5 Must Know Instant Pot Tips For Beginners

The Instant Pot has been the must-have cooking appliance for the past several years. These 5 must know Instant Pot tips for beginners is all you need to know to get started!

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[gabbyhayes]

Yours is the first video I’ve watched that mentions having to add an additional 10 minutes to the recipe cooking time to allow for the pressure to build up. That’s one of the first questions I had when I read the operating instructions. Very concise and informative. Thanks for posting this.

[katerinapavlova]

You are the only person who is explaining logically and intelligently without skipping important points, THANK YOU

[mzkcgirl]

Oh my gosh! I am embarrassed to say I had bought my Pressure Cooker from Kohl's with lots of Kohl's cash and got a deal! BUT the embarrassing part is I got it like 4 years ago and haven't used it 🙈 So now I'm binge watching "how to videos" or reviews and yours is so informative, thank you! I'm hoping to use it this weekend 🙏🏻 😂

[bradycorr]

FYI here is a way to shave off a few minutes. Set up your pot with water and trivet then hit sauté. This will start heating up the water. Then you can prep what ever food you are going to put in. This way when you put the food in and close the lid the water is already warm enough to make steam therefore that much closer to pressurizing.

[Wookie_Cookie_]

So, I'm really late to your videos, but I am new to the _Instant Pot_ and I am now binging on tons of videos, LOL!
So, you may already know this by now, but I thought I'd share a discovery that I found out about those *_"Pre-Sets":_*
They _ARE_ set at specific factory (or suggested) times, however, you can *_"customize"_* them to your own cooking needs.
For example, the *_"Rice"_* pre-set button may be set for _6 minutes, _ BUT you can *_change it_* to, say, _4 minutes._
The real beauty is that the next time you press the *_"Rice"_* button it will automatically remember your previous "4 minute" set time that you used for your rice.
All of those Pre-Sets work that same way, allowing you to customize them all to times that make it a little easier, and it wouldn't be necessary to change your *_Manual_* time setting every time you use your Instant Pot.
I just thought I'd share my newest discovery if anyone cares to know, lol, it helps me because I always forget the times for some things-- like that rice!. Be well, and thanks for the tips! ~Peace!

[Multiball]

1) Add 5 minutes to come to pressure.
2) Liquid is a must.
3) Pressure valve
4) Natural release vs quick release of pressure
5) Manual button

[theedivineempress]

I just bought one and I wish I had watched this first. I will continue watching your videos. Thank you.

[lindahandley]

My husband got mine for Christmas about 3 years ago and it stayed in the box for about a year and a half. I ran across a video on the pot and was so glad. It showed a man using it and it was SO easy. It's not that I was scared, but thought it was more complicated to operate. I have cooked with the old-timey pressure cookers, but you had to stay close. The electric ones are wonderful. They make everything so tender and perfect!

[Karijustini]

I love love how you mentioned the “real” cook time!!!

[Mrtt]

Nice Job! I would suggest that when you release the pressure with the instant pot located near the bottom of your cabinets,  
fold a peace of aluminum foil and pinch it in the door under the cabinet to hold it in place, so it will deflect the steam.

[tryshg]

THANK YOU SSSOOOO MUCH FOR MAKING THIS VIDEO! My regular pressure cooker top blew off when I was cooking a pot roast. 🌋
I have 15 foot high ceilings and ALL the gravy blew out of the pot an up onto the ceiling and rained down onto me, the floor, cabinets, lights....you get the picture.
It was VERY frightening! AND HOT! I have 4 dogs and they came running when I screamed. I THOUGHT they were coming to rescue me .
NOPE! 🤨
Then it was a bigger mess trying to get their attention off the "deliciousness" on the floor! My husband and I were slipping around grabbing them up to put into their kennels. It wasn't funny then, but I'm sure we looked ridiculous!
I've had my Instant Pot since December 2018 just sitting out on my table trying to get up the guts to use it.
I am somewhat relieved and reassured since watching your video!
😃 🍴🐶

[blindkimberly]

This sounds like just the info I’m needing. My first instapot is still in its box somewhere in my house. I have no idea where. I bought it and was too scared to use it. (Olden days pressure cooker mishaps). So I bought a new one. It’s still in its box after 3 months. I’m determined to use it though. Unfortunately the YouTubers I’ve been listening to rush through the recipes with very little information on the machine itself. I’m going to listen to the rest of this now. Wish me luck y’all.

[SStoll-dzcp]

If you pressure cook or steam cook ANYTHING, even if you have water, if at any point it THICKENS too much you will get a burn food notice. The adjustment is add more liquid even if it’s just a little bit! Thank for tips! BTW I got mine on Amazon Once a year sale too, however I got the dual with the fryer lid & a 8quart size.

[angieagentlesoul]

I've looked at alot of "beginner" videos and I have found yours to be the most clear to understand. Tx

[Andy-kwnw]

I think I hold the procrastination record for opening the insta-pot. I just opened it from Black Friday of 2018. The first thing I made was Mexican chicken and rice and it came out great. I wish I saw this video before I attempted it, but I figured it out. Thanks for the tips!

[ollie]

Good job l really didn't know how to use the instant pot until I watch your video may God 🙏 bless you and your family thanks 😂

[TERRY-tdlk]

I have been using a very old non electric pressure cooker that was my grandmothers who died in 1962, which gives you some idea of how old the cooker is. It has worked great for me all these years and I am 71 years old myself. It has just started leaking a little around where the handle mounts to the lid and has kind of scared me a little, so I bought a new one like yours but have not used it yet. I really enjoyed all your info and tips about using the cooker and subscribed to your channel and hoping to see more from you about the cooker. Sorry to make this so long but just wanted to thank you. Looking forward to some more cooker tricks. Terry

[RejeanneCote-fe]

Thank you for all the info you shared. I am a first time user, very helpful. I am attempting to cook a turkey in my new instapot. Purchased it years ago, and was intimidated by it and gave it to my daughter. She purchased one for herself and gave me mine back. So here it goes.

[Timzart]

You covered the important things well, and this and other videos helped me get started with my new Instant Pot Duo Novo I bought last week. I think the Novo model came out in the summer of 2019. For those with the newer model, Duo Novo, the valve system is a little different. It automatically sets the default as pressurized. The main improvement is better valve design.

However, a few things would have been nice to know and one is I cooked beans and unlike other things I tried before (vegetables with frozen beans, oatmeal), the beans spattered all over the inside of the lid, and I searched for why that is, and if there is something to prevent that, since all I got was clean water on the lid before. Then I found out (doing a search) the way to avoid the spatter is to allow a full natural pressure release, whereas I let it sit only 15 minutes past the cooking time and there was A LOT of steam left when I did the manual pressure release button.

The length of time for the pressure to die down has everything to do with what you are cooking. If you are doing a few bowls of steel cut oats, the pressure will release naturally in 10 minutes maybe, whereas with a lot of beans and 8 cups of water, the pressure may take 30 minutes or more. I waited only 15 minutes after cooking my first batch of kidney beans, and then released the pressure manually and there was a lot of steam released, and when I opened it I found bits of beans spattered all over the inside of the lid, in all the valves, all over the silicone ring. According to what I read, pressing the release button on certain foods, while there is a lot of pressure still, causes this spatter.

I understand why a busy mom, or whomever, would do an early release of pressure, if the food is done and they want to get the meal on the table. But with some dishes, you're going to pay for that later in the time it takes to clean the lid. I am not absolutely sure about this, but I think even a greasy roast or something, will not splatter on the inside of the lid, as long as you wait for the full natural release time, that is, for the pressure to die down naturally.

Improbably, for years, I was cooking red kidney beans, a staple of my diet, in a microwave which takes 3 hours and 15 minutes (if you soak overnight) and 4 hours and 15 minutes if you do the quick method. With the Instant Pot, my first try at a 1.25 pounds of kidney beans came out fine, without any soaking or pre-cook prep, and I did it for 55 minutes with 15 minutes natural pressure release. I think I can squeeze another cup in the 8 cups of water and still not be over the 2/3 line in the bowl, and the next time I'll try 45 minutes pressure cook time with 35 minute natural pressure release wait. They say that overnight soaking of beans can reduce cook time by half. I'll experiment with that, too.

I had a bad experience with a stove-top aluminum pressure cooker years ago, and it deformed in the 2nd week of use, . I have never owned a crock pot, and was wary of the instant pot and thought the price was too high when they first came out in 2010. Now I wish I bought this years ago, if only just for beans. It would have saved me a lot of time, energy, and mess.

The microwave did beans well, but it took so much time, attention and energy (power), and it could scorch beans on the top, if the water got low. The Instant Pot is a dream for the energy efficiency, the reduction in time, the lack of steps, not having to monitor it or bring things to a boil and set another level, and even the quality of how well it cooks.

I have one warning for first users. Don't hover over the Instant Pot while doing your "water test." You might even want to do the water test out in the garage or something. This thing produces quite the plastic stench on first use only, such that it will stick in your nose if you are near it when it is heating up. This is normal for first use. On the second use, there was hardly any smell and by the the third or fourth use, no smell at all. The revolutionary thing about the Instant Pot, which I didn't grasp until I got one, was the computer chip control of pressure is a big improvement to a regular pressure cooker, a game changer. Is the Instant Pot for people who like to cook? Maybe. It's mostly for people who want cooking to be simple and efficient.

[barbaradeselle]

I learned to use a pressure cooker, stove top model back in 1960; I was 10 yo. My grandmother taught me. She raised me from 12 on and I learned to cook from her. She gave us a pressure cooker as a wedding present, I still have it and use it. I have an electric one that I also use. Pressure cookers and crock pots are my kitchen right hands. Don’t be afraid, follow the instructions and you will have marvelous meals.
Thanks for sharing your tips. ❣️❣️❣️