What is an instant pot? This post will walk you through some of the basics of how to use an instant pot and give you a general overview of what an instant pot is, its uses and how it differs from a pressure cooker and an electric pressure cooker. We will talk about the types of instant pots and which one to buy with examples of what to cook in an instant pot pressure cooker. Hello! Instant pot recipes. So let's get started with answering the question what is a instant pot and why you need one.
Photo credit: instantpot.comTable of Contents
What is an Instant Pot?
An instant pot is an electric multi-cooker. It is one of the brands of multi cookers available in the market today albeit the most popular pressure cooker brand.
It is called a multi-cooker because it has multi functality. It is a pressure cooker, a slow cooker, a yoghurt maker, a rice cooker, steamer, sauté. It's an all in one appliance.
The brand instant pot is owned by a Canadian company. There are various other brands of multi-cookers in the market. These include Crockpot, Fabreware etc.
Parts of an instant pot
The Lid:
To open you turn lid counter clockwise. To close you turn it clockwise until the lid fins line up over the base handles.
The Sealing Ring:
This is removable and should be washed often. My instant pot came with two sealing rings one attached to the lid and a second one for extra. I bought more in different colors as extras.
An instant pot cooks under pressure so it has the tendency to transfer odors to food. Therefore It's advised to have two different sealing rings. One for savory dishes and the other for sweets.
I color coded mine. I use the reds for hot/spicy/ savory dishes like instant pot Mexican Rice, instant pot chicken etc while I use the blue and white for sweet dishes like my instant pot cheese cake.
If you need a spare instant pot sealing ring, you can buy one or two here.
Always make sure the sealing ring is well fitted behind the sealing ring rack.
Anti block Shield:
The anti block shield is removable and is found under the lid. It should be cleaned often since it prevents food particles from clogging the steam release pipe.
Note: It comes installed but the manual will instruct you to uninstall and reinstall to familiarize you with it. Follow the instructions in your manual to do so.
Steam Release handle
This is found at the top of the lid with the inscription Sealing and Venting on opposite sides of it.
'Sealing' means seal the cooker making it airtight, trapping steam and increasing pressure.
'Venting' means releasing the trapped steam by shifting the steam release handle to the venting position , there by decreasing pressure.
There are three ways to release pressure after cooking in an instant pot.
1. Natural Release. (NR)
The pressure cooker releases pressure on its own after cooking. The amount of food in the pressure cooker determines the length of time for natural release. It could range from 5 to 40 mins.
2. Quick Release. (QR)
For quick release, you turn the steam release straight to the venting position as soon as the cooking cycle is complete.
3. Combination Release
This way you combine both release methods. Depending on the recipe, you can let the pressure cooker naturally release for a set time then you quick release.
Float Valve:
The float valve is an indicator that lets you know when it's safe to open your instant pot after cooking.
When it's UP, the instant pot is pressurized, DO NOT OPEN. When it's down, the instant pot is depressurized and safe to open.
Note: It comes installed but the manual will instruct you to uninstall and reinstall to familiarize you with it. Follow the instructions in your manual to do so.
The inner pot:
This is the pot in which all your cooking is done. Yuu can't cook without the inner pot.
The inner pot has two full indicator lines the ½ and ⅔ marks. This is helpful when making various instant pot recipes.
When cooking dry foods that have the tendency to expand during cooking such as beans or rice. The best practice would be to fill it to the ½ mark. This gives the food in the instant pot room for expansion.
When cooking foods that generally stay the same and are unlikely to bubble over like meats, you can fill up to the ⅔ full level.
Photo credit: instantpot.comThe cooker base:
The Cooker base houses the inner pot. See illustration above. It's also where the display panel is located. You shouldn't cook in the instant pot cooker base.
The display panel:
This is located at the front of the instant pot Base. That where the LCD display of your appliance is located. All the controls buttons are also found there.
What accessories come in the box of your instant pot.
- A Soup spoon
- A rice laddle
- Mini mitts
- A measuring cup
- A detachable power cord
- Steam rack with handles
- 2 sealing rings (one attached to the lid and the other an extra)
- A safety, maintenance and warranty booklet
- A getting started guide
How to use your instant pot.
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When your new instant pot arrives, it's time to unbox it and get to know your new and soon to be best friend by reading the manual.
I have found this video course helpful for beginners and intermediate instant pot users alike. Grab the course here and use the code CUGURU5 to get $5 off your purchase.
Instant pot Water Test
Then comes the instant pot water test. What is the water test? This is a test done to check the functionality of the instant pot. It tests the ability of the instant pot to pressurize and depressurize effectively.
How to do the instant pot water test
1. Fit your inner ring firmly onto the lid of your instant pot making sure it fits snugly into the groove.
2. Fix the Anti block shield by firmly pushing it into the lid.
3. Attach the electric cord to the cooker base, then plug the other end into a electric outlet.
4. Fit the inner pot into the cooker base. Pour 3 cups of water into the inner pot.
5. Cover the instant pot with the lid. Turn the steam release valve to the sealing position. Clip on the condensation catcher
6. Press the pressure cook button. Press the +/- button to set the timer to 5 mins. The display will show ON. This means the cooker is preheating mode.
7. Pay attention to the float valve. When the instant pot has built up pressure. The pin in the valve will be up. Do not open instant pot when the float valve is up.
8. After cooking cycle is completed, cooker automatically goes to keep warm mode. Turn off.
9. Turn the steam release valve to venting position for a quick release.
10. After quick release, pay attention to the float valve. When it's down, then it's safe to open the lid.
What to use an instant pot for
Personally I use my instant pot for a lot of recipes these days. One thing you need to note is that the instant pot is not made for crispy recipes like fries, chicken nuggets etc that is for an air fryer.
The instant pot is for recipes that should be moist like cheese cake, roasted chicken, rice, soups and stews.
- I like to use it to make beans, like in my instant pot black eyed peas recipes.
- I like to use the rice cooker function to cook my rice. Either plain instant pot rice or my instant pot Mexican rice.
- I can't do without my instant pot pressure cooker when cooking cow foot or oxtail.
- Making yoghurt in an instant pot is fun.
- Steaming veggies like broccoli and cauliflower in the instant pot is a must try.
- When I boil or steam eggs, my instant pot is very helpful.
After all this info I know you may still wonder if it's worth it to buy an instant pot.
Is an instant pot worth it?
To answer this I would say it depends on your cooking goals and the space you have in your kitchen.
What is the difference between an instant pot and a pressure cooker?
An instant pot is a multi cooker that has multiple cooking functions of which pressure cooking is one of them. A pressure cooker has the single function of pressure cooking.
What is the best instant pot to buy?
The first thing you need to do is decide the capacity you want or need. This will depend on the number of people you would cooking for.
The instant pot has 3 sizes, the 3 Qt, 6 Qt and 8 Qt. The 3 Qt will be ideal for a new couple or a student. The 6 Qt is ideal for a family of 4 - 6 people while the 8 Qt will be ideal for a family of 6 - 8 people.
Suggested instant pot
* Buy any instant pot of your choice here. Don't forget to use CUGURU10 at checkout to get 10% off your entire purchase.
Do you have an instant pot pressure cooker? What was the first meal you made in it. I am curious 😊 please leave me a comment and don't forget to share this guide with family and friends and in your favorite Facebook group.
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