Instant Pot Applesauce appeared on my homepage a couple of months ago. I didn’t think much of it—why would I prepare applesauce for a meal in an instant pot? That would just be a lot of dishes and hassle.
Or so I thought. So I read the article—you never know what you might learn. And though I wasn’t interested in making applesauce for a single meal, I got to thinking that using the instant pot could be an easier way to prepare applesauce for canning. I went searching for a few more articles on the topic, and found one that focused on using Liberty apples. Score!
So I prepped a small batch to see whether the process was really as simple as described and to be sure my family would like it.
Family reviews: This is phenomenal applesauce, served warm or cold. For the first week or so, Aaron came tearing into the house after work like a crack fiend looking for a fix. We loved it so much that I turned all the Liberty apples into this applesauce, except for one bucket, which we hoped to use for fresh eating. Unfortunately, they started getting a bit soft already, so I just made another batch of applesauce with them. If an apple can’t be crisp, there is no reason for its existence.
To use an instant pot to prepare applesauce:
- Wash several pounds of apples.
- Peel the apples (optional). While some sources say to peel your apples, with the Liberty apple this is definitely not necessary. I haven’t tried other apples yet, so I can’t comment on those. Perhaps the skin on Liberty apples is thinner or cooks more easily so that they don’t need to be peeled.
- Core. I simply made four cuts around the apple to remove the core. No further chopping is necessary.
- Fill the instant pot to the fill line and shake down.
- Add ¾ cup water for a 6-quart instant pot, and 1 cup water for an 8-quart pot.
- Close the instant pot lid and place the steam release valve in the sealing position.
- Pressure cook for on high for 8 minutes. Natural release the pressure for 15 minutes (or longer, if desired), then move the steam release valve to the venting position to release any remaining steam. Rapidly releasing the pressure may cause the sauce to boil or even burn.
- Add 1 teaspoon of cinnamon and about ½ cup sugar, or to taste. (I used ¼ cup sugar per quart of applesauce and usually got three quarts per batch.) Use an immersion blender to turn the processed apples into a smooth sauce or a potato masher for chunkier sauce.
- Fill canning jars and process in a boiling water bath 15 minutes for pints and 20 minutes for quarts, adjusting for high altitude as necessary.
What I love about using the instant pot:
No stirring and no worries about burning. I am free to go about other activities. The apples are perfectly and uniformly cooked every single time. Preparing applesauce in the instant pot means that it’s not taking up valuable real estate on the stove. And it’s another way of using an instant pot—not just a way to cook dinner or sterilize medical instruments. Of course, it only makes 3 quarts of sauce at a time, but it does so quickly enough that you can get a full canner load of applesauce going in a very short time.
Links to related posts:
Can You Use an Instant Pot or Pressure Cooker as an Autoclave?
The Complete Guide to Home Canning
References:
https://nchfp.uga.edu/how/can_02/applesauce.html
https://kristineskitchenblog.com/instant-pot-applesauce/
https://www.thekitchn.com/instant-pot-applesauce-22948861
https://www.southernliving.com/recipes/instant-pot-applesauce
No comments:
Post a Comment