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.
Related: 5 Things Not to do with your Instant Pot
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
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
Wow! All the way from Brazil. How cool.
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
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!
Love my Emeril Lagasse IP…LOVE IT!!!
Thanks Laurie! Glad you are here 🙂
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…
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.
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
Hey Sheila, I don’t have a bang bang shrimp recipe. Were you thinking of someone else?
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.
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/
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.
Thanks Carolyn! Glad it was helpful to you 🙂
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!
It’s crazy how many people do that!
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! 🙂
So happy to hear this. Thank you for sharing Maureen!
You’ve got the best IP recipes, and tips that I have ever seen…keep it up!
Thank you!!
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.
Thanks Cindi!
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.
Yay! so glad to hear this Deena! Keep up the good work.
I love your instant pot recipes – what do I do if I want to cut a recipe in half
Thanks – Sandy
Hi Sandy, read this article! https://www.365daysofcrockpot.com/how-to-halve-instant-pot-recipes/
I appreciated your tips immensely, since I am fairly new at using the Instant Pot! Thank you!
I’m glad it was helpful to you Dianne!
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.
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 !
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!
So very rude.
Your are a pompous ass Go bury your head in the sand Troll
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!!!”
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.
I keep my slow cookers too!
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!
I did it too my first time
Oh man! That is my nightmare. I’m surprised it hasn’t happened to me yet.
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 🙂
Thank you so much.