How Long Will My Instant Pot Take To Come To Pressure
While it may take longer for the 8 quart to come to pressure than the 3 quart and the 6 quart, once it comes up to pressure your cooking times should be the same. You might not notice any significant Instant Pot cooking differences when it comes to cooking times though. They should be relatively spot on no matter which pot you are using.
It takes an average of 5-10 minutes for my 6 quart Instant Pot to come to pressure, depending on how much food is in it and if that food is frozen. An Instant Pot with frozen food takes longer to come to pressure than one with refrigerated food.
Note: Technically the cook times should be the same. If you want to see how crazy different cook times can be, head over to the Instant Pot Facebook group and ask how long it takes to make hard boiled eggs in the Instant Pot. Youll quickly see what I mean by every pot and every size being different.
You can safely assume that unless noted otherwise, every Instant Pot recipe online is made for a 6 quart size. If youre using a 3 quart size or mini Instant Pot, divide the recipe in half and the cook time stays the same. If youre using an 8 quart Instant Pot, you can easily double the recipe youre cooking and the cook time stays the same.
Oxo Good Gripscollapsible Steamer Basket
easy to clean and compact veggie steamer
If youre looking for a steamer basket that takes up less space when stored, this one is the best. Its perfect for steaming vegetables in the pressure cooker. I use mine for corn, other veggies, and even lobster tails! You can also use it as a fruit bowl, egg cooker, cake bowl, colander or strainer. Its super handy. And, its compact for easy storing, easy to clean, made of high quality stainless steel, and dishwasher safe!
Best Replacement Inner Pot For Your Instant Pot In 2020
The Instant Pot already comes with the stainless steel liner by default. The stainless steel is great, especially for browning meat, but it’s annoying when food gets stuck to it as you cook. For this reason, you may want to consider a secondary option. Plus, having a second pot readily available for your Instant Pot means you can transfer your food over if something gets burned in the first one, or if you want to cook two dishes back to back. Here are some options to expand your Instant Pot cooking abilities.
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Instant Potinner Cooking Pot
easily prepare multiple dishes
This is the next best thing to having two Instant Pots! You dont know how many times Ive wanted to immediately start another dish in the pot, but couldnt because I had to clean up the liner, and the sink was already full of dishes. This would definitely solve the problem!
Other Instant Pot Resources
Which Instant Pot is right for you? A post and printable chart that talks about the different modelsInstant Pot DUO, Instant Pot Smart, Multi Cooker, and more. Which have a yogurt maker, which can sous vide, which have a slow cooker.
Healthy Instant Pot Recipes All of my favorite healthy recipes, with directions for the slow cooker, stovetop, and electric pressure cooker.
How long to cook meat in the Instant Pot Another free printable with instructions for cooking your meat perfectly.
How to remove odors from your Instant Pot sealing ring This is such an issue with ownersbut the good news is that there are some great tips in this post and in the comments!
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Size Comparison: 6 Qt Vs 3 Qt Instant Pot
Although you can cook smaller portions in a larger Instant Pot, its best to choose the ideal size for your household needs. Keep in mind that a 6 qt Instant Pot is generally more pricey, so be sure to consider your budget when deciding.
How Big Is a 6 Quart Instant Pot?
The 6-quart Instant Pot is 13.2 x 12.2 x 12.5.
This is the original size that the Instant Pot was manufactured in and is the most popular size. Its an excellent option for smaller households of 2-5 people. You can cook most things in a 6 qt, including a small-sized full chicken, spaghetti for 4, a full cake, and 4-quarts of yogurt.
Keep in mind that you cant fill the inner pot full to the top, so while the total capacity is 6 quarts, you can only fit 4 quarts of food inside. There is a max-fill line that you dont want to exceed.
How Big Is a 3 Quart Instant Pot?
The 3-quart Instant Pot is 11.4 x 10 x 11.2.
With a 3 quart Instant Pot, you can make smaller meals or smaller amounts of things like rice or black beans, without all the extra space in the pot. For instance, if youre only cooking 1 cup of rice, its barely enough to cover the bottom of a 6-quart pot, but fits well in the 3-quart.
The benefit to this scenario is that it will take less time for the pot to come up and down from pressure, because there is less space inside. The smaller pot is also easier to store whether on your counter or in the cupboard.
Genuine Instant Pot Sealing Rings 2
The silicone sealing ring that sits in the lid of your Instant Pot can absorb food flavors and aromas over time. But if you have a couple of extras on hand, you can designate one sealing ring to use for savory foods and another sealing ring for desserts. Its a simple way to avoid any unwanted flavor transfers from your sealing rings.
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Silicone Egg Bites Molds
To be perfectly honest, I think I had these silicone molds at one time for freezing homemade baby food.
But then, Starbucks launched their Sous Vide Egg Bites and the whole world of adapted these molds as a multipurpose gadget.
Heck, why not, right? Well now I consider this a must have Instant Pot accessory and I use mine all the time.
My Starbucks inspired egg bites recipe make is easy to make breakfasts all week long AND youll save the five bucks from Starbucks. #WINNING!
Genuine Instant Pot Tempered Glass Lid
This glass lid is great for containing splatters and keeping an eye on your meal when youre using non-pressurized settings like Sauté and Slow Cook. Just set the glass lid right on top of the inner pot to keep your kitchen counters clean and prevent your food from drying out while it cooks. This could be my #1 favorite Instant Pot accessory of all!
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Instant Potcolored Sealing Rings
avoid mixing sweet and savory flavors
Im so glad that Instant Pot came out with these colored rings. They are perfect for changing them out between sweet and savory meals. This way I can make my Arroz con Leche and know that it wont taste like Dr. Pepper Pulled Pork! These rings really are handy to have.
Instant Pot Silicone Steamer Basket
Dream steam
Made from FDA approved, food-safe silicone, this official steamer basket from Instant Pot is a modern version of the traditional bamboo steamer. It can be stacked two high on the steam rack in most models of the pressure cooker. It’s heat resistant to an impressive 450 degrees Fahrenheit and can go in the dishwasher after use. This has a flat bottom to maximize the space and accommodate larger food items like fish fillets.
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Quick & Carryquick & Carry Bag
the easy way to transport your pot
I love my Quick & Carry bag! It is so sturdy and has so much room for everything I need when taking my pressure cooker out of the house. It has lots of extra storage space for accessories as well. They offer two sizes, one for 6-quart and one for 8-quart pressure cookers. This bag is perfect for when you need to travel with your pressure cooker. My only wish is that they made one in aqua!
Instant Pots To Purchase
All Instant Pot models come with a dishwasher-safe locking lid, steam rack and inner pot. Each model will auto-adjust to the right pressure and temperature before it starts cooking, and you can manually adjust the cook time. In addition, all models are equipped with a delay start option and a keep warm setting, as well as a food burn sensor. Instant Pots are also designed with safety features like Overheat Protection, which helps prevent food from burning by suspending heating if the appliance detects a high temperature at the bottom of the inner pot.
Below, we broke down every Instant Pot model currently on the market. We highlighted how models differ from one another and what sizes they come in.
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Official Instant Pot Accessories
I guess this is the potpourri section of this page. The not-junk junk drawer, if you will. But it’s all good stuff, so don’t bury these in loose batteries and paperclips, k?
- Instant pot silic1 lid creates an airtight, spill proof and watertight seal on the instant…
- Manufactured from the highest quality food safe silicone, passed FDA and LFGB tests for…
- Genuine instant pot multi use programmable pressure cooker accessory
- Bpa free and dishwasher safe
- Genuine Instant Pot Mini mitts for easy gripping of the inner pot
- Ridged gripping surface, non stick
- Mitts nest inside each other for easy storage, flexible, comfortable and easy to wear
- Made from food grade silicone, meets FDA food safety standards
- Designed for the Instant Pot Multi Use Programmable Pressure Cooker 5, 6 and 8 Quart: IP…
- Tempered glass base to easily prepare, cut and serve on the same platter , Make instant…
- Made of the highest standards of food grade safe silicone , Made from FDA & LFGB tested…
- Heat resistant to 450F , dishwasher & freezer safe
- Instant Pot Silic1 Steam Rack designed for the 5, 6 and 8 Quart : IP DUO60, IP LUX60, IP…
- Long legs to stand out of the water for steaming, stay cool long handle for easy removal
- Can be stacked 3 high in the Instant Pot 6 and 8 Quart inner pot for dehydrating in your…
- Locking rim to fit other items from the Instant Pot Silicone Collection, Made from FDA & …
Instant Pot Ceramic Coated Non
- Pressure Cooker 8 Quart Ceramic non-stick interior coating, plastic PTFE and PFOA free
- Genuine Instant Pot pressure cooker accessory. Dishwasher safe perfect for slow cooking, rice cooking
- Having a second Instant Pot inner pot makes it easy and convenient to prepare multiple dishes
- Designed for the 8 Quart Instant Pot Multi-Use Programmable Pressure Cookers, IPLUX80, IP-DUO80
- Can be transferred to the oven where it is safe to 360c / 680f
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Oxo Silicone Pressure Cooker Lifter
Barbone said a silicone rack with handles is helpful when cooking anything youll need to lift out of the Instant Pot, like a small chicken, meatloaf or cheesecake. Instant Pots come with a metal steam rack, but she said the silicone one is easier to maneuver. This dishwasher-safe option from OXO fits 6- and 8-quart Instant Pots, the brand says. It has two large loop handles that connect to fit under the appliances lid while youre cooking, and you can detach them while moving it in and out of the pot. The lifters flat base allows you to pile food directly on top, or you can place it under a pan.
How Do Instant Pots Work
Cooking food in the Instant Pot is not instantaneous as the appliances name might suggest although it does speed up the process overall. Instant Pots need time to heat up so their temperature can rise above boiling point, which is 212 degrees Fahrenheit at sea level. As it heats up, food inside the Instant Pot releases steam, and the appliance traps the steam inside. The build-up of steam inside the Instant Pot creates a high-pressure environment when the appliance reaches an optimal pressure point, a pressure valve lifts into place and steam is released through a vent on the appliances lid. Thats when the foods cooking time begins.
Barbone said the most anxiety-inducing part of using an Instant Pot, especially for first-time users, is the steam. The Instant Pot makes a lot of noise as the pressure rises and a lot of steam shoots out of a small vent on the lid at a rapid pace. But rest assured this is supposed to happen, and if anything goes wrong, the Instant Pot will shut down.
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Do Different Sizes Of Instant Pots Cook Differently
Im sticking by my statement that each Instant Pot is different. This is so true when you hear people talk about how long they cook their hard boiled eggs.
In addition to each pot being different, everyone has preferences about their hard boiled eggs, and how old your eggs are makes a difference too. There are a lot of cooking variables to consider.
With regard to noodles, I have realized that I like my noodles overcooked a little rather than undercooked. After making a few recipes in my IP, I know that if I am cooking a dish with noodles Ill always add a minute.
You can make changes to recipes you find online to get the best possible results when you make them at home. Like I said, every Instant Pot is different. It is always going to take some trial and error to figure out how your own pot differs from others, and understand what your cooking preferences are.
These tips and tricks will show you some common Instant Pot cooking differences and how to adjust your timing, pressures, and liquid in order to avoid a flop!
What Is An Instant Pot
At its core, an Instant Pot is an electric pressure cooker, which means it uses hot steam and pressure to cook food. Food is being boiled at a high pressure, so its not going to make you happy if you only like crunchy food, Barbone said, noting that dishes that come out of the Instant Pot often have a moist rather than crispy texture.
Instant Pots are different from traditional electric pressure cookers, however. All of Instant Pots different pressure settings are slightly higher than that of a traditional pressure cooker, said Weinstein. This helps it cook food faster than a standard electric pressure cooker. It also means that if you use recipes designed for standard electric pressure cookers, the cooking timing is going to be off with an Instant Pot.
Instant Pots are also considered multi-cookers since they perform multiple different functions. The most basic Instant Pot model, for example, offers a steamer, sauté and rice cooker function on top of the pressure cooker setting.
Since Instant Pots are so versatile, Barone said home chefs of all skill levels can use them to make a variety of dishes. Im not a huge gadget person, but I really think Ive seen the Instant Pot fit every lifestyle, she noted. I haven’t seen anyone have the Instant Pot not work for them.
Also Check: How To Boil Peanuts In Instant Pot
Instant Potinstant Pot Ultra
the ultimate kitchen appliance
The 6-quart Duo Ultra is the souped up version of the regular 6-quart Duo. It has some extra buttons and a cleaner more modern display that includes a dial instead of buttons. The pressure release on the lid has also been improved on. Perfect if you like having all the bells & whistles
Instant Pot Dimensions: How Big Are They
Depending on how big your kitchen is, or how much weight youre comfortable lifting, knowing the size and weight of each Instant Pot model can be important to your decision-making process. Heres a quick look at the Instant Pot dimensions side by side.
To start, for the different Instant Pot sizes , there are variations in length by width by height along with the weight. Overall, the dimensions are all pretty close for each quart-size within an inch or less. And the same goes for weight.
And one more note: this post contains affiliate links. This means I may receive a small commission if you buy through my link. You wont pay any more if you use this link.
Overall, heres a quick summary of the Instant Pot dimensions, as provided by the company, in general before we drive into the specifics
| Length | |
| 16.34 | 15.8 lbs |
There is only one 10 quart Instant Pot option currently available, as part of the Duo Nova series.
* The Instant Pot Duo Crisp + Air Fryer comes with two lids, depending on the cooking method youre planning to use. Overall the height of this Instant Pot increases by about an inch when using it as an Air Fryer. This also makes it the heaviest Instant Pot 8 Quart Models. The rest of the 8 quart models are approximately 15 1/2 lbs.
And one suggestion comes to mind if the overall Instant Pot weight has you nervous. Try lifting it in pieces . Each part contributes to the overall Instant Pot weight.
Lets take a look at each Instant Pot size, series by series.
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