Instant Pot
The 5 Most Common Mistakes People Make When Using the Instant Pot
They're not what you'd think.
Welcome to Set It & Forget It, a series about all the ways we rely on our Crock-Pots, Instant Pots, and ovens during the colder months.
As an Instant Pot lover (and the author of multiple Instant Pot cookbooks), I get asked often: What am I doing wrong? Maybe it’s the BURN message glaring at you balefully (yes, that means something is burning), or your silicone sealing ring is improperly positioned. I’ve even seen people forget to put the stainless steel insert back into their Instant Pots before pouring in the ingredients. Apart from these kinds of technical difficulties, here are the less obvious things I see all the time.
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1. Using too much liquid
Many recipes call for too much water, which makes users wonder why their food is so bland or overcooked. Yes, it is true that you need a certain amount of water for the pot to come to pressure—but that water does not all need to come from the tap. Most vegetables, fruits, and meats release water while cooking. A LOT of water, in fact. In contrast, rice, most grains, potatoes, and pasta all absorb water.
Once you understand how this works, you will realize why many of my recipes don’t call for added water. Not only does it make food bland, but to thicken the sauce, you often end up having to use the Sauté function after the food is already well cooked—resulting in overcooked food.
Take my advice. Find recipes that don’t require you to sauté afterward each time. If your food is bland and watery despite this, reduce the added water and add more seasoning.
2. Forgetting to deglaze
Many recipes ask you to brown/sear meats ahead of time. While I think this is rarely necessary for pressure cooking, since pressure cookers produce a Maillard reaction without browning, there are times you will want to do that.
If you brown things on the Sauté function and are not absolutely fanatical about deglazing that pot, then you will likely get a BURN message later. This message is one of the fabulous but sometimes frustrating safety features of an Instant Pot. While there are many reasons why you get that BURN warning, not thoroughly deglazing is the most prevalent reason. My recommendation is to momentarily ignore your recipe, add in 1/4 cup of water, and scrape up all that fond. Allow the water to evaporate completely, and then proceed as directed.
3. Venting & Sealing
As many times as I’ve cooked with electric pressure cookers, you’d think this would never be an issue even for me. But I’ll admit that all too often, I do forget to turn that knob from Venting to Sealing. People think that’s a rookie mistake. But having written over 500 recipes for an Instant Pot, I ain’t no rookie! What I am is absent-minded. If you’re following an otherwise-trusted recipe writer, and you open up the pot to find a burned mess, or uncooked food, before you give up on the Instant pot or yell at the writer, check to ensure that you really did close the valve to sealing.
I have overcome my shortcoming by using an Instant Pot Ultra or Evo, which automagically turn from venting to sealing when you secure the lid.
4. Underestimating cook times
Chicken in eight minutes! Beans in 30 minutes! Roasts in half an hour! Yes, we’ve all heard the hype. Well, it’s the truth—but it’s not the whole truth.
Yes, you can most certainly cook chicken thighs in eight minutes under pressure. But did you add in the 10 minutes for the pot to come to pressure, and 10 minutes for the Natural Pressure Release, making that a total of 28 minutes? I always specify total times for my Instant Pot recipes but not all recipe writers do this. The last thing you want is hangry people, so be sure you understand total elapsed time, not just time under pressure.
| For the rice | |
| 1 | cup aged basmati rice, rinsed |
| 1 | cup water |
| 1 | tablespoon ghee or vegetable oil |
| 1 | teaspoon salt |
| For the butter chicken | |
| 1 | (14-ounce) can diced tomatoes |
| 1 | tablespoon minced ginger |
| 1 | tablespoon minced garlic |
| 1 | teaspoon turmeric |
| 1/2-1 | teaspoons cayenne pepper (adjust to taste) |
| 1 | teaspoon paprika |
| 1 | teaspoon salt |
| 2 | teaspoons good-quality garam masala, divided |
| 1 | teaspoon ground cumin |
| 1 | pound boneless skinless chicken thighs, left whole |
| 4 | ounces butter, cut into cubes (use coconut oil, if dairy free) |
| 4 | ounces heavy cream (use full-fat coconut milk, if dairy free) |
| 1/4-1/2 | cups chopped cilantro |
| For the rice | |
| 1 | cup aged basmati rice, rinsed |
| 1 | cup water |
| 1 | tablespoon ghee or vegetable oil |
| 1 | teaspoon salt |
| For the butter chicken | |
| 1 | (14-ounce) can diced tomatoes |
| 1 | tablespoon minced ginger |
| 1 | tablespoon minced garlic |
| 1 | teaspoon turmeric |
| 1/2-1 | teaspoons cayenne pepper (adjust to taste) |
| 1 | teaspoon paprika |
| 1 | teaspoon salt |
| 2 | teaspoons good-quality garam masala, divided |
| 1 | teaspoon ground cumin |
| 1 | pound boneless skinless chicken thighs, left whole |
| 4 | ounces butter, cut into cubes (use coconut oil, if dairy free) |
| 4 | ounces heavy cream (use full-fat coconut milk, if dairy free) |
| 1/4-1/2 | cups chopped cilantro |
5. Using quick release for foamy or high-liquid volumes
There’s a lot of confusion about when to use NPR (Natural Pressure Release) vs. QPR (Quick Pressure Release) for foods. But one thing you absolutely do not want to do is open up that valve on a pot that is still under pressure—and full of either foamy foods like beans and pasta or liquids like broths, stocks, and soups. Because when you open up that valve, you won’t just get steam, you’ll get bits of food and hot liquid, making a huge mess of your kitchen counters, cabinets, and even ceilings.
But that’s okay. We’ve all been there. Luckily for you, the solution is quite simple: Just close that valve back up and wait five minutes before trying again. Those five minutes should allow the pressure to release naturally so that you can open the valve, release any remaining pressure, and open the lid.
In short, do not ever overfill your pot. That max line is for your safety. I never fill mine more than halfway, just to be on the safe side.
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To recap:
- If your food is bland, it’s not the Instant Pot, it may be the recipe. Adjust accordingly per my instructions above.
- If you get the BURN message, check your seals and valve, and add water to deglaze the bottom of the pot if needed.
- Be safe, don’t overfill that pot, and budget the proper time for your meal to cook. Then you, too, can join the legion of raving fans, and speak passionately about how the Instant Pot has brought you love and joy. Or at least, good food (same thing really).
Disclosure: This post contains products that are independently selected by our editors and writers, and as an Amazon Associate, Food52 may earn an affiliate commission.
Written by: Urvashi Pitre
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15 Comments
i really only created an account so that i can tell you how much i LOVE your butter chicken recipe! best - and easiest - i've ever made!
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