If you’re the lucky owner of a versatile Instant Pot pressure cooker, you know how useful these kitchen gadgets are. Instant pots can take up the space of multiple appliances, saving you both money and the kitchen workspace. But there are times when versatile devices are a bit complicated to use and what is available to you with all the different settings and functions. We’ve rounded up some of the top Instant Pot user tips and tricks that will demystify your kitchen gadget. Here are 1
1. Use at least 1/2 cup of liquid for pressure cooking
A pressure cooker uses steam to build up the pressure that will eventually cook the food. To create this pressure, the inner pot must contain at least 1/2 to 1 cup of liquid. This is the only way to pressurize the device, and it’s an important tip to keep in mind when using the pressure cooker setting on your Instant Pot.
2. Use multiple buttons while cooking
Don’t think that you only have to use one button in each cooking session. You can start with the Saute button to help caramelize the onions at the beginning of the cooking process, and then use the Manual Printing button when it’s time to add vegetable and meat ingredients. Once the food is ready to be eaten, you can keep the pot on Keep Warm until all family members can eat together.
3. Adjust the temperature
You may think that once you have selected a cooking function, however, you can actually set the temperature using the Saute or Slow Cooker functions. This will help you get the perfect cooking temperature that is specifically tailored to your dish. Some dishes may require a slightly higher temperature, while other dishes may require you to reduce the heat.
4. Add 10-15 minutes when printing
The Instant Pot takes about 10 minutes to build up the required pressure in the inner pot. Whenever you use the Manual or Pressure button to cook, you will need to add around 10 to 15 minutes of cooking time to get enough pressure on the appliance. For example, if your rice dish recipe mentions 30 minutes of cooking time, you actually want to enter 40 or 45 minutes on the device.
5. Never open the Instant Pot in manual mode or pressure mode.
Although the Instant Pot is a very safe kitchen appliance, you should follow standard safety measures in manual or pressure mode. If you choose one of these modes, make sure the pressure valve is set to Sealing. This will help seal the pressure in the appliance while the cooking process continues. After selecting the mode, you only have 10 seconds to press Cancel and stop cooking. Once those 10 seconds are up, don’t try to open the lid! The Instant Pot is pretty difficult to open in these modes anyway but make sure you don’t try.
6. Change the inner pot
The Instant Pot comes with an inner pot that you can use to cook your food. However, many Instant Pot owners are happy to have multiple inner pots at their disposal. In this way, you can prepare several dishes in one cooking process and make storage easier. There are also a variety of Instant Pot accessories such as B. Steamers and silicone molds, which you can use to prepare a wide variety of dishes in your Instant Pot.
7. Buy additional sealing rings
You should purchase a set of additional O-rings that include a savory ring and a dessert ring. This is because the sealing rings have a tendency to cling to the smells of previously cooked dishes, and you don’t want the beef broth you cooked yesterday to enter the delicious cheesecake you’re making today.
8. Be careful with the dairy
Although many instant pots contain a yogurt function (which works really well), this device doesn’t always cook creamy and cheesy sauces. This is because milk can scald or curdle quickly, and cheese can become watery and even solidify. If you’re using dairy to make a creamy or cheesy recipe, add the dairy ingredients after the pressure cooking is complete. That way, you’ll be left with a creamier dish that isn’t watery and curdled.
9. Be ready to thicken
One thing the Instant Pot does really well is storing liquid. Don’t expect to lose a lot of fluids or moisture when using an instant pot. However, this can actually lead to a negative outcome if you end up with dishes with a little too much liquid. When this happens add some cornstarch mixed with water to make the bowl stronger. Make sure you add the thickener after the cooking process and not at the beginning. This is because the cornstarch or other thickening agent can actually interfere with the steam created by the Instant Pot, and there are times when you have a bowl that is thick in some ways and watery in others.
10. Use the dishwasher
Most parts of the Instant Pot, including the inner pot and the steam rest, can be cleaned in the dishwasher, making the cleaning process very straightforward and time-saving. The outside of the Instant Pot can easily be wiped with a damp cloth. Remember the lid needs to be hand-washed, but hey, you can hand wash part of it, right?
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