Can I Use Frozen Beef
You might be wondering if you can use frozen beef for pot roast. Technically, the answer is yes, the cook time will just be longer .
That said, for the best results, we highly recommend following our method which calls for thawed beef thats seasoned with salt and been left on the counter long enough to take the chill off. This extra time creates the most flavorful, melt-in-your-mouth pot roast. Using thawed beef also allows us to brown the outside of the meat before braising it, which adds a lot of extra flavor to dish.
How To Store Your Instant Pot
Store your cooker like this, with the lid upside down and the gasket loose. Condensation builds up in the gasket, which can become moldy if you lock a damp lid on the cooker.
This method allows for lots of air circulation. Its not so pretty on a countertop, I know. If nothing else, make sure you at least never store your cooker with a damp lid.
Extra Instant Pot Sealing Ring And Silicone Lid
It is really nice to have an extra sealing ring in case my other one is dirty. Lots of people prefer to have two . I like this bundle I have because it comes with a lid as well.
- Pros: Both are dishwasher safe. Easily stores the pot straight to the fridge!
- Cons: The lid is not a sealing lid, so you wouldnt be able to turn the pot upside down or anything.
- Uses: Easily store leftovers, marinate meats right in the pot for easy and fast cooking like for Kalua Pig, Yogurt, or storing any Instant Pot Soup.
- BUY HERE
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Lets Put This Thing Together
First, wash and dry the lid, gasket, and metal insert. Now youre ready.
On the back of the cooker, youll see a spot where the drip catcher goes. Slide it right in. Its made to remove easily, so you can empty it. Without the catcher, youd wind up with small puddles on your counter.
Pop the insert in the cooker. Now insert the power cord into the cookers socket. Plug it in. The digital display on the front should now read OFF. Your cooker is now in standby mode.
Slide the rubbery gasket ring under the lid there’s a bracket where it will snap into place. The gasket helps seal the pot, allowing it to come to pressure.
Alison Conklin
On the underside of the lid is also a small metal cage. It will be round or rectangular, depending on your Instant Pot model, and it helps keep the valve from getting clogged with bits of food. Its removable so you can clean it out if necessary, but you probably won’t need to do this very often.
Alison Conklin
Look for arrows on the top of the lid and side of the cooker. Line these up to get the lid on and off. The first dozen or so times you use your IP, this whole getting-the-lid-on-and-off will feel unnatural, because your cooker is new and so are you. Itll eventually become second nature. If the cooker is plugged in, it bleeps cheerfully when you open and close it.
Next to the steam release is the pressure indicator. This is a little metal cylinder that the steam pushes up its a manual indicator that the unit has attained pressure.
Start To Finish: Show Me How The Cooking Process Works
When you pressure cook in the Instant Pot: You put your ingredients in the pot, sauté if the recipe calls for it, or if you want to add a little color and browning. Then add at least a cup of liquid, close the lid, choose the pressure and cook time you want. The Instant Pot will heat up and come to pressure then it cooks for the length of the cook time. When its done, the pressure is released either naturally or quickly. Remove the lid: You have a meal.
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My Honest Advice About Instant Pot Accessories
This might be weird to hear from someone like me, but DONT go out and buy a million accessories for your Instant Pot right away! Especially if youre a beginner, I want you to get your Instant Pot, and USE it.
I get a lot of messages that sound a lot like this: Hi Lisa! I just got my Instant Pot and have no idea what Im doing with it! What accessories do you recommend I buy?
I always give the same response: none.
Figure out what youre cooking, and how youre cooking! A bunch of accessories arent useful to you if you have no idea how youre using your Instant Pot.
Get that pot out of the box, and USE IT! Youll quickly find out what you need and what youre lacking.
If youre finding yourself making a lot of vegetables or find yourself confident enough to make a cheesecake, youll figure out that your cooking process could be a lot easier with a steamer basket or a specific pan.
Preserve The Summer Harvest
If youve got a green thumb, chances are, you end up with more produce than you know what to do with! It can be a daunting task to put all of that food to good use unless youre a master canner, but the Instant Pot can make it easy.
You can easily cook down veggies for simple and hearty vegetable soups that will last through the winter, tomato sauce to pair with pasta or spaghetti squash all-year-round, jellies and jams from the ripe and juicy fruits, or homemade condiments. Basically, anything that needs cooking and canning can be covered in the IP!
Try our incredible 10-vegetable tomato sauce in the Instant Pot.
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Pop Plenty Of Popcorn
If you dont have a large saucepan or tall pot, you can use your Instant Pot as your go-to popcorn popper. Its actually so simple you may soon bid farewell to anything that comes in a microwavable bag.
How to do it: Turn your Instant Pot to the Saute feature, selecting More to get the pan a bit hotter. When the surface of the pot is hot, add an oil of your choice . When it begins to sizzle, pour in popcorn kernels. Cover with a lid. Listen for the popcorn to pop, and turn off when about two-thirds of the kernels are popped so you can prevent scorched kernels. Before serving, sprinkle with your preferred seasoning, and gently toss.
What To Use The Trivet For
The trivet comes with the Instant Pot. This is a simple insert that allows you to get some space between the bottom of the pot and whatever food youre cooking. Generally speaking, any food that you might want to cook without having it come into direct contact with liquid can be made more easily with the trivet. You can place the food directly on top of the trivet or add it to a round heat-proof casserole dish or cake pan and place that on top of the trivet.
Think of things like chicken breasts, lasagna, breads, meatloaf, and other things that wouldnt taste great if they were super soggy. Its also commonly used for eggs, veggies, potatoes, or pot-in-pot cooking. Using the trivet can prevent burning or overcooking and also ensure even cooking.
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Share Some Bottles Of Homemade Limoncello
In theory, you could drink the vanilla extract, but it wouldnt be nearly as delicious as you might imagine. What is seriously good for sipping, however, is limoncello, a sugary lemon liqueur thats great as an aperitif or after-dinner dessert beverage.
How to do it: Youll need the same equipment for limoncello as you did for vanilla extract: your Instant Pot, trivet, and mason jars. For ingredients, youll need lemon peels, vodka, water, and sugar.
For the first step of this process, you need to infuse the vodka with lemon. Pour one cup of water in the Instant Pot, and place the metal trivet in the bottom. In each pint-sized mason jar, add vodka and lemon peels, leaving about an inch between the top of the liquid and the jar lid. Place two big strips of lemon peel in each jar, and seal the lid tightly but not firmly. Use the Instant Pots manual function to cook on high 30 minutes. Then let the machine release the pressure naturally. Remove the jars, and set them aside to cool overnight.
The next day, strain the lemon peel out of the vodka, and combine the lemon-infused liquor in a larger jar. Add simple syrup to the vodka mix to taste. Cool, then pour into bottles, and enjoy.
How To Use An Instant Pot Or Modern Pressure Cooker
Instant Pots can help you save time once you know how they work. This guide will help you overcome the learning curve.
| Topic: Kitchen & Household
The Instant Pot has become the latest kitchen must-have. You’ll likely find a variety of sizes and styles that can do everything from steam, roast and even air fry. Most Instant Pot or multi-cooker users swear by the ease and speed at which recipes cook. However, there are just as many stories of fails as there are successes. The key is to understand how the Instant Pot works.
This guide will walk you through what you need to know about your new Instant Pot and how to use it to create healthy, delicious dishes.
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Can The Instant Pot Do Anything A Stovetop Pressure Cooker Cant
Yes! It has many functions and can be programmed by cook time, pressure level, and more. The average stovetop pressure cooker cant do this. However, stovetop pressure cookers are able to get to a higher pressure level than most Instant Pot models and therefore can cook some foods faster. But the Instant Pot needs less attention, has more settings and options, and the electrical calibration of the pot keeps it consistent among recipes.
Mistake #: Not Accounting For Pressurizing Time
Lets say youre looking at a delicious Instant Pot recipe, which says to cook the food on High Pressure for 15 minutes. But that doesnt necessarily mean your food will be ready in 15 minutes! The 15-minute cook time will only start once the pot has built up enough pressure inside. This is especially important for foods like boiled eggs, since cooking a few minutes too long or too short can ruin the meal!
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Your Instant Pot can take from 10-20 minutes to pressurize before the cook time starts, so be sure to factor that time in when planning your meals!
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B Cooking Liquid: Too Much Liquid
Mistake: On the contrary, when there is too much cooking liquid in the Instant Pot, it will increase the overall cooking time . This may overcook the food.
Plus, too much cooking liquid will dilute the seasoning, resulting in a bland dish.
Solution: Unless stated in a recipe, we recommend new users to use 1 cup of total liquid until they get comfortable with the machine.
Want More Practice Bring It Back To Pressure
Try it again with the same hot water. This time, press Manual and then adjust the 30 minute default time by pressing the button, then press the + button to go up. Lets do 10 minutes.
You may notice how, if you press Manual and take too long before pressing the other buttons, the cooker will just beep on its own and proceed for 30 a minute pressure cooking time. If you need to re-start, just press Cancel/Keep Warm and start over.
Since the water is in your cooker is already almost boiling to begin with, the cooker will come to pressure a lot faster than it did the first timewithin a minute or so. Itll hiss, then the hissing will abruptly stop as the pressure indicator button goes up. If the hissing just keeps on going, its probably because you left the valve in the venting position instead of sealed. Just use your spoon handle to nudge it back.
What next? Same as before: the cooker beeps, the readout will say 10, and then it will switch to LO:00. You can do quick or natural release, whichever floats your boat.
Coco Morante
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Forget To Turn The Venting Knob To Sealing Position
Mistake: It might be a bit overwhelming to use the Instant Pot in the beginning, and its common to forget to turn the Venting Knob to the Sealing Position when cooking.
Solution: Make it a habit to turn the Venting Knob to Sealing Position every time you start pressure cooking. Dont walk away until you made sure the Floating Valve has popped up.
How Do I Get Into This Thing When Its At Pressure
Now you need to release the pressure. There are two ways:
- Natural release: That means you do nothing but wait. The more food in the Instant Pot, the longer it takes for the pressure to come downas long as 30 minutes if you have, say, a big batch of chili. In a lot of recipes, this time is actually part of the cooking time, and the recipe will specify natural release in the instructions. Think of it as carryover cooking. Youll use natural release with dried beans, a lot of soups and stews, most meats, steamed desserts, and long-cooking vegetables.
- Quick release: With this method, you use the quick release valve and steam shoots up out of it. Once again, the more food in your Instant Pot, the longer it takes for the steam to release. Youll use quick release for quick-cooking foods like tender vegetables and seafoods.
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Ready Lets Cook Some Water
The first time you use your Instant Pot, make waternot food. This way, you can familiarize yourself with simply operating itno anxiety over ruining dinner. Ive been pressure cooking for over a decade, and I still do the water test every time I try out a new cooker.
Here’s what to do:
First, check the gasket. Make sure its snugly in the ring in the lid 99 percent of the time, if your Instant Pot isnt coming to pressure, its a simple issue of the gasket not sitting in the ring quite right.
Next, put 3 cups of water in the insert. When following recipes, you should still measure liquids, but note that the insert has hash marks to give you a rough idea of the volume.
Now, lock on the lid. Use the arrows on the lid and the cooker to guide you.
Check the steam release valve to see its in Sealing position. If the valve is in Venting position, the cooker wont come to pressure.
Press Manual” on the Duo or select “Pressure Cook” on the Ultra. The display will say to 30:00. Its programming initially defaults to 30 minutes cook time of high pressure, which we can toggle up or down depending on how much time the recipe calls for. For our water test, well leave it at 30 minutes.
Now…do nothing. In a few seconds, the cooker will beep three times, and the display will read On. That means its heating, but not at pressure yet.
Emma Christensen
Avoid These 9 Mistakes When You Use Your Instant Pot
Even the most experienced Instant Pot users make some of these errors, but these tips will help you avoid them!
Now that fall weather has arrived, my craving for soup is back with a vengeance! I used to reserve my soup-making for specific occasions, since its a pain to have to simmer a soup on the stovetop for hours. But now that I have my trusty Instant Pot, I can easily make soup whenever I like! Making soup in the Instant Pot is so much faster than other methods, and it usually results in less cleanup too.
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Thats a win-win situation if you ask me! 🙂 Cooking just about anything in my Instant Pot is a breeze these days, but it wasnt always that way!
While the Instant Pot is an invaluable tool that I would recommend to anyone, there is a bit of a learning curve when it comes to operating it. During my first dozen or so attempts at using my Instant Pot, I think I made just about every mistake in the book! It was disheartening at the time, but I learned a lot from those mistakes.
So today I thought I would put that knowledge to good use by sharing some tips for avoiding common Instant Pot pitfalls and mistakes! Avoid these mistakes, and youll be an Instant Pot pro in no time. 🙂
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What Is The Water Test You Keep Referring To
So glad you asked. This test is your first go-around with the Instant Pot. Think of it as a practice test to get familiar with the parts and pieces of the Instant Pot as well as the main appliance. It also helps to ensure that the Instant Pot is working correctly before you try and cook something for the first time.
To do the water test: Pour 3 cups water into the pot, seal the lid and the steam release valve . Set to Pressure Cook or Manual depending on the model for 5 minutes on HIGH pressure. Once the test run is done you can quick release the pressure by twisting the steam release valve open or pressing the release button . All should work as expected: The Instant Pot should come to pressure and cook for the time set. Any other questions on the water test? Refer to your manual.
