Milk Street Fast and Slow: Instant Pot Cooking at the Speed You Need

Kimball (The Cook’s Bible), founder of the Milk Street culinary media company, takes on the Instant Pot multicooker in this sharp collection. All recipes include either pressure-cooker or slow-cooker instructions, with some offering both. But as Kimball admits, not all are time savers: a puttanesca pasta (with a whopping half cup of capers) requires 45 minutes and breaking spaghetti in half to fit in the machine. There are many recipes for soups and stews, and several for basic items with variations: black beans can be repurposed, for instance, as refried beans or tossed with corn. Kimball errs on the side of supplying arguably too much information in recipes; typical is the recipe for a North African eggplant tagine, which includes active time, cooking times, a headnote, a cautionary note, and prep, fast, slow, and finishing instructions. As always, the ace up Milk Street’s sleeve is its command of a wide range of cuisines: a Georgian stew, Mexican pork carnitas paired with quickly pickled red onions, and French chicken en cocotte with mustard and tarragon all hold appeal. Home cooks whose regular rotation includes Instant Pot fare will appreciate this useful and wide-ranging volume. (Apr.)