How To Use My Instant Pot

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How To Cook Using Your Instant Pot

How to Use an Instant Pot – Instant Pot 101 – Beginner? Start HERE!

To cook using your instant pot begin by getting your Instant Pot ready. Plug it in and the display will light up. The silver pot will sit in the chamber to cook. I always put food in the pot while it is outside the chamber and then set it inside the chamber so I dont spill anything in the cooking area. I also lift it out of the chamber and set it on a potholder or heat resistant surface to serve the food for the same reason to keep from dripping or spilling food in the cooking area. I love using my Instant Pot and want to keep it clean inside and out!

Instant Pot Silver Pot

Now for the top:

Placing Seal in Instant Pot

Make sure the milky white plastic looking seal is in place underneath the silver ring. Note: You may have colored seals instead of the milky white ones. I use my finger to get it started and run around it until it is in place.

Instant Pot Top

First you place the silver pot with food in it inside the chamber. Next set the round top in the grooves with the close / open words slightly to the bottom right as you are looking at the top. There are markings on the rim of the chamber that show a lock and unlock symbol. You can line the triangle on the top up with the unlock symbol. Next put your hand on the outer handle and twist clockwise to the right until the triangle lines up with the lock symbol. The instant pot makes a kind of musical sound like you are winning the jackpot!

Instant Pot Pressure Valve

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.

Instant Pot Parts And Accessories

  • Base Unit this contains the heating element.
  • Stainless Steel Inner Pot fits into the base unit.
  • Lid the look of the lid varies between Instant Pot models.
  • Steam Release Valve this fits on the top of the lid and may already be attached.
  • Condensation Collector attach this to the back of your Instant Pot.
  • Trivet be sure to keep this, as you will use it often.
  • Power Cord removable in some Instant Pot models.
  • Measuring Cup & Utensils These come with the Instant Pot. I use my own measuring cups and utensils instead of these.
  • The first thing youll want to do is wash the parts of your Instant Pot. The Instant Pot lid, steam release valve and stainless steel inner pot are dishwasher safe however, I wash mine by hand. The base unit is not dishwasher safe never immerse the base unit in water.

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    Loading Your Steam Basket

  • 1Add 1 to 2 cups of water to the Instant Pot. Measure out your water and pour it into the bottom of the Instant Pot. Use less water for a smaller quantity of food, but go ahead and add the full 2 cups if youre steaming a whole basket of veggies or seafood.XResearch source
  • You dont want the water to go up over the food, since it will boil your meal instead of steaming it.
  • 2Set the trivet on the bottom of the Instant Pot. The trivet is the short rack that came with your Instant Pot. Place it at the bottom of your pot to help hold the food up over the water.XResearch source
  • If the water comes up over the trivet, scoop a bit of it out to lower the level down below the top of the trivet.
  • 3Layer the food in the basket according to cooking time. Check the cooking times in your recipe or Instant Pot cooking guide before you load multiple foods into your steam basket. Place the foods that take longer to cook at the bottom, closer to the water. Top the basket with your quickest cooking food.XResearch source
  • Root vegetables take longer to steam than green veggies. Similarly, seafood also steams pretty quickly.
  • For instance, you might put potatoes on the bottom, carrots in the middle, and broccoli on top.
  • If your basket seems overly full, it may be best to cook your meal in 2 or more batches. Since your Instant Pot is so fast, dinner will still be ready soon.
  • You can use most steam baskets in an Instant Pot.
  • You Can Prepare Rice In The Instantaneous Pot In Almost Half The Moment As A Standard Rice Stove White Rice Brief Grain Jasmine As Well As Basmati Rice Can All Be Prepared On This Setup In Around 4 To 8 Mins As A Whole Youll Require A : 1 Proportion Of Rice To Water When You Select The

    pinterest pin for How To Use Your Instant Pot To Slow Cook ...

    switch, the food preparation period immediately changes depending upon just how much food you take into the system as well as chef on reduced stress. Make sure to include concerning 10-12 mins to the complete food preparation time to permit the Instantaneous Pot to find to stress.Rice Instantaneous Pot Hack:

    Directly, I favor to prepare rice in the setting at high stress. I include 1:1 proportion of rice to water to the Instantaneous Pot as well as readied to 3 mins with a 12 min NR.Manual 10. Soup

    Read Also: Sirloin Tip Steak Recipe Instant Pot

    When To Select Low Pressure

    Low pressure should be used for delicate foods like eggs, fish, and vegetables. However, all of these foods can also be cooked using high pressure for a reduced amount of time. If you are confused about whether or not to use low or high pressure, its best to stick to high pressure. This should be specified in recipes.

    Tips For Instant Pot Saut Mode

    • After you press the Sauté button, wait for the pot to get hot before adding your food. The display on most models will show Hot when the pot is hot.
    • Add cooking oil before adding meats or vegetables to the pot. The exception is that you do not need to add oil if you are browning ground beef or another meat that will release its own fat as it cooks.
    • When browning pieces of meat, such as chicken thighs, do not move the meat until it has formed a browned crust on the bottom. This usually takes a few minutes. Trying to move the meat too soon can cause it to stick to the bottom of the pot. Its also important to use enough oil, as I have found that delicate meats such as chicken tend to stick easily to the bottom of the pot.
    • Always deglaze the pot after sautéing. This means that you pour in a some of your cooking liquid, such as broth or water, and scrape up any bits that are stuck to the bottom of the pot. If you do not do this, you are much more likely to get a burn message while pressure cooking. Learn more about how to prevent the Instant Pot burn message here.

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    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

    Inspecting Your Instant Pot Before Each Use

    How to Use An Instant Pot – Instant Pot 101 – DUO CRISP AIR FRYER

    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.

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    Final Thoughts: Instant Pot For For Less Food Waste

    Cooking with an Instant Pot definitely takes some time to get used to, but Im telling you- its so worth it! It can drastically cut down on food waste by helping you meal prep, cook those bulk bin items, and turn your veggie scraps into broth.

    For more information on low waste living, be sure to download my Waste Free Living eBook. As always, if you loved this post, be sure to share it with a friend!

    Heres How You Do That Successfully:

  • Place a freezer bag inside the dish you want to cook in. We highly recommend using an oven safe pan or dish, not glass.
  • Fold the sides of that freezer bag over the edges of that dish.
  • Put your meal and food contents inside the freezer bag, so the freezer bag sits full inside your dish. Seal the filled freezer bag.
  • Place the dish with the sealed, full freezer bag into the freezer so that the meal freezes in the shape of your pan/bowl.
  • Once frozen solid, remove the freezer bag from your dish. Place your meal back into your freezer and your dish back into storage!
  • When ready to serve, locate the dish you originally froze your meal in, and place the frozen meal back inside of that pan or bowl.
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    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:

  • Set the Insant Pot to Saute mode. Add oil and brown your protein, like beef or chicken. Aromatics, like garlic and onion, are browned in this step, too.
  • Hit the Cancel button. Now tap Manual, followed by Pressure. Tap it again to go into High Pressure mode Use the plus and minus buttons to set the cook time.
  • Place the lid on the Instant Pot and lock it into place. You should hear a lovely little sound letting you know it’s locked.
  • Make sure the valve built into the lid is in the Sealing position.
  • When the Instant Pot builds enough pressure, the red button will pop up. Now the cook time will officially begin.
  • 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.

    How To Use Your Instant Pot: 16 Must

    How do I use my Instant Pot?
    This post may contain affiliate links. As an Amazon Associate I earn from qualifying purchases.

    I first learned about the Instant Pot about 3 years ago, when Amazon Prime put this new-to-the-market appliance on deep discount during the first ever Amazon Prime Day. Of course, I ordered one. I wasnt sure what I would do with this appliance, but the discount and hype around this pot were too good to pass up. Fast forward 3 years and Im now sharing not only Instant Pot recipes on Live Simply but also how to use an Instant Pot and all the practical tips I wish I knew years ago. Im getting ahead of myself here

    When the box arrived, three years ago, I wasnt exactly eager to open it mainly due to fear and not knowing what to cook in this new appliance. There werent any recipes online for the Instant Pot, so the box remained untouched for a long time a year to be exact.

    Helen, from the Live Simply Team, approached me a couple of years ago about sharing an Instant Pot recipe on the blog for Salisbury Steak. I figured this might be the motivation needed to use my Instant Pot since I would need to test and photograph her finalized recipe. I responded, Sure, lets do it!

    When it came time to test and photograph the recipe, I remember waiting for something to explode. Im happy to report that my first Instant Pot experience was a huge success and, since that time, Ive come to LOVE my Instant Pot.

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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.

    Instant Pot As A Slow Cooker Conversions: Meat Poultry And Stews

    In general, if your slow cooker meat, soup, or stew recipe

    asks for 8 hours on low or 4 hours on high, it should be fully cooked

    in the Instant Pot in around 25 to 30 minutes.

    Use the 15-minute poultry button for chicken or turkey

    While volume is unimportant, density is

    Roasts and large, thick cuts of meat will take longer to cook

    and a 3-inch-deep baking dish will take longer to cook

    than a 2-inch-deep baking dish. To speed up the cooking process

    cut huge roasts into smaller pieces.

    Frozen meat can also be cooked in the pressure cooker

    however the total cooking time will be increased by roughly 10 minutes.

    If the meat does not appear to be done once the pressure is released

    replace the lid and cook for another 5 to 10 minutes at high pressure.

    Multifunctional mini electric cooker, 1L capacity, suitable for one person to use, can cook noodles, porridge, stew desserts, etc. It is both a bowl and a pot, a dual-purpose type, suitable for dormitory apartments or home offices. Multiple safety protection, automatic power-off when water shortage or temperature is too high

    $32.37

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