As parents, our job is to parent, and one of those jobs is to teach our kids life skills. When my wife returned to the paid workfoce I resumed the task of making meals. However, I didn’t do it solo; I involved my kids, and meal-making time became a fun and educational experience in Kunaland. Teaching your kids how to cook is vital, especially amid today’s inflation and the Trump tariff taxes. Yes, buying groceries has become ridiculously expensive, but going out to eat is even more costly.
I like making simple meals on weekdays. I’m a competent cook, but I’m not a hobby chef. Casseroles and hot dishes are perfect as they are often one-pot meals with plenty of leftovers. This recipe makes a 9 x 13 casserole, but it could be halved. It fed three of us for dinner. My son will take a large leftover portion for his school lunch, and there will be a couple of extra portions beyond that.
I was going to make a more upscale tuna noodle casserole, which I may do in a future post. However, I decided on this one as it is as easy as “dump and go.” It is a perfect recipe to teach your kids very basic cooking skills. No kids, or are they already grown? Tuna noodle casserole is still a perfect comfort food. There are many variations on this recipe, so don’t fret if you need to substitute or even omit an ingredient. A person who will remain nameless in my house hates peas. I love peas, but out of deference to her, I substituted a can of corn. Ops, did I just reveal the pea hater?
This recipe is from “All Recipes.” There are many variations on this theme.
Cook the noodles according to the instructions on the package.
These are the other ingredients. I drained the vegetables and tuna. Not shown is the onion. I didn’t have an onion, so I chopped up a small shallot. I’m using canned corn, but peas would be better. Don’t forget, I have a pea hater.
Put all of the ingredients in a big bowl. If you have kids, they will love dumping everything into the bowl and mixing it up. If you like a creamier casserole, add about 1/2 C of milk. I’m only adding 1/2 of the cheese and reserving the rest for the topping. Preheat your oven to 350°F (175 °C).
Add the cooked and drained noodles and mix.
Place it evenly in a 9 x 13 pan. I sprayed some cooking spray on the dish to make clean-up a bit easier, but that isn’t totally necessary.
Top with crushed potato chips. You could use other toppings such as bread crumbs/melted butter or crackers/melted butter. Don’t have any of that? You could also forgo the topping, but it does add something.
Top with half of the cheese. You could also add all of the cheese to the casserole mix and forgo the cheese topping.
Bake at 350°F (175°C) for 15-20 minutes. Let it stand for around 10 minutes before serving.
I also made a small loaf of my bran and flaxseed bread in my bread maker to go along with the casserole.
Served up. A simple meal, but very comforting on a wintery day. Yes, I know… I like my butter.
If you read my posts, you know that I love gadgets. Cameras, computers, and kitchen appliances are all fun for me to use and experiment with.
I love discovering odd appliances that turn out to have practical uses. Case in point, vacuum sealers. Cast in point number two, bread machines.
Bread machines were the darling kitchen gadget of the early 1990s, but fell out of favor when the keto/caveman craze hit. People were not eating bread, so there was no need for bread makers. However, in 2026, many of us are back to more balanced diets. Personally, I believe in eating a variety of foods in moderation. I never gave up on my bread machines, and I’m still amazed at their versatility.
As we face inflation and the Trump tariffs, it becomes ever more important to find ways to save money, and cooking at home is one of them. Using a bread maker can not only save you money, it can also give you a better product.
Beyond loaves of bread, all bread makers can make dough to be used for a variety of foods, from pizza to breadsticks. With a bread maker, making dough is as simple as “dump and go.” Ninety minutes later, you have dough to shape and bake in your oven. The result is delicious homemade bread that will impress. All with a very low work-to-result ratio.
My son’s girlfriend came over for a casual weekday dinner. I was making a simple casserole and wanted to make the meal just a little more special, so I threw together some homemade dinner rolls. They were delicious, so let me share the recipe with you. This recipe is from the Betty Crocker Best Bread Machine Cookbook.
I measured the ingredients and put them into the bread machine’s baking pan in the order listed. I measure most ingredients by weight; for instance, one cup of flour is around 120 grams. I do use measuring spoons for lightweight items like salt and yeast. Measuring by weight is not only more accurate, but also easier. I place the baking pan on my kitchen scale, tare the scale to zero, and weigh my ingredient. Then tare again for the next ingredient.
The machine will mix, knead, and ferment the dough. This is what it looks like when the cycle is completed.
I’m not very good at eyeballing the dough into equal rolls, so I measured it and then divided the weight by the number of rolls I was making. This recipe makes 15 rolls; however, I only have one muffin pan that makes a dozen, so I made slightly larger rolls by dividing by 12. My math said each roll should be around 60 grams. I’m not going for precision, so this roll at 62 grams is just fine. Pro tip: I let the dough rest for about 10 minutes after turning it out of the pan onto a floured surface. This time relaxes the dough, making it easier to work with.
I flatten each roll as above. I’ll have a bit of flour on my hands so the dough doesn’t stick to them.
I drew the corners of the flattened dough into a ball and pinched it together.
I placed each dough ball into a greased muffin tin, pinched side down. Yes, these are not perfect balls. I’m a guy and a simple cook. They will still taste great. You may be concerned about the condition of this muffin pan. It has been used for over 30 years, producing thousands of baked goods. It works great, and I love it.
Place the tin in a warm, draft-free place and cover it with a light cloth. A clean cotton dishcloth works well. Let the dough rise for around 30 minutes. Preheat your oven to 375°F (190 °C).
The rolls after the rise.
Bake 12-15 minutes. These rolls were baked for 12 minutes. If you’re unsure if they are done, you can poke them with a food thermometer. if the internal temperature is 190F (85C) they are done. If you want to be fancy, paint a little melted butter on the rolls. I’m not fancy, so I didn’t.
I let the rolls cool for around 10 minutes and then gently took them out of the muffin tin. You can also make free-form rolls on a cookie sheet or turn them into Parker House rolls by dividing each dough ball into three balls and placing the triplet in a muffin cup.
We ate some rolls still warm. I placed the rest into a Rubbermaid container for the next day. They reheat well with a short round in the microwave.
There you have it. Very simple, yet delicious. As good as any bakery roll, but less expensive. A perfect accompaniment to just about any meal, and what smells better than bread baking?
I’m a competent cook, but I’m not a hobby cook. I don’t mind putting a meal together, but it isn’t the driving force of my life. In fact, the only part of cooking that I truly enjoy is playing with kitchen appliances. I’m a gadget guy.
Inflation and the Trump tariff taxes are affecting me just like everyone else, but it’s clear I can reduce my day-to-day costs by cooking at home.
My son’s girlfriend came over for a weekday dinner yesterday. She has had dinner here many times and is more like a family member rather than a guest. However, I know she doesn’t do well with acidic foods, especially those with a lot of tomato products; so many of my “go-to” recipes were shelved for yesterday’s dinner. I wanted to make something she would enjoy, but it had to be easy for me, too. In this case, I upped the ante a bit by making some homemade yeasted rolls in a bread maker. I’ll likely post that recipe soon. The rolls were made the day before and kept in a Rubbermaid container. All I needed to do was make the stuffing casserole and microwave some vegetables. Easy peasy.
This recipe is from Lil’ Luna, but I have seen similar ones from many authors. It is definitely a recipe conceived in the 1970s, as it relies heavily on pre-packaged foods. With that said, it is cheap, extremely simple to make, and it tastes good.
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I made the stuffing and set it aside. I used water plus Better Than Bouillon instead of chicken stock. You could just use water, which may be a better option as the stuffing and soup are already salty. At this point, also preheat your oven to 375°F (190°C).
I dumped all of the other ingredients into a 9 x 13 pan. It would be a good idea to spray the pan with a non-stick spray… but I didn’t, and it was fine. I’m using 1/2 of a Costco roasted chicken. I’ll buy a chicken, pull off the meat, and freeze it into two vacuum-sealed bags. This chicken was from 2024 (it is now 2026), and it was perfectly good as vacuum seal bags prevent freezer burn.
I mixed up the concoction and then added 1 drained can of mixed vegetables. You could use any vegetable, canned or frozen (thawed), that you like. Options include peas and carrots, green beans, mushrooms, or just carrots.
I then spread out the mixture.
I then sprinkled the cooked dressing over the mixture and baked it for about an hour at 375°F (190°C). You want to bake the casserole until it is bubbly and the dressing has browned a bit. I like to “over-bake” a bit to really firm up the casserole, but you do you.
Here it is plated up with a homemade yeasted roll, broccoli, and some jellied cranberries.
The dinner was a hit and served 4 of us; 2 lunch servings were left for the next day. It uses a lot of processed foods, but it’s quick to make, cheap, and tastes good.
Let’s do a price break down:
(From the Aldi US website on 1/8/26)
Stuffing mix. $1.05
Mushroom soup. $0.79
Chicken soup. $0.79
Chicken $2.50 (1/2 of a Costco $5 roasted chicken)
Canned Veg. $1.09
Butter. $0.41
Sour Cream. $1.00
Total $7.63. or $1.27 Per Serving
For these cost savings, I’m using Aldi-branded foods. The chicken is from Costco, their famous $4.99 roasted chicken. I’m only using one-half of the meat, so one chicken can be used for several meals. I’m using canned vegetables, but frozen could be substituted for a small additional up-charge. You can also use canned chicken. In that case the meal could become a shelf-stable option that you keep on your “just in case” shelf.
Add whatever sides you like to bulk out the meal. This may be a good meal to try if you are new to cooking or if you are trying to teach your kids how to cook. Teaching your kids how to cook is a great gift. I taught my kids, starting simply when they were young, and they are all competent adult cooks. They are saving money, just like me…and possibly you!
My sister has been cooking her entire adult life. Her kids are grown and long gone, but they visit her frequently. She loves that they remain close to her and her husband, but there is a problem. Some of her adult children, their partners, and her grandchildren have special dietary needs. Some are vegetarians, others have gluten intolerance, and still others have issues with dairy.
Meal prep for Christmas is especially challenging, as some will arrive early and others late. This year for Christmas dinner, she went an untraditional route and made two giant pots of chili. One with ground beef and the other with Impossible Beef (synthetic beef). Not only was her choice a practical solution, but her family loved the results.
My sister used a recipe she found online from the YouTuber, “Clutterbug,” but I’ll just call it “Nancy’s chili.” It is the easiest chili recipe I have ever made, and when I served it to my family for a weekday dinner, they thought it was delicious, too.
Inflation and the Trump tariff taxes have made everything more expensive. This recipe is not only very economical but also very flexible, as you will see from the substitutions I made.
The following recipe fed three adults for dinner and there was enough left over for three lunches. Let’s check out the recipe.
Brown 1 pound of ground beef. I had a 1.5-pound package of ground turkey, so I used that.
Drain 1 can of corn and 1 can of black beans. I had a can of pinto beans, so I substituted those. However, my sister says that black beans are the best choice. You can use frozen corn if you wish.
Add a large jar (32 oz) of Marinara sauce to the ground meat. This jar is 32 ounces. If your jar is a bit smaller, go with that and add a little water.
Add the drained beans and corn.
I used these packets of taco and chili seasoning, and they worked well. My sister swears by the brand that she listed in the recipe above. She bought her chili seasoning on Amazon. These are from Aldi.
Add the taco and chili packets and mix in.
Cover, bring to a boil, and then lower the heat to a simmer. Let this mixture cook for at least 30 minutes, longer if possible. You may want to give it a stir now and then. Low heat is critical as you want to blend the flavors, but you don’t want to burn the food to the bottom of the pan.
Here is the chili served. Any type of onion on top is a plus. I’m using shallots as I had a few, but a chopped regular onion or a green onion would also work. I added a little shredded cheese and some sour cream to fancy it up. Crackers (of any type) are nice. My mom always served oyster crackers with chili, but we had these Ritz-type crackers on hand, so I used those.
This chili was very thick and filling. If you like a thinner chili, just add some water to the pot. I made a lot of substitutions, but they were all using similar ingredients. For instance, I used ground turkey instead of ground beef and pinto beans instead of black beans. It is OK to do this, and the more you cook, the more comfortable you will become with substituting ingredients.
Many dishes involve similar basic steps, so once you master one dish, you will likely become more comfortable with cooking another.
Over time, I have stockpiled basic ingredients in my kitchen. For this chili, I already had everything I needed in my freezer and pantry. A great place to buy ingredients is Aldi, where spices, canned/frozen vegetables, and other items are reasonably priced.
Let’s say you are making a recipe that uses one can of crushed tomatoes. Just buy two and keep the other one on hand for a future meal. I always have items like tomato products, flour, sugar, baking powder, and spices on hand. Additionally, I have ground meats, chicken, and sometimes pork products in my freezer.
I use convenience products at times, for instance, the Kirkland Marinara sauce that I used in today’s recipe. I’ll always have a couple of cans of condensed cream of chicken and cream of mushroom soup on hand. I understand they are not the healthiest products, but they make tossing a meal together simple. Just like the crushed tomato example, it is easy to pick up an extra can of this or that and build a mini stockpile of staple ingredients. I don’t want every mealtime to involve a trip to the grocery store, as that can be a hassle when making a real meal 5-7 times a week.
Remember, last night’s dinner can easily become today’s lunch. I almost always did this when I was working, and my son has picked up the same habit. Another alternative is what one of my daughters does. She makes a dinner for 4, divides it into 4 meals, and has dinner prepared for most of the week. Another daughter has a routine with her breakfasts, often preparing 3-4 easy ones at once. These simple practices can dramatically reduce your cooking while still saving money. Since I cook for multiple people, I’m a bit less regimented. However, we always seem to have leftovers that are consumed one way or another over the next few days.
My son took some of the chili to school for lunch. I had a bowl for lunch yesterday, and I’ll eat the rest today. Think about that, three dinners and three lunches, all with one super easy meal prep. Also, look at the cost savings. Let’s assume a very reasonable $12 per meal if purchased at a restaurant or fast-food joint. Twelve dollars multiplied by six meals equals seventy-two dollars. That doesn’t count tax or tip, and let’s be honest, you can’t even buy a value meal at McDonald’s for $12 in 2026.
I couldn’t find the Costco prices on the ingredient list, so I searched for items on the Aldi site. To make this chili using Aldi ingredients, the total cost would be $9.43, or $1.57 per meal (not counting toppings). If we assume a $12 restaurant/fast-food meal, we are looking at more than 700% savings!
I know financial times are rough, but there are things that we can do to reduce costs. One of the easiest ones is to cook at home.
I love Panera’s squash soup, and I always feel a bit sad when the season is over and the soup is retired for the year. However, it is one of the easiest soups to make if you have an Instant Pot, and it is entirely adaptable to cooking on the stove or even in a slow cooker. You will need to add more time for the vegetables to soften completely if you try one of these alternative methods.
This recipe makes quite a bit of soup, and it is inexpensive. However, with inflation and the Trump tariff taxes, some may have to economize further. This very flexible recipe can be modified in a variety of ways to fit your tastes and your budget.
I made some homemade French bread to serve with the soup, but a store-bought French, Italian, or sourdough bread would also be nice.
Check out the recipe, this one is from thedizzycook.com. However, you can find over a dozen other variations on this soup theme. Here is the recipe.
Using a potato peeler, peel the waxed skin off a couple of medium-sized butternut squash until you reach the bright orange meat.
Using a sharp knife, trim off the squash’s bottom and top. Cut the squash in half. Use a tablespoon to remove the seeds and membranes, then discard them. I’m sure there’s a way to bake the seeds, like pumpkin seeds, but the yield would be too small to bother with.
Cut up the shallots and the peeled carrots into large chunks. I have shallots, but you could use an onion if that is what you have on hand.
Sauté the shallots in a bit of cooking oil until they are translucent, then add the carrots and squash to the Instant Pot (or other pressure cooker).
Add the various spices. I’m using “tube ginger” for convenience. Instead of honey, I added around one tablespoon of brown sugar. For fun, I added a shake of nutmeg and cinnamon. It is OK to substitute and be creative as long as you don’t go too far afield.
I added the apple juice. We don’t drink much juice, so this little 8-ounce “lunch box” apple juice worked out well.
I added the broth, but used chicken instead of vegetable broth. Why? Because that is what I had on hand. Pro tip: I have a big jar of “Better than Bouillon” that I typically use when I need broth (mix with warm water). It takes up little space and keeps well in the fridge. It is less expensive than those boxes of broth, and I always have it on hand. It will add some salt to the recipe, so go light on adding salt and adjust it when the dish is done.
I pressure-cooked on high for 15 minutes, then let the soup rest for 15 minutes more. I released the pressure and tested the vegetables to make sure that they were super tender.
I pulled out my 35-year-old Vitamix to blend the soup. You could use any blender or even a stick blender. I had to blend it in batches. I also added a couple of ounces of cream cheese I found in the fridge, along with about 1/4 cup of half-and-half. These added richness to the soup, though optional. I returned the blended soup to the Instant Pot and adjusted the seasonings. In my case, I added about one tablespoon more of brown sugar because the Panera soup is on the sweet side. However, adjust the soup to your preference.
Here it is, all creamy and delicious, served with homemade French bread. The bread was as easy as adding a few ingredients to a bread machine, pressing a button or two, and walking away. By the way, I added some nuts and a drizzle of half-and-half just for the presentation.
Squash soup is perfect on a cold day. This recipe makes quite a bit and can be frozen if needed. It was delicious!
Few foods are more comforting than Mac and Cheese. It is perfect anytime, but especially good on a cold winter night. Mac and cheese is amazingly flexible, and you can make it as deluxe or as simple as you wish.
The recipe I’ll be using today comes from Thechunkychef.com, but it is similar to many other mac and cheese recipes. As usual, I’ll be making a few tweaks. Remember, you can make reasonable modifications or even omissions to many recipes and still get good results. Are you suffering from inflation and the Trump tariff taxes? This mac and cheese casserole is cheap, but it tastes deluxe. It is so much better than the stuff in the blue box.
I’m usually responsible for making dinner on Wednesday, and this Wednesday, my son’s girlfriend was coming over for dinner. She stops by often enough that dinner doesn’t have to be a big deal, but I’m mindful that her digestion doesn’t handle spicy or tomato-based foods well.
I had just baked some 7-grain bread, but I wasn’t sure how that would go with mac and cheese, so I made a quick batch of corn muffins. As for the mac and cheese, I told my son that creating it would be a father-son job. He was happy to help.
See the photos for the ingredient list and procedure. Remember that I will be making some modifications; never fear!
Boil some elbow macaroni in salted water for one minute less than what the box says. Drain. You can use other types of pasta if you wish, but elbow macaroni is the classic shape.
Melt a stick of butter over medium heat, then add 1/2 cup of AP flour, stirring constantly. Cook this mixture for about a minute.
Add about 2 cups of the half-and-half while continuing to stir and cook the mixture for a couple of minutes. I used some whipping cream that we had left over from Thanksgiving instead of the half-and-half. You could use milk or evaporated milk if that is what you have.
Add the milk, the rest of the half-and-half, and the spices. Continue stirring until the mixture looks thick.
Remove the white sauce from the heat and mix in 2 cups of the cheddar cheese. I like sharp cheddar, but you can use whatever you prefer. You can use only cheddar, or you can use several different cheeses (as the recipe’s ingredient list suggests). It is all good. You can also use less cheddar if you are trying to economize. It won’t be as cheesy, but it will still be delicious.
The recipe calls for Gruyère cheese, but I couldn’t find it. I settled on Gouda. Heck, it is also a “G” cheese… I’m a simple guy and not a cheese expert! Add about a cup of this cheese and stir it in.
This is how thick the cheese sauce should look.
I added a little mustard to the sauce, just because. Nope, it isn’t in the original recipe, but I think it adds something.
I mixed in the partially cooked macaroni into the cheese sauce.
I placed about one-half of the mixture into a greased 3-quart casserole. A 9 x 13 works the best.
Sprinkle half of the remaining cheese over the mixture.
I went off recipe and also sprinkled on a little Parmesan to give the dish a little umami kick. That is totally optional.
Side note. We had some leftover fancy crackers from Thanksgiving, so I put them in a bag and crushed them. I then added some melted butter to the bag. The recipe didn’t call for a topping, but I like mac and cheese with one. Another option would be to use some crushed-up potato chips. Buttered and crushed Ritz crackers work exceptionally well.
I added the remaining macaroni mixture and topped it with the remaining reserved cheese plus a little Parmesan. I then added the buttered crushed crackers on top and baked the mac and cheese for about 20-25 minutes, uncovered, at 350°F (175°C). I baked the casserole until it was quite bubbly around the edges. I used this as my timing guide, so I’m not exactly sure if I baked it for 20 or 25 minutes. Then I let it sit for around 15 minutes before serving.
Here it is out of the oven.
Served with a homemade corn muffin and some broccoli. I know, it seems like our vegetable is often broccoli! We must like it.
That’s it, folks. Another super simple and delicious dinner. Today, it was only my son, his girlfriend, and me eating. This dinner was very economical to make, and there is a lot left over (about 3/4 of the pan). It will reheat well in the microwave for lunches. Mac and cheese also freezes reasonably well.
You can reduce the recipe costs further by using less cheese, and you can get by using only cheddar if that is what you have. The half-and-half adds richness, but you can use only milk if you choose. Sharp cheddar is the way to go, but any melty cheese will work in a pinch.
Yes, it was delicious… do you think I would post it if it weren’t?
Inflation and Trump’s tariffs got you down? Cooking at home can save you money, but many have lost this skill and now consider home cooking to be microwaving a frozen dinner. If that is your home cooking life, you may think that the only way you can get a decent meal is by going out to a restaurant. However, many restaurant foods are the same pre-made, generic-tasting dishes from companies like Sysco (my personal opinion). They are no different from the food that you buy from the grocery store freezer cabinet.
Now, you may think that I’m some domestic wonder, part physician, part house husband. That would be inaccurate. I have always believed that both men and women should be capable of the routine tasks necessary for living.
I could always cook, and I am rarely intimidated by any challenge (OK, I am terrified of heights, so I’ll give you that). Julie is still working, and I’m retired, so it makes sense that I utilize some of my free time in this way. This also let me teach my kids how to cook. Skills they are now putting to good use as they live independently. Lastly, I’m a glass-half-full kind of guy. Some people find misery in everything. I do the opposite. Why not turn cooking into something fun? Play around with a gadget. Learn something new. Share the knowledge. Now, the “drudgery of cooking” is transformed into something completely different.
You don’t have to be a hobby cook to make dishes from scratch. The more you do it, the simpler it is to do. What may seem overwhelming at first becomes second nature over time. Everyone has to eat, and if you make your meals from scratch, you will have delicious food that is significantly less expensive than restaurant, frozen, or (now) even fast food. The recipes I post are effortless yet delicious.
This recipe for lemon garlic chicken (from Cooking with Coit) is straightforward to make and tastes like it was prepared at a nice restaurant. It uses a pressure cooker (Instant Pot). Should you run out and buy an electric pressure cooker? Well, you should, but you don’t have to. You can modify this recipe and make it on a burner, in a slow cooker, or in the oven. You need to increase the cooking times and such, but it is possible.
Here is the recipe!
Oh, by the way, you can make less if you wish. If you are only cooking for two, use four chicken thighs. If you are cooking for one, do the same and reheat the leftovers for easy follow-up meals.
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Start by mixing the salt, pepper, garlic powder, and paprika. Dry the chicken thighs with a paper towel (it doesn’t have to be perfect) and sprinkle your spice blend on them.
Heat the Instant Pot using the saute mode and add some oil. Brown the chicken in batches, starting with the skin side down. It should only take a couple of minutes per side. When browned, remove the chicken to a plate.
Now, add the butter to the pan. Those crusty bits on the bottom of the pan are pure flavor gold. We will liberate them later in the recipe.
Add the onion and garlic and soften them. This will take a few minutes. The onions will get slightly translucent.
Add the Italian Seasoning and briefly cook the spice to release its flavor. This takes less than a minute. Make sure to stir, and don’t let the spice burn. I didn’t have enough Italian Seasoning, so I did one tablespoon of that and one tablespoon of oregano. You could try other spices like rosemary to change things up.
Deglaze the pot with the juice of one lemon (about 2 ounces). The acid in the juice will remove the very flavorful bits from the bottom of the pan. Use a wooden spoon or other non-damaging implement to scrape. Then add the 1/3rd cup of water.
Return the chicken to the pot. I was making eight thighs, so some of them were above the liquid. I spooned the “sauce” over the top pieces before pressure cooking.
Pressure-cook on high for 8 minutes, then perform a natural release. This means you allow the pot to drop pressure on its own. That will take around 10 minutes after the cooking time. If the pressure isn’t down after 10 minutes, it’s OK to release the pressure at that point. If you release the pressure too soon, the juices in the chicken will be forced out, making the meat a bit tougher. However, if you are in a hurry, you can do a quick release. You may have noticed that I’m not using an Instant Pot. All electric pressure cookers are similar enough. Buy the one that you like or use the one that you have. This recipe could also be made in a stove-top pressure cooker. If cooked on the stove, I would reduce the cooking time by approximately 1 minute, as they cook at a slightly higher pressure.
After cooking, remove the chicken to a serving plate. I like thicker sauces, so I mixed around one tablespoon of cornstarch in a little cold water. I turned the pot back on, sauté until the sauce bubbled, and mixed in the cornstarch. This made a nice, thick sauce. Pour the sauce over the cooked chicken.
Ready to serve and extremely simple to make. I added a little chopped parsley, but that is just for show.
Served with a simple rice pilaf and some broccoli. As good as (honestly better than) restaurant food.
Making food from scratch can be very easy. You know the quality, the ingredients, and it is less expensive. What else do you need?
Those of you who know me understand that I’m an introvert. However, that doesn’t mean that I don’t have any friends. I highly value my friends, and I’m fortunate that they tend to stick with me.
I graduated from college in the 1970s, and I have stayed close to some of my classmates since that time. We get together in various ways throughout the year. A few months back, we were invited to dinner at our friends Debbie and Val’s home, and it was a delightful evening. Debbie made a delicious dinner of homemade food. I’m sure it was a lot of work. A few nights ago, Debbie, Val, John, and Barb came over to our house for dinner.
Naturally, I wanted to serve them a nice dinner. At the same time, I didn’t want to spend the visit cooking in the kitchen. Most people like lasagna, but there is a big difference between the frozen stuff you can buy at the grocery store vs. the lasagna that you can order at a nice Italian restaurant. Homemade lasagna seemed like a good menu choice.
I could make the lasagna the day before and pop it into the oven when they arrived. I decided to serve the lasagna with some homemade cheddar cheese/onion/herb bread. Julie would make a substantial salad to complete the meal… and, of course, there would be snacks and dessert.
I found a recipe on Allrecipes.com labeled “The World’s Greatest Lasagna” with a 5-star rating. This was not a bargain recipe. However, the 9 x 13 dish served 6 of us that night, then my wife, son, and me the next day. There is still some left over for lunch or two. Also, there are many ways to reduce the cost of this dish if you are being blasted by inflation and the Trump tariff taxes, while keeping it a very acceptable weekday meal. Let’s get into it!
Here is the ingredient list from Allrecipes.com. I did modify a few things, which I’ll explain in the photos below.
Add some cooking oil to a large pot and heat it over medium heat. Add the onions, then the garlic to soften. Then add the ground beef and mild Italian sausage to brown. The only Italian sausage that I could find was in casings. I removed the sausage from the casings for this recipe. The packages of ground meat and sausage were heavier than the amounts listed in the recipe. I used them in their larger amounts; it is OK to be flexible.
Add the various spices and mix them in. Use only one teaspoon of the salt, the rest will be used in the Ricotta cheese mixture.
Chop up some parsley per the ingredient list. Add half to the above mixture.
Add the sugar. This doesn’t make the sauce sweet; it just tames down the acidity of the tomatoes (see next photo).
Add the various tomato products and mix in.
Add the water. I’m more of a cook-by-feel guy, so I’m just using one of the cans to measure the water. You do you!
This is what the sauce should look like at this point.
Bring the sauce to a gentle boil and then cover and turn down the heat to a simmer. Continue to cook the sauce for at least 1.5 hours to blend the flavors.
In a bowl, combine the remaining parsley, Ricotta cheese, 1/2 t of the salt, and egg. I had a bigger tub of ricotta, so I added two eggs. I also added around one teaspoon of Italian seasoning to the mixture.
Boil the lasagna noodles for around 8 minutes. Then drain and rinse in cold water to stop them from continuing to cook.
Start the layering. First cover the bottom of the pan with sauce, then noodles.
Then, a portion of the Ricotta cheese mixture. Portion the Ricotta cheese depending on how many layers you are doing. I was doing three layers.
Then some Mozzarella cheese.
Then some Parmesan cheese.
Continue to build your lasagna, ending with Mozzarella cheese. I did put some additional Parmesan cheese under the Mozzarella, instead of on top of it, for this last layer.
Heat an oven to 350°F (180°C). Cover the lasagna with aluminum foil and bake for around 30 minutes. Then uncover and bake for around 30 minutes more. If you are making a two-layer lasagna, reduce the cooking time to around 25/25 minutes. I used a thermometer to ensure the center of the dish reached at least 160°F (70°C). In my case, I cooked the lasagna for about 35 minutes with the foil off. The extra time was needed because the casserole had been refrigerated before baking.
I don’t know how a dish will turn out unless I have made it several times. This was my first time making lasagna in many years (sans the frozen stuff), so I relied on my wife and friends for their opinions. They all said it was delicious, so I call the lasagna a success.
It was a lot of work, but the second time around it would be much less, since I would know what I was doing. I highly recommend making it the day before for an effortless dinner party. The homemade sauce made it delicious, but you could substitute jar sauce. Additionally, you could use ground beef instead of the ground beef/Italian sausage mixture, or omit the meat for a more economical weekday meal.
Can you believe that we were once young college kids!
Here is a photo to prove it! I’m the guy with the mustache! So young, so young!
Dear daughter, how exciting that you picked up an Instant Pot on Black Friday week, and what a great price you got! You asked me to gather my recipes, but many are in my head. Also, I usually use the Internet and YouTube when I am making something new. Naturally, I’ll be happy to teach you any tricks I know, but it is easier for me to do so recipe by recipe than to compile a book, as I tend to “cook on the fly.”
I decided to take a different route and document the fundamentals of pressure cooking, as I believe that understanding the background and theory of something makes adaptive solutions come more easily. I also decided to do this in a post, as it can serve as a permanent reference for you, and it may help someone else who picks up an electric pressure cooker/Instant Pot over the holidays. Let’s get started!
History
Pressure cooking has been around for a very long time, but became available for home cooks in the late 1930s. Several pressure cookers were introduced then, but the one that took off was presented at the 1939 World’s Fair by the now Presto Corporation. It was more popular than a slightly earlier offering as it was easier to use.
People went wild for pressure cookers, which cooked much faster than traditional methods, and they flew off the shelves. However, WWII happened, and production of pressure cookers took a back seat to war production.
After the war, demand for pressure cookers was high, and a number of companies began manufacturing them. However, many used inferior materials or designs. This is when stories began circulating about “exploding bombs” in the kitchen. However, modern pressure cookers have multiple safety features and are very safe if used correctly.
Traditional stovetop pressure cookers have been around since then, but lost popularity when new gadgets, like the microwave oven and slow cooker, became popular in the 1970s and 1980s.
Consumer electric pressure cookers were introduced in the early 1990s, and the first Instant Pot was sold in 2010. It was a hit, as Amazon featured it during a Black Friday sale. The Instant Pot is just an electric pressure cooker with some additional programs. However, it launched the recent pressure-cooking craze.
There are now many clones of the Instant Pot. They all do similar things, but you may find that one’s feature set is more desirable than another.
My mom
Dear daughter, you never met my mom, but she was a great cook. She used a stovetop pressure cooker several times a week and made the most amazing dishes with it. That is why I’m so comfortable using a pressure cooker. I know you have seen me use our pressure cooker often, so I hope that experience was a good vibe for you, too!
How pressue cookers work
A pressure cooker is a sealed pot with a vent tube. When water boils, it creates steam in the pot, which pushes out the air through the vent tube. The pot then closes the vent and pressurizes (15 PSI for most stove-top units, 10-12 PSI for most electric units). Higher pressure allows water to boil at a higher temperature. For example, at sea level, water boils at 212°F, but at 15 PSI, it boils at 250°F.
Additionally, the steam in the pot eliminates the micro-air gap around foods. This combination allows food to cook much faster, often three times faster than by conventional methods. This method can also tenderize tough meats and cook dry beans without soaking. It does the above not only more quickly, but it also preserves flavors and vitamins.
The difference between stovetop and electric pressure cookers
Stovetop pressure cookers in the US operate at around 15 PSI, while electric pressure cookers range from 10-12 PSI. This means they will reach a lower operating temperature, so it will take slightly longer to cook something. This is usually not a big deal, but it has to be taken into account when using recipes, as some are written for stove-top units while others are for electric units. This difference is insignificant when the cooking time is short. It is more significant when cooking time is longer, as you may need to add 5-10 minutes to the suggested cooking time when converting a stove-top recipe to an Instant Pot recipe.
However, because the Instant Pot is so popular, there are numerous cookbooks and thousands of recipes on the Internet for electric pressure cookers, so it is always easy to find a recipe that suits your needs.
Lastly, since stove-top units are basically heavy-duty pots, they can function for decades. Your aunt, Nancy, used my mom’s 1950s pressure cooker into the late 1990s, until it was accidentally destroyed. You can’t expect that longevity from an electric appliance. However, you can still expect your Instant Pot to work for many, many years if you take care of it.
My electric pressure cooker isn’t an Instant Pot, but it functions just like an Instant Pot.Stovetop pressure cookers operate at a higher 15 PSI pressure and are more durable than an electric pressure cooker, but they are less convenient.
Do you need all of those functions?
Various Instant Pot models have different numbers of functions, but most are unnecessary and unused. I always set my times using the manual function. However, there may be some functions that could be useful.
Sauté: When you brown your meat or saute your vegetables, they release more flavor. Having a Saute function lets you do this right in the pot before you pressure cook. I often use this function. This is an unpressurized function.
The function I use most on my pressure cooker (beyond the pressure-cook function) is sauté.
Slow Cook: Most say a slow cooker does a better job than an Instant Pot set to slow cook. However, most electric pressure cookers have this function, which can be used in a pinch. This is an unpressurized function.
Egg/Rice functions: Many swear by making rice in an Instant Pot. You can also pressure steam eggs for perfect hard-boiled eggs. You don’t need a separate button to do these things; you can just manually set your pot. These are pressurized functions.
Yogurt: You can use your Instant Pot as a lower-temperature incubator to ferment yogurt. This function works well. This is an unpressureized function.
Sous Vide: You can program your Instant Pot to act as a water bath for sous vide cooking. However, many pots are only 6 quarts, and most sous vide enthusiasts would use a dedicated heater and a larger water bath. However, this function could be useful when cooking for one or two. This is an unpressurized function.
The bottom line is that most don’t need all of the functions, so don’t worry if you have fewer functions on your model compared to some other model. However, if you have a particular, unique need, perhaps you want to make your own yogurt, then look for those unique options.
What size pot is best?
I know you have a 6-quart pot, and that is the perfect size. However, electric pressure cookers come in many different sizes. With that said, I believe the 6-quart size is the most versatile for most people.
Pot-in-pot cooking
You can buy smaller cooking vessels that fit inside your main pot. These allow you to cook several different foods at once. I have been interested in trying that, but have not yet. However, it sounds interesting.
The “Burn” warning
If you don’t have enough liquid in the pot, or if the liquid is too thick, you may get a “Burn” warning. This means that the pot is overheating and won’t operate. Some recipes will tell you to add water/broth first and not mix the contents to avoid this.
Immediate release of pressure vs. release naturally
Some recipes will tell you to release immediately, others will ask you to release naturally.
When cooking delicate foods, you release the pressure immediately to halt cooking. When cooking other foods, like meats, you let the pressure drop naturally, as this keeps the meat juicier and less dry.
When the recipe tells me to release naturally, I usually unplug the pot after cooking time, as the “keep warm” setting may prolong this process. If the pressure hasn’t dropped in 10-15 minutes, I’ll usually release the pressure myself. For me, that is a good time vs. results compromise.
Thickening soups, stews, and sauces
You know I like soups and stews a bit thicker. If I need to thicken after cooking, I plug the pot back in and use the sauté function to bring the liquid back to a boil, then add my thickening agent. I can then cancel and go to “keep warm” or simply unplug the pot if I’m serving immediately.
Using the instruction manual
The instruction manual that came with your Instant Pot will have all sorts of useful information. Additionally, it will supply you with cooking timetables. How long to cook pork chops? Check the manual! What about black beans? Same, check the manual. It is a good idea to keep that booklet handy!
Your pressure cooker will come with valuable timing charts, so keep the manual handy.
Care of the device
My mom’s pot used a fragile rubber sealing ring, but new pots use much more durable silicone rings. I always pull these out and wash them separately. This can be done by hand or by placing them on the top rack of the dishwasher.
Please don’t store the pot with the gasket in and the lid closed. This will result in a smelly pot (remember your microbiology) and a squashed sealing ring that may not hold pressure. I always store my ring loose in the pot and install it into the lid at cooking time.
Rings will absorb food odors. If you plan to make many sweet and savory dishes, consider having both a savory and a sweet sealing ring. These rings are inexpensive and can be purchased from many places, including Amazon. Make sure you get the right ring for your particular pot, since they do come in different sizes.
You can wash the inner pot and the sealing ring (top rack only) in your dishwasher. However, the lid and regulator should be hand-washed. Naturally, the base should never be washed. Use a damp cloth to clean an unplugged unit.
How energy efficient is an Instant Pot
It’s good that your sciency dad likes to delve into such things. A while back, I experimented to determine just that. I tested several electric pressure cookers, a stovetop pressure cooker heated by an induction burner, several different sizes of crock pots, and a toaster oven. All were significantly more energy-efficient than a traditional oven, but that is no surprise. What was surprising was that the electric pressure cookers were considerably more efficient than the other appliances, including the slow cookers.
Slow cookers sip electricity, but the classic ones are constantly sipping. A pressure cooker uses a lot of energy to reach pressure, but then it rarely uses energy to maintain that pressure. The stovetop pressure cooker was also very efficient, but the electric one still beat it. However, either would be excellent in situations where you needed to conserve electricity. That is the case when I’m camping in my all-electric adventure van as I rely on batteries and solar panels to cook.
When I did my experiment, I assumed that I was cooking something that needed longer cooking, like a stew. If I were cooking something that only needed a few minutes of pressurized cooking, the pressure cooker would be less efficient, as it often takes 5-10 minutes on full power to reach pressure. A long cooking time offsets that initial energy use.
If my goal was to conserve energy, I would cook foods that require a long cooking time in a pressure cooker, but I would cook foods that require a short cooking time on the stove or in the microwave. Lastly, I’m not trying to be disrespectful of the humble slow cooker. It was relatively energy efficient, and it certainly has its place as a functional cooking appliance.
I used a Kill-A-Watt meter to measure the energy used by various small electrics. I compared several slow cookers, several pressure cookers, and a toaster oven to determine that electric pressure cookers were the most energy-efficient of the pack.
What can I cook in an Instant Pot
An amazing number of foods! If you can cook it in a slow cooker, you (most likely) can cook it in an Instant Pot, just much, much faster. Stews, soups, dry beans, rice, tough meats, etc.
You can also make dishes like one-pot spaghetti and steamed cakes, including cheesecake.
As you know, I have made many different things in our pot, ranging from countless soups, curries, and stews to St. Patrick’s Day corned beef and weekday stuffed peppers. The great thing about an Instant Pot is that it is a “set and forget” (sort of) device. Always be within earshot when using it, but you don’t have to monitor it as closely as a stovetop unit. The Instant Pot will reach pressure, cook, and then turn to keep warm all on its own.
Are all pressure cookers the same? What about a different brand electric pressure cooker?
Dear daughter, I know you have an Instant Pot, so I’m writing this section for others who may be reading this post. My electric pressure cooker is not an Instant Pot, but it works just like one.
Different machines may offer slightly different programs or features, but most don’t make much of a functional difference. The only features that may be important to some are the yogurt, slow cook, and sous vide functions, as they could be slightly different or absent on some machines. All machines have a sauté function, which is important.
Different machines may offer other options that the end user may or may not want. Most Instant Pots have a stainless steel cooking pot, while some other brands have a non-stick one. Some pots may have a broader base or locking handles for the inner pot. Additionally, different pots may have various types of knobs or switches to release the pressure. You will adjust to your particular pot as they all work well enough.
Remember, US stovetop pressure cookers use higher pressure, so cooking times will need to be slightly reduced when converting a recipe from an electric pressure cooker to a stovetop unit. Little conversion is needed for recipes that have short cooking times, but times may need to be shortened for longer cooking times. For instance, an Instant Pot recipe that calls for 60 minutes at high pressure may only need to be cooked for 50 minutes using a stove-top pressure cooker.
What about brand-X pots
When it comes to electric pressure cookers in the US, they are more similar than different. As far as I know, the vast majority of electric pressure cookers cycle between 10 and 12 PSI, so they will cook the same way as an Instant Pot.
Stovetop units made in the US operate at 15 PSI, but some European ones operate at lower pressures, often 12 PSI. This is similar to an Instant Pot, so cooking times would be the same. European stovetop brands with a strong presence in the US sometimes convert their pots to 15 PSI for the US market, so read the instructions that came with your pot.
Stovetop Chinese brands seem to be more variable, with some operating at 15 PSI and others as low as 8 PSI. If you decide to go with one of these pots, make sure you know its cooking PSI, as there is a significant difference in cooking times between 8 PSI and 15 PSI.
Conclusion
Dear daughter, it is great to see you embrace cooking from home. Pressure cookers are truly miraculous machines that can transform tough cuts of meat to tender morsels and speed up dishes that would typically require all day to less than an hour. I know you will master your Instant Pot in short order. For those other readers, I hope that this open letter has helped you understand this excellent device.
Dear reader. My daughter picked up an Instant Pot during Black Friday week and asked me for some recipes. I decided to do a post instead, as she could use it as a reference, and it may also help other newbies. The above is that post.
Images are my own or from the Mealthy Instruction Manual. All images are used for educational and entertainment purposes only.
My parents fed seven on a single salary, and much of that economy was due to my mother’s cleverness. Soups, stews, casseroles, and hot dishes are filling and delicious, and they make the most of their ingredients. Something essential during inflation and the Trump tariff taxes.
I was cleaning out our freezer to make room for new purchases when I came across a large block of ham I vacuum-sealed in April 2022. I thawed the ham and tasted it, and it was absolutely fine. That is the power of a vacuum sealer. However, now I had to do something with the thawed ham. The possibilities are many, but I thought I would go with a soup option on this blustery fall day.
I had a bag of dry 15-bean soup beans in the pantry, and that sounded like the perfect foil for the ham. This recipe makes an enormous amount of soup. Four of us ate it, and we put at least four portions in the fridge for future lunches. I also vacuum-sealed and froze another four portions for a future meal. All in all, a very economical dinner.
Let’s take a look at the recipe from http://valerieskitchen.com. I did make a few changes, which I’ll discuss in the following photos.
Several brands sell a 15-bean mix, or you may find a bag of 16-bean or 14-bean soup mix. They are all interchangeable. This bag was from Aldi, and the beans were of excellent quality. Always sort out flawed and broken beans and discard any little rocks. I have never found a rock, but it is always a good idea to look.
I soaked the beans overnight in double the water. Soaking is unnecessary if you use a pressure cooker. If you used unsoaked beans, you will need to increase your pressure-cooking time to about 40-50 minutes. If you plan on making this soup in a slow cooker or on the stove, you will need to soak the beans first. I believe soaking improves digestibility and reduces unpleasant bean “side effects.” It also reduces the pressure-cooking time to 30 minutes.
Here are the ingredients that I used. In addition to the recipe, I added 1/2 of a sweet pepper. I used an enormous amount of ham as I had defrosted a large block. However, about half of that could be used. You could use any other smoked meat, from bacon to smoked sausage. In fact, you could use cut-up hot dogs if you wished. The chicken broth was made from “Better Than Bouillon.”
Here is a close-up of the spices that I used. I added minimal salt, around 1/2 teaspoon. I was going to adjust the salt at the end of cooking, but the soup was salty enough just from the ham and bouillon. If you don’t have all of these spices, that’s OK. Use what you have. Oregano is an inexpensive and handy spice that adds interest to many dishes. I could have used just that, along with the salt and pepper. With that said, all of these spices are affordable if you buy the Walmart, Aldi, or Dollar Store brands. I didn’t use the seasoning packet that came with the beans, as that is mostly salt.
Using the saute function on my pressure cooker, I lightly browned the ham in a little oil.
I added the chopped onion and garlic and continued to cook the mixture for a few more minutes
In went the spices, which I cooked for about 1 minute more.
Then 8 oz of tomato sauce. Different recipes use different tomato options. Some use a can of crushed tomatoes, some use fresh tomatoes, and some use tomato paste. It makes no difference.
I added the rest of the vegetables.
Then the pre-soaked beans.
Finally, the chicken broth. I used about 6 cups of broth instead of the 4 cups of broth and 3 cups of water stated in the recipe. Less liquid was needed because the beans were already somewhat hydrated from pre-soaking.
I pressure-cooked the beans for 30 minutes, then waited 15 minutes to release the pressure. If I had not pre-soaked the beans, I would have pressure-cooked them for 40 minutes (or possibly 50 minutes). I used a wooden spoon to mash some of the beans to thicken the soup, but that is optional.
Here it is plated up. I served it with oyster crackers, a little cheese, and sour cream. I paired it with some of my homemade whole wheat bread. I like to break off chunks of the bread to dip in the soup; that’s just me. The great thing about soup is that it always tastes better the next day.
This batch was huge and will feed us for several meals. By vacuum-sealing and freezing a portion of the leftovers, I’ll be able to thaw the soup later for an easy, delicious meal.
I hope you know that no recipe is set in stone. You have many options to customize recipes based on your preferences or what you have on hand. Just try to pair like with like. If you don’t have 15-bean soup mix, try another dry bean that you do have. If you don’t have ham, try another flavorful meat. One idea is to save a ham bone and ham scraps from one meal and turn them into an almost-free future meal. Ham bones and scraps freeze well. If you vacuum seal them, they can last for years in the freezer.
