Cooking Time Is Not Amount Of Time Recipe Takes
It is important to note that when planning your meals that you don’t count on the pressurized cooking time as the amount of time it will take complete the meal.
When it comes to pressure cooking, you need to account for the time it takes to come to pressure and the time it takes to release pressure.
Therefore the total time for pressure cooking is
Time to Come to Pressure + Cooking Time + Time for Pressure to Release = Total Time
The amount of time needed for a recipe to come to pressure and time to release pressure varies based on recipes.
Instant Pot Poultry Setting
The poultry Instant Pot setting is best for cookingyou guessed itchicken! The mode you choose depends on the size of the chicken pieces and the cut as chicken breast needs less cooking time and is easily overcooked compared to chicken thighs. You can use this setting to cook chicken meat or a dish that contains poultry in it such as chicken and potatoes or chicken and rice . Poultry setting is only available on 6-quart and 8-quart models, not on the mini! Below is how to use the Poultry setting on Instant Pot.
- Turn the Instant Pot on, it will say OFF to indicate the Stand-By mode. Add chicken, seasoning and liquids to the pot. Secure and lock the lid. Press the Poultry button. The default setting is pre-programmed to set the pot to cook at HIGH pressure for 15 minutes, which is suitable for larger pieces of chicken. If you press the Poultry button again, you can adjust the mode from Normal to Less or More .
If desired, use the / + buttons to further customize the time. The cooking time may be adjusted at any time during pressure cooking.
COOKING TIPS
Allow poultry to rest for 5-10 minutes, depending on size. It will reabsorb cooking juices for tender, succulent meat. Essentially, what this means is that you should allow the Instant Pot to release pressure naturally when possible.
The Pot Is Showing A Burn Message
This usually happens when the sensors think the pot in danger of burning your food . Often, this means that theres not enough liquid in the pot, or that the liquid hasnt reached all the bottom corners of the pot, which is easy to fix. You may also need to let your pot cool down if youve been sautéing on high heat for a while. For more complex meals, layer your starches and sauces on top of other ingredients to create a barrier between them and the bottom heater. Also, elevating meats using the cooking rack can help. Finally, if you have sautéed a liquid sauce or similar ingredient, make sure no bits are stuck to the pot before you move on to the next task.
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How To Make Instant Pot Bone Broth:
It might sound intimidating, but bone broth is truly so simple to make in your Instant Pot. Each step is explained in more detail below, but heres the game-plan:
Instant Pot Bone Broth Is Always A Good Idea For Many Reason
Have you made a whole chicken in your Instant Pot yet? If not, youre missing out. Its by far the easiest and most economical way to get a big pile of tender, fall-off-the-bone chicken youll ever make. And its so juicy and delicious.
After you Make A Whole Chicken in an Instant Pot, the next natural step is to make delicious and nutritious homemade bone broth in your Instant Pot.
But if you dont have an Instant Pot, you can still make bone broth in your slow cooker. If thats what youre here for, head over to our Slow Cooker Bone Broth Recipe. Just know that it takes quite a bit longer to make broth in your slow cooker versus the less than 2 hours needed to make bone broth in an Instant Pot.
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A Few Final Important Tips
- Remember to use COLD water in your Instant Pot. If you use warm water, the amount of time that it takes the IP to come to pressure may change and that will result in a different cooking time.
- The rice function cooks at LOW pressure, not high pressure. Therefore if you are cooking a recipe that cooks at High Pressure for 12 minutes , do NOT be tempted to hit the rice function.
- What if your recipe does not have liquid in it? What if you want to bake a dessert or custard in your Instant Pot? This is when cooking Pot in Pot, or PIP, is necessary. To cook pot in pot is basically placing another pot inside the instant pot on a trivet to cook. Here are the Step by Step directions for Cooking Pot in Pot in the Pressure Cooker.
- Check out all my Healthy Instant Pot Recipes for a perfect place to start cooking recipes for your pressure cooker.
How To Do An Instant Pot Water Test
Now that you have completed the water test, you are ready to cook in your Instant Pot!
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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.
Problem : The Screen Says Ovht
Your Instant Pot stopped cooking and has a weird Ovht code on the screen.
The fix: Ovht stands for “overheat.” This means that more than likely, your food is burning inside the locked pot. The code “C5” on the screen is also an indication that your pot is too hot.
Quickly release pressure until the float valve goes down and remove the inner pot. Chances are you didn’t put enough water or other liquids in the pot, which caused everything to overheat and burn. Next time, closely follow the recipe’s directions for how much liquid to add to the ingredients.
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The Instant Pot Is Taking Too Long To Start The Timer
Remember, Instant Pots take time to heat up. For pressure cooking and other modes, the Instant Pot will take a pretty significant amount of time, usually 10 to 15 minutes, to heat up and bring the pressure up to proper levels, and then start the timer. So when a recipe says pressure cook in Instant Pot for 5 minutes, you should always mentally add the extra time beforehand. If it still seems like its taking too long, check your settings carefully to make sure you are in the right mode.
Instant Pot Tips For Beginners
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Learn how to use and better understand your Instant Pot with these 10 Instant Pot tips for beginners.
Are you new to the Instant Pot or perhaps have been too intimidated to even open the box? Get started! Believe meyou are going to love it. It has become a vital tool in my kitchen. I want to share 10 Instant Pot tips with you to help you gain your confidence and better understand your Instant Pot.
I bought my Instant Pot a number of years ago before it gained its current popularity. We had moved back to Canada from Australia and I needed to repurchase my small kitchen appliances. I had a slow cooker on my list and somebody mentioned that I should get an Instant Pot instead. Initially, I was a little hesitant and freaked out since when I heard the term pressure cooker, I had memories of a traditional version we had received as a wedding gift that I found absolutely terrifying to use.
I am so happy that I took the plunge and bought it. I dont have too many kitchen gadgets but the Instant Pot has become one of my must-haves. My Instant Pot gets used multiple times a week and sometimes daily for either a component of a meal or to make the main course itself.
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How To Safely Remove The Lid
Are you worried about your Instant Pot exploding? That was my biggest fear when I got started, too. Luckily, the Instant Pot is loaded with safety features to help prevent that from happening, but the best thing you can do is learn how to use it properly to avoid any user errors.
Its NOT safe to remove the lid from your Instant Pot until all of the pressure has been released from the pot. Youll know its safe to remove the lid when the floating valve in the lid drops. This means all of the pressure is gone, and the Instant Pot lid will easily twist off.
Never ever try to force the lid off the pot if it doesnt twist easily. As a safety precaution, the Instant Pot locks the lid while the pot is still pressurized, so dont try to fight it.
Why Are Instant Pots Dangerous
Lets get the biggest elephant in the room out right now.
As I have mentioned above in day-to-day usage, the instant pot is safe if you follow instructions, and you are mindful of its features.
But you are handling a home cooking tech that can build up a massive amount of pressure inside its container. And releasing this pressure safely is critical for keeping you safe and sound.
The most significant danger on an instant pot is You. It is hard to hear, but user error is the most common meltdown point of an instant pot.
The biggest reason why are instant pots dangerous is the pressurized superhot steam that is inside the container.
Usually, there are two ways to get rid of it. Either naturally or manually.
The 1st one takes about 20 to 30 minutes and is recommended in general. The only thing you have to do is sit and wait. At the end of the cooking cycle, the instant pot will turn the heat down and, in some way, signal to you that it is switching to keep warm. Most instant pots have some buttons like cancel or similar to terminate the current process and start releasing pressure.
Press it and wait. Thats it. Your manual will give you more details in this regard.
Of course, there are times when you dont want to wait or do not have time to do so. Also, you might be impatient. I can almost hear the words:
,,But Vojta, I want to eat now! It is done! Lets open it immediately!
The 2nd option is to release the pressure quickly via the pressure valve.
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Forgetting The Sealing Ring
When washing the lid of the Instant Pot theres a rubber sealing ring thats removed for cleaning, in many cases.
Forgetting to place it back into the lid before cooking again can cause quite the mess and potentially a loss of a meal. Just like the Instant Pot inner pot, make sure after washing, all pieces return to their place.
https://www.pressurecookrecipes.com/wp-content/uploads/2017/07/Instant-Pot-Sealing-Ring-820×482.jpg Photo by: Pressure Cook Recipes
Using Too Much Liquid
It happens. The first time I was cooking pasta in the Instant Pot, I had a hard time NOT filling water like I would if I were boiling the pasta.
Pressure cooking is different. Youre not boiling the food, youre creating a steam from a liquid that cooks the food, using pressure. Meaning you arent typically straining the liquid off afterward, it absorbs into the food during its process of cooking. So if youre second-guessing the liquid amounts of a recipe, try trusting it instead. Its likely just the right amount.
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Use Rice Button For Cooking All Types Of Rice
Mistake: Weve heard some new Instant Pot users have less than satisfactory results with their rice cooked in the Instant Pot using the Rice Button.
Dont be discouraged!
Solution: Different types of rice require different water to rice ratios& cooking times. For best results, we like to use the Manual Button for most control on Cooking Method & Time.
Here are our Perfect Rice Recipes:
How To Make Bone Broth: Photo Tutorial
If youve just made the Instant Pot Whole Chicken recipe, then place the bones, skin, cartilage, and other bits from the chicken along with any innards that may have come with your chicken into the Instant Pot. You should still have a few cups of cooking liquid and herbs left in the pot from cooking the chicken.
If you havent made the Instant Pot Whole Chicken and youre just starting with bones , place those in the bottom of the Instant Pot. No need to thaw them, just put them in there.
To the pot, add the vegetables, aromatics , bay leaf, any herbs you want to use we use sage, rosemary, thyme, and parsley if we have it on hand then a glug of apple cider vinegar and a few peppercorns.
Dont worry, theres a full recipe coming so youll know exactly how much we add of each thing. Though you can totally wing it and use what you have and it will still be fabulous.
Then cover everything with water , lock the lid in place, and cook for 120 minutes on high pressure.
Once the timer sounds, allow 20-30 minutes for the pressure inside the pot to naturally release before flipping the vent valve to Venting to release any residual pressure.
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I Keep Burning My Fingers When Trying To Release Steam
The release nozzle on the Pots valve is pretty loose, and twitching it open for a fast release after pressure cooking can be painful for even fast fingers. If youve been burnt by steam before, theres a very simple solution that Pot users have found: Just use a wooden spoon. Push the valve open with the spoon to release it and avoid any steam issues.
Learn The Terms Natural Pressure Release And Quick Release
Thats one thing that will make your life so much easier when you start reading recipes.
Natural Pressure Release allows the pot to naturally release pressure on its own after the food is done. Its a form of release that is often used with pasta, soup , beans, and meats or a pot that is filled up to the max line. If a recipe calls for 5 minutes NPR, you will want to wait until the pot says L0:05, then you can release the pressure after that by opening the vent.
Quick Release allows you to manually release the pressure on your meal by turning the vent valve at the top to open. You can use this for veggies, or for non-starchy foods, as long as your pot isnt filled up to the top. Always use tongs or a fork/spoon to avoid turning that valve with your hands when you release And if you see food sputter out, then turn it slowly and open just a little at a time. OR diffuse the steam by placing a light kitchen towel on top as you open it.
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Why Do Most Recipes Use Manual Settings Instead Of Smart Program Buttons
One size does not fit all in most scenarios. This is true of the smart one-touch buttons on the Instant Pot too. While some may come in handy down the line, you should learn more about specific recipes before you begin relying on them. Using Manual/Pressure Cook button and adjusting time and pressure level by yourself gives you more control. Having said that, you can also adjust time and pressure level once youve selected once of the Smart Program function.
