Your Instant Pot Resource Guide

If you’ve never used a pressure cooker before, here’s what you need to know to get started right away. I’ve included photos for reference on the following page, but you can also refer to your machine’s user manual for more details.

Before you start cooking:

Make sure the stainless-steel insert is clean and properly placed.

Every time I use my Instant Pot, I wipe the outside of the stainless-steel pot with a dry towel to make sure nothing has stuck to the bottom or sides after I’ve placed it on the counter or in my sink. Stuck-on food or debris can interfere with the functioning of your pot, so make sure it’s clean each time you use it.

Check that the silicone sealing ring is properly seated in the lid.

When you use your Instant Pot, the silicone sealing ring expands from the heat and may move around when you take off the lid. Before securing the lid, use your fingers to gently wiggle the sealing ring all around the metal lid to ensure it is properly placed.

Make sure nothing is clogging the vent in your lid.

The stainless-steel cover over the vent is removable, so it’s a good idea to clean it every now and then (especially after cooking pasta) to ensure no food or residue is blocking the vent.

Don’t overfill the pot.

When cooking foods that are prone to foaming, such as beans or pasta, never fill the pot more than half full, and always allow the pressure to naturally release as directed so the foam doesn’t spew out of the release vent. For other recipes, don’t fill the pot more than two-thirds full.

Don’t preheat the pot.

Although some people preheat the Instant Pot or start with very hot water to reduce the overall cooking time, the recipes in this book assume you are using cool water straight from your faucet or refrigerator. Cooking for less time than the recipes call for may result in your food not cooking as intended.

Don’t place your pot directly underneath your kitchen cabinets.

In many cases, you’ll need to manually release the steam pressure, which will shoot steam from the top of the pot. Be sure that your Instant Pot is situated on a counter with nothing above it so the hot steam doesn’t do any damage.

Unplug your machine when you’re done using it.

The Instant Pot goes into an automatic Keep Warm mode when the cooking cycle is complete, which is handy when you want to keep your dinner warm. Be sure to unplug the device when you’re done using it as a safety precaution.

Now that we’ve got that covered, here’s how to:

Sauté.

The Instant Pot is unique in its ability to also sauté food. This means you can brown meat or sauté vegetables in the pot and then pressure cook in the same pot, or simmer excess liquid out of your sauce when the cooking cycle is over. To use the sauté function, simply press the Sauté button and wait for the beep that tells you the machine is on. Wait 1 to 2 minutes after the beep for the surface to heat up before you add ingredients to the pot, or they may stick to the bottom. (Do not use the lid when using this function; the lid should only be used when pressure cooking.)

Cook on manual.

Press the Manual or Pressure button, depending on your machine, then use the – or + buttons to set the appropriate cooking time. The Manual mode automatically cooks using high pressure, unless you press the Pressure button to switch to low pressure. When pressure cooking, always make sure that the steam release valve is moved to the Sealing position. If your machine doesn’t have a Manual setting, it most likely cooks on high pressure automatically.

Make sure the pressure has been reached.

There is a floating valve located on the lid next to the steam release valve that pops up when the pot has come to pressure. It usually takes anywhere from 5 to 20 minutes for the valve to pop up, depending on the recipe, and that’s when the cooking cycle will begin counting down. I always keep an eye on my Instant Pot until the floating valve has popped up, to make sure my meal is cooking properly before I walk away. You’ll hear steam coming out of the vent shortly before the floating valve pops up.

Quickly release the pressure.

To avoid overcooking, many recipes require that you quickly release the pressure as soon as the Instant Pot has beeped to signal the end of a cooking cycle. To do that, carefully move the steam release valve to Venting, keeping your hand away from the top of the vent so you don’t get burned by the steam. As soon as the floating valve drops, remove the lid to stop the cooking process.

Naturally release the pressure.

Allow the lid to remain on the Instant Pot after the cooking cycle has ended until the specified time has passed. Once the cooking cycle has counted down, the timer will start again, counting up the minutes to let you know how long it’s been since the cooking cycle stopped. If a recipe requires that you let the pressure naturally release for 10 minutes, don’t touch the lid until your Instant Pot reads L0:10, which means it has been on a “keep warm” setting for 10 minutes. When the time has passed, move the steam release valve to the Venting position to release any remaining steam before you remove the lid.

Know that it’s safe to remove the lid.

After using a quick or natural release and venting any remaining steam in the pot, the floating valve on the lid, which is next to the steam release valve, will drop, letting you know that all of the pressure has been released. The lid has a safety feature that won’t let you open it until the valve has dropped.

Use the pot-in-pot cooking method.

This term refers to cooking two dishes at the same time, using a separate bowl that fits inside the Instant Pot. To use this time-saving method, you’ll need a 2.5-inch trivet and a 7-inch oven-safe bowl to hold an extra side dish, like rice or vegetables, that is placed on the trivet over the main entrée, that is cooked directly on the bottom of the Instant Pot. Both the main entrée and the side dish need to cook in a similar amount of time for best results. Check out Korean Chicken Bowls (this page), Vegetarian Red Beans & Rice (this page), and Creamy Tuscan Chicken with Mashed “Potatoes” (this page) for ideas and detailed pot-in-pot instructions. You can also refer to the cooking time charts on this page to find items that cook in a similar amount of time if you want to make your own combinations.

Cook for 0 (zero) minutes.

Though it might sound strange, some recipes require that you set the pressure cooking cycle for 0 (zero) minutes to ensure that you don’t overcook your ingredients. This cooking cycle simply brings the pot to pressure, which can take anywhere from 5 to 20 minutes, and when it beeps and displays L0:00 on the screen, you quickly release the pressure by moving the steam release valve to Venting. Releasing the pressure can take 1 to 2 minutes more, so the food will be sufficiently cooked despite the short cooking time.

And if you run into problems, the following tips should help:

I’ve selected the cooking program, but my pot just says “on.” Why hasn’t the countdown started yet?

After you select your cooking program and cooking time, the Instant Pot waits 10 seconds to start. When it beeps, you’ll see an “On” message as it starts to come to pressure. The cooking cycle won’t start counting down until the pot is pressurized, and that process can take anywhere from 5 to 20 minutes after you set the timer, depending on how much liquid is in the pot. The less liquid, the faster it will come to pressure.

How do I adjust the cooking time and pressure setting?

After selecting the Manual or Pressure button, use the – and + buttons to adjust the time. The Manual setting cooks at high pressure automatically, but you can press the Pressure button to adjust the pressure to low on certain models.

Will these recipes work for an 8-quart Instant Pot?

All of these recipes have been successfully tested using the 8-quart Instant Pot Duo. When using this size pot, follow the recipe directions closely, as the 8-quart is prone to displaying “Burn” errors. In any recipe that calls for sautéing meat or vegetables first, always deglaze the pan before bringing the pot to pressure so nothing sticks to the bottom. You can do this by adding a splash of water to the hot pan, then using a wooden spoon or spatula to scrape the bottom of the pan to remove anything that has stuck. Recipes don’t always need a full cup of added liquid to make this model come to pressure, but you do need to make sure the ingredients are layered in the correct order to avoid burn errors. Also, keep in mind that vegetables might lose their crunch when cooked in this pot due to the longer pressurization time, particularly in recipes like Eggroll in a Bowl (this page) and Easy Cauliflower “Rice” (this page).

Do I need to adjust the cooking time if I double the recipe?

In most cases, you can double a recipe without changing the cooking time, but keep in mind that the increased volume will naturally increase the overall time it takes to prepare the dish because the Instant Pot may take longer to come to pressure. If you’re using particularly large cuts of meat, such as large or frozen chicken breasts, they may need a few minutes more to cook. Don’t fill your pot more than half full for items that produce foam (like pasta or beans) and more than two-thirds full for everything else.

My Instant Pot never came to pressure. What happened?

If your Instant Pot has been on for more than 25 minutes and the floating valve hasn’t popped up to signal that the pressure has been reached, check to make sure you’ve moved the steam release to Sealing (a common mistake!). If that’s not the issue, it could be that the sealing ring in the lid has moved and isn’t sealing (see this page), or that something was stuck to the bottom of your pot, triggering the “Burn” error (see below).

I see a “Burn” error on my Instant Pot. What should I do?

The “Burn” or “Hot” message on the Instant Pot means that the bottom surface of the stainless-steel pot is getting too hot. This can happen when your Instant Pot is empty, when you’re heating the pot to sauté something, and when food gets stuck to the bottom of the pot during the cooking process. To remove stuck food, add a splash of water to the hot pan and use a wooden spoon to scrape the bottom until nothing is stuck. The error message will go away quickly and you can continue with your recipe as directed. Also, be sure that you have moved the steam release valve to Sealing so the liquid in your pot doesn’t evaporate as it heats up during a pressure cooking cycle.

The floating valve dropped in the middle of a cooking cycle. What should I do?

If steam is coming out of your Instant Pot’s floating valve after the pressure cooking cycle has started counting down, that means the pot is no longer pressurized and your meal isn’t cooking properly. If you can, gently grab the lid by its handle (don’t touch the metal as it’s very hot) and press down to see if the lid will seal and pop the valve back up. Sometimes that’s all it takes. If the valve doesn’t pop up, you’ll need to press Cancel, move the steam release valve to Venting to make sure the pressure is fully released, and remove the lid. Add a bit more liquid to the pot, starting with just ¼ cup water if it looks like there is plenty of liquid at the bottom, or using more if it looks like much of the cooking liquid has simmered away. Use a wooden spoon to scrape the bottom of the pot, making sure nothing has stuck, then close the lid, move the steam release valve to Sealing, and start the pressure cooking process again. Use your best judgment on the timing based on how much cooking time was left in the cycle when pressure was lost.

Steam is coming out around the rim of my lid. What should I do?

If you see steam coming out around the rim of your lid, and not just from the steam release valve, that is a sign that something is wrong with your sealing ring. You’ll have to press Cancel, move the steam release valve to Venting to make sure the pressure is fully released, and remove the lid to check the sealing ring. It’s not uncommon for the sealing ring to expand from the heat and move out of place, breaking the seal, so you may be able to fix this issue by pushing the ring back into place and sealing the lid again to continue pressure cooking. If the sealing ring appears to be cracked or damaged, you’ll need to buy a replacement.

Why won’t my Instant Pot open?

The Instant Pot is designed to stay closed as a safety precaution when the pot is coming to pressure, so you can’t open it until the floating valve has dropped. Before attempting to remove the lid, remember to move the steam release valve to Venting and wait for all of the steam to release and the floating valve to drop.

Because I want this book to work for as many models as possible, I’ve avoided using most specialty settings in these recipes in case your machine doesn’t have them. There will always be more than one way to successfully cook an item in the Instant Pot, so the methods in this book are simply one way of doing things that has worked well for me and my recipe testers.

If you have any additional questions regarding your specific model, be sure to check your user manual or reach out directly to the company’s customer service line.

Now that we’ve covered the basics, let’s get pressure cooking!