What To Do When Instant Pot Says Burn
Here are 6 steps to follow when your Instant Pot says Burn:
Your Ingredients Do Not Have Enough Liquid
This is another widespread cause of the burning sign in a number of electric pressure cooker. The burn sign can also be triggered if there is an absence of enough liquid inside your ingredients. This is automatically received that your food is burning and as such, it wont cook properly due to no steam. However, in this case also all you have to do is release the pressure, add some more liquid and begin preparing again. As simple as that!
What To Do When The Instant Pot Says Burn
We remember the first few times we panicked only to realize that our food actually didnt burn. Here is what we recommend doing.
- Cancel the program
- Release the pressure manually
- Open the lid and scrape of the food particles stuck at the bottom of the pot
- Remove food in another container
- Clean the pot thoroughly
- Put the food back into the container with extra liquid this time and cook it again.
- Use tested recipes. We can’t emphasize enough how many times we test our recipes before we share the final recipe on the blog with you. We make our mistakes, learn from then and fix the mistakes so that you don’t have to make those mistakes.
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How To Save A Dish That Gets A Burn Message
Once the overheat protection setting is triggered, the machine will shut off, cool itself down and start up again. The good news is no matter what youre making, you can fix it. Your best bet is to cancel the program, quickly release the steam, then remove the inner pot. Take a look at your food and remove anything that looks scorched or burnt. Check to make sure there isnt anything on the heating element and that the machine is working properly, then add some extra liquid and get cooking again. Here are other Instant Pot mistakes you can avoid, too.
Instant Pot Burn Error
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Published: by Paint the Kitchen Red |
The Instant Pot burn error is a common problem that many Instant Pot users come across, so youre not alone! Find out why youre getting the burn message, how to avoid the problem in the future, and what to do when the Instant Pot says Burn, and in the process, save dinner. See special instructions at the bottom to find out how to deglaze your inner pot and clean the burnt food easily.
If youre new to the Instant Pot and arent familiar with how to use it, here are my guides on how to use some popular Instant Pot models:
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Steam Escaping Via Sealing Ring
When the silicone sealing ring on the instant pot lid is not properly installed, steam may escape when the pressure cooking mode is on.
To function properly, a pressure cooker must be properly sealed to prevent steam from escaping.
Any issue with the sealing ring will cause a lot of cooking steam to escape so basically, there wont be enough liquid in the pot. Without any liquid, the food inside may start to get dry and this might trigger the burn warning.
Common causes of steam escaping through the sealing ring include a broken or damaged ring, lid not properly closed, food debris stuck on the sealing ring, thus preventing the ring from closing properly, and you might have forgotten to install the sealing ring back after cleaning.
Solution:
How To Finish Cooking After The Burn Notice
Finishing your meal after a burn notice will depend on where you were in the cooking process and the ingredients.
TIP: If you get the burn notice while cooking any ingredients that contain thickeners , you will likely get the burn notice again if you try to pressure cook it. In these instances, I recommend using Sauté mode to finish your meal. Stir constantly like you would when cooking on the stove.It will take longer to finish but will be much quicker than getting the burn notice multiple times.
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What Does Burn Message Mean On My Instant Pot
If you see burn display on your Instant Pot, do not panic. The IP detected a high temperature at the bottom of the stainless steel insert and because this appliance has a burn-protection sensor, it turned off heating of the pot which means it stopped cooking. This is a very smart feature and it will prevent your whole dish from burning and smoking up your kitchen, as it would happen in a regular saucepan or pot on the stove.
What Cause The Burn Message
Now you know why it says burn, but what causes it? There are some recipes that are prone to this message.
- Any recipe with thick sauce
- Pasta dishes
- Chili
- Tomato based dishes
It is caused because the liquid is too thick or there are pieces that are actually burning. What should you do next? Dont freak out, follow a few simple steps.
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Restart Pressure Cooking Process
Place ingredients back into the cleaned & dried inner pot. Dilute the cooking liquid until consistency is thin. Resume the pressure cooking & adjust the pressure cooking time accordingly.
*Pro Tip: For reference add 1 2 cups of thin cooking liquid please adjust this amount accordingly to the type of food youre cooking & the burnt situation.
What To Do If You Get A Burn Notice While Cooking
First, see if the key elements of the machine are in working order. Make sure that theres nothing caught between the pot and the burner. Check the silicone ring make sure that it didnt fall out of place. Check the floating valve make sure that its clean and moving freely. Check the steam-release switch is it in the right position for your job? If any of these is out of whack, the machine will just continue to try and build pressure, heating the contents until there isnt enough liquid and it gets too hot, which trips the sensorand then its burn notice oclock.
If all your gear looks right, check your food. You probably either scorched something on the bottom of the pot when sautéing before sealing or dont have enough liquid in the pot.
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What Does Instant Pot Food Burn Message Mean
The Instant Pot burn message is part of the built-in safety measures that help prevent the unit from overheating and causing for to burn.
This message usually occurs during the middle of a cooking cycle, which can be frustrating and lead to delays because the unit will stop cooking once this message is displayed.
Lets take a look at some of the most common reasons for the food burn Instant Pot message, and then Ill give you some tips for how to proceed when the Instant Pot says burn!
Recipe Contains Tomato Products Or Prepared Sauces
Recipes containing products like tomato paste, tomato puree, tomato sauce, cream of chicken, cream of mushroom and alfredo sauce tend to scorch on the bottom while the Instant Pot is coming to pressure.
These ingredients are not thin enough to build steam and some contain fillers like corn starch, flour or cheese which tend to scorch. I see lots of complaints about chili recipes and pasta sauces causing the burn notice.
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How To Do A Water Test
If the water test fails, you should file a support ticket with Instant Pot support.
I hope this article has helped you learn about the burn message and how you can avoid it and fix the problem. Please share on social media using the links at the top and bottom of this article. Thanks so much!
How Does Overheat Protection Work
The thermal sensors in the Instant Pot automatically monitor and adjust the pressure cookers temperature inside, earning the Instant Pot its popular set it and forget it reputation. It also allows the appliance to recognise when anything is about to burn and turn off the heat before it does.
The inner pot can reach temperatures much beyond the boiling point of water when under pressure, so its critical that things dont become too hot. The goal of the Overheat Protection feature is to protect both your supper and the cooker itself. When the temperature sensor senses too hot temperature, it shuts down and Burn message appears. Once things cool down enough , the heating element will turn back on and try to complete the cooking cycle. If things get too hot again, Instant Pot will try 5 more times before shutting off for good.
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Not Enough Liquid In The Pot
This is perhaps the biggest cause of a burn message on instant pot.
A pressure cooker needs an adequate amount of liquid in order to generate enough steam and come to pressure.
When the amount of liquid in the pot is not enough, the pressure cooker is therefore unable to generate steam and thus causes the bottom temperature at the bottom of the instant pot to rise instantly.
When the bottom of the instant pot becomes too hot, the burn warning on the pot is instantly triggered.
Typically, Instant Pot requires a 1 cup of liquid. This is usually enough to generate enough steam for cooking various recipes. However, there are certain recipes or ingredients that may require more liquid- otherwise, a burn message is triggered.
For example, food recipes containing high amounts of starch can trigger the instant pot burn message. These may include rice and pasta. These foods typically absorb liquids fast and are generally sticky so youre bound to get the warning if your recipe contains these two ingredients.
Solution:
I recommend using proven instant pot recipes to ensure that 1 cup is
Another problem is that most recipes are created using the most popular instant pot size- the 6-quart port. So if youre still going to add the same amount of liquid in a 6 quart port as you would an 8-quart port, you might end up getting the burn message.
Help Why Does My Instant Pot Say Burn
When I got my Instant Pot I was so excited to get started.
I mean, its this magical appliance where I put all my ingredients in, press a button, and in like 10 minutes, I have a delicious meal, right?
Well.
I put all my ingredients in, I pushed the button, and then a few minutes later, my Instant Pot said: burn.
What the heck? Thats not how this thing is supposed to work!
So I started investigating
And I found the four major reasons that an Instant Pot says burn.
Spoiler alert It doesnt always mean your food is burning!
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Food Is Stuck To The Bottom Of Your Instant Pot
This is the first thing that made my Instant Pot say burn.
I had put my ingredients in, and the chicken got stuck to the bottom of my Instant Pot.
So my Instant Pot said burn but clearly nothing was burning
Thankfully I found a super simple fix that you can use if theres food stuck to the bottom of your Instant Pot.
First, youre going to cancel cooking and release pressure.
Then you use a wooden spatula to scrape the bottom of the Instant Pot.
Then you restart cooking.
Simple as that!
How To Avoid A Burn Message Tips And Tricks To Avoid A Burn Message
- Add enough liquid pressure cookers work by creating steam inside the pot. If there is not sufficient water , the steam wont build and the food will stick to the bottom and dry up.
- Vent positions if the recipe calls for the vent to be in sealed position and you accidentally left it on venting, this will cause all the water to escape out again leave the food dry which will stick to the bottom of the pan.
- Sealing ring if the sealing ring is not properly installed, this will cause the steam to escape out again causing the food to stick to the bottom of the pot.
- Deglaze pot before pressure cooking some recipes call for a quick sauté before pressure cooking. It’s important to scrape off the bottom of the pot gently to remove any food particles stuck to the bottom.
- Layering ingredients Adding liquids to the inner pot first is always a good ideas. Then add the other ingredients and do not stir or mix, this keeps things from sticking to the bottom of the pot.
- Pot in Pot if you are making sauces etc, using an oven safe container and place it on a steam rack to make your food.
- Grease the bottom of inner pot Spraying oil or butter may help prevent the food from sticking.
Burnt Vermicelli Noodles in Instant Pot
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Recipe Was Tested With An Older Instant Pot Model
If youre following a recipe youve found in a cookbook or on the internet, you could be getting the burn message because that recipe was developed using an older Instant Pot model which didnt have the burn error as a safety feature.
Back in the old days of when the Instant Pot was first introduced, if there was an overheat condition, the Instant Pot would countdown as though it were pressure cooking even though the float valve wasnt up and the Instant Pot hadnt sealed.
Solution: Get To Know Your Instant Pot And When In Doubt Add Extra Water/thin Liquid If You Feel Your Pot Is Going To Need It
After being an Instant Pot owner for a few years now, this particular issue can be tricky, because what works in my pot might not work perfectly for yours. I want to be able to tell everyone EXACTLY how much liquid to use, but for a small percentage of you, it might need to be trial and error. So when in doubt, add the extra liquid the first time around and see how it goes.
Also, looking for tried and true recipes that have good reviews or are shared in Instant Pot groups is always a good idea!
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Does Using The Saut Function Make The Instant Pot Say Burn
Using the sauté function shouldnt mean that you get a burn notice on Instant Pot. That being said, if you are using the sauté function and then pressure cooking directly after, this may be the culprit. Make sure to remove your meat and deglaze the pot before switching into pressure cooking mode.
Any time you have something that is browning on the bottom of the inner pot there is a potential for a burn notice. Avoid this problem altogether by making sure you clear the bottom of the pot of any charred bits or burnt on residue before pressure cooking.
Not Enough Liquid In Your Instant Pot
The next time my Instant Pot said burn, it was because there wasnt enough liquid in my Instant Pot.
See, you need liquid to make sure that your Instant Pot has enough to come to pressure.
And even if you add liquid, you may not have enough.
Especially if you are cooking foods that typically absorb liquid!
Thankfully, theres a super easy fix for this one too.
First, you cancel cooking and release pressure.
Then you add more liquid.
Then you can start cooking again.
And thats it. I told you its super easy!
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Instant Pot Too Hot After Sauting
If you have just sautéed some meats or onions, your inner pot will be very hot. You can reduce the chances of the Instant Pot burn message by letting it cool down before you start the pressure-cooking phase.
Often people will move quickly between sauté and pressure cookinglet it cool and you should see less error messages.
Why Your Instant Pot Is Getting The Burn Error And How To Fix It Easily
Networking with other people, both on- and offline, has given me the answers to a bunch of different questions regarding these machines. Down below I have gathered the things that may cause your Instant Pot to display the burn error code and how to solve them.
#1 Not Enough Liquid
Instant Pots and Pressure Cookers both work by building up steam pressure. When the liquid inside the sealed cooker starts boiling, steam is produced. The cooker doesnt provide an escape route for the steam which causes the pressure inside the cooker to increase. This cannot be done without liquid.
Without liquid, the food at the bottom of the Instant Pot will scorch and stick to the inner pot.
SOLUTION: If this happens to be the reason why youre getting the burn message, well, then youre just two cups of water away from solving it.
The easiest way to solve this issue is to make sure to add at least the minimum amount of water required every single time which is 1 cup in the case of the Instant Pot, according to the companies Facebook Page. Of course, the amount of water required depends on what youre cooking some foods absorb more water than others and, therefore, they require more liquid.
Wine, broth, beer and other liquids of the same viscosity counts toward the liquid limit. Sauces or liquids that are thicker than the options above are too dense and dont count towards the minimum amount of liquid. Foods such as vegetables release liquids when cooked, this liquid also counts.
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