Reheating Meat In Pressure Cooker
We all know just how convenient a pressure cooker is for heating prepared food and preparing one-pot meals but is it possible to reheat meat? Of course, you can!
Ideally, you’ll want a pressure cooker that has a reheating function for meat. However, even without a similar feature, reheating gives excellent results once you’re used to the process.
It can be tricky, especially if this is one of your first times reheating meat. Don’t worry.
We’ll be showing you exactly how to reheat meat in your pressure cooker, letting you enjoy your food as if you just cooked it instead of microwaving your meat to a rubbery mess.
Do you place the meat inside and pressure cook?
Ideally, you want to reheat meat using a steamer basket or steaming accessory or with the help of a trivet.
This will make sure that your meat isn’t touching the bottom of the pressure cooker. Meat is less likely to char or burn and will cook more evenly if it’s appropriately steamed.
Place the meat into the basket/steaming accessory or if you have to and for stews, put it directly on the bottom of the inner pot. If you do, coat the pot in a little cooking oil.
Add just enough water to moisten the cut of meat you plan to reheat to help the steaming process. Meat reheated from frozen can mostly be added without any additional liquid.
What temperature should you use?
The last thing that you need in a pressure cooker when reheating food is high temperatures. Keep the heat low to gradually warm your food without scorching, over steaming, or cooking it to mush.
The trick to reheating meat in a pressure cooker is to get the temperature at just the right level to heat steadily instead of causing the food to stick or become saturated with moisture.
It would be best if you avoided direct cooking in a pressure cooker unless you’re heating a stew or soup.
Is it safe to reheat meat in the pressure cooker?
Heating already cooked meat in your pressure cooker is a safe and reliable way to transform leftovers into a ready-to-eat meal that tastes almost as good as the first serving.
Some pressure cookers come with a sauté or sear button that lets you reheat your food at the optimal temperature without leaving any room for guesswork. Always use the sauté feature when available.
What is the best setting for reheating meat in an Instant Pot?
If you’re using an Instant Pot or electric pressure cooker, then it’s best to use the ‘Steam’ function if it’s there. Otherwise, use the sauté or sear mode to heat your meat.
Manual pressure cookers should start with the heat as low as possible, gradually building pressure.
How to reheat steak, stews, and other cooked meats in your pressure cooker
Not all types of cooked meat are suited to re-pressurization in a pressure cooker. It all depends on what level of tenderness the meat has been cooked to before.
Here’s our advice for reheating each type of cooked meat.
- Steak
Reheating steak in a pressure cooker will result in the cut being well-done no matter what it was before.
It’s best to reheat beef steaks without pressure, but pork steaks, cuts of venison, and other meat that needs a thorough degree of cooking will come out softer and juicier when repressurized for just the right period.
Place the meat on a trivet and add enough water to cover the base evenly. Pressure cook for roughly 5 to 10 minutes to reheat.
- Stews
Meat-based stews are perfect for reheating in a pressure cooker. Repressurize just as you would if you were starting the stew fresh, but stop pressure cooking shortly after reaching full pressure.
Most stews need little more than 5 to 10 minutes of high-pressure cooking to be piping hot and ready to eat.
- Casseroles
Reheating meaty casseroles in a pressure cooker gives fantastic results, rewarding you with a dish that’s moist and packed with flavor instead of being dried out from baking.
Place your casserole dish inside your pressure cooker on top of a trivet and fill the bottom of the pot with a little water. Add just enough to cover the base.
Seal the cooker and let it build up pressure, reducing the heat to low when pressurized. It usually takes 15 to 20 minutes for a fully frozen casserole to reheat perfectly, leaving cheese melted and gooey.
- Sliced Meats
Sliced meats like ham or pot roast reheat wonderfully in a pressure cooker. Arrange your sliced meat in a casserole or heat-proof dish and sprinkle over a few drops of water.
Close the container with foil, and put it inside your Instant Pot on top of a trivet. Pressure cook for 5 to 10 minutes, cooking thicker slices for longer than thin cuts.
- Pulled Meats
How you reheat pulled meat depends on how juicy it is and how much you want to reheat at a time.
If you’ve got enough pulled meat just about to fill the bottom of your pressure cooker sparsely, then reheat it directly in the pot. Add a little water and pressure cook for 10 minutes on average.
If your pulled meat is very dry or you only have one or two servings to reheat, put it in a foil-covered container with a little water and pressure cook on top of a trivet for 5 to 10 minutes.
What to do if you don’t have a trivet for Instant Pot?
The favorite trusted substitute for a trivet is an overturned metal jar lid. However, anything that’s heat resistant and sturdy can serve as a trivet in a pinch.
Stainless steel cookie cutters work great to elevate your dish. If you don’t have one handy, a turned-over stainless steel bowl will also work.
Steamer baskets don’t need to be made for use in an Instant Pot to do the job either, but a basket specially designed for your specific sized pressure cooker is the best option overall.
Practice Pressure Cooking Attentively
Reheating meat in a pressure cooker leaves it packed with flavor and makes it impossible to dry out your food. Don’t try to reheat food more than once, or it’ll lack flavor and most of its essential nutrients.
Pay close attention to the amount of water you add and the methods you use to reheat each type of meat and meat dish, and with a little adjustment, you’ll have food that tastes freshly cooked every time.