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
Cover each ramekin with foil. Place the trivet in the inner pot of your electric pressure cooker and pour in 1 1/2 cups water. Arrange three ramekins on top of the trivet and carefully stack the remaining three ramekins on top of the first three. (If you have an additional rack, use it for stacking the ramekins.)
How many minutes does it take to boil an egg in a pressure cooker? ›
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.
What happens if you put an egg in a pressure cooker? ›
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.
Why do eggs crack in pressure cooker? ›
It's best to avoid the high pressure setting when cooking eggs. It creates too much of a volatile environment for the delicate eggs, leaving them prone to cracking or leaking during cooking. Follow this tip: For the best results, keep the pressure cooker set to low when cooking eggs.
What to avoid when using pressure cooker? ›
Pressure Cooker Don'ts:
- Don't open the pressure cooker while cooking. ...
- Don't release the pressure before it's time. ...
- Don't overfill the pressure cooker. ...
- Don't add thickeners. ...
- Don't give up after one bad experience.
Once all the water is gone, a cute jingle will play to alert you that your eggs are done. After that, I tend to plunge them into ice water to prevent them from overcooking, but that's not a necessary step.
Can you boil an egg in 3 minutes? ›
Because the cooking time for a soft-boiled egg is around 3 to 4 minutes, it's often referred to as a "3-minute egg" or "4-minute egg," depending on your preferences. The one minute makes a difference! With the former, there may be a slight amount of unset white around the yolk; with the latter, the white is fully set.
Can I put raw eggs in a pressure cooker? ›
The answer is they'll turn out great! Pressure cookers cook foods with steam and pressure, and both are very good for hard-boiling eggs since the whites will come out tender and not rubbery, and the shells will come off more easily than cooking them in any other way.
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.
You must be wondering what are the best containers that you can use for the PIP method. There are numerous options available for the pot-in-pot method. Instant pot-safe bowls can be made of stainless steel, glass, ceramic, silicone, aluminum, bamboo, or copper.
Can you put anything in a pressure cooker? ›
You can cook virtually anything in a pressure cooker — from meats and main courses to rice, potatoes, and vegetables of every description, to dessert.
What containers are pressure cooker safe? ›
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 you put a ramekin in the crockpot? ›
You can fit four or five 3-inch (6-ounce) ramekins into a 6-quart oval slow cooker without having them touch each other. You use ramekins for baking muffins, cupcakes, and individual custards. You can sit a good-sized bread or loaf pan (9¼” x 5¼” x 2¾” -or smaller) on the floor of most 6-quart oval slow cookers.
