What Part Of Instant Pot Is Dishwasher Safe

Stainless Steel Inner Pot And Rack

The inner pot and the steam rack are made of food-grade stainless steel and are dishwasher safe. For the most part, you can clean the inner pot just as you would clean any stainless steel pot, whether thats in the dishwasher or by hand. If the inner pot develops surface water stains, a non-abrasive scouring cleaner made for cooking pots will bring back its shine.

You can also perform a quick cleaning of the inner pot by pouring in a cup of white vinegar, letting it soak for five minutes and then rinsing it out. Not only will the vinegar get rid of residue, it also helps remove stains. White vinegar is a natural disinfectant, cleaner and deodorizer, and it is an eco-friendly must-have for your kitchen.

How To Clean An Instant Pot Including The Small Parts You Might Be Skipping

Keep your pressure cooker performing at its best with these easy cleaning tips.

The pressure cooker is the superhero of kitchen appliances. It’s our go-to gadget for whipping up quick-and-easy weeknight meals and delicious desserts in record time. It can make yogurt, cook eggs, and perform a list of other surprising tricks that make our lives easier. This multifunctional appliance can pretty much do it all, but it needs regular upkeep to continue cooking at its best. Lucky for you, cleaning an Instant Pot is a fairly simple process. Because most of the componentsincluding the inner cooking pot, sealing ring, and lidare easily removable and washable, cleanup is easy. See our step-by-step instructions on the best way to clean an Instant Pot.

You Need To Replace The Sealing Ring On Your Instant Pot Regularly

The sealing ring is key to ensuring that your Instant Pot works the way it should. Miss Vickie writes that the sealing ring prevents pressure and liquid from escaping the cooking vessel and causing messes or even explosions. The sealing ring on an Instant Pot is made from silicone, which is ideally suited to the purpose because it’s heat resistant and flexible. Silicone’s pliability means that the sealing ring is less durable than the rest of the Instant Pot, which is made out of sturdy hard plastic and stainless steel. You want to avoid having a sealing ring fail on you in the middle of cooking, so it’s a good idea to replace it periodically.

The Food Network recommends that you buy a new sealing ring every year or so, replacing it more frequently if you’re a heavy Instant Pot user. Given how crucial the ring is to your pressure cooker’s functioning, it’s a good idea to keep an extra ring stashed away somewhere in case of disaster.

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How Do Instant Pots & Pressure Cookers Work

Instant Pots contain two main parts, the lid, and the main unit. Then there are other parts, such as the float valve, the sealing ring, the release hole, and the stainless steel insert.

The lid and the main unit are sealed shut once the ingredients have been added to the Instant Pot. Then, when the Instant Pot starts heating up, the liquid starts to heat up. When it comes to a boil it starts to produce steam.

Because the container is sealed shut, the steam has nowhere to escape this increase the pressure inside the vessel. The increased pressure increases the temperature at which water boils, this means that the water boiling inside the pressure cooker is boiling above 212 degrees Fahrenheit. If it wasnt for the increased pressure, the water would evaporate right away.

The increased pressure also forces the heat to penetrate the foods. This, in turn, causes anything inside the Instant Pot to cook much faster than it would otherwise.

Pressure cooking is very useful for those who live at high altitudes. You can read more about the benefits of high-altitude pressure cooking here.

Youre Only Using Water

You probably know that you need to add at least 18 fl oz. of liquid for the pressure cook mode to work properly, but you dont have to just use water. Any semi-clear liquid can be used instead. Trading out water for other liquids can add another dimension of flavor to your recipe.

Some good options are:

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Instant Pot Air Fryer Lid

The official Instant Pot Air Fryer lid that turns any existing 6 quart instant pot into an air fryer. One-touch presets allow you to get cooking fast, with up to 95% less oil than deep frying.

When you buy the Air Fryer lid, you also get some Instant Pot Accessories including a protective storage cover, a multi-level air fryer basket, and a broil/dehydrate tray.

The 6-in-1 accessory uses 1500W of power to allow you to air fry, broil, bake, roast, reheat, or dehydrate foods in your Instant Pot.

Please note, this Air Fryer Lid isn’t compatible with Instant Pots that have a ceramic inner pot.

Get the best price Instant Pot Air Fryer Lid in Canada from:

Clean The Float Valve

Next, clean the float valve.

This is the little button that goes up and down to let you know that it is pressurizing. To clean it, take the silicone piece off the float valve. Then, take the float valve off and clean it really well. If there is food or build up on the float valve, the pressure cooker wont pressurize correctly.

If you need to clean in the small areas of it, use a toothbrush to clean it really well!

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Place All Parts In The Dishwasher

The inner pot, the rack, the lid, the steam release and red float valve, the silicone sealing ring, and all the smaller components can be placed into the dishwasher on either rack and washed on a regular cycle.

Most Instant pot accessories can be washed in the dishwasher check the directions on each item to see if they are dishwasher proof.

How To Clean Burnt Instant Pot

If oops happened and you burnt food in your Instant Pot, one of the steps to remediate the error is to clean the pot and start over. To clean up bits and pieces of burnt food from the bottom of your stainless steel inner pot, plain old dish soap and cloth will not work. Here is how to clean burnt Instant Pot in 4 quick and easy steps:

Avoid scratches: Do not scrape the bottom of stainless steel pot with metal spoon or knife to prevent scratches.

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Safe To Use In Instant Pot

If youre still feeling uneasy about how safe it is to use Pyrex in your Instant Pot, here is a list of other acceptable accessories you can use in your Instant Pot.

• Glass canning jars are designed for pressure canning. Unless you have the Instant Pot Max model, you wont be using these jars to can in your Instant Pot. Many Instant Pot owners use canning jars to pressure cook successfully. They are glass, so they can break but they are created to withstand the pressure during canning. Check out the amazingly delicious Small Batch Instant Pot Lemon Curd by Julia at Imagelicious for her use of glass for pot-in-pot pressure cooking.
• Ceramic ramekins are used by many, although technically it can still break if there are any cracks/fissures.
• Quick Cooker Ceramic Pot by The Pampered Chef is made specifically for use with pressure cooking! Plus it comes with a silicone lid and a wire cradle to lift it out easily too!
• Silicone is safe to use inside the Instant Pot.
• Stainless steel is always a safe choice. You can find several stainless accessories to use here.
• Non-stick baking pans are also safe for pressure cooking. However, due to risks of chemicals leaching into foods and possibility of the coating flaking off into food, we avoid using these products now.
• Aluminum pans are also popular to use in the pressure cooker. Our family is stepping away from using aluminum products due to research about its correlation to Alzheimers disease.

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Clean The Base And The Rim

The cooker base, also known as the housing unit, is the outside covering or exterior pot of the Instant Pot. This part isnt dishwasher safe.

The base holds the microprocessor and the cooking heating element inside. Therefore, youll need to unplug it for your safety and that of the appliance.

Once its unplugged, remove the inner cooking pot and put it aside. Using a damp microfiber cleaning cloth and a cleaning solution, wipe the inside and outside of the housing unit. Dont use a dripping wet cloth too much water may damage the inside of the pot if the appliance is plugged in while still wet.

Food spills and food residue often get lodged in the exterior recessed rim.

Removing the debris using a damp cloth may be difficult. You can use a foam paintbrush or a pastry brush to clean the nooks and crannies of the rim.

When done, wipe the inside of the housing unit and the rim with a dry cloth. This will keep the unit dry and the rim rust-free.

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Get An Extra Sealing Ring

You can purchase an extra sealing ring and be more careful about how you use what you have. Reserve one ring for savory dishes and the other for sweet treats. Differentiating their usage means any odors that do stick will not leave an off-putting smell behind on your dishes.

Also consider replacing the sealing rings completely if you dont want to deal with lingering odors. Replacing the rings after every six months or so should be enough to keep them odor-free.

The Instant Pot Duo Is Often On Sale

The DUO is regularly on sale during major shopping days such as Black Friday, Cyber Monday and Prime Day. And if you stay vigilant, sometimes you can spot a deal out of the blue on any given day. Right now, for instance, . The 3- and 6-quart cookers are also on sale at Walmart:

Instant Pot DUO60 6-Quart 7-in-1 Programmable Cooker

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How To Clean An Instant Pot: Final Thoughts

The Instant Pot is an amazing kitchen appliance! It can cook food in much less time than an oven or air fryer. The secret to how fast it cooks food is a tight seal and steam. Thats why it is so important to keep your Instant Pot clean.

If you let it get dirty, not only will it stink and not be safe to use, but it wont seal properly and your recipes wont turn out right.

Just follow these easy tips to clean your Instant Pot. While some parts are dishwasher safe, its still very important to always remove that sealing ring.

Instant Pot Sealing Rings Odor

Ah! So this is the question we get asked a lot about Instant Pot Cleaning!

How to get rid of the Instant Pot Sealing Ring Odor?!

Easy Solution:White Vinegar many users like to soak the silicone sealing ring in white vinegar, then air dry it to get rid of the stinky smell.

Best Solution: Extra Silicone Sealing Rings we believe the best solution is to have 2 pairs of Sealing Rings 1 for Savory dishes, 1 for Sweet dishes. Then, you wont have to worry about the smell cross-contaminating between savory and sweet dishes!

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What Is An Instant Pot

Just to make sure everyones on the same page, lets take some time to talk about what the Instant Pot is. You can kind of think of an Instant Pot as a modernized pressure cooker.

One of the main reasons why home cooks are hesitant to use pressure cookers is safety. Handle a pressure cooker the wrong way and its contents could explode.

Youll be lucky if the result of that is just a messy kitchen floor. The Instant Pot addresses that concern by adding numerous safety features. As long as you follow the clear instructions, you should have no trouble successfully using this cooking device.

How To Deep Clean Parts Of Instant Pot

For deep cleaning the parts of instant pot, follow the steps below:

• Push the Anti-block shield from one side and check for any food residues. After cleaning and drying, push It back into its position.

• Pull the venting knob and install It back after washing and rinsing it.

• Slide the condensation collector out and drain any liquid If present. Wash and dry and slide It back.

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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.

Printed Or Hand Painted Glassware

The Spruce / Meg MacDonald

The techniques for commercial printing on glassware have improved but they are not always infallible in the dishwasher. That harsh detergent and the force of the water spray can remove the paint in just one or two washes.

And what good is a glass measuring cup with no lines?

Hand-painted glassware, even if the glass has been fired with heat, should never be placed in the dishwasher.

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Instant Pot Cleaning 101

InstaPottin with Poonam is a great place to discover new recipes and learn about caring for your Instant Pot. She and her team created this informative video on how to clean your cooker from top to bottom. Follow InstaPottin with Poonam on , and or search recipes on the website.

Randy Clark is a speaker, coach, and author. He publishes a weekly blog at Randy Clark Leadership.com. Randy is passionate about social media, leadership development, and flower gardening. Hes a beer geek and on weekends he can be found fronting the Rock & Roll band Under the Radar. Hes the proud father of two educators he has four amazing grandchildren and a wife who dedicates her time to helping others. Randy is the author of the Amazon bestseller The New Managers Workbook a crash course in effective management.

How To Clean Your Instapot Stainless Steel Liner

• Dampen the liner with warm water.
• Make a paste using Bar Keepers Friend and water.
• Use a soft cloth to apply the paste to the pan.
• Let it sit for one minute, DO NOT let the paste sit any longer.
• Rub the paste with a soft, non-abrasive cloth or sponge
• Wash with hot soapy water.
• Rinse and repeat as needed.

Washing of the liner after every use should keep it in good condition. You may notice that, over time, your liner is no longer shiny. This blueish discoloration occurs naturally in stainless steel and is caused by minerals in the foods you cook. The simple solution for making the liner shiny again is Bar Keepers Friend Soft Cleanser. Simply squirt the cleanser into the liner and spread it across the surface with a soft, non-abrasive sponge. Rinse and towel dry, then admire the shine.

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Instant Pots Vs Ninja Foodi

Instant Pot and Ninja Foodi are two of the biggest names in the multi-cooker world and are regularly compared to see which is best. Both brands create a wide number of appliances including everything from air fryers to blenders.

As you might expect, the larger and more feature-heavy appliances from Instant Pot and Ninja Foodi are more expensive, but generally speaking, Ninja models are normally more expensive in general.

Its also worth comparing how easy these machines are to clean. Ninja Foodi machines feature a cooking pot with a non-stick coating so you shouldnt need to scrub for hours to get rid of any food. Instant Pots have stainless steel pots but both of the brands pots can be placed in a dishwasher.

Weve compared these brands in detail, to find out which came out on top, read ourNinja Foodi vs Instant Pot feature.

Clean The Inside Base

The very first thing you should do is unplug your Instant Pot.

Never clean it when its plugged in, even if it is turned off!

Then, use a damp cloth to wipe down the inside of the base of the Instant Pot. There shouldnt very much here that is tough to clean. After you wash the base, turn it around and wipe the outside of the pot too.

Before you finish this step, use a dry cloth to remove all the water that your rag might have left behind.

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