Instant Pot Recipes To Make Next
Heres the scope of whats possible in your Instant Pot. Eventually youll hone in on what makes sense for you. Youre the boss of this thing, so have fun!
- Hard-boiled eggs in the Instant Pot are actually steamed. The plus with them? So easy to peel!
- Do you love cooking dry beans from scratch? In the Instant Pot, they are fast and plump in the pressure cooker. A game-changer.
- Regular steamed rice in an Instant Pot frees you to focus on cooking the rest of the meal. An IP is essentially a rice cooker on steroids.
Simply Recipes / Fran Sales
Understanding Instant Pot Cooking Times
Wondering why your Instant Pot timer doesnt start immediately? Understanding Instant Pot Cooking Times is easy once you learn a few basic things to look for when considering an electric pressure cooker recipe. We discuss what reaching pressure, natural release and quick release mean and other must-know information for Instant Pot and Ninja Foodi beginners.
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Lets Put This Thing Together
First, wash and dry the lid, gasket, and metal insert. Now youre ready.
On the back of the cooker, youll see a spot where the drip catcher goes. Slide it right in. Its made to remove easily, so you can empty it. Without the catcher, youd wind up with small puddles on your counter.
Pop the insert in the cooker. Now insert the power cord into the cookers socket. Plug it in. The digital display on the front should now read OFF. Your cooker is now in standby mode.
Slide the rubbery gasket ring under the lid theres a bracket where it will snap into place. The gasket helps seal the pot, allowing it to come to pressure.
Alison Conklin
On the underside of the lid is also a small metal cage. It will be round or rectangular, depending on your Instant Pot model, and it helps keep the valve from getting clogged with bits of food. Its removable so you can clean it out if necessary, but you probably wont need to do this very often.
Alison Conklin
Look for arrows on the top of the lid and side of the cooker. Line these up to get the lid on and off. The first dozen or so times you use your IP, this whole getting-the-lid-on-and-off will feel unnatural, because your cooker is new and so are you. Itll eventually become second nature. If the cooker is plugged in, it bleeps cheerfully when you open and close it.
Next to the steam release is the pressure indicator. This is a little metal cylinder that the steam pushes up its a manual indicator that the unit has attained pressure.
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Instant Pot Steam Setting
The Steam setting on the Instant Pot is perfect for cooking vegetables, fish and seafood, tofu and any other food that is suitable to steaming. This function uses Low pressure, which helps to avoid overcooking the food and means that the Instant Pot will come to pressure quicker. You need to use the trivet/steam rack provided to elevate food from cooking liquid. Always use QR to prevent food from overcooking. Below is how to use the Steam setting on Instant Pot.
- Turn the Instant Pot on, it will say OFF to indicate the Stand-By mode. Add a cup of water to the inner pot and place the trivet on top. You can place the vegetables or a piece of fish or thinly sliced chicken on top of the trivet OR you can use an additional steam basket or a round pan with holes that fits inside the pot. A steamer basket might be useful for smaller-sized vegetables or cut-up vegetables to prevent them from falling into the water.
- Secure and lock the lid. Press the Steam button. The default setting is pre-programmed to set the pot to cook at Low pressure for 10 minutes. If you press the Steam button again, you can adjust the mode from Normal to Less or More.
When Should You Not Use The Timer Function
Meat and fish dishes are not very suited to being sat at room temperature for hours. This is because they contain large amounts of bacteria and could perish if not refrigerated.
There is a huge opportunity for bacterial growth when foods are left at an ambient temperature for hours and the risk is too high with these types of food.
Foods such as rice, which take on water, are also unlikely to turn otu well when using the timer function. This is because they will be left sat in moisture for a long time and may become super soft and soggy.
There is also a chance that there will be a burnt layer of rice on the base of your Instant Pot. This would occur if you left your machine in keep warm mode for a long time as there is no way to stir the rice automatically. This means that the base layer would heat up more than the rest and will likely burn to the base of the pot.
It is also not a good idea to use this function for foamy or sticky foods, such as oatmeal. This is because they could coagulate or congeal over the float valve inside the Instant Pot. this could damage it and cause it to not seal, meaning that your Instant Pot will overflow.
For this reason, the manufacturers do not suggest leaving it alone as it is preheating for these food types.
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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.
How To Use The Instant Pot Slow Cooker Setting
Do you want to use the Instant Pot slow cooker setting? Heres exactly what you need to do to use your Instant Pot as a slow cooker
First, let me say that I got this info from reading a couple of Instant Pot user manuals online and from my own personal trial-and-error. I own the 7-in-1 Instant Pot and several different slow cookers.
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When Do I Use A Natural Pressure Release
A natural pressure release is used when the pressure cooker is not equipped with a built-in mechanism to automatically release the pressure. Natural pressure releases are usually found on older style pressure cookers. These types of pressure cookers rely on gravity to release the pressure. To use a natural pressure release, simply place the lid on top of the pressure cooker and wait until the pressure drops naturally. How to clean a pressure cooker? How to maintain a pressure cooker?
Other Faqs About Instant Pots Which You May Be Interested In
Instant Pot is a multi-functional electric pressure cooker that is designed to help you save time and energy. It is a great tool to make delicious meals from scratch. It is easy to clean and maintain. It comes with a wide range of accessories such as lids, bowls, measuring cups, spatulas, whisks, etc. Answer: An electric pressure cooker is a type of electric appliance used to cook food under pressure. These appliances are usually equipped with a digital display explaining the current state of the cooking process. Electric pressure cookers are very popular because they allow you to cook food faster than traditional methods. Answer: Electric pressure cookers are a type of electric appliance that cooks food under pressure. These devices are usually equipped with a display explaining the current state and progress of the cooking process.
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Using The Instant Pot Buttons May Seem A Little Intimidating At First Because There Are So Many But Really Its Easy
Before you know it youll be whipping up fabulous meals and desserts that will impress your friends and family. Have fun!
For step by step instructions, watch my how to use an Instant Pot multicooker video.
For more information on using your new Instant Pot, come join my Facebook community at .
***Many thanks to my friend Sigrid for alerting me to the updated information about the latest versions of the Instant Pot buttons.***
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Instant Pot Yogurt Setting
The Yogurt button is a non-pressure cooking Smart Program made for easily fermented dairy and non-dairy recipes. The setting modes Less, Normal and More are used for different times of fermentation or for boiling the milk. Below are some basic steps and setting options for making yogurt using the Yogurt setting button.
PASTEURIZING/HEATING MILK
- Add milk to the inner pot. A minimum of 4 cups of milk is recommended for a 6-quart Instant Pot . Secure and close the lid. Make sure to press the quick-release button down until it clicks and locks into the Vent position. On Duo Classic, turn the steam release hand to point to Venting. Do this before you select the settings and make any adjustments.
- Select Yogurt setting. The default mode is Normal. Press Yogurt again to cycle to the More option. The display indicates boiL. After 10 seconds the cooker begins heating. This setting mode can be used to pasteurize the milk but is also there for heating the milk before adding in the starter culture. When pasteurization/heating completes, the display indicates End.
ADDING STARTER CULTURE
FERMENTING YOGURT
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An Error Code Message Has Appeared
If your Instant Pot shows an error code message, such as a C1 error code, this means your temperature sensors are not functional. Similarly, a C5 error code message means the inner pot does not have sufficient water in it. Always check in with customer support for help on other additional error code messages.
Instant Pot Saute Setting
The Sauté is another non-pressure cooking program that can be used in place of a frying pan or flat-top grill. For recipes that call for browned onions or garlic, its important to sauté them before adding liquid to the pot as you will release a lot of flavor this way. Another reason to sauté first is for browning meat. Lastly, sautéeing before cooking is a great way to increase heat and reduce the amount of time your pot will take to come to pressure.
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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.
What Is The Instant Pot Soup Setting
In case you aregoing off to make your instant pot soup and still wondering what the instantpot soup setting is, then let me fill you in on more instant pot soup beginnerquestions.
Firstly, the instant pot soup setting is a preset. Your instant pot is loaded with preset buttons that make pressure cooking easier.
The idea is that you press the button of the food you want to cook i.e. the soup setting and then you adjust the time based on the soup recipe you are following.
If a soup recipesays manual or pressure cook, then you can still use the soup setting, just adjustthe time to the same as the recipe by using the + or button.
- How long is the instant pot soup setting? The instant pot soup setting is preset to 30 minutes. Most of the instant pot soups I make are between 4 minutes and 12 minutes, so I simply use the to adjust the cooking time.
- Instant Pot soup high or low pressure? It is always high pressure when making instant pot soup. As a rule, when you follow instant pot recipes, it is only low pressure if it specifically says so. Otherwise expect it to be high pressure.
- Instant Pot Soup Natural Or Quick Release? I always use the quick release when making soup in the instant pot. Or some may know it as quick pressure release or manual release. It means you are waiting less time for your soup to be ready in the instant pot and doesnt alter the quality of the soup.
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The Pot Is Getting Streaky Or Cloudy
If you spotted streaks or clouds inside your pot after your first couple of uses, thats normal. Fats and oils tend to cause stainless steel to stain a bit . Fortunately, those stains wont affect your cooking at all, but they could be difficult to remove when hand washing. The pot is dishwasher safe, so try running it with your other kitchenware to remove streaks and smudges. Another solution is to mix a bit of vinegar on the residue to bring back the pots original shine.
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Instant Pot Smart Programs All You Need To Know
Whats great about these smart programs is that once you select a program based on the food you are cooking, the Instant Pot will set the time for you automatically.
There are 3 preset time options for each program Less, Normal, and More. The default is Normal. Pressing the smart program button once moves you to More and press it again to select Less.
Note The preset times are recommended cooking times but you can easily change them using the + and button to match the cooking time of the recipe you are following. The only exception would be the Rice program where the cooking time cannot be modified.
Lets go ahead and review all the buttons and functionalities in detail
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Is This Thing Safe
Instant Pots are safer than stovetop pressure cooking. Everyone has heard stories about old-time pressure cookers exploding. Your Instant Pot wont do that because the temperature and pressure inside the pot is carefully monitored and regulated through its programming.
Remember: Its your trusty cooking robot.
How Lengthy Does It Take An Prompt Pot To Preheat
An prompt pot takes about 10-Quarter-hour to preheat relying on the variety of contents current within the prompt pot. The extra the contents inside the moment pot, the longer It should take to come back to strain. The strain is launched from the moment pot in two methods.
In a fast or pure launch, the management knob above the pot from the seal is tuned leading to fast depressurization of the pot. In case of a gradual launch, the pot is allowed to take a seat and launch strain slowly and naturally. That is significantly essential when cooking delicate meals like beans.
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Pressure Release Button& Trick
Another feature this pressure cooker has is pressure release button which acts as a lever to open the valve. Its supposed to distance the cook from the act of actually spinning the valve open but honestly, the button is still right next to the valve so take this new feature with a grain of salt .
But not all is as it appears with this awkward button. There is a little trick behind this mechanism to ensure the valve is in the correct position to pressure cook automatically just by closing the lid. Raise your hand if you set-and-forget something only to realize half an hour later that you hadnt closed the pressure valve and nothing has even started pressure cooking, yet. Me too. The hidden mechanism ensures that this scenario never happens again.
Manual / Pressure Buttons
This is probably going to be the buttons you use most on the Instant Pot. It will allow you to pressure cook and manually select the time you want rather than the preset buttons . You can adjust the pressure, temperature and time by selecting the +/- buttons. Be sure to follow recipes and note whether meals should be cooked at low or high pressure. Check out more Instant Pot tips and tricks.
The Instant Pot does default to High Pressure when the Manual button is selected, so adjust accordingly. And remember that the Manual / Pressure buttons are for pressure cooking not for other functions like saute, yogurt making or slow cooker
High Pressure239°F to 244°F
Low Pressure5.8 to 7.2 psi229 to 233°F
Note: The Instant Pot pictured in this post shows the Manual button. The newer models of the Instant Pot have the same feature its called the Pressure Cook button.
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