How To Steam Broccoli In Instant Pot Ultra

When Should I Use Natural Release

When cooking dishes that have a lot of liquid, the Natural Release method is often the best option. As such, stews, pot roast, and especially soups generally benefit from the Natural Release process.

After the cooking cycle has finished, steam and pressure will begin to dissipate naturally. All the user needs to do is give the Instant Pot a little time, and then opening and accessing the food is safe and simple. Nevertheless, its essential to remember that the food will continue to cook during this process, so bear that in mind depending on the dish.

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Is Steamed Broccoli Good For You

Although consuming raw broccoli may seem like the healthiest way to have broccoli, research indicates that steamed broccoli

• improves flavor and appeal
• preserves more nutrients than boiling, and it softens broccoli without adding fat. This helps you get the most nutrition with the lowest possible caloric intake while still producing an attractive flavor.
• has cholesterol-lowering potential
• has increased levels of health-promoting and antioxidant compounds

What Could You Steam In Your Instant Pot

Anything that you imagine boiling will cook much quicker in a steamer in the Instant Pot. Classics that cook very well in the Instant Pot using the steamer include:

• Boiled Eggs
• Pureed Fruit
• Condensed Milk

I love it for the boiled eggs as it is just so quick and the peel so well. If you boil an egg in a pan you then spend ages trying to remove the shells, but the steamer in the Instant Pot makes it so effortless, that you will actually end up eating boiled eggs more and more.

For fish you can cook delicious fresh salmon and it comes out so amazing. None of the flavour is lost and its much lower in calories than cooking it in a shallow pan.

Meat can also be steamed in the Instant Pot. This is particularly good if you fancy a quick chicken salad.

You could wrap some marinated chicken in silver foil, place it in the Instant and it will then be cooked while you are preparing the garnish.

Vegetables are heaven on earth. That is because vegetables boiled lose not only the nutrients but also the flavour.

Once you taste vegetables out of a steamer, you will never go back to boiled again.

If you want to cook fruit, then just like with vegetables use the steamer. It is faster and the flavour is amazing.

I know it is not strictly healthy but the biggest amazement of the Instant Pot has to go to the condensed milk into caramel.

This is worth the purchasing of the Instant Pot just for this. Instead of it taking 4 hours you are suddenly done in 40 minutes.

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How To Steam Broccoli In The Instant Pot

Start by washing the broccoli, and cutting into florets that arent too small . Dont throw away the stalks, use them later to make an Instant Pot stock to use in stews, soups, and sauces!

Place an Instant Pot trivet or a steamer basket into the pot, and put the broccoli florets in there. If you cut the florets too small, and youre using a trivet, the broccoli will start falling to the bottom so make sure not to cut too small.

Add half a cup of water to the bottom of the pot.

Cover with the lid, and make sure that the vent is in sealing position.

Plug in the Instant Pot, click on manual or pressure cook and set it on high for 0 minutes if you want a firm texture or 1 minute for tender broccoli.

Allow the Instant Pot to come to pressure, and either finish at 0 minutes or pressure cook for 1 minute .

When the cooking is finished, quickly release the steam and carefully open the lid. It is very important to quickly release the steam as soon as the cooking is finished, leaving it for a while will turn the broccoli into mush!

Take the broccoli out of the pot, and it can be either served right away or can be rinsed under cold water to stop the cooking process if youre worried that the broccoli might become softer.

Season with salt and freshly ground pepper, and a squeeze of lemon!

Silicone Trivet Without Handles

This silicone trivet is made by the Instant Pot company and fits 6 quart and 8 quart Instant Pots.

This silicone trivet is very easy to clean because its made of silicone and is dishwasher safe. The design allows steam to circulate and liquid to cover the bottom of the inner pot which helps prevent the Burn Message and the food to cook evenly.

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What Causes It To Break

Its likely that you might not know that the natural release mechanism of your instant pot is broken until youre already cooking something inside it. In that case, youll have an instant pot thats very high pressure, which can be a dangerous thing indeed.

When cooking with an instant pot, you first add some liquid to the cooking ingredients. This liquid turns to steam, increasing the internal pressure of the instant pot. Natural release just means that you allow the internal pressure of the instant pot to slowly release through the steam vent which is included in the lid of the pot.

Over the course of fifteen minutes, the pressure will equalize, making it safe to open the instant pot.

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, thereâs 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 theyâve 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.

Itâs 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.

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What Is Zero Minutes

Weve been doing this for years with stove top pressure cookers, we just didnt need a timer. Electric pressure cookers have timers, so you need to set it to 0 minutes.

Zero minutes still cooks the broccoli. As the pot is heating up and coming to pressure, the broccoli is cooking that entire time.

So as soon as the pot reaches full pressure, the broccoli is cooked and you need to release the pressure immediately so it doesnt overcook.

Using the Instant Pot® as a steamer is very convenient. You can set it and when the pot beeps that it is finished, just release the pressure and eat it!

I have used a steamer in a pot on the stove my whole adult life, and it works fine, but steaming broccoli in the pressure cooker is just simpler, in my opinion.

Instant Pot Broccoli cooks really fast. So as soon as the pot comes to full pressure, its done! It only needs that very small amount of time to cook as under pressure food cooks more quickly.

Other vegetables that I like to cook in my Instant Pot are corn, green beans, beets, cauliflower, squash, and potatoes. I think I eat more steamed veggies now that I did before I started using my Instant Pot to cook them!

Why Do Most Recipes Use Manual Settings Instead Of Smart Program Buttons

One size does not fit all in most scenarios. This is true of the smart one-touch buttons on the Instant Pot too. While some may come in handy down the line, you should learn more about specific recipes before you begin relying on them. Using Manual/Pressure Cook button and adjusting time and pressure level by yourself gives you more control. Having said that, you can also adjust time and pressure level once youve selected once of the Smart Program function.

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I’m Not Sure I Can Blindly Steam My Food In The Instant Pot What’s The Traditional Way

It’s completely understandable if you’d still prefer the old-fashioned way, since you can’t check on the food while it’s steaming with the Steam button. Figuring out the right cook times without ruining the food can be frustrating if you don’t have the patience for it, here’s how to do it the traditional way, except still in the Instant Pot.

Please keep in mind that this method does require a glass lid that fits over the Instant Pot. It can be any glass lid you already have in the kitchen, but Instant Pot does sell its own glass lid if you need to buy one.

To use your Instant Pot as a traditional steamer, just pour in at least one cup of water into your liner. Then place the trivet at the bottom, and set a steamer rack or basket on top of the trivet. Place the food you want to steam inside the basket or rack, and then push Sauté. You can adjust the temperature of Sauté mode by pressing the More button after initiating Sauté. Then just wait for the water to start boiling to create steam, and then place the glass lid on top. Allow the food to cook, though you can lift the lid off to check up on the food periodically. Once the food has reached your desired doneness, push the Cancel button to stop cooking.

Like the traditional stovetop method, this does require a bit of babysitting, which is one reason why I prefer the Steam function.

How Does Instant Pot Work

An Instant Pot is a freestanding pressure cooker that creates a highly pressurized environment by combining heat and steam to cook food quickly. Even though Instant Pot is a relatively new brand, pressure cooking has been around since the 1600s.

Instant Pot’s sealing ring creates an airtight environment that allows pressure and heat to build safely. Using an Instant Pot is relatively easy, as it’s an all-in-one appliance that cooks multiple components of a meal at the same time. If you’re new to Instant Pot, try out these tips for a better Instant Pot experience.

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What Kind Of Meat Should I Use To Make Beef & Broccoli

While the recipe calls for chuck roast, you can substitute flank steak or London broil. Readers have also used skirt steak with this recipe, though its a little chewier cut of meat.

Also, if you want to substitute chicken for the beef, go for it! Just change out chicken broth for the beef broth. Dice the chicken into bite-size pieces and reduce the cook time to 3 minutes at high pressure.

Why Use An Instant Pot

The Instant Pot drastically cuts down the cooking time for cuts of meat that usually have to cook slowly for a long time in order to become tender. And there are many accessories you can use with it to cook in lots of different styles. Its one of the most useful kitchen appliances you can buy.

The Instant Pot is an incredible tool in the kitchen for making dishes that usually take a long time. If you dont have one yet, check out our guide onwhich one to buy. You can also read up on how to use it, in case youre not sure if its for you.

• Dont Have an Instant Pot Yet?This guide can help you choose the right one.

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Easy Instant Pot Broccoli

Ready to make easy steamed broccoli in your Instant Pot?? Then try this Instant Pot Broccoli recipe that takes no time at all and produces gorgeous green steamed broccoli. Suitable for Gluten-Free, Low Carb, Keto, Paleo, Whole30 and Vegan Diets. Post includes Weight Watchers points.

Peeps, lets talk about bad steamed broccoli. You know the kind soggy and an awful colour of green that is a bit more like greyish-brown. The kind of sad broccoli side dish that you choke down while cursing vegetables and swearing that you will never eat broccoli ever again.

Instant Pot Accessory Set

This Instant Pot accessory kit includes multiple steamer baskets, trivets, egg mold, springform pan, and lots more.

If youre brand new to the Instant Pot and are planning on purchasing some accessories, make sure you look at this set to see if it has everything you need. You might save some money buying a set. It comes in different colors too.

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How To Steam In The Instant Pot

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How to steam in the Instant Pot. If you would like to steam your favourite fruits, vegetables, fish, desserts, and eggs in the instant pot pressure cooker, then this is how it is done.

I originally shared with you my instant pot steam guide back in 2017. I have steamed a lot more in the instant pot now and this is the updated version.

At home in the Milner kitchen most of the instant pot recipes we cook on a day to day basis involve using the steamer function.

It has been great fun to share with you these delicious recipes over the years and to show you my favourite of the Instant Pot buttons.

But it feels like I have barely covered the steam function, and this is why I wanted to put this blog post together for you.

But first I am sure you are wondering what the big deal is with the steam function on the Instant Pot and why you should be using it?

Well firstly when I think of the Instant Pot the first thing that enters my mind is what most people perceive an Instant Pot to be about:

• Quick cooking
• All in one cooking
• Easy cooking

This means that the bulk of people that buy them are always thinking about something quick.

Not necessarily about healthy eating and probably why the cheesecake has become as successful as it has. You can make a cheesecake much quicker than you could before and it is so simple as well.

This means that the steamer section, is just never given credit because we always think of the steamer for healthy eating

Why Youll Love This

• Perfectly steam broccoli in your instant pot in just 0 minutes!
• With 2 options to choose from, you can opt for soft, well-done broccoli florets or get a more al dente finish.
• Instant pot steam broccoli is the easiest way to get perfectly steamed broccoli every time.
• Perfect for a variety of healthy lifestyles, our pressure cooker broccoli recipe works for gluten-free, low-carb, keto, paleo, Whole 30, vegetarian, and vegan lifestyles. Oh, and both sugar-free and dairy-free eating plans as well!

The instant pot makes pressure cooking all of your vegetables to perfection so super easy! Be sure to try our instant pot sweet potatoes, pressure cooker corn on the cob, and instant pot spaghetti squash the next time you want to make the best vegetable sides.

On Keto? Grab ourFREE keto foods list here OR Snag our Keto Binder HERE

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Tips For Perfectly Cooked Instant Pot Vegetables

Quick Instant Pot Steamer Chart

Here is a quick reference chart that you can pin for later with the different timings on it. That way if you want to steam in your Instant Pot then you have a quick reference to rely on:

Rather than struggling to print the image or jotting down all the info, we have a PDF version. You can download the PDF for free in our instant pot members area including lots of other instant pot printables, and free air fryer and slow cooker printables too.

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Pressure Cook Broccoli In Instant Pot

Pour 1/2 cup cold water in the Instant Pot.

Add a Stainless Steel Steamer Basket in the Instant Pot and layer the broccoli florets on it.

Close the lid and turn the Venting Knob to the Sealing Position.

• Pressure Cooking Method: Pressure cook at High Pressure for 0 2 mins, then Quick Release

*Pro Tip:see below time chart for best pressure cooking time that suits your taste.

Mini Instant Pot Broccoli Experiment

Whats the best pressure cooking time for broccoli in Instant Pot?

Test #1: High Pressure 0 Minute + Quick Release

• Texture: fully cooked, crisp & crunchy
• Taste: natural flavors well preserved
• Looks: beautiful bright green color

Test #2: High Pressure 2 Minutes + Quick Release

• Texture: fully cooked, tender, much softer than Test #1 , easier to bite & digest
• Taste: still flavorful, lost a little bit of the fresh broccoli flavors
• Looks: lost some of the deep bright green color

Test #3: Low Pressure 0 Minute + Quick Release

*Note: We increased the amount of broccoli and used the same amount of liquid .

• Texture: fully cooked, crisp & crunchy
• Taste: natural flavors well preserved
• Looks: beautiful bright green color

The amount of broccoli you cook & amount of cold water you use will affect the overall results .

Best Pressure Cooking Time:

• For 2-3 cups of Broccoli Florets
• Crunchy: High Pressure 0 min + Quick Release
• Tender: High Pressure 1 min + Quick Release