Sunday, January 14, 2018

Instant Pot Cooking: Creamy Corn Chowder

As the weather gets colder throughout January, the more my desire grows for hot food; in this case, chowder. In the book, Instant Pot Obsession, by Janet A. Zimmerman, it looks the perfect recipe for a creamy corn chowder to fulfill my needs. This expanded my experience by letting me chop a bunch of vegetables and more; which I hadn't really done before. When I tasted the final product, I could taste each of the individual ingredients that harmonize together.

First, I made sure I had all the correct ingredients in the correct measurements such as the small detail as, "1½ cups of frozen corn" and "1/4 cup dry white wine" (Zimmerman 132). Then, after a few times using the Instant Pot, I have gotten used to the procedures when cooking. For example, I had trouble adjusting the pressure from high to low, quick releasing, and even unlocking the lid. But I'm glad to say I have gotten used to it... more or less. It's still a little tricky, but cooking the chowder, I had to stir and add a lot therefore I didn't have much trouble.

The hardest thing about it, in my opinion, was mixing in the flour. The flour overall thickens the chowder from a liquid to a thick substance. "Stir in the flour and cook until it turns a very light tan color, 2 to 3 minutes." Stirring the flour with the scallions not only hurt my arm, it also felt as if I was stirring more than just a few minutes. The milk added afterwards made it much more easier to incorporate everything together. 

The potatoes and the corn took the longest to cook due to the time the potatoes need to tenderize and the time the corn needs to thaw out. In the book it says, "Add the potatoes and corn. Lock the lid into place. Select Manual; adjust the pressure to High and the time to 5 minutes. After cooking, naturally release the pressure for 5 minutes, then quick release any remaining pressure. Unlock and remove the lid" (Zimmerman 133).

Overall, the chowder was very creamy and warmed me up inside. The taste makes me feel as if I'm eating in a very fancy restaurant in an expensive city.

What food do you like to eat when the weather gets colder?



6 comments:

  1. Hi Ashley! This sounds good! When it gets cold, I do love my soup. I also like pasta and more warm, homey foods.

    ReplyDelete
    Replies
    1. Hi Ally, I'm glad you share the same point of view with me as to cold weather food. Pasta sounds delicious, especially when it's still warm from the oven. Maybe consider trying out the Instant Pot when creating your foods and let me know if you like it, because I certainly do!

      Delete
  2. Hi Ashley! I saw that you used frozen corn, would you consider using fresh corn or maybe adding more vegetables? This looks great!

    ReplyDelete
    Replies
    1. Hi Makiya! As a matter of fact, I did consider using fresh corn from a cob as a substitute for my soup. I decided that maybe they specifically chose to use frozen corn instead for a reason. For example, fresh corn might overpower other flavors. The chowder did include a lot of vegetables such as red bell pepper, celery, and more. I think that adding more will be an uneven ratio to the soup. Thanks for commenting!

      Delete
  3. Hey Ashley the Creamy Corn Chowder looks great. I also love warm foods during winter. I also always love Instant Pots because they can be customized to someones own liking. I will surly try the Creamy Corn Chowder.

    ReplyDelete
    Replies
    1. Hey Sabreen, thanks! I'm sure you can make a creamier corn chowder than me. I'm glad you love Instant Pots! At first, I wanted to change my IRP book because I didn't like how mine worked, but now I love it. Let me know what else you cook with it and I will definitely try it!

      Delete