Always Check The Sealing Ring
The lid of your Instant Pot has a silicone sealing ring inside, and this is responsible for sealing the lid and locking-in the steam pressure. This silicone ring should be properly seated along the metal ring that is in the lid, but because its exposed to heat during the cooking cycle it can sometimes move out of place or get stuck.
Its important to check the silicone ring every time you use your Instant Pot, to make sure its properly placed and has a little wiggle room to expand. I usually grab it with my fingers and wiggle it all around the lid to make sure its not stuck anywhere.
When To Use High Or Low Pressure On The Instant Pot
Electric pressure cookers can be surprisingly difficult to understand, thanks to the abundance of multifunction buttons and not a lot of explanation about what those buttons do.
Take the pressure settings. On some models, high pressure is the only option. Others offer both a high and low pressure setting. And one in particular even allows you to select a specific psi .
So whats a cook to do?
Other Instant Pot Buttons
Depending on the instant pot model you have, your electric pressure cooker may have settings for meat, chicken, rice, cake, eggs, sterilize, steam and/or soup/stew. These are functions that I do not use or recommend. It is much better to cook on high or low pressure and manually adjust the temperature yourself based on what you are cooking.
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Can An Instapot Be Used As A Slow Cooker
The Instant Pot is a multi-cookerit has settings for pressure cooking, slow cooking, sautéing, and yogurt making, and it can probably do your taxes, too. Thats because the lid seals and locks in placeas it must for pressure cookingwhich allows for even less evaporation than traditional slow cookers.
Instant Pot Program Keys
The most important thing you should know about all those buttons and settings on your Instant Pot is that they are preset suggested cook times. That means that if you hit poultry on it, it wont be able to tell if you used frozen chicken or be able to tell you if the chicken is completely cooked.
You will still have to use common sense and a meat thermometer to tell if your food is completely cooked.
You may not use these as often, but here are some other buttons that you might see on an Instant Pot, along with what happens if you press them. With every button, if you press more or less after you press the specific button you can adjust the cooking time up or down.
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Also Check: What Does Auto Mean On Instant Pot
Instant Pot Meat/stew Setting
The meat and stew setting is best for cooking large or tough cuts of meat at high pressure. This button can be used for cooking meat pieces in a little broth or stews that contain meat in them. Below is how to use the Meat/Stew setting on Instant Pot.
- Turn the Instant Pot on, it will say OFF to indicate the Stand-By mode. Add meat, seasonings and liquids to the pot. Secure and lock the lid. Select the Meat/Stew button. The default Instant Pot meat setting is pre-programmed to set the pot to cook at High pressure for 35 minutes, which is suitable for most dishes like beef stew or pulled pork. If you press the Meat/Stew button again, you can adjust the mode from Normal to Less or More .
- Less mode 20 minutes at High pressure for soft texture meat great for diced steak, pork or lamb, pork or beef ribs, ground meat like when making taco meat or Bolognese sauce, and most stews that use diced or ground meat.
- Normal mode 35 minutes at High pressure for very tender meat texture great for slightly larger pieces of meat and for stews that use tougher cuts of meat like Beef Bourguignon.
- More mode 45 minutes at High pressure for fall-off-the-bone texture great for pork shoulder, beef pot roast or lamb roast.
If desired, use the / + buttons to further customize the time. The cooking time may be adjusted at any time during pressure cooking.
COOKING TIPS
How Does Instant Pot Work
So the working principle of the instant pot is somewhat the same as that of the regular pressure cooker. The lid seals the air inside the pot and when the air does not find a way to escape from the pressure cooker, the steam builds the pressure inside the pot. Thus, with the rise in the pressure inside the instant pot, the temperature also rises. Due to the steam, high pressure, and subsequently high temperature the food present inside the instant pot gets cooked.
You can read about pressure cooking here.
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Inspecting Your Instant Pot Before Each Use
1. Remove the stainless steel inner pot and look inside the instant pot base. You will see the heating element. The heating element should always be free of debris and dry before you use you the Instant Pot. After washing, I always dry my stainless steel inner pot thoroughly before returning it to the base unit.
2. Check that the silicone sealing ring is fitted properly onto the lid and is clean and free of tears.
3. Remove the steam release valve from the Instant Pot lid by gently pulling it straight up. Make sure it is clean and free of debris. Some foods, such as applesauce, pasta and oatmeal may froth and foam when you cook them and can clog the steam release valve. Check the steam release valve each time you use your Instant Pot. If it is dirty clean it under running water and then put it back on the Instant Pot lid.
4. Check the float valve to ensure it is clean and free of debris. Clean it with warm water as needed. You may place the lid under running water as needed to wash it.
Making sure that all parts of your Instant Pot are clean and in good working condition can help you to have the best success with pressure cooking. My post about the Instant Pot burn message tells you both how to prevent getting this warning and what to do if you do get a burn message.
Why Did You Not Use The Poultry Button To Make Chicken Why Did You Not Use The Rice Button To Make Rice Why Do Many People Just Use The Manual/pressure Cook Button For All Recipes
The Poultry, Rice, Bean/Chili, etc modes are mainly preset modes. What that means is that you can do the same cooking using the manual button, adjusting the pressure level and cooking time. You can still cook the same way even without using the preset buttons.
We do tend to lean towards using the Manual/Pressure Cook button more often, as that gives the best control to cook.
Now you have gone through and reviewed all the buttons on the Instant Pot. Pin this page for future reference.
Read Also: Poultry Setting On Instant Pot
Instant Pot Rice Setting
This button is made for cooking medium and long-grain white rice. The Rice setting uses low pressure and a 10-minute natural release is recommended for perfect results, however, we found that 2-3 minutes natural release followed by quick release is sufficient. Below is how to use the Rice setting on Instant Pot.
- Turn the Instant Pot on, it will say OFF to indicate the Stand-By mode. Add rice, water or stock and seasoning if you wish. Secure and lock the lid. Press the Rice button. The default setting is pre-programmed to set the pot to cook at Low pressure for 12 minutes, which is suitable for slightly larger rice kernels. If you press the button again, you can adjust the mode from Normal to Less or More .
- Less mode 8 minutes at Low pressure tender but firm to bite texture great for thinner white rice such as Basmati and Jasmine rice.
- Normal mode 12 minutes at Low pressure for normal texture white rice great for regular medium to long-grain white rice and for more al dente Arborio risotto rice.
- More mode 15 minutes at Low pressure for softer texture white rice great for slightly softer risotto.
If desired, use the / + buttons to further customize the time. The cooking time may be adjusted at any time during pressure cooking.
RICE COOKING TIPS
1 cup of dry white rice usually yields 3 cups of cooked rice.
The perfect grain to water ratio is 1 cup white rice to 1.25 cups liquid if cooking risotto rice, the ratio is 1 cup Arborio rice to 2 cups liquid .
Instant Pot High Altitude Cooking Time Adjustments
Last updated By Susan
Instant Pot High Altitude Cooking Time Adjustments- If you live at an elevation above 2000 ft. you will need to modify the cooking time for most Instant Pot recipes. See below for printable chart on how to calculate cook time for your specific altitude. Instant Pot Ultra and MAX models can be set for automatic altitude adjustments, see below for directions.
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What Is An Instant Pot
An Instant Pot is an electric pressure cooker. It is a multi-use appliance that can cook foods quickly at high pressure. Steam pressure builds up inside the pot, which creates a higher temperature environment that cooks foods faster. Unlike old fashioned pressure cookers, the Instant Pot has many safety features that make it safe and easy to use.
An Instant Pot is a pressure cooker, sauté pot, slow cooker, steamer, rice cooker, yogurt maker and warmer all in one. Ive been amazed at the versatility of my Instant Pot and the flavor and texture of the foods that I am able to cook in it. The high pressure inside the Instant Pot can tenderize even tough cuts of meat. It creates rich, complex flavors seriously, Ive never had better chili than Instant Pot chili!
If you are not sure which Instant Pot to buy, check out my guide to the Best Instant Pots. Ive also tested out many Instant Pot accessories so that I can share my favorites with you.
How To Set Time On Instant Pot
The plus and minus signs are used to increase or decrease the temperature, respectively, and not the pressure. To set a delayed cooking timer, follow the steps below:
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All About Your Instant Pot: How To Use All The Buttons
If you are brand new to the Instant Pot game , then this is the article for you. Heck, even if you have had your Instant Pot for a while, all of those settings and buttons can seem a little intimidating. But not to fret. Ill take you through exactly how to use your Instant Pot and show you what each and every button does. It really is easy to use and pretty self-explanatory!
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How Does Altitude Affect Cooking
Many people living at higher altitudes will admit that their more culinary-inclined colleagues have recommended that they get a pressure cooker such as the Instant Pot. The question is, how does being at a higher altitude really affect cooking?
Well, as mentioned earlier, at a higher altitude , the thin air does not have as much atmospheric pressure, oxygen, or as much moisture. This results in longer cooking time for all your recipes containing water.
The majority of the cooking we do is about controlling water in its various states. There is water in most of the foods we eat. Even popcorn, which visually looks dry, has a small amount of water in the center of the kernel.
The oil and water embedded within its hard inner shell heats up and allows the kernel to pop into the off-white puffy delicious treat, which we know and love.
Liquids evaporate more quickly from your food at High-Altitudes. In addition to this, gases tend to expand more rapidly at high altitude. The popular book, New High-Altitude Cooking by Beverly Anderson, shares that cooking time under pressure should be increased by 5 percent for every 1,000 feet after 2,000 feet above sea level.
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Whats So Great About The Instant Pot
Safety, speed and easy cleanup are just a few of the reasons for the rising popularity of these trendy kitchen appliances.
an Instant Pot isnt just an electric pressure cooker. As a true multi-cooker, it sears, browns and sautés food like a stove-top skillet. It also steams delicate items such as fish, eggs and vegetables. Instant Pots double as standalone electric rice cookers as well.
You can use them to bake bread, cakes and other sweets like custards, flan, even cheesecakes. Many Instant Pot models come with special yogurt modes. And yes, they function as slow cookers, too.
For Simple Instant Pot Steamed Carrots:
- Clean carrots and peel if desired. Slice, chunk, or shred carrots if desired.
- Place the trivet or steamer basket into the inner pot and add one cup of water. Then, add the carrots.
- For sliced or shredded carrots: Cook on HIGH pressure for 0 minutes before performing a quick release. Even though the timer is set to zero, the cooking still happens during the pressure build-up.
- For whole or chunked carrots: Cook on high pressure for 1-3 minutes before performing a quick release. As a rule, thinner carrots or baby carrots will cook fine at the 1-minute mark, whereas larger, thicker, whole carrots will cook best around the 3-minute mark.
- For frozen: Add 1-2 minutes to the appropriate cooking time for the best results.
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How To Steam Broccoli In The Instant Pot
- Wash and cut broccoli into uniform pieces. Make sure they arent too small, otherwise they may overcook . Its important to cut them into similar sizes so they cook evenly.
- I use the 3lb bag of broccoli florets at Costco. Some of the pieces are really large, so I cut them down .
- Transfer the broccoli to a steamer basket or net. Now you dont need one in order to make Instant Pot broccoli
- Before I had my basket, I would layer the broccoli on top of the trivet and hope it didnt fall through.
- Add ¾ cup of water to the Instant Pot liner for a 6 quart pot. . Dont do more than 1 cup! You can read why you dont want to add extra water to delicate foods in my Instant Pot Bacon Green Beans post.
- Place the steamer basket in the liner.
- Lock the lid, turn the knob to sealing.
- Cook on manual high pressure for 0 minutes. Yup, you heard me right. Press the adjust button until you hit 0 minutes.
- As soon as the pressure cooking has completed, an L0:00 will appear for LAPSED time.
- Do a quick release right away by turning the knob to VENTING.
- Open the lid, and test the broccoli with a fork to see if it is tender enough. If you fill up a big basket like mine, you may have some pieces that are undercooked in the center.
- I dont mind this, because I use the parts that are cooked first. The rest gets reheated in the days following and they stay crisp and not overcooked.
- For the best, most consistent results throughout, fill the basket halfway.
Instant Pot Steamed Vegetables Are The Best Way To Cook Any Vegetables Without Getting Soggy And Cooked To Perfection
The instant pot steamer basket is my new favorite tool in my kitchen to make instant pot steamed vegetables. As a family, each and every one of us has a different liking towards food. It is too much work sometimes for me to cook a variety of food.
Recently when I was shopping at kohls found this stainless steel steamer basket instant pot with a partition from Food network which fits my instant pot perfectly. This has three partitions which help me to steam three different food at the same time. The divider is removable so you can cook one item in a large quantity. Here you can see Im cooking three different vegetables at the same time and nothing gets mixed.
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Pressure Cooking With The Instantpot
The InstantPot has a lot of pre-set programs you can use to cook beans, rice, meat, soups, etc. However, being the scientist I am, I dont tend to like these programs. Whereas many will greatly appreciate them, I prefer understanding whats going on myself. Therefore, lets take a better look at the settings of an InstantPot .
Pressure: high & low
The InstantPot has to two settings for pressure:
- High Pressure: 10.2 to 11.6 psi
- Low Pressure: 5.8 to 7.2 psi
This means that while cooking in your pressure cooker the pressure in the cooker is: the pressure around you + the pressure mentioned above. So at high pressure, youre cooking at 1.7-1.8 bar, which will drastically increase the boiling point of your water. At 1.7-1.8 bar the boiling temperature of water is 115.2-116.9°C. At the lower pressure setting this temperature is 109.3-111.4°C.
If youre wondering when youd use the low pressure setting, youre not the only one. If youre using a pressure cooker to speed up cooking youd want the highest possible pressure and thus temperature. There only seem to be a few exceptions I found online, cooking eggs and rice are sometimes done at low pressure. Let me know if you have any others.
How is the pressure controlled?
Comparing to stovetop pressure cookers
Does a pressure cooker need water?
