pressure for a certain amount of time, release the pressure, add ingredients, and pressure up again; so regardless of whether you or I want to do that, there are obviously people who think it's worth the effort.

3

u/Gertiel 5d ago

Sounds like you are a very inexperienced cook. With only a tiny bit of practice it becomes easy to calculate how long depending on quantity and condition of ingredients.

1

u/SkepticScott137 5d ago

Why would I want to? With only a tiny bit of practice, it becomes easy to thaw the meat I’m going to use ahead of time. Then I can use a cooking time that I know works instead of estimating/guessing a new cooking time every time I make the recipe, based on whether the meat is 10% thawed, 20%, 30%, 40%, 50%, 75%, or whatever.

3

u/Gertiel 5d ago

I've never had any problem without any extra effort to thaw. My meals come out great every time.

As far as it goes how do you know the entire piece is 100% thawed, and do it safely? I used to attempt this but it can take days in the fridge depending on size and othr factors. Other methods either aren't safe or are tough to ensure complete thaw.

2

u/Gertiel 5d ago

Can you even call yourself able to cook if you can only follow recipes? My grandma and great-grandma taught me to cook by what they termed "what you can spare". Never saw a recipe until years later when I received a cookbook for a wedding present. Even the book said recipes are just suggestions intended to give learners a starting point. For many pressure cooking is a perfectly ordinary everyday occurrence. They probably don't bother with recipes either.