How To Freeze Bone Broth:
- Freeze broth in silicone muffin cups or ice cube trays
- Once broth blocks are solid, remove them from the tray and store the blocks in a ziplock bag or other freezer-friendly sealed container in your freezer.
- When youre ready to use, simply remove the amount you need and reheat on the stove or in the microwave, or throw frozen blocks directly in soups for a flavor boost.
Keep A Positive Mindset
When we surveyed our readers about their initial experience with the Instant Pot, many users had the advice to just have fun with the pressure cooker! Set aside any expectations, know the Instant Pot is an exceptionally safe kitchen device, and try something new. Even if it doesnt go according to plan, it should boost your confidence.
Over to you! Do you have any further questions about how to use the Instant Pot as a beginner? What foods or recipes do you plan to cook first? Anything else we can help you with? Leave your feedback and comment below!
Instant Pot Sous Vide Cuban Pork Tenderloin
Every time I go grocery shopping, I am constantly eyeballing the big SALE sign under the pork tenderloins. You know which ones I am talking about? The vacuum sealed, long strips of pork, that are always on sale and you are so tempted to buy them but you know the minute you try and cook that thing its going to come out dry as shoe leather? For some reason; I was determined to buy a few and find a way;to cook it so its juicy and tastes delicious. After a few tries, I finally came up with 2 methods to cook a pork tenderloin so you get the all the Cuban flavors, but without the dry, chewy texture.
This first method is for those people who own Instant Pots that have the SOUS VIDE button.
Recommended Reading: How To Defrost Ground Beef In Instant Pot
Your Meat Bill Might Get Bigger
If short ribs have been a special-occasion meal, suddenly youll be tempted to make them fairly regularly and add on oxtail or brisket, all in the name of experimentation. The best cuts of meat for the Instant Pot are fattier meats with marbling, so thats another point to consider if your household has been eating leaner cuts previously, or making do with bulk-buy ground meat.;;
You Filled The Instant Pot Beyond The Max Fill Line
If you open the lid of your Instant Pot and see your meal splattered all over the place, you filled it too high.
If your Instant Pot wont build pressure, you might have filled it too high.
If youre making something that foams when it cooks , make sure you DO NOT fill it past the max fill line.
Solution: Im assuming you already have quite the mess to clean up, so NEXT TIME, dont fill the pot past the max fill line. You can also use the natural pressure release so the foam has time to go back down after its done cooking. If natural pressure release isnt an option, slowly turn the pressure release valve and if you see any foam at all, seal it again. Wait one minute, and try again.
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You Forgot To Put The Inner Pot Back In
I know how it goes you cooked dinner, you took out the pot to wash it and its sitting upside down on the counter drying off right next to the sealing ring, right?
Solution: Just like the sealing ring as soon as youre done washing the inner pot, give it a quick towel dry and stick it in the Instant Pot to thoroughly finish drying.
Common Instant Pot Questions
I get asked a lot of questions about my Instant Pot, so heres a super quick FAQ:
What size Instant Pot do you have?;
I have the;8 quart DUO 7 in 1 Instant Pot. I choose the larger Instant Pot for a few reasons.
You also have to leave a certain amount of space in the pressure cooker when using it. There is a max fill line for liquids. And the general rule is to not fill the Instant Pot more than 2/3 full. The 8 quart gives me more room to cook.
One Instant Pot hack I learned is to use a 6 quart pot on top of an 8 quart pot to cook two elements of one meal. You can read how that works;HERE.
How do you make slow cooker recipes into Instant Pot recipes?
I shared a really great tutorial / tips article on;how convert slow cooker recipes to Instant Pot recipes HERE.
I havent purchased an Instant Pot yet is there anything I should know first?
How To Store Your Instant Pot
Store your cooker like this, with the lid upside down and the gasket loose. Condensation builds up in the gasket, which can become moldy if you lock a damp lid on the cooker.
This method allows for lots of air circulation. Its not so pretty on a countertop, I know. If nothing else, make sure you at least never store your cooker with a damp lid.
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Whats Up With All Those Knobs And Buttons
I know, there are so many. Good news! You can ignore most of them. I use my Instant Pot nearly every day, and Ive never touched the Rice, Porridge, or Soup buttons. I do, however, make rice, porridge and soup in my IP all the time, just by programming it manuallywhich you need to know in any case.
For now, were focusing on the buttons you need for most pressure cooking recipes. If it helps, just get masking tape and cover up those other buttons so that you only focus on the buttons needed for our test drive:
- On the Instant Pot Duo: the Low Pressure and High Pressure buttons, the +/- Cooking Time buttons, the Manual button, and the Keep Warm/Cancel button.
- On the Instant Pot Ultra: Cancel and Start buttons and the central knob
Alison Conklin
You Wont Save That Much Time
The Instant Pot is not instant. Between allowing for the stainless steel inner pot to heat up, the food to come to pressure, the time needed for natural release, having to hand-clean the outer pot, and the actual cooking time, you might not end up saving as much time as you anticipated. Weve found that the ‘instant’ part of the name is very misleading. Preparing foods in the Instant Pot consistently took 45 minutes longer to prepare than the recipe called for. The time it takes for the device to come up to pressure and the time added for a natural release of pressure meant that recipes only needing 10 minutes of cook time took well over an hour, says David Gafford of The Barbecue Lab.
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When Should I Use Keep Warm Function
The Instant Pot can be kept on Keep Warm after cooking most foods. In fact, its very handy if you are finished cooking before youre ready to serve food. Some foods like rice, quinoa, or anything that has soaked up a lot of liquid should be monitored or warmed in a more moist environment to prevent dryness or burning. You can select Keep Warm cycle before you start cooking or after.;
Using Saute Function After Cooking
The Sauté function is also useful for finishing the dish after pressure cooking is done. Once the pressure has been completely released, open the lid and then press Sauté button again. Press the button again to cycle through Less or More for lower or higher temperature.
Use it for:
- Simmering the sauce or broth in the dish that needs to evaporate and reduce or thicken.
- Adding more fragile or no-cooking-required ingredients like baby spinach, fresh tomatoes, fruit, cheese, milk or cream.
- Thickening sauce with butter, cream or flour.
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Why You Really Don’t Want To Buy An Instant Pot
The Instant Pot die-hards will swear on their last batch of beef barbacoa that this all-in-one kitchen gadget has been the savior of their weekly meal plan. But is this much-hyped kitchen device really worth the money, can it save you the time it promises, and produce a meal bursting with bold, full flavors? Here are a few reasons why you may want to think twice before adding this not-small appliance to your already limited counter space.
Related:50 Kitchen Gadgets That Are a Waste of Money
The Instant Pot is not instant. Between allowing for the stainless steel inner pot to heat up, the food to come to pressure, the time needed for natural release, having to hand-clean the outer pot, and the actual cooking time, you might not end up saving as much time as you anticipated. Weve found that the ‘instant’ part of the name is very misleading. Preparing foods in the Instant Pot consistently took 45 minutes longer to prepare than the recipe called for. The time it takes for the device to come up to pressure and the time added for a natural release of pressure meant that recipes only needing 10 minutes of cook time took well over an hour, says David Gafford of The Barbecue Lab.
Related:50 Easy Recipes You Can Make in 20 Minutes or Less
Related: 50 Simple, Cheap, and Delicious Instant Pot Recipes
Insider Tip: If youve got a smoker and fancy some Texas-style pulled pork, check out Davids recipe.
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How To Make Instant Pot Bone Broth:
It might sound intimidating, but bone broth is truly so simple to make in your Instant Pot. Each step is explained in more detail below, but heres the game-plan:
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The Saute Function Is Inconsistent
The Instant Pot all-in-one functionalities would be great, except that it does these multiple functions, at best, averagely. That gorgeous brown sear youre hoping to achieve? Dont throw your cast iron pan out just yet because the saute function is unreliable. Either it never gets hot enough to do a proper sear, or it gets too hot and burns commonly sauteed ingredients like garlic and onions. Plus, once you add meat to the pot, you have to wait for it to come to temperature, which adds on additional time to a meal youd hope to dump and cook in 10 minutes.
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; there’s 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 won’t 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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Put Instant Pot On The Stovetop And Accidentally Turned The Dial
Mistake: Due to convenience or limited counter space, some users like to place their Instant Pot on the stovetop. Sometimes, things happenand we see melted burnt Instant Pot bottom.
Sorry, we;dont have a picture to show you the aftermath, but we see this happen frequently.
Solution: Please dont put the Instant Pot directly on the stovetop. Some users lay a wooden board between the stovetop and Instant Pot to prevent this disaster.
Or, you can get this cart from IKEA, as it fits the Instant Pot perfectly.
*Note: this is not sponsored by IKEA, just that many Instant Pot users find the cart very handy.
Functions Programs & Settings
The Instant Pot ULTRA multi cooker features the following ;cooking functions:
- Pressure Cook at high or low pressure from 1 minute to six hours.
- Steam at high, low or no pressure from 1 minute to four hours
- Slow Cook at high, medium, low or custom temperature from 30 minutes to 20 hours
- Saute at ;high , medium , low or custom temperatures from 1 to 30 minutes
- Warm ;at high, low medium or custom temperature for 10 minutes to 99 hours
- Sterilize at high, low or no pressure;from 1 minute to 4 hours. There are no official guidelines on how to use an electric pressure cooker for sterilization. However, Instant Pot told me that this setting is mainly to be used to pasteurize milk ;and sterilize baby bottles. ;It cannot be used for pressure canning.
- Yogurt There are no instructions on how to use this setting but we think the process will be similar to that used in previous models.
- Ultra described in detail, above.
Instant Pot Ultra also includes the following cooking programs, which are basically recommended pre-set times and pressures for cooking that particular food, with the ability to further customize and memorize the settings: Soup/Broth, Meat/Stew, Bean/Chili, Rice, Porridge, Multigrain, Cake, and Egg.
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The Most Common Instant Pot Problems And How To Fix Them
The Instant Pot is a highly versatile appliance that can save time and energy in the kitchen. While the best Instant Pots are intuitive, these multifunctional pressure cookers can be confusing too. If youre running up against issues like a bad smell lingering in your Instant Pot or trouble with the timer, youre not alone. Most of the problems youre seeing are likely pretty easy to correct when you know what to look for.
We have the best tips, tricks, and hacks to solve some common Instant Pot problems.;
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It Doesnt Replace Your Slow Cooker
Part of the Instant Pots allure is its ability to combine a slow cooker with a pressure cooker, meaning one less clunky kitchen appliance. Too bad the Instant Pot doesnt quite deliver on the slow-cooker front. We are big meat eaters in our house, so we love any chance to slow cook a big piece of meat, like brisket or a rack of ribs. While the Instant Pot does have a slow-cooker feature, you have to buy the lid separately, and the lid does not seal like it would if you were to use an actual slow cooker, so the meat doesn’t turn out as tender or moist. I find its only useful feature to be the pressure-cooking functionality, which means I would have been better off just buying a pressure cooker. Rather than doing a few things really well, it does a whole bunch of things badly, says Matt Gaedke of Keto Connect.
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Safety May Be An Issue
While the Instant Pot comes with detailed instructions on how to use it safely, theres always the outlier case where safety is an issue. Follow the basics: Dont overfill it, dont use it as a deep fryer, and replace sealing rings regularly. The most important safety tip though is when removing the lid after releasing pressure, stay away from the steam and tilt the lid to act as a shield between you and the steam rising from the pot. And if youre worried about your cabinets warping from the steam, Elizabeth Barbone, a cookbook author and the creator of the pressure-cooker blog Cook Fast, Eat Well in this NBC interview;says, Pressure cookers are safe, but we need to be following good practices. Some of the things you might see on the internet, like covering the steam release valve to protect cabinets or walls from steam, arent safe. Instead, position your pot accordingly if thats a concern.
The Instant Pot Keeps Beeping
Its normal for the pot to beep as it starts to heat, beep when its starting the timer, and beep when the timer is done. If its beeping otherwise, that usually means something is wrong, and you should look to see if theres a code flashing on the screen. This most often indicates an overheating issue that your Instant Pot wants you to know about ASAP.
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Also Check: Instant Pot Poultry Setting
