Instant Pot Cooking 101: Basics for Beginners
If you hate that stressful feeling of knowing dinner time is creeping up but you have nothing on the menu, fear not! The Instant Pot is a fantastic solution to those last-minute dinner dilemmas. An Instant Pot is easy to use, once you get the hang of it! Come learn the basics and conquer that learning curve in no time flat, and get on your way to preparing easy, healthy dinners for your family.
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The Dread of Dinner Time Prep
We’re all familiar with that dread that washes over you on a weekday evening. You’ve arrived home from a long and exhausting day only to have to get cooking. There are definitely days when I just wish I could completely outsource getting dinner on the table.
Sure, you could order take-out, but that adds up real fast, especially when you’re on a tight budget or a SAHM with just one income.
And, fast food isn’t usually the healthiest choice either. These days, we are all trying to find ways to maintain a healthy balance without being chained to the stove for hours on end. But thankfully, there are better solutions. And my life sincerely changed for the better once I got an Instant Pot.
With this multicooker sitting in your kitchen, you can easily prep and cook entire meals in as little as 15 minutes for the whole family. Plus, lots of popular Instant Pot recipes often take far less supervision than your typical stove-top or oven-based recipes..
So, if you’re thinking of investing in an Instant Pot or you just bought one and you’re not quite sure where to start, here’s the basics for beginners to Instant Pot cooking. There is a little bit of a learning curve to it, but thankfully, it’s not really that difficult, once you get the hang of it.
What is the Instant Pot?
The Instant Pot is the brainchild of Dr. Robert Wang. He started tinkering about with the concept of combining multiple cooking functions into one handy appliance. Then, in 2010, the Instant Pot was introduced to the market.
Since then, it’s popularity has skyrocketed as the first multicooker to really dominate the market. It’s primarily sold through Amazon, but some retail stores in North America also stock certain models on their shelves.
Essentially, the Instant Pot does almost everything, and it does it in far less time. That means consistent results, hands-free cooking (well, almost), and delicious, simple recipes.
How to Cook in an Instant Pot
Dr. Wang first thought about the Instant Pot while reminiscing over the rice cookers he remembered from his childhood. He wanted to find a way to cook the perfect rice, every time.
And what he came up with is basically a pressure cooker, shallow frying pan, oven, pot, slow cooker, and more.
In fact, the only thing you can’t do in many of the Instant Models is deep fat fry (if you want to air-fry, there’s even an attachment you can buy for that. And to be totally transparent, I use my air fryer lid more than I use the regular Instant Pot).
When you think about the traditional recipes where you might spend some time in a frying pan, before transferring everything to a pot, only for that to then be placed in the oven, it already sounds like too much effort to be worth it on a busy weeknight. And think of all the clean-up!
With the Instant Pot, you would simply hit the Saute function first before changing to the Manual (pressure cooking) option when required and there you have it, your dish is done.
Once you start exploring Instant Pot recipes (check out these easy Instant Pot recipes from Corrie Cooks), you’ll be amazed at what you can cook in it. Ever tried making your own yogurt? Anyone can do it in an Instant Pot.
What is Pressure Release?
If you’re unfamiliar with pressure cookers, the sight of the words “pressure release method” in an Instant Pot recipe may have you feeling anxious. But it’s nothing too complicated at all and it’s super easy to get the hang of it.
When you see “release pressure naturally” in a recipe, it sounds exactly like it is. Once the cooking is finished, you simply wait for the pressure pin or valve to drop down on its own.
Quick pressure release means hitting the quick release button so all the steam built up in the pressure cooker releases instantaneously.
It’s definitely advisable to follow whichever method the recipes call for – in fact, some recommend a combination of the two methods.
The Knobs and Buttons
Instant Pot has gotten much more user-friendly over time, but it can still be daunting the first time you examine the display and all the buttons there.
Here’s a run-down of the basics on your Instant Pot (using the Duo-SV model as an example):
Down each side of the display, you’ll see a range of cooking functionalities (Pressure Cook, Rice, Saute, Multigrain, etc.). These are the buttons you press to select your preferred pre-set cooking functionality and each one comes with pre-set cooking times that you can manually adjust once selected (using the “+” or “-” button).
The “Pressure Level” button allows you to select Low, Medium or High depending on the outcome you want for your dish and the recipe you are following.
On the LED display, you’ll see the time left to cook or one of several display messages depending on what’s happening.
Instant Pot Display Messages
Speaking of the LED display, there are a few common display messages you should understand before you start cooking, too:
The “ON” message means your Instant Pot is rising to the correct cooking temperature. The “HOT” message means the right temperature has been reached, and the “LID” message means you haven’t sealed your lid properly – or, better yet, you’ve forgotten to put it on at all!
Is the “Burn” Message Dangerous?
People tend to panic over the “Burn” display message, but it’s really no big deal, especially if you notice it quickly enough.
When cooking anything starchy in the Instant Pot, it can sometimes stick to the bottom if enough liquid has not been added. That’s when the “Burn” message will show up, allowing you plenty of time to intervene before your dish is ruined.
Safety Tips
The two main things to be aware of are:
Do not attempt to deep fry!
The Instant Pot is not built to become a vat of hot oil, and it is very dangerous to do so.
Be careful during quick pressure release.
All the steam releases instantly, so take precautions, especially with a liquid dish that might splatter.
Easy Dinner Time Solutions with the Instant Pot – And More!
Now you’re off to the races! With these beginner tips, you’ll have the hang of the Instant Pot in no time and be cooking up tons of new recipes for the whole family.
If you need a little more support in organizing your recipes for meal planning, here’s how I like to meal plan using all the great recipes I find online and on Pinterest. And if you don’t have the right ingredient for an Instant Pot meal, here are some more recipe options for 30 Easy & Healthy Weeknight Dinners.
And if you haven’t taken the plunge with the Instant Pot and the Crockpot is a little more your speed for the moment, here are 30 Healthy Crockpot Recipes that are also amazing! Lots of dinner choices to take the stress out of those crazy weeknights and minimize that dinner dread!
Thoughts? I’d love to hear them! Leave a comment below!
