Wondering how to use an instant pot or electric pressure cooker? This Getting Started Guide is for you!
Earlier this week, the weather was in the high 90s here in New Hampshire and the heat index was 105. Since our cottage isn't well insulated and we don't have central air, turning on our oven or stove can result in a really hot cottage.
When it gets hot here, we rely on our Instant Pot to help us get dinner on the table without breaking a sweat…literally. And since I figured many of you would find yourself in this same predicament, I decided to create the Ultimate Guide to Using Your Instant Pot or Electric Pressure Cooker Without Fear!
I love my Instant Pot Electric Pressure Cooker, but I'd be lying if I told you I've always felt this way. I bought an Instant Pot when everyone started raving about them, but it sat in the box for almost 6 months because I was too scared to try it. Now, we use our Instant Pot at least a few times a week…and sometimes even more frequently!
The instant pot, or electric pressure cooker, is an appliance that has been gaining a lot of attention lately. With the instant pot you can cook your food in as little as 10 minutes! We'll show you how to use it and all its functions so that you can get cooking fast.
This blog post will help explain everything about instant pots and electric pressure cookers: what they are, their benefits, how to use them properly, safety precautions to take when using one—and more!
What Is An Electric Pressure Cooker?
If you were to ask someone who owns an electric pressure cooker, “What is an electric pressure cooker?”, you'll probably get an answer like “it’s like a slow cooker, but much faster!” — and while that may seem like a weird answer, it's totally true. While it can be a bit more intimidating than a slow cooker, the benefits (and time saved!) are so worth it that you’ll want to use your cooker every single day.
What's the Difference Between an Instant Pot and Electric Pressure Cooker?
Instant Pot is the name of an electric pressure cooker that has a lot of features. Instant Pot offers different models and styles for instant pots so they can meet your needs. Most Instant Pots (and some other brands of electric pressure cookers) can more accurately be described as multicookers.
Multicookers are kitchen appliances that can serve multiple purposes. Many of them function as rice cookers and slow cookers in addition to working as an electric pressure cooker.
While Instant Pots are awesome for those who are great at cooking, they're a game changer for those who are just learning to cook or those who need some serious help in the kitchen!
Electric pressure cookers deliver flavorful food in a flash. Plus, there are tons of free recipes online! You can even take your favorite slow cooker recipes and convert them into electric pressure cooker recipes.
Throughout this blog post, I will be using Instant Pot and Electric Pressure Cooker interchangeably!
Why do I need an electric pressure cooker?
For starters, using an Instant Pot can cut down your cooking time by up to 70%. Personally, I think that's reason enough to use one! As a busy mom, anything I can do to gain extra time in my day is awesome! And while I think that cutting down on cooking time is reason enough to buy an Instant Pot, there are so many other benefits as well.
- Saving time: While we mentioned time savings already, keep in mind that since electric pressure cookers use less water than traditional cooking methods, so it takes way less time to boil.
- Less dishes: Since most Instant Pots also allow you to saute, brown meat, and use other cooking methods, you can do all your cooking in one pot…and end up doing way less dishes (always a winner in my book).
- Saves space: Being able to cook multiple things in one appliance means you can ditch some of the extra kitchen appliances you have!
- Retains nutrients: Did you know that boiling your vegetables and other foods can cause the vitamins to leach out of your food? Since electric pressure cookers cook food quickly and evenly, your food will retain way more of their water soluble vitamins.
- Convenience: You can cook almost anything in your instant pot! Meat? Easy-peasy! Rice? Comes out perfectly every time. Corn on the cob? Totally delish!
What's In Your Instant Pot Box?
Like I said before, I left my Instant Pot sitting in the box for months before I actually got brave enough to open it. While different brands and models of electric pressure cookers will have different things included, you'll typically find a manual, your electric pressure cooker, and various accessories.
How To Use An Instant Pot or Electric Pressure Cooker
Everybody learns differently but I got started by reading sections of my manual and watching a few YouTube videos. You'll want to be sure to follow the instructions correctly.
One of my most frequently used settings on my Electric Pressure Cooker is the saute feature. I use this to saute onions and brown ground beef before making chili in my Instant Pot. I also use it to brown sausage and to cook eggs when I'm making breakfast burritos. I basically use it instead of dirtying up a skillet.
Before, I would have multiple dirty pots and pans to wash while cooking, but this has dramatically cut down on the amount of dishes I've needed to do.
Depending on the brand and model you get, you’ll find your electric pressure cooker has several cooking modes. (I have multiple electric pressure cookers and they all have different settings).
This is the multicooker I have at our cottage in New Hampshire. I have 2 different electric pressure cookers at our house in Florida. {We love to entertain and regularly cook for large groups so it's helpful to have 2 so we can make big batches of different things.}
Here are some of the settings you'll typically find:
- Soup: High Pressure for 30 minutes.
- Meat/Stew: High Pressure for 35 minutes.
- Rice: Low Pressure, time depends on amounts of water and rice.
- Poultry: High Pressure for 15 minutes (more for frozen poultry).
- Steam: High Pressure for 10 minutes.
- Sauté: No specific time for this mode.
- Yogurt: There are a variety of steps to making yogurt but having a yogurt button definitely helps.
- Brown/Sear: No specific time for this mode.
You can adjust the cooking time to different settings, but remember that they don’t all work for everything. For example, with frozen poultry I set it for 20 minutes and then let it release pressure manually. Try finding recipes you trust on blogs before using your pressure cooker too much or you may end up ruining a dish! {I've only ruined one and I've done lots of experimenting, but it can happen.}
How To Release The Pressure on Your Electric Pressure Cooker
I have to admit that one of the things that scared me most about using an Instant Pot was figuring out how to release the pressure. The good news is that it's easeir than you think.
There are two ways to release pressure from an electric pressure cooker:
Quick Release (QR): Release the valve as soon as the timer goes off. This will ensure your food is ready to serve faster.
Natural Pressure Release: Takes the longest, but also gives the most flavorful, tender result.
If possible, you'll want to allow your electric pressure cooker to do a Natural Pressure Release. If a recipe calls for a Quick Release, I do that, but if it doesn't specify how to release the pressure, I always opt for letting the pressure release naturally. The food comes out super tender that way. It’s totally like cooking with a slow cooker, but so much faster!
What size pressure cooker do I need?
One size doesn’t fit all when it comes to instant pots. Depending on whether you cook for one person, a family of four, or a huge family, there are different sized options available.
The size you need will also depend on what you like to cook. If you have a family of 4 or more, the 8-quart may be your best bet. If you’re just cooking for yourself and you don’t like leftovers, or you’re running low on counter space, there’s a 3-quart option. And if you have a huge family like I do, the Power Pressure Cooker XL is AMAZING! It's 10 quarts!
The first Instant Pot I bought was an 8-quart and it was perfect for our family! But when I found this darling 6 quart Instant Pot, I had to have it too!
Could I get by with the 6 quart Instant Pot. For the most part, yes, but I'm definitely glad I have the 8 quart for making larger meals. Almost everyone I’ve talked to that has the 6-quart says they're happy with the 6-quart, but would buy the 8-quart if they could do it all over again. If you have the space and the budget, the 8-quart (or even the 10 quart) is definitely worth considering!
My favorite Instant Pot recipes:
While there are lots of great Instant Pot recipes, our favorite by far is Copycat Olive Garden Chicken Gnocchi Soup. It's soooo delicious!
These Instant Pot Mashed Potatoes are also amazing! And they're awesome for Thanksgiving since they don't require you to use your oven or stove.
I'm hoping to add more of our favorites like Instant Pot Chili to the site soon!
While this is not a recipe per se, one of my favorite things to cook in the instant pot is sweet potatoes. I love being able to toss a sweet potato in the Instant Pot and know that in about 35 minutes (10 minutes for preheating, about 15 minutes for cooking, and 10 minutes for the natural pressure release) you'll have a perfectly cooked sweet potato. Just add butter for the perfect dinner or snack.
Must Have Instant Pot accessories:
Sealing Rings – This is one of the first accessories you need to purchase. By having a variety of sealing rings in different colors, you can keep the savory and sweet flavors from mixing. I make a ton of Instant Pot Chili and that definitely gets into the seal so I like to have a separate one for recipes that are heavy on onions and chili seasoning. Sealing rings come in different sizes for different electric pressure cookers so make sure you choose the right size.
Steamer Basket – This is another one of my “Instant Pot Must-Haves”. The steamer basket isn’t just for “steaming” food. It also acts as a shield against moisture and can be used to elevate certain foods- like meatloaf or desserts- which are best cooked without sitting in liquid.
Bakeware Sling – If you're planning on using your Instant Pot for making cheesecake, this is a must! It makes it easy-peasy to lift your cheesecake out of the Instant Pot.
Start with something easy
When you get your first Instant Pot, you may feel like I did…excited and intimidated. If the excitement wins out, you'll pull it out of the box immediately so you can start cooking. If the intimidation wins out, you may leave it in the box for days…or months like I did.
Either way, I recommend washing the pot before you cook anything!
To get started, you'll want to do a water test. Once you've done your water test, you'll want to try something simple like soup or eggs or a sweet potato.
Soups are pretty easy to make, but you'll want to make sure you don't use too much liquid. Not only can it make your food taste bland, but it can also make a total mess. Make sure you don't let the liquid go over the 2/3 mark on your pot.
How To Do A Water Test In Your Instant Pot
To do a water test, you'll want to follow the instructions in the manual that comes with your particular electric pressure cooker. A water test generally goes something like this:
Place 3 cups of water into the inner pot of your Instant Pot. {Make sure the inner pot is in the Instant Pot. If not, you may end up with a mess on your hands. Just ask my husband who once poured 2 cups of rice into our Instant Pot while the inner pot was sitting on the table.}
Place the lid on and turn it until it is firmly in place. Make sure the valve is set to the sealed position. Place 3 cups of water into the pot of your electric pressure cooker. Cover and seal with a valve set to “sealed”. Set on high for 3 minutes. After your machine reaches its full pressure level, it will count down from 3 minutes to 0.
Once the cycle is finished, let the pressure release. Then, dump out the water.
Hopefully, you won't have any problems during your water test. If you're problem free, you're good to go. If you do run into any problems, you'll want to contact the manufacturer of your particular electric pressure cooker
How To Store An Instant Pot
I have a super sensitive sense of smell (Wow…that's a tongue twister) and the silicone ring inside of my Instant Pot totally absorbs the smell of the food I cook in it. You'll want to make sure you're thoroughly washing it on a regular basis to keep the smell under control. Keep in mind that the silicone ring also absorbs the smell of dishwashing soap if you use anything scented.
After you wash your instant pot and the silicone ring, you'll want to use the lid holder to store your lid (if it has this option.). If you don't have a lid holder, you'll want to store your clean lid upside down.
If you have multiple sealing rings like I mentioned above (it's SOOOO worth it), you'll want to make sure they're stored in a way that you know whether it's your ring for cooking sweet food, savory food, spicy food, etc. I can easily tell just by the smell of mine, but if your nose isn't that sensitive, you may want to figure out a labeling system. Also, many of the additional sealing rings come in multi-colored packs so you can use different colors for different items.
What NOT to Cook In Your Pressure Cooker
One of the things you definitely don't want to cook in your pressure cooker is breaded meats and veggies. It will make them totally soggy and gross.
If your pressure cooker has a crisping lid (a lid that basically turns your pressure cooker into an air fryer), you can use that to cook breaded meats and veggies. We regularly use our Mealthy Crisplid for things like mozzarella sticks.
Dairy is one of those things you need to be super careful about cooking in your Instant Pot. It can be done, but you definitely want to add it towards the end of your recipe, so it doesn't make a mess or ruin your recipe.
In this recipe, I add Half and Half after I've released the pressure valve, so it's not cooked under pressure.
Should You Buy An Electric Pressure Cooker?
If you're looking to save time in the kitchen and save money on eating out, then an Instant Pot or electric pressure cooker may be exactly what you need. If you're worried about space, remember that an Instant Pot can replace a slow cooker, rice cooker yogurt maker and even an air fryer if you get a crisping lid.
While ultimately, the decision is up to you, I wholeheartedly recommend having an Instant Pot in your arsenal of cooking tools!
If you have an Instant Pot, leave a comment with your favorite thing you cook in it!
