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September 14, 2019

5 more things not to do with your Instant Pot

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Are you somewhat new to the world of electric pressure cooking? I have 5 more things not to do with your Instant Pot to share with you today. These tips of things NOT to do will help you avoid some common Instant Pot mistakes.

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Related: 5 Things Not to do with your Instant Pot

Are you somewhat new to the world of electric pressure cooking? I have 5 more things not to do with your Instant Pot to share with you today. These tips of things NOT to do will help you avoid some common Instant Pot mistakes.

5 more things not to do with your Instant Pot

Before you read this article make sure to read the original article called 5 things not to do with your Instant Pot. You might also like this article called 7 Instant Pot mistakes. And if you’re a brand new Instant Pot beginner you will probably want to print off my step by step guide to get your started. 

1. Don’t double the cooking time.

I often get the question, “I want to double this recipe. Do I double the cooking time?”

Most often the cooking time will be the same when you double a recipe. Pressure cooking cooks each piece of food equally. That means that each piece of chicken (2, 4 or 8) will require the same cooking time, and so will each grain of rice. That’s because the pressure cooking time is determined by the size and not the quantity of food. In other words, the pressure cooking time is the amount of time the food requires to be cooked all the way to the center.

Doubling the THICKNESS of meats, veggies, and other foods DOES require increasing cook time. This is why someone else’s recommended 8 minutes for a whole potato won’t cook your super duper sized baking potato. However remember that a 2 pound roast is not necessarily twice as thick as a 1 pound roast. If you double the time just due to weight you might get unsatisfactory results.

2. Don’t forget to add thin liquid

In order for a pressure cooker to work properly it needs to build pressure with steam. The steam is created by water, broth or another thin liquid that you add into the pot. In order for your pot to come to pressure you’ll need approximately 1 to 1.5 cups of liquid in your 6 quart Instant Pot. 

If you don’t add any liquid into your Instant Pot you will most likely get the BURN message error. Here is the best explanation I’ve read about the BURN message error. It was from someone who works at Instant Pot. I think it will really help you too:

“To avoid getting a burn warning on your pot or a countdown without pressure, or if you get one and need to fix it, you just need to understand the basics of how pressure cooking works. The liquid inside the pot boils, which creates the steam and ultimately the pressure because it’s in a sealed pot where the steam can’t escape. So to successfully cook in it, you need liquid that can boil without scorching….it needs to be on the bottom and water consistency. Burn problems come in when you start adding things that thicken and stir them into your liquid (examples would be tomato sauce or other tomato products, cream soups, thick sauces, etc). When you do that, now that liquid is too thick to boil without burning on the bottom of the pot. Once that happens, the pot will never come to pressure until you scrape off anything burned on the bottom and add more liquid to thin it out.

One helpful way to think of it is this: could I put this on the stove in a pot and bring it to a boil and never stir, and not have it burn? If the answer is no (lasagna, chili, spaghetti sauce, gravy, etc) then it won’t work in the Instant Pot either without some work-arounds.

One of the best work-arounds (besides pot-in-pot or PIP) is layering. So for something like spaghetti, you put your meat in the bottom, then your pasta, then your water, then pour the sauce on top and don’t stir. This lets you cook with a thick sauce without it thickening your thin liquid and keeps it off the bottom of the pot.

Keep in mind that casserole-type dishes (thick, layered dishes like lasagna, taco pies, egg bakes, etc.) do not work directly in the pot because they just absorb your liquid, leaving nothing to pressurize the pot. You need to do them pot-in-pot, which means in another dish inside the pot on the trivet, with water in the bottom.”

3. Don’t pour anything into your Instant Pot without the liner inside

I’ve seen soooo many people that have ruined their Instant Pots by accidentally pouring ingredients into the pot without the stainless steel liner inside of it! You might think, “I’ll never do that!” Well, you’d be surprised at how easy it is to just start cooking and forget that your liner isn’t inside the base of the Instant Pot.

For example Clark a member of the 365 Days of Instant Pot Recipes FB group said, “Okay, I am new to cooking with an instant pot! I have completed about 8 dinners and desserts. Making yogurt this morning and poured about 3/4 of a carton fairlife milk into the INNER pot! Milk came pouring out from the bottom. Is my instant pot ruined? By the way! I was sitting at eye level to pot and watching a YouTube tutorial when I blundered.” And there are countless others who have done similar blunders!

Here’s what you should do: turn it upside-down and take off the bottom, clean and dry everything as much as possible, and then leave it open like that and let dry for 72 hours. Then put it back together, plug it in, and if it turns on, do the water test again to check if it’s working. If it is, you’re all set.

4. Don’t put your Instant Pot on the stove burner

PSA – Here’s what happens when you set your IP on the stove and accidentally turn the burner on.

This happens a LOT! I’ve seen this happen 100 times. Beth said, “R.I.P. Instant Pot 😫😢😭 My daughter was cleaning the kitchen and shoved it to the back of the stove which flipped on the burner and burned the bottom right out! The smell of burning plastic in my house is almost unbearable right now. I’m so sad ☹️”

5. Don’t think that the slow cooker setting on the Instant Pot is going to cook like your normal crockpot. 

The Instant Pot does have a slow cooker function on it. However, in my opinion, this is the one Achilles heel of the Instant Pot. The slow cooker function isn’t great.

  • The slow cooker function works best if you get the pot hot before turning it down. Turn the Instant Pot to the saute function while you’re preparing the food. Then turn off the saute function and use the slow cooker function. 
  • The Instant Pot only heats from the bottom. Regular slow cookers heat from the sides. You may need to stir every now and then to prevent the food on the bottom from getting too done and the food on the top from not cooking. Soup would be a good choice to cook on the slow cooker setting. 
  • America’s Test Kitchen tested tons of brands of electric pressure cookers and instant faired poorly on the slow cooker. But what they did discover is you need to use it on the “more” setting. NEVER use “less” setting. If recipe calls for 8 hours on low in a normal crockpot, do 8 hours on the “more” setting in your Instant Pot.

I hope these tips were helpful to you! What other tips have you learned the hard way? I’d love to know. Comment below!

You might also like…

What is natural pressure release and quick release? 

How to deep clean your Instant Pot

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51 Comments Filed Under: All Recipes, Collections, Instant Pot, Tips

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Comments

  1. Bonnie says

    February 4, 2022 at 10:33 am

    I just received this post about what not to do. Thank you so much. I never thought about meat drying out when using the quick release. You saved me from ruining a perfect roast. Your articles are the only ones I feel confident with. Keep them coming!

    Reply
    • Karen says

      February 4, 2022 at 6:28 pm

      So glad to be helpful! thanks Bonnie!

      Reply
  2. Vivian Wong says

    October 14, 2020 at 10:44 am

    Hi Karen, I have a Duo60. It didn’t pressure up after pushing on either pressure cook or program button. It started to count down the cooking time after the “On”. Can fill that the pot is not hot at all as water is not boiling. Steam release handle is on sealing , sealing ring is properly fix n enough water in pot.
    Please advise. Thanks.

    Reply
  3. Becky says

    August 13, 2020 at 12:58 pm

    I have several Instant Pots, (2-8 qts, 1-6 qt, 1-3 qt, and the rice/multigrain cooker.)
    but recently purchased the Instant Pot Aura. Can I use crock pot liners in this? And, yes, I know I have a problem. Hi, my name is Becky and I’m an IP addict.

    Reply
    • Karen says

      August 14, 2020 at 12:08 pm

      Lol Becky! It looks like it’s a multi-cooker so if you are using the slow cook function that should be fine!

      Reply
  4. Diane says

    December 21, 2019 at 3:08 pm

    Thank you for all your great recipes and articles. I am really enjoying using my pressure cooker with help from these. I especially liked your suggestion about seeing how much you can get done in the time it takes for pressure to release- it shows that you are a positive-minded person. Instead of complaining. . .you find the positive in it! Just the kind of person I like to spend time with.

    Reply
    • Karen says

      December 26, 2019 at 5:44 pm

      Haha! Thanks Diane!!

      Reply
  5. Andrea G Davis says

    December 16, 2019 at 12:54 pm

    I love your recipes very flavorful! My kiddo loves them too 😉

    Reply
    • Karen says

      December 16, 2019 at 5:32 pm

      Thank you Andrea, this is really nice to hear 🙂

      Reply
  6. Alfredo Augusto Cruz says

    October 5, 2019 at 3:14 pm

    Well, we have a CP and love it. Mainly because it does not change the taste of the food made in traditional pans.
    Also we love reading your articles.
    Thank you for sharing.
    Alfredo & Regina
    Rio de Janeiro Brazil

    Reply
    • Karen says

      October 5, 2019 at 8:47 pm

      Wow! All the way from Brazil. How cool.

      Reply
  7. Alfredo Augusto Cruz says

    October 5, 2019 at 3:13 pm

    Well, we have a CP and love it. Mainly because it do not change the taste of the food made in traditional pans.
    Also we love reading your articles.
    Thank you for sharing.
    Alfredo & Regina
    Rio de Janeiro Brazil

    Reply
  8. Laurie says

    October 2, 2019 at 9:43 pm

    I haven’t decided yet which IP to get. I found your article absolutely helpful. I also appreciate your giving links to sites for specific helpful answers. I am now a fan!

    Reply
    • Elizabeth Lewis says

      October 3, 2019 at 1:55 am

      Love my Emeril Lagasse IP…LOVE IT!!!

      Reply
    • Karen says

      October 3, 2019 at 9:49 am

      Thanks Laurie! Glad you are here 🙂

      Reply
  9. Geri says

    September 28, 2019 at 5:36 am

    Karen, the advice regarding the slowcooker mode is confusing… first it says to get the pot hot.. does that mean you should put it on high, slowcooker mode first to heat it up? Then it mentions that it heats from the bottom… then it mentions ATK’s advice that you shouldn’t use the low temp ever, but use the high setting as if you’re doing it on low for the amount of time you would normally use a low setting on a real slowcooker. Won’t you risk a burn notice? I’m confused…. maybe just use a slowcooker instead? I bought the instant pot aura multi cooker and wonder if that presents the same problem? I’ve used it in slowcooker mode but find it so much more complicated than a regular slowcooker… does it only cook from the bottom like the IP or around the sides like a slowcooker ? Help!!!!! Thank you Karen, love your recipes…

    Reply
    • Karen says

      September 30, 2019 at 3:43 pm

      Hi Geri, I just updated the article above so it isn’t so confusing. I hope this helps! You will never get the burn notice on the slow cooker setting because the burn notice just happens when pressure cooking.

      Reply
  10. Sheila says

    September 21, 2019 at 5:28 pm

    Hi Karen, I have made your Bang bang shrimp pasta, love it. If I just use 1/2 the pasta will I need to adjust the time? Thanks

    Reply
    • Karen says

      September 23, 2019 at 1:31 pm

      Hey Sheila, I don’t have a bang bang shrimp recipe. Were you thinking of someone else?

      Reply
  11. Linda says

    September 21, 2019 at 1:08 pm

    I have 2 instant pots, a 6qt and a 3qt and they are usually both used at the same time. I had the old pressure cooker for 35 yrs. but I am so happy to have these instant pots now. My question is, I made my mom’s hamburg stew in the old pressure cooker for 20 mins. then released pressure and cooker dumplings covered for another 20 mins. I am having trouble trying to cook the dumplinga with the Instant pot. Can you help me with the setting and time I should cook them after I have released the pressure from the stew and added the dumplings. I use the glass cover and tried using the saute button, didn’t work out so good, the dumplings were heavy, not fluffy. Then tried the steam button, still not successful like I was with the old pressure cooker.

    Reply
    • Karen says

      September 23, 2019 at 1:35 pm

      Glad you love your IPs. Me too!
      The only experience I have with dumplings is this post: https://www.365daysofcrockpot.com/instant-pot-chicken-and-dumplings/

      Reply
  12. Carolyn Mayfield says

    September 21, 2019 at 1:06 pm

    Wow. I can’t believe how many new things I learned from this one little article. Especially the overview on how the thing works! Thank you so much.

    Reply
    • Karen says

      September 23, 2019 at 1:36 pm

      Thanks Carolyn! Glad it was helpful to you 🙂

      Reply
  13. Erica says

    September 21, 2019 at 12:55 pm

    I have to admit when I read about people pouring food directly into the pot without a liner I though that was pretty dumb! How could they!!! I was shocked when I did the same thing and greatly relieved that after drying it for 72 hours it worked again. The IP is such a fun tool. I make my daily soft boiled egg in it and love the way it makes my life easier. Thank you Karen for all the great recipes and tips!

    Reply
    • Karen says

      September 23, 2019 at 1:39 pm

      It’s crazy how many people do that!

      Reply
  14. Maureen says

    September 21, 2019 at 12:39 pm

    Thank you for this article, Karen. I really appreciated #2 when it comes to cooking spaghetti and meatballs. I tried it once and kept getting the “burn” message, so gave up and finished it on the stove. The recipe I followed said to put the sauce on the bottom. Now that I know the correct way, I am excited to try again! Great tip!
    Also, thank you so much for sharing all your knowledge about pressure cooking as well as your recipes. I have tried many and they always come out great! 🙂

    Reply
    • Karen says

      September 23, 2019 at 1:39 pm

      So happy to hear this. Thank you for sharing Maureen!

      Reply
  15. Chef Quelle Heure says

    September 19, 2019 at 11:34 am

    You’ve got the best IP recipes, and tips that I have ever seen…keep it up!

    Reply
    • Karen says

      September 19, 2019 at 8:30 pm

      Thank you!!

      Reply
  16. Cindi Podsiadlik says

    September 17, 2019 at 3:48 pm

    Thanks for the tips! I’ve had my PC for some time now and so far so good! But now I will be a little more cautious especially with #3! I enjoy your articles. Keep ’em coming!

    And to Stephanie: That remark was totally uncalled for. Mean spirited comments are the useless ones.

    Reply
    • Karen says

      September 18, 2019 at 12:05 pm

      Thanks Cindi!

      Reply
  17. Deena Caufield says

    September 16, 2019 at 6:09 am

    Thanks for your help. My dad gave me my instant pot for Christmas last year and I’m just now using it. Your articles are a great help in my learning how to use it. I admit I was a little intimidated to use it. But now with your help I am feeling much more confident.

    Reply
    • Karen says

      September 16, 2019 at 2:12 pm

      Yay! so glad to hear this Deena! Keep up the good work.

      Reply
    • Sandy Dehon says

      September 18, 2019 at 10:42 am

      I love your instant pot recipes – what do I do if I want to cut a recipe in half
      Thanks – Sandy

      Reply
      • Karen says

        September 18, 2019 at 12:03 pm

        Hi Sandy, read this article! https://www.365daysofcrockpot.com/how-to-halve-instant-pot-recipes/

        Reply
  18. Dianne Johnson says

    September 16, 2019 at 5:37 am

    I appreciated your tips immensely, since I am fairly new at using the Instant Pot! Thank you!

    Reply
    • Karen says

      September 16, 2019 at 2:13 pm

      I’m glad it was helpful to you Dianne!

      Reply
  19. Stephanie says

    September 15, 2019 at 10:44 pm

    This was the most useless article ever published. These are really obvious things to avoid. Why even bother. What a waste of my time and others time. Learn how to write actual articles.

    Reply
    • Milt says

      September 15, 2019 at 11:48 pm

      I Don’t feel your comment was necessary. Don’t forget what your mother taught you, “If you can’t say anything nice, say nothing at all” Be nice !

      Reply
    • Gerda says

      September 16, 2019 at 1:07 am

      Please be polite and don’t post comments like this but keep them to yourself. If you don’t like the content of this site, go and look somewhere else. I have learned a lot from Karen and I’m greatfull for all the FREE information and recipes she provides. Thanks Karen!

      Reply
    • Penelope says

      September 16, 2019 at 5:04 pm

      So very rude.

      Reply
    • Lucky laydy says

      September 22, 2019 at 9:59 pm

      Your are a pompous ass Go bury your head in the sand Troll

      Reply
    • Geri says

      September 28, 2019 at 5:19 am

      You are just nasty! This article was very helpful… as another person just said, “ if you can’t say something nice, say NOTHING at all!!!”

      Reply
    • Diane says

      December 21, 2019 at 3:03 pm

      Stephanie- you must be a very angry, unhappy person to feel the need to post this rude comment. Maybe spend time looking for articles on “self-help” instead of cooking.

      Reply
  20. Cammy says

    September 15, 2019 at 10:09 pm

    My Instant Pot is the 6 qt Deluxe Duo and the slow cooker causes the liquid to almost boil on high and it will simmer on low. As a result, I do not use it. I kept my 2 larger slow cookers to use.

    Reply
    • Karen says

      September 16, 2019 at 2:14 pm

      I keep my slow cookers too!

      Reply
  21. Sharon says

    September 15, 2019 at 3:00 pm

    I must confess that I accidentally did # 3 when I first got the Instant Pot. After letting it dry the recommended 72 hours , it worked just fine. Whew!

    Reply
    • Donna says

      September 15, 2019 at 6:00 pm

      I did it too my first time

      Reply
    • Karen says

      September 16, 2019 at 2:17 pm

      Oh man! That is my nightmare. I’m surprised it hasn’t happened to me yet.

      Reply
  22. Sipon says

    September 15, 2019 at 7:46 am

    Hi Karen I saw your video in income school YouTube channel you are doing blogging for a looong time. That’s why i visit your website to learn more about COOKING think. and thanks for the advice. Have a good journey 🙂

    Reply
    • Karen says

      September 16, 2019 at 2:19 pm

      Thank you so much.

      Reply

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Hi, I’m Karen. I know that dinner time can be less than relaxing. Busy schedules and cranky kids and a hundred other things can lead to weariness when it comes to putting dinner on the table. I can help! I make homemade, family-friendly slow cooker and Instant Pot dinners and share the recipes with you.

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