7 Instant Pot Tips and Tricks

7 Instant Pot Tips & Tricks

Getting the Instant pot out of the box for the first time can be very intimidating and overwhelming. I was right there with you once and now I don’t know how I ever lived without it. I hope these 7 Instant pot Tips and Tricks will help you feel more confident when you’re using the Instant Pot and help you get more out of it than you ever knew possible.

Instant Pot Terminology.

The most common Instant Pot Abbreviations:

PIP-Pot in Pot

NPR-Natural pressures release

QPR-Quick release

IP-Instant Pot

EPC– Electric pressure cooker

HP-High pressure

LP-Low pressure

HA-High altitude

5-5-5-egg cooking method of 5 min cook time, 5 min NPR and 5 min ice bath.

How To Clean Your Instant Pot Liner.

To keep your Instant Pot inner liner shiny and new simply spray or wipe the stainless steel pot with distilled white vinegar and give it a scrub with a non-scratch sponge. Rinse it well and smile because you’ll be able to see your reflection.

{This post contains affiliate links. Please see my full Disclosure Page for details}

Why Does My Instant Pot Smell Like Last Nights Dinner?

Removing the sealing ring after each use, wash it with hot soapy water, and let it air dry before replacing it in the lid.

If the odor persists wash the lid and ring on the top rack of the dishwasher. After washing hang the ring out in the sun for a few hours. One addition option is to pressure cook water and lemon juice for 2-3 minutes and let it NPR.

For all my cleaning tips and tricks check out my how to deep clean your instant pot video.

What Accessories Do I Really Need?

If the Instant Pot isn’t overwhelming enough, add on all the accessories too! Here is a list of my favorite and most used Instant Pot Accessories. For a full list of the 21 Instant Pot Accessories go here. If you are just getting started these are the best for beginners.

Spring form pan with bunt pan-7″ for a 6 qt or 8″ for 8qt. This can be used for cheesecake, lasagna and so much more.
Stackable pans-can also be used for multiple purposes and to cook multiple things at once.
2nd inner pot/liner-next best thing to having two pots.
Silicone egg bites mold.
Silicone lid-for food prep.
Glass lid-keep warm and yogurt making.
Extra set of sealing rings.
Silicone pot holders.
Shredder claws.
Steamer basket with handle-for large amounts of veggies or eggs.

How To Freeze Leftovers For Easy Reheating.

Freezing leftovers is simple using 6 cup bowls like these for full meals or Souper Cubes for individual 1 and 2 cup portions. Freezing leftovers reduces food waste and makes two meals out of one dinner. Preparing once and enjoying twice is a great meal prep tip.

When you are ready to use the frozen meal, take it out of the freezer, run hot water over the bottom of the bowl until the frozen chunk of food can be dumped directly into the Instant Pot Inner liner. Add ½ cup of water and set the cooking time. For Souper Cubes place frozen cubes in the microwave or on the stovetop. Cover and heat until the food is hot.

Keep Track of All Your Recipes.

I absolutely love using Pinterest and Blogs to find new Instant Pot recipes, however once I’ve made it I don’t want to go back and search for it every time I need to reference the cooking time or recipe. I recommend keeping a notebook handy or using my Instant Pot Printable Recipe sheet to keep all your recipes and notes in once convenient place.

What Do All Those Buttons Mean?

Every model is going to have slightly different functions and buttons but my four most used buttons are:

Manual/Pressure Cook-I use the function most frequently.
Sauté-or sear your food before starting the pressure cook cycle.
Keep Warm-Once your cook cycle is complete the pot will automatically turn over to keep warm so your food is ready when you are.
Timer-Used to delay start your cook cycle. Should only be used when it’s safe for food to be at room temperature.

Bonus Tip: How To Make The Best Hard Boiled Eggs

If you like hard-boiled eggs but the thought of peeling them and throwing half of the egg down the drain because the shell sticks you need to try the Instant Pot 5-5-5 method for hard-boiled eggs. No matter what kind of eggs your cooking they will come out perfect every time, especially notoriously hard to peel farm fresh eggs. The 5-5-5 method refers to cooking the eggs at high pressure for 5 minutes, NPR for 5 minutes, and then ice bath them for 5 minutes before peeling.