A Guide to the Instapot or Instant Pot

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Do you think you have seen it all when it comes to kitchen appliances? Do you feel like you already have the best kitchen appliance? You need to take a minute and try out the new and amazing Instant Pot simply known as the instapot. Trust me; you are going to love it and make it your favorite appliance the moment you try it out. After all, what else could you ask for when the instapot is a 7-in-1 appliance? This kitchen horse is incredibly easy to use, functional, and also easy to clean.

What is the Instant Pot?

In simple terms, the instant pot is a 7-in-1 kitchen appliance that you can use as a slow cooker, steamer, pressure cooker, yogurt maker, warmer, and even a sauté pan. Doesn’t it sound great? But wait, some people will say that if it has a pressure cooker then it is unsafe and the manufacturer knew exactly how to deal with your fears. The instant pot has ten different safety features and mechanisms, and as long as you use it correctly, it won’t pose any safety risk.

Since the instapot uses controlled steam to build the pressure, you will require at least one cup of water in your pot to make it work perfectly. You should also ensure that your pot’s lid is always closed properly and its steam release handle should be pointing to the sealed position before you start your cooking. If you feel like you still need added protection, then feel free to put on an apron with long sleeves. Just like any other pressure cooker, you shouldn’t try to open your instapot until the time the cooking cycle is 100% complete, and you are pretty sure that all the pressure has been released.

The Instant Pot offers you two convenient methods of releasing pressure- the “quick pressure release method’’ and the “natural pressure release method.” For the conventional quick pressure release method, make sure that you turn the instapot’s steam release handle to vent so that the steam can come out quickly. Consider wearing a silicone mitt so that you don’t hurt your hand. You should only open your pot when the steam stops flowing out of the vent.

To release pressure naturally, you should leave the steam release handle in the sealed position for at least ten minutes. If you are still unsure whether it is safe to open your pot, leave it for another ten minutes.

Avoid overfilling your pot since it can lead to the clogging of the vent pipes creating excessive pressure. For certain foods that tend to expand such as rice and beans don’t fill the pot past the ½-full mark.

The Accessories

A new Instant Pot will have a rice paddle, a steam rack, a measuring cup, and a soup spoon. The primary function of the steam rack is to help in keeping water out of your food. It works well with foods such as corn on the cob, hard-boiled eggs, and potatoes. The steam racks hold the solid food above the water level.

Getting Started

Here is what you need to know to get started with your instapot:

Manual and Pressure: The clearly labeled manual button offers you the freedom to input the exact number of minutes you want your meal to cook. However, some buttons such as the poultry button will have a preset amount of time. To set your time, press the labeled manual button and then push the “pressure’ key to select low or high pressure. Press the time bottom and use the “-’’ or “+” to set your preferred time. Cooking will start ten seconds after you press the final button.

Slow Cook: This works like any other slow cooker that you have come across but, in this case, less means warm, normal means low, and more means high.
The Soup button will cook with high pressure for 30 minutes before it adjusts to 40 when you press more or 20 when you press less.
The rice button of the instapot is automatic
The cancel/keep warm button will help you to cancel any other feature on your instapot
The adjust keys functionality offers you the freedom to quickly toggle between less, normal, and more while adjusting the temperature.
The Bean/Chili, Meat/Stew, Porridge, Poultry, and Multigrain buttons are pre-programmed to cook your food for a specific amount of time.
You should always use the steam rack with the steam button to avoid your food coming in direct contact with the bottom of your pot.