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From Freezer To Instant Pot
The Instant Pot transformed the way you feed your family, letting you put meals on the table in record time. Now, upgrade the way you use your Instant Pot to make it even more convenient with these 75 recipes and a host of strategies for cooking meals straight from your freezer, with absolutely no thaw time or pre-preparation required.
Each recipe gives timings and ingredients for every 6 and 8-quart model of Instant Pot, including the new Instant Pot Max-and the recipes include everything from hearty stews to healthy sides to delicious braises and even roasts that go from your freezer to your plate in a matter of minutes: just dump, lock, and cook.
You'll find:
Butternut Squash Bisque
Ground Beef Lo Mein
Ziti with Sausage and Peppers
Italian-Style Pork Chops
French Dip
Chicken Fajitas
Sweet-and-Sour Shrimp
And much more!
Paperback
Published July 23, 2020
186 people are currently reading
99 people want to read
About the author
Bruce Weinstein
64 books22 followersBruce Weinstein and Mark Scarbrough are QVC favorites with five sell-out appearances. They've appeared on everything from the Today show to corporate-sponsored events, making ice cream, gelati, sherberts, and sorbets. They're also experts on the desserts that pair with these frozen treats, having written bestselling brownie and cookie books and all-purpose cookbooks with desserts aplenty and countless features for Fine Cooking, Eating Well, and The Washington Post. Their cooking podcast, Cooking with Bruce and Mark, is available on iTunes. They've written numerous cookbooks, including A la Mode and The Turbo Blender Dessert Revolution (11/1/16). They live in Connecticut.
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Displaying 1 - 30 of 41 reviews
June 29, 2019
My husband is our cook, but after reading FROM FREEZER TO INSTANT POT, I’ll be able to share kitchen duties from now on.
75 WAYS TO KEEP YOUR LOVER!
Because I’ve found 75 delicious recipes for easy-to-make wonderful meals concocted from fixings tossed from freezer to an Instant Pot.
SQUASH, SHRIMP, ZITI ... OH MY
And what goodness: Butternut Squash (my fave), Sweet-and-Sour Shrimp (yum), Ziti with Sausage (yes!), and so much more. Recipes include timings and ingredients and cover everything from braises to roasts to stews plus healthy sides ... all fabulous! 5/5
Pub Date 16 Jul 2019.
Thanks to Bruce Weinstein, Little, Brown and Company, and NetGalley for the review copy. Opinions are mine.
#Freezertoinstantpot #NetGalley
75 WAYS TO KEEP YOUR LOVER!
Because I’ve found 75 delicious recipes for easy-to-make wonderful meals concocted from fixings tossed from freezer to an Instant Pot.
SQUASH, SHRIMP, ZITI ... OH MY
And what goodness: Butternut Squash (my fave), Sweet-and-Sour Shrimp (yum), Ziti with Sausage (yes!), and so much more. Recipes include timings and ingredients and cover everything from braises to roasts to stews plus healthy sides ... all fabulous! 5/5
Pub Date 16 Jul 2019.
Thanks to Bruce Weinstein, Little, Brown and Company, and NetGalley for the review copy. Opinions are mine.
#Freezertoinstantpot #NetGalley
November 19, 2019
This book makes me wonder what to think of it still. Yes, it has loads of recipes for the instant pot. Yes, you could find a recipe for every situation being a soup, dinner or ... Yes, this will save people a lot of time with food. Yes, this book has a lot of instructions. I do however miss pictures in it, the whole book is blend without them and so the book gets 3 points.
This is a ARC from the publisher via Netgalley, which I got for an honest review.
This is a ARC from the publisher via Netgalley, which I got for an honest review.
Read
November 26, 2019I was given an advance copy in exchange for an honest review, which now seems overdue.
I’m not giving this a rating because I still haven’t made a recipe from it, and already know I’ll be skipping over quite a few of them.
As a fan of both instant pots and freezer schemes, I looked forward to this.
I started reading through it shortly before an injury, and then another more serious injury in the family, put me on a long hiatus from the kitchen.
When first reading this, I was puzzled, for two reasons, about the value.
First, the freezer aspect mostly involves being able to dump some frozen meat right into the pot with other ingredients that you still need to gather and prep.
For me, the delight in freeze-ahead has been either that I made a dish in advance and froze it for later, or I fully assembled it, ready to pull out and bake, or I put the ingredients in a bag in the freezer for zero or little prep at meal time. This book is none of those things.
I do want a freezer meal to mean that I don’t have to think or work much at all when it’s time to cook. I’m willing, if not excited, to work in advance to reach that blissful state of effortlessness at the moment of cooking.
I don’t have a problem having thawed meat ready when it’s time to cook. I have a microwave with a defrost button that thaws things in the time it takes me to get other things ready for the cooking I’m about to do.
It turns out that this book also encourages the use of frozen vegetables too, so if I switch more from fresh to frozen I am more in line with the book. I tend to buy a lot of my produce at my year-round farmers market, though. Buying a lot of frozen produce seems like a step backward, depending on how much I did this.
My second concern is that for a lot of meats, you don’t just dump in frozen and you’re done. After the meat has cooked in with the other ingredients, you often have to fish it out and cut, slice, or shred it, depending on the recipe and how it is served.
For some recipes that step might seem obvious, as for pulled barbecued meats. But for the most part I can’t see myself finishing the meat out from the soupy pot, cutting it while gloppy with ingredients, and putting it back.
And there’s the problem that ground meat really needs to be browned anyway, as it’s not great pressure cooked raw—not that I’ve tried it. So that’s not a time saving feature that would fit in this book.
In fact, this method largely rules out browning any type of cut of meat—the flavor loss may be a decent trade for real convenience in some cases (I’m not ashamed of a number of convenience trades), but I’m not convinced of the overall convenience to start with.
When I returned to finish reading the book recently, I realized I have yet another issue with fitting the book to my life. The instructions say to be exact about the weights of any cut of meat.
Cooking times from frozen are a tricky affair, especially when other ingredients are considered. Being more than a little off in the weight could throw the whole recipe.
Many instant pot recipes will give a cooking time that is appropriate for some range of weight, or suggest x minutes per pound—usually given as different times better frozen or thawed. It’s not hard to adjust and not overly finicky. This cooking strategy, though, requires more precision and seems to have fewer options for adjustment.
I buy most of my meats at the farmers market as well. I can’t ask for a 2 pound roast or one pound of chicken breasts the way I could in a store. I get the roast they have or the chicken they have.
An already frozen hunk of meat (the central feature of this book) is the size that it is when you get it from the farmers market.
It would have to be thawed, then carefully cut down to size if too large—and then the recipe wouldn’t work because of thawed meat and the whole idea of convenience would be thrown out.
When I’m doing more cooking, I expect I may try a few of the recipes that require no fishing out and cutting up, if I have the right weight of the meat in my freezer already and I’m not passing over
And I have my eye on a few of the vegetable soup recipes—they seem much less fiddly and more appropriate to my kitchen since I do buy a few frozen things regularly like frozen butternut squash and broccoli so they are always available regardless of the season.
Any of these may be delicious and worth the price of the book (if I had paid a price).
Because I don’t know yet how good any of these recipes will be or how useful the cook-frozen process might be in practice, I’m not rating the book.
Even so, it turns out that the book is less relevant from the start to my particular cooking and shopping preferences than I had hoped.
If you buy mostly from the grocery store and pay close attention to sizes and weights, dislike thawing meat in advance or in the microwave, don’t think freezer meals mean the meal is in some way completely ready to cook out of the freezer without more gather-and-prep at cooking time, and don’t mind cutting up whole meat after fishing it out of a pot of liquid ingredients, the convenience strategy of this apparently well-researched and tested book might be one for you to try.
The recipe instructions seem through and precise and provide interesting variations at times. They seem a little confusing to follow compared to recipes I am used to, but after reading a number of them you become somewhat used to the patterns and rationales.
I would recommend reading the introductory chapters before cooking for the convincing explanations of what will and won’t work for this style of instant pot cooking.
I’m not giving this a rating because I still haven’t made a recipe from it, and already know I’ll be skipping over quite a few of them.
As a fan of both instant pots and freezer schemes, I looked forward to this.
I started reading through it shortly before an injury, and then another more serious injury in the family, put me on a long hiatus from the kitchen.
When first reading this, I was puzzled, for two reasons, about the value.
First, the freezer aspect mostly involves being able to dump some frozen meat right into the pot with other ingredients that you still need to gather and prep.
For me, the delight in freeze-ahead has been either that I made a dish in advance and froze it for later, or I fully assembled it, ready to pull out and bake, or I put the ingredients in a bag in the freezer for zero or little prep at meal time. This book is none of those things.
I do want a freezer meal to mean that I don’t have to think or work much at all when it’s time to cook. I’m willing, if not excited, to work in advance to reach that blissful state of effortlessness at the moment of cooking.
I don’t have a problem having thawed meat ready when it’s time to cook. I have a microwave with a defrost button that thaws things in the time it takes me to get other things ready for the cooking I’m about to do.
It turns out that this book also encourages the use of frozen vegetables too, so if I switch more from fresh to frozen I am more in line with the book. I tend to buy a lot of my produce at my year-round farmers market, though. Buying a lot of frozen produce seems like a step backward, depending on how much I did this.
My second concern is that for a lot of meats, you don’t just dump in frozen and you’re done. After the meat has cooked in with the other ingredients, you often have to fish it out and cut, slice, or shred it, depending on the recipe and how it is served.
For some recipes that step might seem obvious, as for pulled barbecued meats. But for the most part I can’t see myself finishing the meat out from the soupy pot, cutting it while gloppy with ingredients, and putting it back.
And there’s the problem that ground meat really needs to be browned anyway, as it’s not great pressure cooked raw—not that I’ve tried it. So that’s not a time saving feature that would fit in this book.
In fact, this method largely rules out browning any type of cut of meat—the flavor loss may be a decent trade for real convenience in some cases (I’m not ashamed of a number of convenience trades), but I’m not convinced of the overall convenience to start with.
When I returned to finish reading the book recently, I realized I have yet another issue with fitting the book to my life. The instructions say to be exact about the weights of any cut of meat.
Cooking times from frozen are a tricky affair, especially when other ingredients are considered. Being more than a little off in the weight could throw the whole recipe.
Many instant pot recipes will give a cooking time that is appropriate for some range of weight, or suggest x minutes per pound—usually given as different times better frozen or thawed. It’s not hard to adjust and not overly finicky. This cooking strategy, though, requires more precision and seems to have fewer options for adjustment.
I buy most of my meats at the farmers market as well. I can’t ask for a 2 pound roast or one pound of chicken breasts the way I could in a store. I get the roast they have or the chicken they have.
An already frozen hunk of meat (the central feature of this book) is the size that it is when you get it from the farmers market.
It would have to be thawed, then carefully cut down to size if too large—and then the recipe wouldn’t work because of thawed meat and the whole idea of convenience would be thrown out.
When I’m doing more cooking, I expect I may try a few of the recipes that require no fishing out and cutting up, if I have the right weight of the meat in my freezer already and I’m not passing over
And I have my eye on a few of the vegetable soup recipes—they seem much less fiddly and more appropriate to my kitchen since I do buy a few frozen things regularly like frozen butternut squash and broccoli so they are always available regardless of the season.
Any of these may be delicious and worth the price of the book (if I had paid a price).
Because I don’t know yet how good any of these recipes will be or how useful the cook-frozen process might be in practice, I’m not rating the book.
Even so, it turns out that the book is less relevant from the start to my particular cooking and shopping preferences than I had hoped.
If you buy mostly from the grocery store and pay close attention to sizes and weights, dislike thawing meat in advance or in the microwave, don’t think freezer meals mean the meal is in some way completely ready to cook out of the freezer without more gather-and-prep at cooking time, and don’t mind cutting up whole meat after fishing it out of a pot of liquid ingredients, the convenience strategy of this apparently well-researched and tested book might be one for you to try.
The recipe instructions seem through and precise and provide interesting variations at times. They seem a little confusing to follow compared to recipes I am used to, but after reading a number of them you become somewhat used to the patterns and rationales.
I would recommend reading the introductory chapters before cooking for the convincing explanations of what will and won’t work for this style of instant pot cooking.
July 14, 2019
I am a long-time pressure cooker aficionado. Like Miss Vickie, I was using pressure cookers on the stovetop decades before the Instant Pot® came into vogue. Has the Instant Pot® made cooking much easier, however? Of course!
Authors Bruce Weinstein and Mark Scarbrough have a new cookbook with the subtitle of “How to Cook NO-PREP Meals in Your Instant Pot® Straight from Your Freezer.” What busy mom wouldn’t be intrigued by that? Or even more so by the first few sentences of the cookbook’s introduction:
Please, please, please, sign me up!
From Freezer to Instant Pot® is the cookbook I’ve always longed for. I knew — I just knew — that there had to be a way to cook from frozen. Who hasn’t forgotten to thaw out meat or other frozen products for tonight’s dinner? Wouldn’t it be wonderful if you had one less thing to remember? Thanks to Weinstein and Scarbrough, now you do. I only wish I could give this cookbook six stars instead of five!
Here’s one tip that Weinstein and Scarbrough could not include, as dried beans do not do well in recipes with frozen ingredients: A pressure cooker allows you to cook dried beans in a trice. You never, ever have to presoak beans. Ever. Simply rinse and pick them over to find the stray pebble or deformed bean, then increase the time under high pressure to 45 minutes. No having to soak overnight or any other such nonsense! A one-pound bag of beans is equivalent to four cans; you can do the math on your savings.
In the interest of full disclosure, I received this book from Little, Brown & Co. in return for an honest review — and I’m so glad they contacted me!
Authors Bruce Weinstein and Mark Scarbrough have a new cookbook with the subtitle of “How to Cook NO-PREP Meals in Your Instant Pot® Straight from Your Freezer.” What busy mom wouldn’t be intrigued by that? Or even more so by the first few sentences of the cookbook’s introduction:
This cookbook is the Holy Grail for busy people, for those of us who rush in the door at the end of the day, pull a package of ice-encrusted whatever out of the freezer and think, “Can I eat this?”
Good news: If you’ve got an Instant Pot and this book, the answer is “Yes!”
Please, please, please, sign me up!
From Freezer to Instant Pot® is the cookbook I’ve always longed for. I knew — I just knew — that there had to be a way to cook from frozen. Who hasn’t forgotten to thaw out meat or other frozen products for tonight’s dinner? Wouldn’t it be wonderful if you had one less thing to remember? Thanks to Weinstein and Scarbrough, now you do. I only wish I could give this cookbook six stars instead of five!
Here’s one tip that Weinstein and Scarbrough could not include, as dried beans do not do well in recipes with frozen ingredients: A pressure cooker allows you to cook dried beans in a trice. You never, ever have to presoak beans. Ever. Simply rinse and pick them over to find the stray pebble or deformed bean, then increase the time under high pressure to 45 minutes. No having to soak overnight or any other such nonsense! A one-pound bag of beans is equivalent to four cans; you can do the math on your savings.
In the interest of full disclosure, I received this book from Little, Brown & Co. in return for an honest review — and I’m so glad they contacted me!
July 3, 2019
A good book for convenient cooking in your pressure cooker straight from the freezer. In order to understand this book you must read the introduction. The book is not set out like other books so you need to understand the various charts before you commence cooking.
The recipes are ok. I've tried a few with reasonable results. The Simple Steamed Salmon was good and useful as I prefer to freeze salmon when it fresh as it tends not to last long in the fridge. The Chicken, Rice and Mushroom Casserole was also quite nice. I didnt fancy many other recipes in this book maybe that is due to the lack of pictures in the digital copy I received.
There are however many good tips for general use of the pressure cooked so it would be a useful book for those just starting out with pressure cooking.
Thank you to the publisher and Netgalley for an advance copy of this title in exchange for an unbiased review.
The recipes are ok. I've tried a few with reasonable results. The Simple Steamed Salmon was good and useful as I prefer to freeze salmon when it fresh as it tends not to last long in the fridge. The Chicken, Rice and Mushroom Casserole was also quite nice. I didnt fancy many other recipes in this book maybe that is due to the lack of pictures in the digital copy I received.
There are however many good tips for general use of the pressure cooked so it would be a useful book for those just starting out with pressure cooking.
Thank you to the publisher and Netgalley for an advance copy of this title in exchange for an unbiased review.
July 10, 2019
Thank you to Netgalley, Author Bruce Weinstein and Little Brown and Company & Hachette Book Group for giving me an opportunity to read, enjoy and share with others on this ebook Advanced Reader Copy.
This cook book is an excellent compilation of 75 wonderful and easy to follow recipes of using frozen foods straight to the Instant Pot. In no time, meals will be ready, and you will have an amazing wholesome lunch or dinner at your table.
If you like to buy and stock up on frozen meats from big-box stores or whenever there is a sale of meats after the holidays, then this cook book is tailored for you. This is your ultimate resource for the preparation of frozen meats to completion without having to waste time thawing meats and vegetables. The book include lots of tidbits and tips to improve your technique and quality of the prepared meals.
The recipes include soups, noodles, chicken, pork, beef, and seafood that are all quite simple to prepare. Personally I have tried to beef barley, chicken casserole, chili and the shrimp scampi.
This is a must have if you have an Instant Pot or planning to purchase one.
Rating 5/5
This cook book is an excellent compilation of 75 wonderful and easy to follow recipes of using frozen foods straight to the Instant Pot. In no time, meals will be ready, and you will have an amazing wholesome lunch or dinner at your table.
If you like to buy and stock up on frozen meats from big-box stores or whenever there is a sale of meats after the holidays, then this cook book is tailored for you. This is your ultimate resource for the preparation of frozen meats to completion without having to waste time thawing meats and vegetables. The book include lots of tidbits and tips to improve your technique and quality of the prepared meals.
The recipes include soups, noodles, chicken, pork, beef, and seafood that are all quite simple to prepare. Personally I have tried to beef barley, chicken casserole, chili and the shrimp scampi.
This is a must have if you have an Instant Pot or planning to purchase one.
Rating 5/5
July 14, 2019
I like the ideas and clear information of this cookbook. I often have meat in the freezer and dislike what a microwave will do to meats while defrosting.
I cook a lot in instant pot, especially using fresh ingredients from beans to vegetables from my garden, well sooner or later, right now from the farmer's market. Meat is always my unknown.
The very beginning of this book has the information of what needs how much time coming from what kind of frozen state. It lists the needs for a steamer or rack and how much water and broth and then the all important time. It is possible to overcook with an Instant Pot.
This is all written in clear language and the directions are simple and easy.
I received a copy of this book from NetGalley.
I cook a lot in instant pot, especially using fresh ingredients from beans to vegetables from my garden, well sooner or later, right now from the farmer's market. Meat is always my unknown.
The very beginning of this book has the information of what needs how much time coming from what kind of frozen state. It lists the needs for a steamer or rack and how much water and broth and then the all important time. It is possible to overcook with an Instant Pot.
This is all written in clear language and the directions are simple and easy.
I received a copy of this book from NetGalley.
July 10, 2019
This book is a great addition to the growing body of Instant Pot recipe cookbooks. It also addresses a necessary void, since it seems many of these cookbooks emphasize the use of unfrozen ingredients. I can see this book being a welcome addition to most public library collections.
July 12, 2019
I am a huge fan of the Instant Pot. I own two of the devices and started a small Facebook group to share the love, recipes and tips on using them. I also belong to a fairly large Instant Pot group on Facebook where I frequently post and comment.
This cookbook is one that I will HIGHLY recommend to every Instant Pot owner I know. It's easy to read, humorous and straightforward. A wonderful cookbook for an Instant Pot beginner or as an addition to your Instant Pot cookbook collection.
It was very apparent from the beginning the amount of research that went into writing this cookbook. From the ingredient suggestions, tips, converting recipes, which type of freezer the ingredients are coming from to what works and doesn't work. The recipe layout is simple, the chart used for cooking times made it easy to quickly check while cooking and the Beyond section after each recipe had wonderful information in it. I have tried two recipes, so far, and they were both huge hits and very accurate on times. I think my favourite part is the ingredients list. Not only is one specific item listed but also substitutions and their measurements. i.e. fresh herbs/dried herbs, heavy or light cream, vegetable or chicken broth.
I am now curious about Bruce Weinstein's other cookbooks and will definitely be checking them out.
I received an advance readers copy from NetGalley for my honest review.
I have shared a review in my Instant Pot groups on Facebook.
This cookbook is one that I will HIGHLY recommend to every Instant Pot owner I know. It's easy to read, humorous and straightforward. A wonderful cookbook for an Instant Pot beginner or as an addition to your Instant Pot cookbook collection.
It was very apparent from the beginning the amount of research that went into writing this cookbook. From the ingredient suggestions, tips, converting recipes, which type of freezer the ingredients are coming from to what works and doesn't work. The recipe layout is simple, the chart used for cooking times made it easy to quickly check while cooking and the Beyond section after each recipe had wonderful information in it. I have tried two recipes, so far, and they were both huge hits and very accurate on times. I think my favourite part is the ingredients list. Not only is one specific item listed but also substitutions and their measurements. i.e. fresh herbs/dried herbs, heavy or light cream, vegetable or chicken broth.
I am now curious about Bruce Weinstein's other cookbooks and will definitely be checking them out.
I received an advance readers copy from NetGalley for my honest review.
I have shared a review in my Instant Pot groups on Facebook.
June 30, 2019
From Freezer to Instant Pot by Bruce Weinstein and Mark Scarbrough presents a different take on how to quickly prepare meals using your Instant Pot. The recipes typically use frozen meat, poultry or seafood to prepare the dish. No need to thaw the protein as it goes into the Instant Pot along with the needed ingredients to complete the dish.
Recipes using ground meat or poultry typically require the cook to break the cooked meat once the dish is done or close to being done. I am not a great fan of this method as it can be a bit time consuming to use a cooking implement such as a fork to break up the cooked meat. Also, you do have to deal with hot liquid of some sort when breaking up the meat which makes the final preparations a bit steamy as you are dealing with hot liquid of some sort.
The chicken and seafood recipes are pretty straightforward and if I recall none of the recipes required breaking up the either with a fork.
The highlights of their cookbook include detailed instructions on how to prepare a recipe, cooking tips to add a bit of something special to complete the dish, and the friendly information recipe introductions.
Some of the recipes you'll find include:
Bean Soup
Boneless Skinless Chicken Breasts
Game Hens with Butter Sauce
Braised Turkey Breast
Burgers
Unstuffed Cabbage
Recommend.
Review written after downloading a galley from NetGalley.
Recipes using ground meat or poultry typically require the cook to break the cooked meat once the dish is done or close to being done. I am not a great fan of this method as it can be a bit time consuming to use a cooking implement such as a fork to break up the cooked meat. Also, you do have to deal with hot liquid of some sort when breaking up the meat which makes the final preparations a bit steamy as you are dealing with hot liquid of some sort.
The chicken and seafood recipes are pretty straightforward and if I recall none of the recipes required breaking up the either with a fork.
The highlights of their cookbook include detailed instructions on how to prepare a recipe, cooking tips to add a bit of something special to complete the dish, and the friendly information recipe introductions.
Some of the recipes you'll find include:
Bean Soup
Boneless Skinless Chicken Breasts
Game Hens with Butter Sauce
Braised Turkey Breast
Burgers
Unstuffed Cabbage
Recommend.
Review written after downloading a galley from NetGalley.
June 30, 2019
If you wished there was a Instant Pot cookbook with tons of simple recipes requiring zero effort and no special preparation, look no further than this gem. This book is filled with dishes using meats & veggies directly from the Freezer to the table in minutes . I definitely be purchasing copies of this gem for myself & all my friends who own Instant Pots!
July 8, 2019
I received an advanced copy of this cookbook from NetGalley in exchange for an honest review.
I’ve never read a recipe book before except to follow a recipe of some sort, but I found this book to have several good suggestions for types of meats to use and plenty of options for ingredients (for picky eaters like me). This is definitely a book that I’ll keep and use again and again.
I’ve never read a recipe book before except to follow a recipe of some sort, but I found this book to have several good suggestions for types of meats to use and plenty of options for ingredients (for picky eaters like me). This is definitely a book that I’ll keep and use again and again.
July 29, 2019
Originally published on my blog: Nonstop Reader.
From Freezer to Instant Pot is an ingenious cookbook and guide to meal prep using the electronic pressure cooker. Released 16th July 2019 by Little, Brown & co., it's 192 pages and available in paperback and ebook formats. The authors are experienced and have several other cookbooks written for the Instant Pot, including my favorite general use pressure cookery book, The Instant Pot Bible .
I love the premise for this cookbook. The recipes are written around being able to take deep frozen proteins and ingredients directly from the freezer into the Instant Pot without thawing or precooking. Streamlining and simplifying food prep is something that really appeals to me. With everyone in my own family working or studying full time, being able to come home after a full day, exhausted, and still put tasty and nutritious food on the table is amazing.
The book follows a logical and accessible progression. The intro chapter includes technique notes and tips concerning ingredient volumes (measure carefully so they don't overflow and ruin the pressure seal), removing foreign objects (that plastic 'diaper' under frozen blocks of meat if you've tossed the packages into the freezer directly from the supermarket and other packaging) and more. There's also a good general guide to cooking with the instant pot, and a useful weight and meat-type table for cooking times and special handling instructions.
The following chapters contain recipes for soups, noodles, chicken and turkey, beef, pork, and fish and shellfish. One of the special features of this book is that every chapter (except the fish one) has several customizable 'road map' recipes which allow for wide variations in sauces, cooking liquids, and amounts.
It's worth noting that the ebook format has a handy interactive table of contents as well as interactive links and references throughout. I've really become enamored of cookery books with interactive formats lately. Cooking (for me, all thumbs) with paper cookbooks in the steamy kitchen is a recipe for disaster (haha).
The eARC I received did not have pictures included, so I can't review those, but they will be included in the final release copy. (I have not reviewed typesetting or graphics, nor deducted from my review for the lack of photography in the ARC).
My final thoughts. This is actually a godsend for people who don't have hours to prepare and cook dinner. In the recipes we tried, however, the reality didn't quite live up to the promise. Cooking ground beef in the Instant Pot requires the extra step of breaking up the meat which is steamy and unpleasant (but do-able). If your chicken breasts or thighs are frozen solid, separating them can be problematic. The authors do discuss freezing meal sized portions, which requires an extra step. I'm not sure that most people don't do that already which is good. The recipes themselves are 'American family style' cuisine: roasts, chicken, pasta, soups, sloppy joes, etc. The road map recipes allow for a nice amount of variation. The ingredients are easily sourced in any average grocery store.
Well written, humorous, and time-saving.
Four stars.
Disclosure: I received an ARC at no cost from the author/publisher for review purposes.
From Freezer to Instant Pot is an ingenious cookbook and guide to meal prep using the electronic pressure cooker. Released 16th July 2019 by Little, Brown & co., it's 192 pages and available in paperback and ebook formats. The authors are experienced and have several other cookbooks written for the Instant Pot, including my favorite general use pressure cookery book, The Instant Pot Bible .
I love the premise for this cookbook. The recipes are written around being able to take deep frozen proteins and ingredients directly from the freezer into the Instant Pot without thawing or precooking. Streamlining and simplifying food prep is something that really appeals to me. With everyone in my own family working or studying full time, being able to come home after a full day, exhausted, and still put tasty and nutritious food on the table is amazing.
The book follows a logical and accessible progression. The intro chapter includes technique notes and tips concerning ingredient volumes (measure carefully so they don't overflow and ruin the pressure seal), removing foreign objects (that plastic 'diaper' under frozen blocks of meat if you've tossed the packages into the freezer directly from the supermarket and other packaging) and more. There's also a good general guide to cooking with the instant pot, and a useful weight and meat-type table for cooking times and special handling instructions.
The following chapters contain recipes for soups, noodles, chicken and turkey, beef, pork, and fish and shellfish. One of the special features of this book is that every chapter (except the fish one) has several customizable 'road map' recipes which allow for wide variations in sauces, cooking liquids, and amounts.
It's worth noting that the ebook format has a handy interactive table of contents as well as interactive links and references throughout. I've really become enamored of cookery books with interactive formats lately. Cooking (for me, all thumbs) with paper cookbooks in the steamy kitchen is a recipe for disaster (haha).
The eARC I received did not have pictures included, so I can't review those, but they will be included in the final release copy. (I have not reviewed typesetting or graphics, nor deducted from my review for the lack of photography in the ARC).
My final thoughts. This is actually a godsend for people who don't have hours to prepare and cook dinner. In the recipes we tried, however, the reality didn't quite live up to the promise. Cooking ground beef in the Instant Pot requires the extra step of breaking up the meat which is steamy and unpleasant (but do-able). If your chicken breasts or thighs are frozen solid, separating them can be problematic. The authors do discuss freezing meal sized portions, which requires an extra step. I'm not sure that most people don't do that already which is good. The recipes themselves are 'American family style' cuisine: roasts, chicken, pasta, soups, sloppy joes, etc. The road map recipes allow for a nice amount of variation. The ingredients are easily sourced in any average grocery store.
Well written, humorous, and time-saving.
Four stars.
Disclosure: I received an ARC at no cost from the author/publisher for review purposes.
October 2, 2019
I am still relatively new to the Instant Pot, so when I saw this at one of the book review sites that I use, I was curious. Unfortunately, for me the book will be pretty useless as I am a vegetarian, and the book offers very few vegetarian options. However, if you are a meat eater, there are tons of ideas here for you. After a section that introduces you to the best tactics to use if you want to cook in your Instant Pot straight from your freezer, the book is divided into chapters based mostly on the meats involved. The first two recipe chapters, though, are about soup and noodles. The chapters that follow are about chicken and turkey, beef, pork, and fish and shellfish.
Despite the seeming simplicity of being able to take food straight from the freezer and cook it in your instant pot, the introductory section certainly shows pitfalls and things to be aware of. It is not as easy as you would think. But the convenience of it could sway you, and of course, you will learn how to circumvent many of the problems with this method, especially with the tips and hints that the authors give. I definitely see "soupiness" as a problem, as thawing foods do give off a lot of moisture.
The recipes themselves are mostly what I would call common recipes like tortilla soup, beef lo mein, chicken fajitas, chili, and pot roast. There are a few surprises, like Tater Tot Soup. One of these things I liked is that some of the recipes are what they call “roadmap recipes”; they don't just give you a list of single ingredients to use for a particular dish. Rather, they give you a list of ingredients where some have options, like different seasonings, different types of meat, different sauces, etc. That way, you can make many different versions of a basic recipe. The roadmap recipes include bean soup, ravioli, chicken stew, roast chicken, pot pie, and several others.
If you want the convenience of being able to cook straight from your freezer using your Instant Pot and you are a meat eater, you'll most likely find recipes as well as tips and techniques that will help you get a meal on the table.
I received a free copy of this book, but that did not affect my review.
Read my other reviews at https://www.readingfanaticreviws.com
Despite the seeming simplicity of being able to take food straight from the freezer and cook it in your instant pot, the introductory section certainly shows pitfalls and things to be aware of. It is not as easy as you would think. But the convenience of it could sway you, and of course, you will learn how to circumvent many of the problems with this method, especially with the tips and hints that the authors give. I definitely see "soupiness" as a problem, as thawing foods do give off a lot of moisture.
The recipes themselves are mostly what I would call common recipes like tortilla soup, beef lo mein, chicken fajitas, chili, and pot roast. There are a few surprises, like Tater Tot Soup. One of these things I liked is that some of the recipes are what they call “roadmap recipes”; they don't just give you a list of single ingredients to use for a particular dish. Rather, they give you a list of ingredients where some have options, like different seasonings, different types of meat, different sauces, etc. That way, you can make many different versions of a basic recipe. The roadmap recipes include bean soup, ravioli, chicken stew, roast chicken, pot pie, and several others.
If you want the convenience of being able to cook straight from your freezer using your Instant Pot and you are a meat eater, you'll most likely find recipes as well as tips and techniques that will help you get a meal on the table.
I received a free copy of this book, but that did not affect my review.
Read my other reviews at https://www.readingfanaticreviws.com
August 12, 2019
When I cook from the freezer its usually frozen summer peas or a casserole I've put away. This cookbook was a bit of a departure from my normal cooking. But I've been told I'm not your average cook, so.... This is a great guide and manual for those who keep a stash of random meats and freezer goods, for those who stock up on sales or at Costco, and for those who are short on time.
At the beginning of the book the authors give a master guide to cooking times based on type of meat. When my grandmother called me to inquire how she should cook a chuck roast I was able to give her a definitive answer. All the recipes were very easy to follow and I love that they gave some options on how to add extra flavor or go above and beyond the basic recipe.
However, I was turned off on how often they used the word "diaper" when referring to those plastic meat things so often sold with ground meats. Was that really necessary? Another thing I didn't like about this book was that they never gave a total cooking time. I know this is tricky given different pressure cookers and even how items are frozen. But I love being able to look at a recipe and know that it should take about an hour.
Anyways, here's what I made:
Meatball Minestrone, page 28 - solid family dinner. Took about an hour start to finish.
Chinese Dumpling Soup, page 40 - great flavor for how fast it came together. Leftover dumplings fell apart. 30 minutes start to finish.
Cheesy Chili Mac, page 52 - okay, needed lots of fixin's. 1 hour start to finish
Turkey and Sweet Potato Hash, page 100 - Good flavor, interesting consistency. The texture of the ground turkey threw me off. But the use of sweet potato hash browns was ingenious.
Overall a good cookbook. Especially for those who are rushed and keep a stocked freezer.
Disclaimer: I was given a copy of the book by the publisher. All thoughts and opinions are my own.
At the beginning of the book the authors give a master guide to cooking times based on type of meat. When my grandmother called me to inquire how she should cook a chuck roast I was able to give her a definitive answer. All the recipes were very easy to follow and I love that they gave some options on how to add extra flavor or go above and beyond the basic recipe.
However, I was turned off on how often they used the word "diaper" when referring to those plastic meat things so often sold with ground meats. Was that really necessary? Another thing I didn't like about this book was that they never gave a total cooking time. I know this is tricky given different pressure cookers and even how items are frozen. But I love being able to look at a recipe and know that it should take about an hour.
Anyways, here's what I made:
Meatball Minestrone, page 28 - solid family dinner. Took about an hour start to finish.
Chinese Dumpling Soup, page 40 - great flavor for how fast it came together. Leftover dumplings fell apart. 30 minutes start to finish.
Cheesy Chili Mac, page 52 - okay, needed lots of fixin's. 1 hour start to finish
Turkey and Sweet Potato Hash, page 100 - Good flavor, interesting consistency. The texture of the ground turkey threw me off. But the use of sweet potato hash browns was ingenious.
Overall a good cookbook. Especially for those who are rushed and keep a stocked freezer.
Disclaimer: I was given a copy of the book by the publisher. All thoughts and opinions are my own.
July 8, 2019
"From Freezer to Instant Pot" by Bruce Weinstein is a useful collection of easy recipes using staples from the freezer section at your local grocery store. The book is tailored to the InstantPot 6-qt pressure cooker, but also includes directions for the InstantPot Max cooker. There is also some advice and tables for cutting the recipes to fit your size of pressure cooker, but for most people, the 6-qt, which is the most popular pressure cooker, the recipes will not require any adjustments.
From the start, the book has a very useful table with types of meats and recipes and average cooking times required to heat them up for consumption. The introduction also includes some very helpful tips and techniques for using the InstantPot, a must read for all pressure cooker newbies. The voluminous cookbook includes all the necessities: soups, noodles, poultry, beef, pork, even fish and shellfish. There are lots of great recipes here to experiment with and get a meal on the table fast.
The "Freezer to Instant Pot" claim is a bit of a 'misleading' title. The book promises no-prep instant pot meals, which is also not exactly true. There is always so prep even if you are pulling stuff right out of the freezer. What the book doesn't mean is that you make something in advance and then pull it out for a weeknight meal that you have ready to eat in minutes. However, with the simplicity of these recipes, most items can be purchased in your freezer section at the grocery store so that you can quickly get a meal on the table after a long, stressful day at work. This is the benefit of the book.
I received this as an eBook from Little, Brown and Company via NetGalley in exchange for an honest and unbiased review of the title. I did not receive any compensation from either company. The opinions expressed herein are completely my own.
From the start, the book has a very useful table with types of meats and recipes and average cooking times required to heat them up for consumption. The introduction also includes some very helpful tips and techniques for using the InstantPot, a must read for all pressure cooker newbies. The voluminous cookbook includes all the necessities: soups, noodles, poultry, beef, pork, even fish and shellfish. There are lots of great recipes here to experiment with and get a meal on the table fast.
The "Freezer to Instant Pot" claim is a bit of a 'misleading' title. The book promises no-prep instant pot meals, which is also not exactly true. There is always so prep even if you are pulling stuff right out of the freezer. What the book doesn't mean is that you make something in advance and then pull it out for a weeknight meal that you have ready to eat in minutes. However, with the simplicity of these recipes, most items can be purchased in your freezer section at the grocery store so that you can quickly get a meal on the table after a long, stressful day at work. This is the benefit of the book.
I received this as an eBook from Little, Brown and Company via NetGalley in exchange for an honest and unbiased review of the title. I did not receive any compensation from either company. The opinions expressed herein are completely my own.
July 16, 2019
As the owner of an Instant Pot and several Instant Pot cookbooks already, I was really impressed by the detail that was present in this one. Even though I do cook in my Instant Pot periodically, I still find myself a bit intimidated by it. After reading this cookbook, I feel much more confident in making the recipes going forward. I'm most looking forward to how practical it will make it for me to utilize the meats that are in my freezer already without having to plan ahead days in advance so that I can thaw things out. I really like the prospect of pulling it out day of and placing it in the pot with other ingredients and viola...dinner is served.
Overall, I was fairly impressed with this cookbook and am looking forward to giving some of these recipes a go. I'm definitely wanting to try the Shrimp Creole and Shrimp Scampi. Also, several of the soups sounded yummy! If they are as good as I hope, I'll be buying a copy for my parents who just purchased their first Instant Pot.
The only downside I see to this cookbook is the lack of photos. I firmly believe that pictures enrich the feel of cookbooks. They show the reader what the recipe will look like when it's completed. It helps to show the appeal in a more visual way. I think that having pictures of at least a few of the recipes would have been a plus.
Thank you to NetGalley and the publisher for this ARC in exchange for an honest review.
Overall, I was fairly impressed with this cookbook and am looking forward to giving some of these recipes a go. I'm definitely wanting to try the Shrimp Creole and Shrimp Scampi. Also, several of the soups sounded yummy! If they are as good as I hope, I'll be buying a copy for my parents who just purchased their first Instant Pot.
The only downside I see to this cookbook is the lack of photos. I firmly believe that pictures enrich the feel of cookbooks. They show the reader what the recipe will look like when it's completed. It helps to show the appeal in a more visual way. I think that having pictures of at least a few of the recipes would have been a plus.
Thank you to NetGalley and the publisher for this ARC in exchange for an honest review.
July 20, 2019
This cookbook has the means for you to prepare meals straight from the freezer. Some prep of ingredients before freezing (cutting to proper size) will make the cook able to prepare a complete meal in very short time.
Take advantage of sales at the grocery store. Return home, break it down to portion sizes and then you will be ready at a later date to go from freezer to dinner table quickly.
I liked the information at the beginning of the book. Charts came in handy. It is a shame that the authors saw a need to tell people not to place the meat diaper in the pot. Really - people cook this on purpose?
The only thing missing in my opinion is pictures for the dishes. If you need a picture, you won’t like this book. The other item I found questionable was removing beef or ground meat after the cooking process and breaking it up. Since we do not care for ground meat, it won’t be an issue with us.
I thought the recipes were very straight forward. I recommend this cookbook.
Thank-you Netgalley for allowing me to review this book. The opinions are my own.
Take advantage of sales at the grocery store. Return home, break it down to portion sizes and then you will be ready at a later date to go from freezer to dinner table quickly.
I liked the information at the beginning of the book. Charts came in handy. It is a shame that the authors saw a need to tell people not to place the meat diaper in the pot. Really - people cook this on purpose?
The only thing missing in my opinion is pictures for the dishes. If you need a picture, you won’t like this book. The other item I found questionable was removing beef or ground meat after the cooking process and breaking it up. Since we do not care for ground meat, it won’t be an issue with us.
I thought the recipes were very straight forward. I recommend this cookbook.
Thank-you Netgalley for allowing me to review this book. The opinions are my own.
September 7, 2019
I am obsessed with my Instant Pot and almost exclusively use The Instant Pot Bible by Bruce Weinstein and Mark Scarbrough. When I saw they came out with a new cookbook for using the InstantPot with frozen food, I jumped at the opportunity to test it out.
This book is great if you are short on time. This book is PERFECT if you are prone to stuffing your freezer with sale items. The premise is that you can stick those items directly into the Instant Pot with a few extras (spices, broth, sauces, aromatics) to make yummy dishes fast. I tried it out on some ancient ground beef (or turkey 😅) with the Beef and Barley Soup. It turned out great! And was pretty fast considering it was a solid block of ground meat. This book may not be great for vegetarians and vegans although their original Instant Pot Bible definitely is!
Thank you, NetGalley, for the opportunity to check out this book in exchange for an honest review!
This book is great if you are short on time. This book is PERFECT if you are prone to stuffing your freezer with sale items. The premise is that you can stick those items directly into the Instant Pot with a few extras (spices, broth, sauces, aromatics) to make yummy dishes fast. I tried it out on some ancient ground beef (or turkey 😅) with the Beef and Barley Soup. It turned out great! And was pretty fast considering it was a solid block of ground meat. This book may not be great for vegetarians and vegans although their original Instant Pot Bible definitely is!
Thank you, NetGalley, for the opportunity to check out this book in exchange for an honest review!
December 31, 2024
One of the first Instant Pot cookbooks I read, and the one that allowed me to really fall in love with this appliance. Many of the recipes in this book are still my "go-to" Instant Pot recipes a year later. They are easy and tasty, and the instructions are so straightforward and clear. Usually I get cookbooks from the library, but I liked Weinstein's format so much that I decided on his Instant Pot Bible as my one IP cookbook that I would own. The only downside is that the recipes are not particularly healthy -- a lot of Midwestern, meat-and-cheese-and-potatoes sort of fare -- and since we have three distinct food needs in my family (gluten free, low cholesterol, picky kids), I need to rotate some of the healthier stuff in from other cookbooks and can't rely solely on this one. But for ease of use and yumminess, I haven't found an IP cookbook that tops this one.
August 23, 2019
I had an instant pot for quite a while before I really tried to make anything except very basic recipes. I had been raised with a healthy fear of pressure cookers. But I was determined to conquer my hesitation before my husband asked again why I wasn't using it. Truthfully, this book has been a huge help by integrating my instant pot into my weekly food planning. I can prepare the meal as I put away groceries and have it ready to go into the pot when I get home. This improves the quality of my family's meals while adding many more ideas to the cooking rotation. With a little effort, this book has shown me that my instant pot can be my best friend. If you received an instant pot as a gift, buy this book for yourself.
July 30, 2019
I have had an Instant Pot for over a year and it's one of my favorite products to use. But I sometimes need a little easier meals to make on days that I'm struggling on or working late. This cookbook has given me several new ideas and recipes that I can make for those tough days. They are recipes that even my picky eater will try and they are great for sharing with friends and family when they visit. If you are a busy parent and are looking for easier meal ideas for your weekdays especially when school is in session, this is your book!
August 8, 2019
I am a new(er) pressure cooker cook, but I was so excited when I saw this cookbook! Lots of really fun recipes and tips that will make my family happy when we all start back to school this fall. I love the information at the beginning of the book (Nine Important Techniques, etc.) that will hopefully save people from missteps that might otherwise ruin their dinners. The ebook format is definitely a little hard to read, but I would recommend all cookbooks be in hard copy format anyway. Bon appetit!
August 4, 2019
From Freezer to Instant Pot: The Cookbook is a collection of 75 recipes for meals that can go straight from the freezer to the Instant Pot. Also included are many strategies, tips, and troubleshooting for creating and cooking these meals. Many of these recipes are basic mals that would be enjoyed by many people and have staple ingredients that lots of people keep on hand.
* I received an advanced reader's copy of this book from NetGalley in exchange for my honest review.
* I received an advanced reader's copy of this book from NetGalley in exchange for my honest review.
December 31, 2019
I received an advance copy from the publisher of this book.
The recipes are good & include things I would have never considered to be freezer-friendly. However, in the age of recipe blogs... Where are all the pictures?! There are no photographs in my copy, which is a huge miss for a cookbook in 2019. I need a visual idea of what it is I'm going to be making.
Until then, freezer taco meat it is. Yum!
The recipes are good & include things I would have never considered to be freezer-friendly. However, in the age of recipe blogs... Where are all the pictures?! There are no photographs in my copy, which is a huge miss for a cookbook in 2019. I need a visual idea of what it is I'm going to be making.
Until then, freezer taco meat it is. Yum!
July 4, 2019
I love my instant pot and love the idea of cooking straight from the freezer. It makes everything so much easier! This book has so many recipes and they are easy to follow. My only complaint is that there are no photos. It might just be me, but my favorite part of reading cookbooks is looking at and drooling over the yummy pictures. If there were photos, than I would have given this 5 stars.
July 21, 2019
I am an avid cook. I love my Instant Pot for weekday meals. I am not sure if it was the galley version of this book or what, but I found it difficult to follow instructions.
The recipes themselves seemed ok, but I hated having to reread the instructions multiple times and still wondering if I got it right.
The recipes themselves seemed ok, but I hated having to reread the instructions multiple times and still wondering if I got it right.
July 22, 2019
I love to cook and I love my instant pot. I also have no time to cook and often forget to take things out to defrost. This is the best of both worlds. A quick dinner Instant pot style, and I don't have to defrost a thing!! The recipes are great and many, and I love the way the book lays out the instructions. I can't wait to experiment--there are so many options.
July 22, 2019
This is a great resource for those of us who feel that we have limited time to prepare meals. The instant pot has been an indispensable appliance for easy meals and this cookbook takes meal prep a step further by embracing ingredients pulled from the freezer. I highly recommend this cookbook to all who feel too busy to prepare meals at home - you will love this book!
June 9, 2025
good recipes, just can't see myself using them due to their style at the moment. also wish they'd say total time instead of just how long that it's on the cook function, especially when natural release is used. no way of knowing if the quick chicken dinner im after is going to be 20 minutes or 2 hours
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