How to Use an Instant Pot: 10 Beginner Tips to Turn IRON CHEF FAST (2024)

Pinterest | Facebook

Disclosure: Opinions expressed are our own. If you buy something through any of our affiliate links on this page, we may earn a commission at no extra cost to you. Thanks for supporting our site.

Recommended resources

• My new favorite kitchen countertop appliance*
• A tempered glass lid* to witness your kitchen skills coming to fruition
• Fancy yet functional, heavy duty gloves* so you don't burn your hands admiring your new iron chef-like skills
• Another inner pot* since I have a feeling you'll do a lot more cooking with this thing after these tips to get your cooking rollin'

And don't forget to check out this list of top recommended instant pot accessories by the best Instant pot cooks on the web.

Benefits of an instant pot

If you have not yet joined the instant pot craze, here are a few reasons why everyone needs one.

1. The instant pot helps you regain your counter space.

Declutter your kitchen with the instant pot since it does the job of 7+ other clunky appliances, including a slow cooker, rice cooker, pressure cooker, yogurt maker, steamer, sauting/browner, and warmer.

2. Meals are so much more convenient with an instant pot.

Whereas a slow cooker can take hours to marinate and seep up the flavors of your recipe, an electric pressure cooker like the instant pot can cut down the cooking time by as much as 70%!

3. The instant pot saves you money.

Appliances are notorious for using massive amounts of heat. Cooking in an instant pot versus a traditional oven saves energy in 2 ways: you’re cutting down the cubic volume of space that needs to be heated and the amount of time that the heat is used.

4. The instant pot makes food safer.

Foods cooked in an instant pot are done so at a temperature higher than the boiling point of water, which means 99.9% of nasty bacteria and viruses that could get you sick are obliterated.

5. The instant pot is affordable.

If you bought each of the 7 appliances that the instant pot functions as separately, you’d easily spend hundreds. You’d think something like this would cost an arm and a leg. But good news, if you check on Amazon.com today, you’ll see that it’s not $250 or even $150, no, it’s only…well, you actually have to go check the price of the instant pot* because it changes. But at under $100 for something that’ll totally transform your cooking, it’s definitely a steal.

The tip you CANNOT skip

Reading the manual.

As excited as you may be when you get your instant pot, there are a lot of buttons and functions of your instant pot that you might not be familiar with. The best thing you can do is read the manual.

That aside, let’s go over some other tips you should be aware of to make the most of your instant pot.

Do the instant pot water test

Don’t worry, you’re not getting graded. It’s just a way to help you get acquainted with your new appliance and to make sure that the pressure part is working properly.

Here’s a quick 1-minute video to walk you through it (text instructions so you don’t need to turn up the audio). (via Pressure Cook Recipes)

Know your instant pot buttons

In case you didn’t notice, the thing has buttons galore. Here’s a post that goes over what all those buttons mean.

If you’re pressed for time (hehe), here are the 3 main buttons to know:

• Manual or Pressure Cook: older models have the manual button whereas newer ones have the pressure cook button. They both turn the instant pot pressure cooker on.
• Saute: Adjust this to simmer (less), saute (normal) or browing (more). Check out my instant pot hacks on how to use this button to cut down your cooking time.
• Keep Warm/Cancel: Stop a function or turn off your instant pot.

(via Pressure Cooking Today)

Understand the difference between natural release vs quick release

Natural release is usually for recipes that contain more liquid and that you want more tender. It can take anywhere from 5-30 minutes longer for the pressure to release than in the quick mode since your instant pot does it gradually.

Pro tip: For some recipes, you should be able to leave the natural release for 10 minutes before you do a manual quick release if you don’t want to wait the full time for the natural release.

Quick release is when you manually switch the valve to depressurize and are more for foods that cook quickly, like veggies or pastas.

Pro tip: Since you’re relieving the pressure quickly, make sure to aim the vent away from you and others for safety reasons and your kitchen cabinets to preserve them and prevent unnecessary damage. (via Pressure Cooking Today)

Be careful with the amount of liquid you add to your recipes

A general rule of thumb is to have half a cup of water when you use the pressure cooker. Remember, you don’t need as much water as if you were cooking on a stovetop (or else your food will be bland/soggy), but you also need to make sure to have at least a little bit of liquid in there for the pressure cooker to do its magic cooking thing.

Also important to note, liquid doesn’t only refer to water. Sauces, marinades and other liquids will also count for this.

Account for instant pot prep time

Instant pot recipes count the cook time as the actual time your food is being cooked in the pot. But, it does take a few minutes for the instant pot to reach the temperature and pressure to start its cooking, so keep that in mind. If your recipe says 15 minutes in the instant pot, add another 10-20 minutes for the warm up and cool down. (via Once a Month Meals)

Pro tip: Use the time it takes for the instant pot to warm up to take care of some of your meal prep.

Try easy recipes

All Food Network stars start from scratch. Try your hand at these simple, delicious, and healthy recipes to ease yourself in with your instant pot. Narrating as you're doing it is optional.

Don’t fill your instant pot to the brim.

This is mainly for foods that expand, like pasta or rice. Avoid that clean up on aisle 9, not that I know this from firsthand experience...(ahem)

Know how to clean your instant pot properly.

Keep the machine clean so it’s ready to go whenever you need it, which is going to be often once you get the hang of it.

One handy tip is to have an extra set of sealing rings*. Because the flavors of your food will absorb into the rings, it's best to have at least one for sweet recipes and a separate for savory fare.

This post goes into full detail on how to clean your instant pot (with pictures!). It’ll be good to know what is and isn’t dishwasher safe and make clean up a cinch. (via Pressure Cook Recipes)

Experiment!

The best way to learn with the instant pot is to try it yourself! As detailed as any recipe may be, your results will always be different. In fact, it'll actually be helpful for you to keep a log of what works and doesn’t work so you can make tweaks and get better at it every time.

Continue Reading: