So many people are taking the plunge and purchasing an Instant Pot. In fact on Amazon Prime Day over 200,000 units were sold! WOW! They are an amazing tool to have in your kitchen and I have used mine close to every single day since I got it in April.
When you get that beautiful box in the mail you might feel a little intimidated about what to do next. Watch this video as I take you through what you’ll find in the box and what to do with it.
Some of my favorite basic recipes to make in the Instant Pot are:
Once you feel comfortable with some of these basic recipes you can move on to some more advanced recipes like:
If you’d like to see ALL of my Instant Pot recipes just click here.
Coming to Pressure
One thing you should know is that your Instant Pot will need time to come to pressure. Most recipes don’t include this time in the recipe. Foods that take up more space will take more time to come to pressure. Foods that are frozen will take more time to come to pressure. Usually I give myself 10-15 minutes for the pot to come to pressure before it starts counting down on the timer. You will need some liquid in the bottom of your Instant Pot or it won’t come to pressure. You’ll need at least 1/2 cup to 1 cup of liquid. The slow cooker does not require liquid so this was a bit of a learning curve for me, but now I have it down.
Quick Release and Natural Pressure Release
One thing that you might see when you read a recipe made for a pressure cooker is “Quick Release” and “Natural Pressure Release.” Quick Release (QR) means that when your timer is up and you hear that beeping sound you’ll move the valve from sealing to venting and open up the pot immediately. Natural Pressure Release (NPR) means that you’ll let the pressure release naturally and when the pin drops (as demonstrated in the video above) you open the pot and enjoy your food. I like to use NPR for most meats. It just keeps them more tender and doesn’t dry them out like the QR sometimes can. If your pot is full you’ll want to use a NRP too or else the valve will get all foamy and clogged up.
Just give it a try! It takes a bit of time but believe me once you have mastered the method you will LOVE your Instant Pot so so so much. Have a question about your Instant Pot? Let me know! I’d be glad to help if I can.
Thank you for walking us ” newbies” through a tutorial! I was so excited to get my insta pit but was overwhelmed with all the buttons!
Yay Meriska!! You can do this!
Hello, I am absolutely in this POT “business”:) ehats the difference between instant pot and just a crock pot? I am planning to buy one, but now after I heard of instant as well, I am not sure which one would be good for me. I would like to make dinners for the family while I am working ( family of 5) Also if you can advise ehich product, brands are tou reccomend or what to check before I am buying would be awasome!!:) thank you!! Suzie
Suzie, this is a great question. I am actually planning a post on this exact topic. I will let you know when it goes live within in the next few days!
I have 2 crockpots and 3 electric pressure cookers.
My favorite electric pressure cooker is the Instant Pot. I also have a Farberware electric pressure cooker but, it takes a lot longer to come to pressure. I use it as a backup.
The Instant Pot has all sorts of functions and it is also a slowcooker/crockpot. (I have yet to determine the difference in slowcooker and crockpot). Buying an electric pressure cooker with the slowcooker function gives you both cooking methods in one. It also steams foods and since I make homemade tamales, it is very handy to have if I only make a couple of dozen instead of the huge steamer in the pantry.
It is a family thing now to have one. I gave my grandson and his wife one for Christmas and my daughter heard us discussing all the great things we fix in them so, she went out and bought one a month ago and now, it is one of her favorite meal prep appliances.
Hope you try one soon. I do still use the slowcooker to prepare the fillings for my tamales. They need that slow, low heat to meld the flavors.
Thanks for your thorough answer! I appreciate your help 🙂
Sorry Injust saw that I missed the word NEW in pot business ☺️
Please give a ‘Pin’ option with your email recipes. If there is one, I’m clearly not getting it. I look for them on your Pinterest board, but can’t find this one. Help!!
oops thanks for the reminder! I just added it in there 🙂
The Instant Pot is a great product. Sort of a slow cooker/pressure cooker/mini oven/steamer. Got mine about a month ago when hubby and I started full-timing in our RV. It works great. I was sceptic also but after a little helpful pushing from my hubby (haha) I took the plunge. We eat a lot of white rice and that was my first experiment. Had a rice cooker he had gotten when he was single and we were still using it 43 years later but needed something that wouldn’t take up as much space as only a one purpose item. Have since graduated to making one pot meals and they are soon much more flavorful. Go for it and have fun. Hope this helps. 🙂
Such good info! Thanks!
What if you opened your IP and lost the recipe book and manual…?
no worries! It’s all online! http://instantpot.com/benefits/specifications-and-manuals/