What About The Quick Release
On the other hand, the Quick Release Pressure is more commonly known as the QPR. This is the process of letting all the pressure from the pot to escape quickly. To do this, simply move the valve to the venting from the sealing. This way, you will release both pressure and steam.
When doing this, make sure that theres no cabinet above the cooker or anything that will get hit directly by the steam. Also, keep your face and hands away for your safety.
Why Use An Instant Pot
The Instant Pot is one of the most useful kitchen appliances you can buy, because it drastically cuts down on the cooking time for developing flavors in soups and stews, getting tough cuts of meat tender, and even baking a cheesecake. And there are many accessories that will help you get more out of your Instant Pot.
If you dont have one yet, check out our guide on which one to buy. Also see our guide to How to Use an Instant Pot for more information.
- Dont Have an Instant Pot Yet?This guide can help you choose the right one.
A Quick Recap Of Key Cooking Stages
As we discussed in this post, there are three key phases to cooking in the Instant Pot. Once you add all ingredients and liquids, secure and lock the lid and choose your setting and time, the following things happen:
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Lets Try The Quick Release
Back to our pot of water: Push the steam release valve to the venting position using a long-handled spoon or your finger. Just keep your fingers to the side and away from the top of the knob where the steam vents.
This valve should stay open on its own once you nudge it. The steam will come shooting up and be a little noisy.
Releasing all of the steam can take a minute or more. The more liquid in the cooker, the longer the release will take. With the 3 cups of water, it took mine 45 seconds.
Coco Morante
The Time It Takes For The Pressure To Release Naturally Will Vary Depending On The Ingredients And In Many Of My Recipes I Will Let The Pressure Release Naturally For A Certain Number Of Minutes

Are you new to instant pot cooking? Let the instant pot release steam naturally . Letting the instant pot release steam naturally is a better option for meals that include tougher cuts of meat or legumes you want to soften. You could let the instant pot depressurize in nr mode for 10 minutes, and then press cancel on the unit and. The instant pot has a pressure switch at the top which you can set to either venting or sealing. Perfect rice in the instant pot. You just completed your first go with the instant pot. Natural this means that you let the pressure cooker naturally depressurize on its own. I’m in no way affiliated with the once the pot has depressurized, you’ll also notice the steam no longer exits the valve. One is manually, by turning a valve on the lid to for some, instructions say to let the pressure release naturallywhich is to say, you need to account for some. Perhaps your instant pot has been sitting in the box for six months, you just brought it home, or you’re seriously thinking about making the investment. (speaking of dinner how about letting me plan dinner for you this week? Safety, how to do an instant pot water test, natural pressure release and quick release.
If you allow instant pot to cool naturally, the lid is normally rather clean, with condensation water only. How to perform a quick release. Tap adjust until the saute function is set to more. 40 minutes . Are good instant pot instructions available?
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How To Use An Instant Pot: What You Need To Know To Get Started With Instant Pot Cooking
There are a few basic things that you need to know when using an Instant Pot electric pressure cooker. Once you use yours a few times, these will be like second nature. Depending on which Instant Pot model you own, the buttons may be labeled slightly differently. Consult the manual that came with your Instant Pot.
Minimum Liquid Required: As a general rule, you want to use at least 1 cup of liquid in your Instant Pot every time you cook with it. The Instant Pot uses steam and pressure to cook food, and you need liquid to create the steam and pressure. Some recipes may call for more or less liquid. I recommend following recipes from a trusted source while you are learning to use your Instant Pot.
Fill Level: Inside the Instant Pot inner pot, you will see a 1/2 and a 2/3 line marked. Never fill the Instant Pot higher than the 2/3 line with food or liquid . If you are cooking food that will expand during the cook time such as rice, quinoa or beans, do not fill the Instant Pot higher than the 1/2 line.
Pressure Cook or Manual Button: Depending on which Instant Pot model you own, the Pressure Cook button is sometimes labeled Manual and sometimes Pressure Cook. This is the button that you will press to start a pressure cooking cycle. Its your basic pressure cooking button.
+/- Buttons: Use these buttons to adjust the cook time.
Keep Warm/Cancel Button: Use this button to end a cooking program or turn on/off the keep warm function.
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How To Do Quick Pressure Release On Instant Pot
Plan ahead before cooking by not positioning your Instant Pot directly under kitchen cabinets to avoid steam damaging them. However, if you did, just unplug and move it forward a bit by holding onto handles, making sure not to place your face directly above it. I know Instant Pot does have a short cord.
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When Do You Do A Natural Pressure Release
You use a Natural Release in those electric pressure cookers recipes when you want the food to continue cooking.
Since the pressure releases gradually, there’s less movement in the Instant Pot.
With the Natural Release method, the skin on foods like a whole chicken or turkey breasts stays intact since the pressure and temperature go down gradually.
This is similar to allowing meats to rest after they’ve roasted. In turn, this keeps meats juicy, tender, and flavorful.
For foamy foods like grains and pasta, doing a Natural Release reduces mess from foam. It also prevents a lot of liquid spurting out of the steam release valve or clogging it.
While Natural Release is the slowest pressure release method, it has advantages like retaining flavor and tenderness in meats.
It’s also an excellent way to avoid foam spurting from the steam release valve when making Instant Pot potato soup, broths, beans, grains, foamy foods. Or recipes with large liquid volume or high starch content like congee and porridge.
What To Expect During The Water Test
-The 3 Stages of Pressure Cooking-
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When Should You Use Quick Pressure Release
A quick pressure release method works best when you want to stop the pressure cooking quickly. Go with this technique for cooking delicate foods that can otherwise break when exposed to high pressure.
It is also ideal for foods that you dont wish to overcook. Foods like vegetables, poultry, or pasta can get mushy if cooked for more time than needed. A quick pressure release proves beneficial here.
The quick release method is handy when you have to add ingredients in the inner pot in the middle of the cooking process. Add the required ingredients after quickly releasing the steam and program the instant pot to continue pressure cooking after closing the lid.
Need some recipe inspiration? Here are 29 healthy instant pot recipes that are worth a try.
This is the quickest pressure release method, but you should also take certain precautions while using the quick release method. Dont use quick release for liquid foods like soups as it may splatter along with the steam while creating a huge mess in your kitchen.
Also, keep your hands away while the steam is being released. As the pressurized steam is heated above the boiling point, it is hot enough to even burn your skin severely.
There are two ways to release the pressure quickly:
How To Naturally Release Your Instant Pot
To do a Natural Release, you simply just let the Instant Pot do its thing. You dont have to do anything after the timer beeps. Most recipes will tell you to do a Natural Release for a certain amount of time. If it doesnt, 10-minutes is usually sufficient.
After the alloted time on the recipe, you will then turn your valve to the venting position to release the rest of the pressure. However, you can just continue to leave your pot and the pressure will naturally and completely release within about 20-minutes.
You will know all the pressure has been released from your Instant pot because your lid will unlock and you will be able to remove it.
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What Is Quick Release On Instant Pot
So, you got an Instant Pot and would like to make it your kitchens best friend. Awesome, feel free to check out all Instant Pot tips along with a collection of 32 best Instant Pot recipes for beginners.
As a new pressure cooker owner, you might wonder what do they mean by saying you have to release the pressure first. What pressure? Instant Pot is an electric pressure cooker which cooks food under pressure that builds up as water heats up inside the pot. That is the main difference between slow cooker vs. Instant Pot.
Here is how Instant Pot cooking process goes:
Now, what is Quick Release?
Quick Release is a process of moving the float valve from Sealing to Venting position immediately after cooking has finished.
Benefits Of Natural Pressure Release

Its not nearly as scary as the quick release. There is no loud sound of the steam escaping!!
The natural pressure release is great for making meats. The meat wont get tough. Youve probably heard to let meats relax after cooking. The slow natural release does just that. By doing this, the meat should stay nice and tender.
Great for foamy foods, foods with a lot of liquid, or starchy foods. Trust me when I tell you that you dont want to quick release those foods. You will have an explosion of the food everywhere if you do. So, use the natural pressure release if its foamy!
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First Thing You Should Do With Your Instant Pot
When you first receive your Instant Pot, the first thing you should do is to take time to read the guidelines set on the instruction manual that the pot comes with.
Then conduct a water test. After that, look for recipes that you can cook using the pot. There are tons of resources online that you can refer to for ideas on what to cook on your instant pot, so check them out.
What Is Natural Release Instant Pot
As the name suggests, you need to leave your instant pot to work on its own for this method. Your instant pot will release the pressure once it depressurizes on its own.
Your instant pot will signal you with a beep stating that it has completed the cooking cycle and will automatically start releasing the pressure.
To figure out if your instant pot has released its steam completely, completely check the float valve for this. The natural release process is complete if it drops down.
Once the pressure is released it is now safe to open the lid. Remember, you will only be able to open the lid if the pot is depressurized. Never try to open the lid before this process.
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Quick Release In Bursts
This is a slower form of the quick release method, and also has a variety of benefits! The quick release in bursts will stop your cooking process instantly.
Here, the steam is released in small bursts, so you avoid messy froth and food from splattering out of the steam release valve. This method is faster than a timed natural release and slower than a quick release.
How Does An Instant Pot Works
The cook cycle starts and the instant pot begins to build pressure after you set the instant pot.
After pressure has been attained, the valve opens up and you hear a beep. After 5 minutes, the pot will start to make a hissing sound as the steam escapes. As the pressure further builds up, you will observe some steam coming out of the steam release valve.
If you are using the instant pot the first time you might observe a smell of plastic.
After 5 minutes, the instant pot beeps again a few times. The instant pot then switches to warming mode and the ascending numbers begin to appear. An L will appear next to the number after the cook cycle has ended.
The instant pot also comes with a steamer called a trivet. The trivet holds food so that it does not submerge in the liquid below. Trivet is used for pressure cooking and for cooking 2 dishes at the same time.
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Should I Cancel Keep Warm Mode For A Natural Pressure Release No
Published: by Mike Vrobel · This post may contain affiliate links ·
In my Instant Pot FAQ, I have the following question:
Q: What about natural pressure release? When the Instant Pot finishes cooking, it switches to Warming mode is that OK with a natural pressure release? Or should I cancel it?A: Cancel warming mode to speed up natural pressure release.
I was reading the Instant Pot Community Facebook group, and saw a heated debate: Keep Warm and Natural Pressure Release. One side was strongly in the warming mode doesnt matter camp, the other was in the turn warming mode off group – and used my FAQ post as evidence.
After reading the debate, I started to wonder – am I wrong about warming mode? I assumed that turning off the heat would speed up the natural release – that the pot would lose heat quicker without any heat being added by warming mode.1In part, because thats how I learned to do it with a stove top cooker – turn off the heat and move the pot to an unlit burner so it cools down faster. The argument against cancelling Keep Warm mode is the pots thermostat. Warming mode keeps the temperature between 145°F and 172°F, so it wont turn the heat on until the temperature drops to 145°F. Thats well below the temperature where pressure will release.
In summary…Keep Warm mode doesnt affect natural pressure release. It finishes at about the same time either way, so dont bother canceling it. I was wrong in my Instant Pot FAQ Im sorry I gave you bad information.