What Is An Instant Pot Heres Everything You Need To Know
Looking for a quick meal, but dont want to use a microwave? An Instant Pot is a multifunctional pressure cooker that can cook anything from roasts to chicken to desserts, and in much less time than most other cooking appliances.
Instant Pots come in a variety of designs, but each one has its own unique set of features. Some of the new technologies include air frying and Wi-Fi connectivity. What can this appliance do? How does an Instant Pot work? This guide explains everything you need to know about Instant Pots.
Redesigned Inner Cooking Pot
The Instant Pot Duo Evo Plus has a redesigned inner cooking pot with a flat bottom, handles, and a Tri-Ply stainless steel that can transfer to the stovetop.
I really love the handlesthey lock the cooking pot in place, so you dont have to hold it while youre stirring. Plus, the stay-cool handles make it much easier to have a good grip on the pot when you remove it.
No ‘0 Minute’ Pressure Cook Function
This is a minor bugbear but the minimum setting for pressure cooking on my Duo Evo Plus is 1 minute. It sounds like a strange problem to have: why would you want to cook something for 0 minutes? A lot of recipes specify this setting, like Amy + Jackys Instant Pot Whole Chicken and its a good setting to avoid overcooking vegetables. It means that the food is cooked in the time it takes the Instant Pot to come up to pressure. If I want to replicate this in my Duo Evo Plus I need to wait for the moment pressure cooking begins then press cancel. Some people have reported that their Duo Evo Plus does have the 0 minute setting so I think there must be a few iterations of the Duo Evo Plus out in the wild.
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My Instant Pot Isnt Searing Very Well
Sautéing with your Instant Pot is convenient, but it can be challenging to get a decent sear on specific cuts of meat. We recommend opting for a different appliance entirely to sear most larger-cut foods, like steak, because your Instant Pot wont get hot enough to execute a deep sear. Smaller cuts of meat may prove to be successful, but we cant promise that the meat wont become chewy or soggy. Searing is not the Instant Pots strong suit, so you should leave that job up to your trusted frying pan.
Editors’ Recommendations
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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How Long Have Coupon Codes For Instant Pot Error Code C8 Applied Since They Were Launched
Usually, for Instant Pot Error Code C8, the story will tend to be launched many coupon codes regularly, sometimes it is 2-3 months for each discount code. Besides, all customers can get great promotions on some particular events such as Black Friday, Military, Mother Day,… Most of them are have short usage time.
Instant Pot Rice Setting
This button is made for cooking medium and long-grain white rice. The Rice setting uses low pressure and a 10-minute natural release is recommended for perfect results, however, we found that 2-3 minutes natural release followed by quick release is sufficient. Below is how to use the Rice setting on Instant Pot.
- Turn the Instant Pot on, it will say OFF to indicate the Stand-By mode. Add rice, water or stock and seasoning if you wish. Secure and lock the lid. Press the Rice button. The default setting is pre-programmed to set the pot to cook at Low pressure for 12 minutes, which is suitable for slightly larger rice kernels. If you press the button again, you can adjust the mode from Normal to Less or More .
- Less mode 8 minutes at Low pressure tender but firm to bite texture great for thinner white rice such as Basmati and Jasmine rice.
- Normal mode 12 minutes at Low pressure for normal texture white rice great for regular medium to long-grain white rice and for more al dente Arborio risotto rice.
- More mode 15 minutes at Low pressure for softer texture white rice great for slightly softer risotto.
If desired, use the / + buttons to further customize the time. The cooking time may be adjusted at any time during pressure cooking.
RICE COOKING TIPS
1 cup of dry white rice usually yields 3 cups of cooked rice.
The perfect grain to water ratio is 1 cup white rice to 1.25 cups liquid if cooking risotto rice, the ratio is 1 cup Arborio rice to 2 cups liquid .
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Your Biggest Instant Pot Questions Answered
Get answers to your biggest Instant Pot questions and see what other pressure cookers newbies are asking! This list of FAQs for Instant Pot beginners will help you get started with your appliance.
Since publishing and starting to sell my collection of Instant Pot boot camps this year, Ill often get questions about how to use an Instant Pot. I dont think its any secret that I am obsessed with mine but yes, there is a learning curve and it can sometimes be difficult to get up and going with your IP because of that. But Im here to tell you the Instant Pot is absolutely nothing to be scared of and will quickly turn into your best friend in the kitchen!
A few months ago, I asked my and friends in the Instant Pot community what their biggest questions about the Instant Pot were. Ive been compiling these questions ever since so I could have one big reference collection of FAQs for Instant Pot newbies! While I am no Instant Pot expert by any stretch of the imagination, I do have a year of pretty heavy Instant Pot cooking under my belt and have learned a few things over time.
Affiliate links used in this post. Read more about my link usage here.
Without further ado, these were the biggest questions I got on Facebook:
What the heck does _________________ mean? The question I see the most is about the lingo used for Instant Pot cooking. Ill admit it is a little different. Ive defined a few of the commonly-used terms below!
Heres how to do it:
Spice Cravings Amazon Store
I often get asked for recommendations for kitchen gadgets and Instant Pot accessories.
In order to have everything under one page, with images and convenient links, Ive set up a dedicated page on Amazon- SPICE CRAVINGS STORE. Here youll find my tried, tested and favorite kitchen gadgets and accessories.
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Instant Pot Accessories And Parts
Heres a breakdown of the components of Instant Pot.
Upon unboxing your Instant Pot, the first thing youll want to do is wash the parts and accessories. The stainless steel inner pot and steam release valve are dishwasher-friendly. The base unit isnt dishwasher-safe and will require you to wash it by hand and as you do so, avoid immersing it in water.
Check Pot Bottom & Remove Burnt Content
Check if theres anything stuck to the bottom of the inner pot.
- Minor Burnt Food: If theres only a little bit of food stuck to the bottom, use a wooden spoon to scrub it all off.
- Major Burnt Food: If theres blackened burnt food stuck to the bottom, first remove all food content, then soak the inner pot with soapy water & scrub.
*Pro Tip: If the burnt food is difficult to remove, you can try Pressure Cooking water with vinegar, Natural Release, then scrub some more. *This is when an extra inner pot comes in handy.
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How Does Quick Release Differ From Natural Release
A natural release entails leaving the pressure release switch in the sealed position when the cooking time comes to a halt. As a result, the Instant Pot slowly releases the pressure with no input from you. When the pressure is completely released, the float valve will instantly drop, thereby unlocking and opening the lid.
A natural release is a tad bit anticlimactic compared to a quick release. Therefore, theres no jet of steam when the natural pressure release begins. Moreover, theres no clear way of knowing when the pressure is completely released and no signal or beep when the lid unlocks. At times, you may hear the float valve drop if youre within earshot.
The time it takes for the pressure to be naturally released greatly depends on the amount of liquid in the Instant Pot and its ingredients. Keep in mind that a natural release can take anywhere between 5 and 30 minutes in the unit, depending on the amount of food.
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The Practical Guide You’ve Always Wanted For Those Confusing Instant Pot Buttons And Settings
Your dreams have officially come true! You finally got that Instant Pot and its time to start whipping up a few delicious meals. Buthow, exactly, do you work this thing?
People rave about how easy and quick it is to use, but looking at all the Instant Pot buttons, it seems that only a genius could actually figure out what all of them mean. Which button do I choose for what? Whats the difference between the NormalMore and Less settings? And should I cook on Low Pressure or High Pressure?
These questions instantly come to mind, but dont sweat, we got you covered. Heres a full guide to all of your Instant Pots buttons. So make sure to bookmark this for later!
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What Do Npr And Qpr Mean
NPR stands for Natural Pressure release. QPR stands for Quick Pressure Release.
But theres a simpler way to remember all this. NPR means leave it the heck alone.QPR means to terrify the dogs and cats in your house by turning the valve to venting and having that huge hissing sound take over your kitchen.
When a recipe asks you to NPR, its basically saying let the pot sit undisturbed. In this case, you will do nothing except exercise patience, and wait until the float valve drops. At that point, you can open the lid safely and eat.
When a recipe asks you to QPR, you are expected to safely and carefully move the valve from SEALING to VENTING, forcing all the pressure out of the pot quickly. I find a long-handled wooden spurtle to be quite handy during this operation.
You definitely want your hands and face away from the steam valve. This is NOT a good time to try to get a facial.
It is also important to keep the steam away from cabinets. One thing that I find quite handy is a steam diverter.
The Instant Pot Is Taking Too Long To Start The Timer
Remember, Instant Pots take time to heat up. For pressure cooking and other modes, the Instant Pot will take a pretty significant amount of time, usually 10 to 15 minutes, to heat up and bring the pressure up to proper levels, and then start the timer. So when a recipe says pressure cook in Instant Pot for 5 minutes, you should always mentally add the extra time beforehand. If it still seems like its taking too long, check your settings carefully to make sure you are in the right mode.
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How Long Is Natural Release On Instant Pot
The instant pot natural release time differs greatly depending on what food you are cooking.
In many instant pot recipes, I find that 10 minutes seems to be the standard time.
BUT if you have an instant pot that is very full then expect a long time for natural pressure release. Such as our instant pot irish stew.
Or I find that the natural release time is similar to the time to pressure. Therefore, if you have a food that takes about 15 minutes to go to pressure then expect 15 minutes of natural pressure release.
Pressure Isnt Building In My Pot
This usually happens when the pressure release valve has been turned to open when you sealed the lid, but you didnt notice at the time so steam is just slowly leaking out of the pot as it tries to heat up. This isnt good for the food inside, and it keeps the pot from actually reaching the correct pressure levels.
The best solution for this is to get in the habit of always checking the pressure valve when you seal the lid. Just look and make sure its in the locked position before you select your pressure cooking setting.
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How Does Saute Mode Work
The Saute mode has three temperature ranges – Low, Normal and More. Depending on the model you have, you can switch between the 3 settings using the Adjust button or by pressing on the Saute button.
Once you turn it on, on whichever setting, it will display On. It will take a few minutes to come up to temperature. Once it does, it will display Hot.
If you add oil or your saute ingredients before it displays Hot, it will take a bit longer, since now it has to heat and bring the ingredients up to temperature too.
So, if youre looking to sear chicken or saute onions, set it to More setting and wait for it to display Hot.
How Much Water Do I Add
In the IP, you have to account for the water/juices released by meats or veggies, plus some condensation that will happen in your pot while cooking.
The extra water has no way to evaporate. In all my recipes, youll see that I add minimum water, depending on what Im cooking.
Size and type of veggies and meats also determine how much liquid youll end up with.
Check out some of my recipe videos on this site here to see how much water is really needed in different dishes.
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Unstable Inner Pot Interrupts Sauting Mode
Duo Evo Plus 9-in-1
Read this before buying this specific model of the Instant Pot. This is an issue that can greatly reduce your enjoyment of this otherwise wonderful product.
I bought the Instant Pot Duo Evo Plus 9-in-1 on Jan 6, 2020. I’ve used the pot seven times so far and whenever I’m sautéing, I frequently get Error Code C8 . I’m using the pot with the easy grip handles that came with it and I alway make sure that the pot is clean and seated properly before I use it.
When I reported this issue to Instant Pot Customer Service, heres the response that I received.
This error often occurs due to excess movement of the inner pot when stirring. We recommend gripping the inner pot firmly when stirring.
Instant Pot’s User Manual states that the Easy Grip Silicone Handles hold the inner pot in place while cooking. In no way am I doing anything that would cause what Instant Pot describes as excess movement of the inner pot!
Their response goes on to say*, We have done some testing on the Duo Evo Plus, and have found that the C8 error can be fixed. All you would have to do is unplug the unit for 30- 60 mins in order for the Instant Pot to cool. Once you plug it back in the error code will have cleared.*
If this recommended solution wasnt so sad, it would be laughable. If there is a design defect in the Duo Evo Plus 9-in-1, Instant Pot should own up to it and warn their customers.
This is very unfortunate as this is an otherwise well designed product.
Ways To Fix Instant Pot C8 Error
The Wonders of Instant Pot Cooking!
Instant Pots have become extremely popular lately and its no wonder.
They save time, save electricity costs, and replace many other kitchen appliances like a pressure cooker, slow cooker, and yoghurt machine. Thats why theyre often called a multi-cooker.
Instant Pots have an inner pot thats heated by an underlying element. This allows for slow cooking of casseroles, for example, and also fast, hot cooking to brown cuts of meat.
Theres a pressure cooker function to save you time when preparing cheaper, tougher cuts of meat too.
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