The electric pressure cooker known as the Instant Pot has become an online phenomenon with a dedicated fan-base. Award-winning NY Times food columnist and cookbook author Melissa Clark wanted to see what the Instant Pot was all about, and that prompted her January 2017 piece "Why Do Cooks Love the Instant Pot? I Bought One To Find Out." Since that time, Clark has only explored more of what's possible with pressure cookers, and it's become the basis for her new book, Dinner in an Instant: 75 Modern Recipes for Your Pressure Cooker, Multicooker, and Instant Pot®. Clark offers recipes that are delicious and easy to make such as Fresh Coconut Yogurt, Japanese Beef Curry, Osso Buco, Smoky Lentils, Green Persian Rice with Tahdig and Lemon Verbena Crème Brulee. 

Check out recipes from Dinner in an Instant below!

SAFFRON RISOTTO

TIME: 35 MINUTES

YIELD: 4 SERVINGS

GF • VEG (USING HOMEMADE VEGETABLE BROTH, PAGE 115)

This risotto may be the classic accompaniment to Osso Buco (page 48), but don’t stop there. Its buttery, earthy flavor and creamy texture make it a special side dish for any braised or roasted meat or fowl. Try it the next time you roast a chicken or grill a steak. It will elevate a simple family meal into a deluxe, company-worthy one. To make this vegetarian, substitute vegetable broth for chicken stock.

2 tablespoons extra-virgin olive oil

2 tablespoons unsalted butter

1 large onion, diced

1 garlic clove, grated on a Microplane

or minced

1½ cups Arborio rice

1½ teaspoons kosher salt

Large pinch of saffron threads

¼ cup dry white wine

4 cups chicken stock or vegetable broth, preferably homemade (page 114)

¼ cup freshly grated Parmesan cheese

1. Using the sauté function, heat the oil and 1 tablespoon of the butter in the pressure cooker. Stir in the onion and cook until it is soft, about 5 minutes. Stir in the garlic, cook for 30 seconds, and then stir in the rice and salt. Cook, stirring frequently, until the rice is starting to brown, about 5 minutes.

2. Grind the saffron with a mortar and pestle and add it to the pot. Then pour the wine into the mortar to rinse out any clinging saffron, and pour that into the pot as well. Stir until the wine has been absorbed, about 1 minute.

3. Stir in the stock, cover, and cook on high pressure for 6 minutes; then release the pressure manually. Stir in the Parmesan and continue stirring until the rice has absorbed the rest of the liquid and the risotto is creamy, 1 to 3 minutes. Taste, adjust the seasonings if necessary, and serve.

KOREAN CHILE-BRAISED BRISKET + KIMCHI COLESLAW

TIME: 2 HOURS 30 MINUTES, PLUS AT LEAST 1 HOUR MARINATING

YIELD: 8 SERVINGS

Gochujang, a very slightly sweet and powerfully spicy Korean chile paste made from gochugaru (Korean red chile), has become a staple in my kitchen, where it adds a more intense, complex bite than other hot sauces. Here I use it to flavor tender beef brisket, along with the gochugaru chile flakes for added heat, sesame oil, garlic, and lots of fresh ginger. If you can’t find gochujang, Sriracha makes a good though slightly less spicy substitute.

And if you’re not a coleslaw fan, you can certainly skip it and simply serve some kimchi or a salad on the side.

4 to 5 pounds beef brisket, cut into 3 or 4 pieces

1 tablespoon dried red chile flakes, preferably Korean gochugaru

1 tablespoon sweet paprika

2½ teaspoons kosher salt, plus more to taste

½ teaspoon freshly ground black pepper

1 to 3 tablespoons peanut or safflower oil, as needed

1 large onion, diced

4 garlic cloves, minced

1 tablespoon grated peeled fresh ginger

1 cup lager-style beer

¼ cup gochujang (Korean chile paste) or Sriracha

2 tablespoons ketchup

2 tablespoons soy sauce

2 tablespoons light or dark brown sugar

2 teaspoons Asian fish sauce

1 teaspoon toasted sesame oil

FOR THE KIMCHI COLESLAW

5 cups shredded cabbage (from 1 small cabbage)

¼ cup chopped kimchi, plus more to taste

2 tablespoons peanut, grapeseed, or olive oil

1 teaspoon toasted sesame oil

Juice of ½ lime, plus more to taste

½ teaspoon fine sea salt, plus more to taste

COOK IT SLOW

Cut the beef into 6 to 8 pieces instead of 3 or 4 pieces. Marinate and brown as in steps 1 and 2. Place the meat in the pot and cover with the sautéed onion mixture from step 3. Cook on high for 7 to 9 hours or low for 10 to 12 hours.

1. Rub the beef with the chile flakes, paprika, salt, and pepper. Cover and refrigerate for 1 hour and up to 24 hours.

2. Set the electric pressure cooker to sauté (or use a large skillet). Add a tablespoon of the oil, let it heat up for a few seconds, and then add a batch of the beef and sear until it’s browned all over, about 2 minutes per side, adding more oil as needed. Transfer the beef to a plate and repeat with the remaining batches.

3. If the pot looks dry, add a bit more oil. Add the onion and sauté until golden, 3 to 5 minutes. Add the garlic and ginger and sauté for 1 minute longer. Add the beer, gochujang, ketchup, soy sauce, brown sugar, fish sauce, and sesame oil. Scrape the mixture into the pressure cooker if you have used a skillet.

4. Cover and cook on high pressure for 90 minutes. Let the pressure release naturally for 20 minutes, and then release the remaining pressure manually.

5. To make the kimchi coleslaw, combine the cabbage, kimchi, both oils, lime juice, and salt in a large bowl and toss well. Taste, and add more salt or lime juice if needed.

6. Transfer the beef to a plate or a rimmed cutting board and tent with foil to keep warm. Set the pressure cooker to sauté and simmer the sauce for 15 to 20 minutes, until it is reduced by half or two-thirds (remember that it thickens as it cools). Use a fat separator to skim off the fat, or let the sauce settle and spoon the fat off the top. Serve the sauce alongside the beef, with the kimchi coleslaw.

Reprinted from Dinner in an Instant. Copyright © 2017 by Melissa Clark. Photographs copyright © 2017 by Christopher Testani. Published by Clarkson Potter/Publishers, an imprint of Penguin Random House, LLC.