Keep A Positive Mindset
When we surveyed our readers about their initial experience with the Instant Pot, many users had the advice to just have fun with the pressure cooker! Set aside any expectations, know the Instant Pot is an exceptionally safe kitchen device, and try something new. Even if it doesnt go according to plan, it should boost your confidence.
Over to you! Do you have any further questions about how to use the Instant Pot as a beginner? What foods or recipes do you plan to cook first? Anything else we can help you with? Leave your feedback and comment below!
Instant Pot Frozen Whole Chicken
Its not just chicken breasts that are easily cooked from frozen in the Instant Pot. This;Instant Pot frozen whole chicken;recipe turns out juicy and fork-tender every time, despite starting with a frozen solid bird.
This bird is prepared simply, too. Its seasoned with salt, pepper, garlic powder, oregano, and smoked paprika be sure to use smoked paprika to impart that roasted flavor typical of rotisserie chicken, since youre not actually roasting this chicken.
Avocado oil helps the spices stick after the chicken has quickly been rinsed and patted dry. Youll need to place the chicken on the steaming rack with some water beneath it for this recipe.
This recipe takes only 35 to 45 minutes of pressure cooking, which will vary depending on the size of your bird and your altitude. If you have a bigger bird, add 7 minutes per pound. Let the chicken do a natural release.
Cooking Tips For Pressure Cooker Beef Stew
- Brown the beef using your Instant Pots sauté mode for maximum flavor. Let the beef brown, without moving the pieces, for about 4 minutes per side. Youll know that the beef has developed the perfect golden crust and is ready to flip when it releases easily from the bottom of the pot. I use these kitchen tongs to easily turn the pieces of meat.
- You can save prep time by peeling and chopping the carrots while the beef browns. Scrub and chop your potatoes while you sauté the onion.
- Try adding other veggies, such as sweet potato, parsnips or peas to your stew. Sweet potato and parsnips should be cut into large chunks and added before pressure cooking. Stir peas in after pressure cooking, when you thicken the broth.
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What Are The Best Cuts Of Meat To Use
The best cuts of beef for pot roast are tougher cuts of meat like chuck, brisket, and round. Traditionally, the beef cooks at a low temperature for a long time. Its because of this that tougher cuts of beef work so well. When I say tougher cuts of meat, Im talking about the leaner cuts with lots of connective tissue.
Bbq Pulled Pork Sandwiches
Yields: 8 servings ||;Total time: 2 hrsWe trust The Food Network when it comes to great recipes, and they really nailed it with this Instant Pot Pulled Pork Sandwich recipe. This recipe calls for three different cook settings on your Instant Pot, so youre going to be an absolute Instant Pot wiz once you nailthis one!
Recommended Reading: How To Use Instant Pot As Crock Pot
Instant Pot Beef Stew
See my guide on how to use an Instant Pot.
This Instant Pot Beef Stew is filled with tender pieces of beef, potatoes and carrots in a rich and flavorful broth. This pressure cooker beef stew is a quick and easy twist on the classic recipe!
When youre craving a warm, hearty meal, theres nothing like a comforting bowl of beef stew. Once you try making beef stew in your Instant Pot, youre not going to want to make it any other way!
The Instant Pot develops rich flavors in a fraction of the time. With a busy schedule, it can be hard to find the time to cook the classic recipes that you crave. Instant Pot recipes change all that because you can make a wholesome, satisfying meal without devoting a whole afternoon to cooking. My Instant Pot Beef Chili, Instant Pot Beef Stroganoff, Instant Pot Ribs and my one pot Instant Pot Pasta are more delicious examples of hearty meals made easy in the Instant Pot.
This Instant Pot stew tastes as if it simmered for hours on the stove. The beef is melt in your mouth tender and the broth is thick and flavorful. It reminds me a bit of one of my other favorite Instant Pot beef recipes, Instant Pot Pot Roast. The difference is that this beef stew cooks more quickly and has a thick, brothy base surrounding the meat and vegetables.
If youre new to Instant Pot cooking, my Instant Pot guide will tell you everything you need to know to get started today. If you dont have an Instant Pot but want one, I can help you decide which Instant Pot to buy.
Why Meat Is Not Tender When Cooked In Instant Pot
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Meat takes a long time to get cooked in the instant pot, but too much time can also tenderize it. The pressure in the instant pot makes the meat tender if it is cooked slowly. For tasty instant pot meat and not tender you need to figure out how long to cook it. Cooking time in an instant pot also depends upon the type of meat you want to cook like chicken requires less cooking time as compared to beef and mutton requires more time as compared to beef.
Recommended Reading: How To Cook Chili In An Instant Pot
How Do You Make Beef Cubes Tender
8 Simple Ways to Make Tough Meat Tender
Do I Need To Adjust My Recipes At Higher Altitude
The short answer is yes. Some Instant Pot models e.g. Ultra and MAX will allow you to set your altitude and the cooking times will be automatically adjusted for you. Otherwise, cooking should be adjusted 5% for every 1,000 feet above 2,000 ft. above sea level. So, for example, at 3,000 ft., you will increase cooking time by 5% and at 4,000 ft., you will increase cooking time by 10% and so forth. One of our team members has lived at many varying high elevations and personally, I have never run into altitude-related issues with my Duo model.
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Make Roast Beef Gravy
Once the roast beef has reached 120°F, remove and set aside on a chopping board.
Loosely wrap the roast beef with aluminum foil & let it rest for 8 10 minutes before slicing .
While the roast beef is resting, bring the beef sauce to a simmering with the Saute function.
Taste the roast beef gravy to make sure it is not too salty before adding another tbsp of regular soy sauce.
*Pro Tip: If the beef gravy is too salty, dont add any more soy sauce at this step.
Mix 1.5 tbsp all purpose flour with 3 tbsp water.
Mix flour mixture into the beef gravy in Instant Pot one third at a time until desired thickness.
Taste and adjust seasoning with more salt and black pepper if necessary.
Brown Beef Roast In Instant Pot
Press Saute button to Sauté More function to heat up Instant Pot. It will switch to ON on the screen.
Wait until it says HOTon the screen .
*Pro Tip: Make sure Instant Pot is as hot as it can be in order to induce a Maillard reaction.
Add 1 tbsp olive oil in the Instant Pots inner pot. Ensure the whole bottom is coated with olive oil.
*Note: In total, there are 6 sides to a beef roast. We are browning 4 sides of the beef roast excluding both ends .
Pat dry the beef roast with paper towel. Generously season one side of the beef roast with kosher salt and black pepper.
Place the beef roast in Instant Pot .
Brown the first side for 4 minutes. Generously season the other side with salt and black pepper.
Brown that side for 3 minutes and 30 seconds.
Finally, brown the other 2 sides for 2 minutes and 30 seconds per side .
Set aside the browned beef roast.
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How To Make Gravy From Roast Drippings
If you want a dynamite gravy that takes a little extra effort, use this gravy recipe from Mel’s Kitchen Cafe. ;If you want a super easy one that is still wonderfully flavorful, use the one I wrote below. ;My opinion is that afat separator is a must to get rid of excess fat in the broth. ;I really hate greasy gravy, but I’ll leave that decision up to you! It’s definitely not a deal breaker.
Making Instant Pot Chili
Using an Instant Pot to make chili isnt any harder than cooking a pot of chili on the stove. You can sauté and simmer right in the appliance, just you would when cooking on the stovetop. The only difference here is that instead of turning a knob on the stove, you press a few buttons on the Instant Pot.
The biggest difference? Start to finish, this chili is ready in under an hour — compare this with stove-top chilis that take twice as long!
If you have another model of electric or stovetop pressure cooker, the sautéing instructions might be slightly different. Just check your user manual for guidance.
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How To Make Braised Beef Ragu
If youve never cooked with an Instant Pot before, there is a slight learning curve. But, with a little practice, you’ll get the hang of it, and this simple meat sauce recipe is a great place to start! Heres how to make our easy beef ragù recipe:
How To Use Your Instant Pot: Everything You’ve Wanted To Know
It’s not just a supercharged pressure cooker — it’s a way of life.
Like a microwave or an electric kettle, the Instant Pot has become a kitchen staple.;This versatile pressure cooker;replaces so many countertop appliances, from rice makers to slow cookers. It’s introduced a new generation to pressure cooking, and shown us just how quickly it can cook a healthy meal.;
Whether you’re a new Instant Pot owner or it’s long been stored away in a cabinet, this guide is for you. A longtime Instant Pot owner myself, I’ll guide you through the basics, including explaining those strange buttons and some basic recipes.
To kick things off, let’s walk through Instapot basics. Even if you’ve owned yours for a while, there’s something here for you, too. Let’s get started.
More tips:15 healthy Instant Pot recipes for breakfast, lunch and dinner;|;Does the Instant Pot destroy nutrients in your food while cooking?;| The best paleo Instant Pot recipes;|;Best Instant Pot accessories you need right now;|;Best air fryers of 2020
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How To Freeze Instant Pot Vegetable Beef Soup
Allow soup to cool before placing it in the refrigerator to cool completely before transferring it to the freezer or individual containers for freezing. Ensuring that the soup is not only cool but chilled before freezing reduces the number of ice crystals that form on the surface of the soup when it is frozen. Ice crystals on the surface increase the chances of freezer burn during long storage periods so take the time to cool and chill before you freeze for best results.
To help your vegetable beef soup cool faster, we suggest placing in a large, shallow glass container like this one and stirring it occasionally. A shallow container creates more surface area for cooling to happen and stirring brings hot soup from the bottom of the container to the top where it can cool faster.
More Pressure Cooker/instant Pot Ground Beef Recipes
Serving Size:
Amount Per Serving:
Nutrition information is calculated by Nutritionix and may not always be accurate.
Cuisine:Category:
At Pressure Cooking Today, we believe in making real food with fresh and familiar ingredients.Browse my collection of the best pressure cooker recipes here on my website . Follow Pressure Cooking Today on and for the latest updates. Or join my to connect with other pressure cooking fans. Or you canjoin my free email list! Youll get just one email a week with my latest recipes. If youre interested in more than just pressure cooker recipes, I share my other adventures in the kitchen over at Barbara Bakes. Youll find some amazing breakfasts and breads, along with the best dessert recipes! Check it out today!
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Instant Pot Beef Roast Times & Instructions:
- If you cut your roast into large chunks: Cook on high pressure with the minimum amount of water required for 20 minutes per pound of meat .
- If you cut your roast into smaller chunks: Cook on high pressure with the minimum amount of water required for 15 minutes per pound of meat .
- Optional: Pre-heat oil in your pot on saute mode, and use your favourite dry rub or marinade on the beef. Before setting the pot to come to pressure, sear your meat on all sides to brown and lock in flavour.
Try these recipes: Instant Pot Pot Roast with Potatoes & Carrots; or Instant Pot Balsamic Dijon Roast
Instant Pot Roast Beef
These cooking instructions apply to chuck roast, rump roast, tri-tip, brisket, and pot roast. The most important thing to consider is that a successful and delicious beef roast is based entirely on minutes per pound of meat being used, so having an accurate measure of the size of your roast is important.
These cuts are mostly cheaper and larger cuts of meat, making them perfect for feeding families, entertaining, or buying in bulk to save money. These cuts are also notoriously tough and take a long time to cook. With the Instant Pot, you can cut back on cooking time significantly with tender, juicy results every time. You get that slow-cooked or braised flavour without the wait.
For these recipes, use enough liquid for the pot to come to pressure and to avoid a burn notice . You can also use broth to cook instead.
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Meat Not Tender In Instant Pot
Does Meat Turn Tender In An Instant Pot?
Many factors can turn a slice of meat into tender. The tenderness of meat mainly depends upon the time for which it is being cooked in an instant pot.
The Importance Of timing In An Instant Pot:
Timing is the most important thing while cooking in an instant pot. A difference of a minute or two can greatly affect the instant pot meat and can turn it into a tender. It takes about 45 minutes at high pressure before the meat is turned tender. Meat is cooked instantly and extremely quickly in an instant pot but still gives the same flavourful and delicious taste. Instant pot meat and not tender also depends upon the recipes of the manufacturer and their timing chart. It is important to follow the recipes, the right cooking method, and the timings given by the manufacturer.
The use of the marinade can also depend upon turning the instant pot meat into the tender. If the marinade contains such ingredients that turn meat tender then you need to change it if you need instant pot meat and not tender.
What makes the meat juicy and tender?
Tenderness and Juiciness are two important factors related to meat quality. The tenderness and juiciness of the meat depending upon the number of cuts on the meat, the use of the marinade, ingredients, and the most important cooking time.
If you open the instant pots lid make sure to taste and balance it for the right taste.
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Easy Ingredient Swaps And Additions
Since first posting this recipe, so many of you have made it and shared your success stories! You’ve also shared ways that you’ve adapted or swapped ingredients, which all sound so great. Here are some of favorite ideas:
- Add an extra can of beans for more protein
- Add a cup of frozen corn
- Swap the ground beef for finely-chopped flank steak or ground chicken
- Add cumin!
- Some BBQ sauce adds extra depth
Recommended Reading: How To Cook Baked Potatoes In Instant Pot Duo
What’s An Instant Pot
Youve probably heard friends or family buzzing about their Instant Potbut what exactly does it do? Well, technically the Instant Pot is simply a pressure cooker and multi-cookerin other words, Its a slow-cooker, steamer, sauté pan, browning pan and electric pressure cooker, all in one. Pressure cooking is a method of cooking that uses pressure to cook food quicklyit uses both heat and pressure to simulate slow-cooking methods, like braising or simmering.
