This is the one place to find all the answers to your questions about the Instant Pot. Click through and learn all the Instant Pot Basics you need to know.
Don’t be intimated by your Instant Pot. This is going to quickly become your favorite kitchen gadget. Here in this guide, I compiled all the resources and answers to all your questions.
Click around and explore all the articles. This is everything you will ever need to know about your Instant Pot.
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You can make just about anything in your Instant Pot. Whether you need help with the accessories, the settings, or just want some recipe ideas, I’m here to help.
Introduction
I probably use my Instant Pot more than any other appliance in my kitchen. Once you grow comfortable using it, you’ll rely on it for your meals too.
This post will cover all your Instant Pot basics. Whether you are a brand new owner of an Instant Pot or just want to learn more about how to use it, this guide will teach you everything you need to know.
What Is an Instant Pot
The Instant Pot is a pressure cooker that can also work as a slow-cooker, rice cooker, and even yogurt maker. There is a reason they are also called a multicooker – they can cook just about anything.
It can easily replace many of your kitchen appliances and become the one thing you use for almost all of your recipes.
The Instant Pot works by using steam under pressure to cook your food faster. Basically, the temperature becomes higher than the boiling point of water since the steam can’t escape. This is how the steam is able to cook the food quicker than traditional stovetop or oven cooking.
Get To Know The Instant Pot
Before you begin cooking with it, this is what you need to know about the settings and how to set it up.
- Which Instant Pot To Buy – Learn how to choose the best Instant Pot for your lifestyle.
- Initial Water Test Run Set Up – Follow these tips before you use the Instant Pot. Learn what the water test is and how to do it before you make your first recipe.
- Program Keys and Settings – Read through this guide and learn what all the buttons and settings do and how to use them.
- Instant Pot Vocabulary – There are lots of acronyms and lingo that goes along with using it. Refer to this post when you feel lost or confused.
- The Lid and Accessories – Familiarize yourself with the lid on the Instant Pot and what the different pieces are.
Easy Recipes
After you get to know your Instant Pot and set it up, you are ready to begin using it to make your favorite recipes.
I compiled all of my favorite recipes in my cookbook, The Essential Indian Instant Pot Cookbook. There are 75 recipes here for every meal of the day. I share everything from contemporary recipes to my Indian favorites.
Here are some more of my family’s favorite recipes that you can find right here on my blog.
Indian Instant Pot Recipes
Instant Pot Pasta Recipes
Instant Pot Dessert Recipes
Frequently Asked Questions
Browse this list of questions and you might find something you are wondering, too. These are the most common questions I have received about the Instant Pot.
“BURN” is a warning that appears on newer models. This is a sign the Instant Pot is being overheated because the bottom of the pot is getting dry, cause it to be unable to build pressure.
The best way to prevent the “BURN” warning is to read the recipe and get all your ingredients ready before you start cooking with your Instant Pot. If you aren’t ready for the next step in the recipe, the liquids tend to evaporate and the Instant Pot won’t build pressure.
Carefully open the Instant Pot by turning the Pressure Release to Venting and make sure the float valve is dropped. In case of minor burning at the bottom of the pot, deglaze by stirring well with a wooden spoon, nudging any browned bits from the pot bottom.
Add more liquid if needed and continue pressure cooking again. If there is a lot of food stuck at the bottom, you might want to empty the pot completely, soak and clean it and start the recipe over with more thin liquids.
Yes, you do need to do a water test before you start cooking with your new Instant Pot.
The water test is recommended by the Instant Pot company. It’s an initial test run to make sure your pressure cooker is working as expected before you start cooking with it.
To double any recipe, double the ingredients and increase the time of the initial saute, if needed. It will take longer for the Instant Pot to build pressure, but the actual pressure-cooking time stays the same.
Do not overfill your Instant Pot when you double a recipe. Always deglaze the bottom of the pot to avoid sticking and burning, which will prevent the Instant Pot from coming to pressure.
The Instant Pot manual recommends you add 1 cup of water for the 6-quart Instant Pot to come to pressure. Depending on the ingredients you used, some recipes can use less water than that.
Chicken and lamb should be patted dry before cooking or marinating. Any excess liquid could throw off the recipe by turning your dish mushy or watery.
Depending on the cut of meat, the final dish may have excess liquid. Curries will thicken as they cool down. If you like your dish with a thicker sauce, cook it on the Sauté setting, uncovered, for a few minutes. Beans and lentils will thicken quite a bit as they cool down. Mash some of the cooked beans with a potato masher for a thicker, creamier consistency.
This refers to an Instant Pot method for cooking cheesecakes, bread puddings, and frittatas—items that do not have a lot of liquid—or for cooking multiple dishes at the same time.
There are two ways to do this: you can either pour water into the main stainless-steel pot and place the pan over the top to cook the dish. Or, you can cook the oof in the bottom of the main stainless-steel pot and insert a tall steam rack and place a bowl on top to cook another part of the dish.