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
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 long does it take to boil an egg in a pressure cooker? ›
Place eggs in a single layer on the trivet. Seal the lid and cook on High Pressure for your desired time: 3 minutes for soft yolks, 5 minutes for medium, or 7 minutes for fully set whites (see below for exact cooking times). Once the cooking time is up, manually release the pressure.
What happens if you put an egg in a pressure cooker? ›
The shells slipped easily off each time, leaving a smooth and pristine hard boiled egg. 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.
Why do eggs explode in pressure cooker? ›
Eggs Cracking Troubleshooting: If your eggs crack or “explode” in the Instant Pot, it's because they're too cold. This usually occurs because the eggs are coming straight from the fridge. To fix this issue, place the eggs in a bowl of warm water for a few minutes before placing the eggs in the Instant Pot.
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.
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.
How do I know when egg cooker is done? ›
You determine your doneness by the amount of water you add to the tray. The egg cooker comes with a small measuring cup with fill lines on it. On one side are lines for soft-boiled, medium-boiled, and hard-boiled eggs, and on the other side is a line for poached eggs and omelets — more on that later.
Can I boil egg with rice in pressure cooker? ›
You can place a couple eggs in the pot (no trivet or anything) while cooking rice and they'll come out nicely hardboiled. I recently started doing this and it works great.
How do you know if an egg is bad? ›
If the egg sinks to the bottom and lays on its side, it should be fresh and ready to eat. If it floats all the way to the top, the egg may be spoiled. Either avoid the risk and toss it in the garbage, or follow the following steps.
Do you have to pierce eggs for egg cooker? ›
A: It's important to poke the hole into the fat end of the egg. This is because each egg has an air pocket at this end. And set the egg into the tray with the hole up so that this sulphury air can properly escape. You're venting the nasty stuff that you don't want infusing into the egg.
Why did my eggs turn brown in the Instant Pot? This can happen when your eggs are overcooked. I've never had it happen if I don't cook them longer than 5 minutes, but if it does happen to you, just know that it's harmless and you can still enjoy your eggs.
Why are my eggs exploding? ›
“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.
Can you eat a boiled egg that exploded? ›
If an egg cracks while being boiled, it is generally still safe to eat as long as it has been cooked to the appropriate temperature.
Why do old eggs explode? ›
Bacteria from a dirty egg grows inside, turning the contents into a foul liquid, killing any embryo present. Gasses build up and generate pressure that may cause the egg to ooze or explode. I rescued this egg from one of my fairweather broody hens, who had abandoned her nest after two weeks of sitting.
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.
Can you put anything in a pressure cooker? ›
Just about any ingredient that can be steamed, or is cooked with liquids, can be cooked in a pressure cooker.
Can I use ramekins for steaming? ›
Cover with foil and place the ramekin into the boiling water. Cover and steam for 12 minutes. Uncover, carefully remove the ramekin, and take off the foil. Top with chives if you like.
Can you put a pyrex bowl in a pressure cooker? ›
Anytime you use glass, pyrex, ceramic or any other heat absorbent material for "pot in pot" cooking, add ~5 minutes to the time under pressure. Anything that is safe to use in the oven is safe to use in the Instant Pot.
