Learn The Instant Pot Acronyms
You will notice a variety of acronyms being used in recipes or in groups and forums online. To help you make sense of it all, here are a few common acronyms and their meanings.
- IP = Instant Pot
- NR = Natural Release or Natural Pressure Release
- QR = Quick Release or Quick Pressure Release
- 5-5-5 = common instructions for cooking hard boiled eggs .
- HP = High Pressure
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.
How To Open An Instant Pot
Potatoes are one of the healthy carbs. They are rich in fiber and other vitamins and minerals, such as vitamins C and B6. Aside from its healthy benefit, potatoes are our usual go-to when we think of something easy to make for lunch, dinner, or even snacks. Let’s learn how to bake a potato in the microwave.
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The Hotter The Food The Faster The Evaporation
The difference in temperature between the food that comes out of the pressure cooker and the environment can affect the speed of evaporation. The faster opening methods will yield the hottest food with an accelerated evaporation of the foods cooking liquids and juices. While the slowest opening method will have given the food a chance to cool down and the liquids will evaporate at the speed of conventional boiling. So for foods which you intend to keep juicy use a slow opening method while, foods which need reduction after pressure cooking , use a fast opening method.
If this is starting to sound complicated, dont worry: all of the recipes on this website already call for the appropriate opening method. Lets get into the hows.
Can I Make Dessert In An Instant Pot
YepInstant Pots can handle the sweet stuff. Chocolate mousse, stuffed peaches, lemon custard, and apple crisp are all easy desserts to make in any pressure multicooker.
If your device has a Cake function, the possibilities are endless. Most Instant Pots that have nine or more functions feature this preset, which will become your best friend if youre too lazy, overheated, or busy to turn on your oven and bake something. Try this three-ingredient Japanese cheesecake or banana bread to get you started.
Dont have the Cake preset? You can still bake with your Instant Potyou just need to follow the recipes directions for manual cooking instead.
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Understand The Difference Between Natural Release And Quick Release
There are a few different methods to release pressure in your Instant Pot that you will see recipes refer to: Natural Release, Quick Release and a Hybrid Release
How to do a Natural Release?
Natural Release is when you wait for the pressure to drop down naturally. After the cooking cycle finishes, wait for the float valve to drop down on its own. This may take 10-20 minutes. Once the float valve drops, turn the steam release valve to the Venting position and open the lid.
How to do a Quick Release?
Quick Release is when you manually force the pressure to release. After the cooking cycle finishes, move the steam release valve to the Venting position. Steam will start shooting out and pressure will quickly release. Once the floating valve drops down, you can open the lid. Make sure to keep your hand and face away from the top while steam comes out . Personally, I prefer to move the valve slightly over a little at a time to slowly release the steam instead of one big gush.
Note: Quick Release is not suitable for food with large liquid volume or high starch content since food content might splatter out with the steam. What a mess!
How to do a Hybrid Release?
Is The Instant Pot Good For Slow Cooking
Different people have different opinions regarding the use of an instant pot as a slow cooker.
It has limitations according to different types of foods being cooked. It has varying timings for dried beans on the slow cooker setting, but the pressure cooker option is amazing for cooking beans. While you can bake things in your Instant Pot, using the pressure cooker setting is better for that as well.
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How To Use Your Instant Pot
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Are you a new Instant Pot owner? Or maybe you bought one a while ago, but havent been brave enough to open the box? I used to be intimidated by the Instant Pot myself, so today I want to share with you 10 things you must know about using your electric pressure cooker. Im hoping it will help you feel confident enough to take full-advantage of it in no time!
The Food Is Still Cooking Even When It Isnt Cooking
When the pressure cooker is both building and releasing pressure, the temperature inside is near or above the boiling point, which means the food is actually cooking during this time, too. This is generally fine for meats, legumes and desserts. It is not fine for vegetables that you may want to have more al dente as they continue to cook during this time- choose the fastest release method for veggies while more robust foods will benefit from a longer opening method.
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How To Make Instant Pot Yogurt Cups
Yogurt cups are a convenient way to portion out your yogurt into individual or smaller servings. After adding the starter culture to the pasteurized or warm milk, carefully pour the milk into your yogurt cups and seal them tightly. Clean the inner pot thoroughly and place the steam rack/trivet on the bottom of the inner pot. Place the sealed yogurt cups on the steam rack and add water to the inner pot until the cups are submerged halfway. Follow steps in Fermenting Yogurt above.
How To Cook With The Instant Pot
How you use your Instant Pot depends on what you’re cooking. But, many recipes — especially those involving meat — tend to follow this formula:
The above steps can vary quite a bit, depending on the recipe, but most of what I cook in my Instant Pot follows that sequence.
Here, the Instant Pot’s valve is in Sealing position.
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Instant Pot Guide: A Beginners Guide To Using Your Pressure Cooker
Wondering how to use your new Instant Pot? In this Instant Pot Guide, Ill walk you through what you need to know to start cooking with your Instant Pot today. Safety features, how to do an Instant Pot water test, whats the difference between a natural pressure release and a quick release, and what will happen step by step through the cooking process.
Ill be honest the first time I used my Instant Pot, I was overwhelmed and a bit scared. An Instant Pot can be intimidating for a new user. There are so many buttons and safety warnings.
However, I guarantee that once you get started, youll wonder what you ever did without your Instant Pot. I love mine so much that I now own two Instant Pots!
Im going to help you get started with all of the tips and tricks that I have learned through trial, error and research. This Instant Pot manual will tell you everything you need to know to use your Instant Pot for the first time.
Q: What Is An Abbreviated Natural Pressure Release
The different types of pressure releases can also be combined. You dont have to wait for all the pressure to release to get the benefit of a natural pressure release.
In many of my recipes, I will let the pressure release naturally for a certain number of minutes, then I will finish with a quick pressure release.
I almost always only wait 10 minutes before I release the remaining pressure. Combining the two release options reduces waiting time yet gives you many of the benefits of a natural pressure release, such as reducing foam and tenderizing meats.
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Q: What Is A Quick Pressure Release
A quick pressure release is when you turn the pressure release switch to the Venting position and let the steam to release quickly when the cook time ends. This will result in a strong jet of steam coming from the pressure release valve. This is normal. If drops of liquid or foam start to emerge from the pressure release valve, simply switch the valve back to the Sealed position and use an Intermittent Pressure Release .
- Instant Pot Duo: Turn the pressure release handle from Sealing to Venting .
- Ninja Foodi: Turn the pressure release valve from Seal to Vent.
- Crockpot Express: Turn the steam release valve from the Closed/Seal position to the Open/Release position .
- Power Pressure Cooker XL: Turn the pressure valve from the Lock position to the Open position .
- Fagor Pressure Cooker: Turn the valve from Pressure to Steam.
- Cuisinart: Turn the valve from Pressure to Pressure Release.
- Pampered Chef Quick Cooker: Press the Steam Release Button on the lid handle.
Other pressure cookers may have different labels, but its the same basic principle. Turn the valve to allow the steam to escape / pressure to release.
When the pressure is fully released, the float valve will drop and the lid will unlock to open. For safety reasons, the pressure cooker will not open until the pressure is released and the float valve has dropped.
Keep your face and hands away from the steam as its released. Dont release pressure under hanging cabinets, which can be damaged by the steam.
First Rub On Dry Marinade
This is a little messy, but dont be shy Make sure to rub the entire roast with your dry rub marinade all generously over the entire roast! You can use your favorite premixed dry rub like Im doing today, or in a small bowl mix together:
- 1 tablespoon salt
- 2 teaspoons cumin powder
- *Optional 1/4 1/2 teaspoon red pepper flakes or cayenne powder.
After rubbing marinade all over your roast, let it rest for 30 minutes for the best flavor!
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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.
Always Deglaze The Pot
If use the Sauté function on your Instant Pot before pressure cooking something, its essential that you deglaze the bottom of the pot. This simply means that you add a splash of water to the pot and use a wooden spoon to scrape off anything that might be stuck to the bottom. Onions, dried spices, and ground meat are common ingredients that will stick to the bottom of your pan, so its important that you get every little bit un-stuck to avoid getting the dreaded burn error during your pressure cooking cycle.
Once you become familiar with your Instant Pot, making dinner can be as easy as adding your ingredients to the pot, pressing a button, and walking away. I love how the process is totally hands-off! Check out my earlier post, 6 ways I use my Instant Pot, to see how I use it on a real-life, regular basis.
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How To Use An Instant Pot
Wondering how to use your new Instant Pot? This guide is for anyone using an Instant Pot for the first time or youve owned yours for a while but still have some things to learn. This guide will offer you recipes, tricks, tips, and more for breaking in your new pressure cooker.
The Instant Pot can be intimidating for a new user, especially if you werent interested in pressure cooking before. You might think the Instant Pot is similar to that steaming, hissing pot on the stove your mom used to use. There are so many buttons and safety warnings. It just seems overwhelming
However, I can guarantee that once you start using it, the mystery and fear will go away. Youll wonder what you ever did without your Instant Pot. I use mine nearly every day and cant imagine my kitchen without it.
Natural Pressure Release Vs Quick Release
First of all, let me explain the difference between Natural Pressure Release and Quick Release when it comes to pressure cooking.
- Natural Pressure Release is when the pressure is slowly released on it’s own.
- Quick Release is when you manually turn the valve to “Vent” and allow the pressure that has been built up to release rapidly.
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Let Instant Pot Cool & Open
When the electric pressure cooker is done let the steam vent goes down with natural pressure release instead of quick release. Then you can safely open your instant pot.
- Remove roast from pot and set on a large clean cutting board.
- Empty the liquids from the bottom of your instant pot into a bowl or jar.
- Shred pork shoulder roast, and remove the bone and any large fatty material.
- Place shredded pork back into instant pot.
- Add your back cooking liquid back into instant pot, just enough to keep the shredded pork moist.
- Add Barbecue sauce
Instant Pot Multigrain Setting
This setting is best suited to cooking tougher, whole grains like brown and wild rice, farro, millet and steel-cut oats it can also be used to cook dry beans and a mixture of grains and legumes. We find that this is one of the most confusing functions for people because some of the recommended manual cooking times for grains dont match the pre-programmed setting times, so its hard to know when to use this function. Below is how to use the Multigrain setting on the Instant Pot.
- Turn the Instant Pot on, it will say OFF to indicate the Stand-By mode. Add the grains, liquid and seasoning if you wish. Secure and lock the lid. Press the Multigrain button. The default setting is pre-programmed to set the pot to cook at High pressure for 40 minutes. If you press the Multigrain 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.
If cooking dry beans, ensure they are completely submerged in water the same if youre making a mixture of grains and beans.
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