Are you ready to go beyond pressure-cooked hard-boiled eggs? The next breakfast to try in your Instant Pot or multicooker is eggs en cocotte, French for "in pot" or ramekins more specifically. Traditionally, raw eggs are cracked into a buttered ramekin along with a splash of cream and, optionally, your choice of cheese, veggies, and herbs. The ramekins are then placed in a pot filled with a little bit of water. The lid goes on the pot, and the pot goes on the stovetop to boil the water and steam the contents of the ramekins until the egg whites set. It tastes like a cross between poached eggs and an omelette and is heavenly when scooped and spread onto fresh toast. A multicooker makes this process less than five minutes compared to the traditional method, which can take eight minutes to bring the water to boil and another six to seven minutes for the eggs to steam.
You will need an electric multicooker like Instant Pot or Crock-Pot Express, as pictured, as well as a trivet that will fit in the base of the multicooker's bowl and three small ceramic ramekins. We sautéed mushrooms and chives for our pressure-cooked eggs in cocotte, but you can also add in sautéed leek or shallot if you have them on hand. Just keep the overall veggie ingredients about the same so everything fits below the lipped rim of the ramekins.
If you have slightly larger ramekins, try cracking in an additional egg to fill it to just below the rim. A bigger vessel may affect your overall cook time, so be patient as you fiddle with what settings yield eggs the way you like them.
Consider this recipe a loose guideline to introduce the technique. The most important thing to remember is the multicooker will set those egg yolks FAST. So, if you love a runny yolk, start with setting it on a low pressure cook for one minute. Medium eggs, as pictured, will take two minutes.
Ingredients
- 1 tablespoon ghee, plus more for greasing
- 2 cups mushrooms, chopped (or other veggies of your choosing)
- salt
- 1 tablespoon chives, chopped
- 3 eggs
- 3 tablespoons heavy cream
Directions
Using the sauté setting of a multicooker, melt ghee, then sauté mushrooms together, until tender, caramelized, and reduced to 3/4 cup. Season with salt to taste.
Meanwhile, grease the ramekins. When mushrooms are cooked, divide into ramekins. Top each with a teaspoon of chives, a freshly cracked egg, and a tablespoon of cream.
The multicooker pots are nonstick, and so you shouldn’t need to wash them. Simply add 2 cups of water to the bottom of the Instant Pot.
Add the trivet, and place the egg-filled ramekins on top. Secure and lock the lid of the multicooker. Pressure cook on low for 1-2 minutes. Quick release and immediately remove the top when the pressure has normalized. Carefully remove the ramekins. They’ll be hot, so use heatproof oven mitts or mason jar lifters (if you have them).
Serve with freshly toasted bread, like walnut levain as pictured.
(Photos via Brittany Griffin / Brit + Co)
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Anna Monette Roberts
As Brit + Co's Food Editor, Anna Monette Roberts has an insatiable appetite for developing tasty dishes. When she's not dreaming about her next meal, she's . . . well, probably cooking up her creations. Her favorite foods include chewy chocolate chip cookies, Rosé Champagne, and gooey French cheeses — in no particular order.
FAQs
Pressure cook eggs on high for 5 minutes, wait 5 minutes before releasing pressure after the cooking time, and then plunge the eggs into an ice water bath for 5 minutes. For extra large or jumbo eggs, increase the cooking time to 7 or 8 minutes, respectively.
Why do my eggs crack in the pressure cooker? ›
There are a few theories for why this is. Some say that, similar to steaming eggs, the pressure cooker forces steam inside the egg's shell during cooking, causing it to separate from the egg white. Alton Brown's theory is that it's more about the rapid temperature change inside the sealed pot.
Is it safe to pressure cook eggs? ›
Pressure cooker hard-boiled eggs aren't any quicker to make (the pressure cooker's usual claim to fame), but here's why it's great: it actually makes fresh eggs easy to peel! If you happen to raise chickens or have access to really fresh eggs, a pressure cooker is the best way to make hard-cooked eggs.
What should you not put in a pressure cooker? ›
6 Things You Should Never Cook in an Instant Pot
- Creamy Sauces. If there's one food group you should avoid in the Instant Pot, it's dairy. ...
- Fried Chicken. The best fried chicken is crisp on the outside, juicy on the inside and perfectly golden brown. ...
- Cookies. ...
- Burgers. ...
- Pie. ...
- Steak.
The short answer is good news. It is generally safe to use aluminum foil in an Instant Pot, but it is important to use it properly to avoid damaging the appliance or creating a potential safety hazard.
How do I know when egg cooker is done? ›
A: The cooker has an internal timer that shuts off when eggs are done... Hope this helps! Helpful? Thank you for your feedback!
How long does it take to boil eggs in an egg cooker? ›
You can choose from three different boiling options – soft-boiled eggs (8 minutes), medium-boiled eggs (10 minutes), and hard-boiled eggs (12 minutes). The egg boilers are designed to keep safety in mind. They come with the automatic power-off feature that turns off automatically once the eggs are boiled.
Why does vinegar stop eggs cracking? ›
Adding vinegar to the water helps the proteins in the egg white coagulate faster which further plugs any cracks in the egg.
Why did my egg explode while cooking? ›
“The reason eggs, particularly poached eggs, explode in the microwave is due to the buildup of steam inside the egg,” says Trey Braswell, president of Eggland's Best franchisee Braswell Farms. “The water inside the egg heats up rapidly, turning into steam, but this steam doesn't have an easy way to escape.
Why is my egg foaming when I cook it? ›
The egg white proteins that enable such impressive foaming are ovalbumin and ovomucin. Ovalbumin is responsible for original foam volume when egg whites are whipped, while ovomucin holds onto the air bubbles during heating and has elastic qualities that allow the protein to stretch as the air bubbles enlarge.
2Pour the water into the pressure cooker. Then, carefully set the eggs onto the rack to not touch the water below. 3Seal the pressure cooker and cook at high pressure for your desired cooking time: 3 minutes for soft-boiled eggs, 5 to 6 minutes for medium-boiled eggs, and 7 to 9 minutes for hard-boiled eggs.
What not to do when cooking eggs? ›
7 Mistakes to Avoid When Cooking Eggs
- Seasoning the water when making poached eggs. ...
- Using high heat. ...
- Using the wrong pan. ...
- Cracking on the side of the pan or bowl. ...
- Not whisking enough. ...
- Cracking the eggs directly into the water when making poached eggs. ...
- Adding eggs to a cold pan.
While the eggshells are permeable and let air through, sometimes the air can't escape fast enough through the shell, so the egg cracks. Many egg cookers suggest piercing the larger end of the egg to let the pressure out as the egg cooks, avoiding the breakage.
Can you put a ceramic dish in a pressure cooker? ›
Make desserts and side dishes in the pressure cooker.
If you have a ceramic pot for your pressure cooker, you can make a main dish and a side dish at the same time. It's perfect for one-pot meals.
What containers can go in a pressure cooker? ›
Suitable heat-proof containers
As the name suggests, heat-proof containers should be heat or ovenproof- this includes high-temperature silicone, heat-proof glass (like pyrex), ceramic, stainless steel, aluminum and even copper! The forms should not be plastic or any glass that is not tempered.
Can I put a bowl in a pressure cooker? ›
Oven-tempered glass and metal bowls or pans can be used in a pressure cooker. Beautiful desserts and side dishes can be prepared in a pressure cooker by using individual molds, glass custard cups, metal bowls, pans, soufflé dishes, and springform pans, all of which must be oven safe.
Can you put anything in a pressure cooker? ›
You can cook most food in a pressure cooker. However, most people use it to cook food that takes a long time to cook with conventional methods.
