Can I tell you a secret? That Instant Pot you’ve got sitting in the box since Christmas ain’t gonna start cooking meals all by itself.
I know, I know; it’s way more intimidating than you expected it to be!
You opened up the box, excited to see what the fuss was about, only to see 15 different buttons, a warning not to leave the valve on “Vent” while cooking, and a handful of different inserts. So you noped outta there, real quick.
Or, perhaps you got brave and did the recommended “water test”. Or even made a bone broth!
…And then never touched it again.
I hear from people all over who have the much lauded Instant Pot, excitedly went to try it out, and then though, “wait- this is way more involved than I thought it would be.”
For those of you who are still feeling intimidated by the Instant Pot, let me share with you one simple truth:
If you can work your microwave, you can work your Instant Pot.
And while we’re at it, I’ll help troubleshoot some of the most common complaints I hear when it comes to getting used to the Instant Pot
“What Do All the Buttons Mean?”
Before we get into the Instant Pot buttons, let me ask you this: do you know how to work every button on your microwave?
Most microwaves are full of random buttons that are rarely, if ever, used.
“Turbo”
“Sensor Reheat”
“image of a baked potato”
Um, what?
And yet- you don’t let unused baked potato buttons get in the way of using your microwave, do you? Nope. You learned how to use the basic features of the machine, and didn’t worry about it.
Think of your Instant Pot in the same way. Once you figure out the basics, all the other buttons are just a bonus.
(And if you want to know what ALLLL the buttons mean, check out instantpotofficial.com for a full breakdown, depending on your particular model)
Related Post: Here’s What You Need to Know About Batch Cooking Sheet Pan Meals
“Everything I Cook In It Just Tastes Like Mush”
This is a common complaint I hear about slow cookers, too- and I get it. The process of using intense heat, whether that’s low and slow from a slow cooker or fast and high pressured in an Instant Pot, can break down the fibers and textures of foods sometimes too much.
One great way to get around the mushy-foods-issue is to use a layering technique in the cooking process:
- Stack different ingredients on the little metal trivet that came inside your pot
- Hang quick cooking vegetables, like broccoli, in the steamer basket, and only add them at the end to cook
- Wrap parts of the meal in foil and let them steam while the pot cooks the rest
Another way is the use the “saute” feature to brown and caramelize beforehand. Browning your ingredients before starting the Instant Pot will create a barrier that prevents the food from breaking down too much, and keeping its shape and flavor throughout the cooking process.
“It Takes Too Long!”
You got the Instant Pot and expected everything to cook fast, right? Maybe not in an instant, but close, right!? instant. Which… makes sense!
The thing is, the process of cooking with a pressure cooker, even one that’s as “fast” as an Instant Pot, still means the pot needs to come to pressure before it can cook your food for its determined amount of time. The pot comes to pressure by building heat in an enclosed, pressurized environment.
The easiest way to cut this time down? Give your pot a head start with the heat.
While you’re gathering, chopping, and measuring your ingredients, set the pot to “saute” with the lid loosely set on top. This slowly brings the heat up, so once you start adding prepped ingredients, you’re already ahead of the gme when it comes to heat. Your pot will still need time to come to pressure, but heating it this way will reduce that time quite a bit.
“It’s Too Intimidating”
When I first got my Instant Pot, one of the things that drove me crazy was that I couldn’t take a peek at the food while it was cooking. I was used to the see-through lid on my slow cooker, so I could always lift the lid halfway through cooking, see how far the cooking process had gone, and make a judgement call for time from there.
With the instant pot, the lid is not just black and not see-through, but it’s locked in place! It becomes an exercise in trust to know the food you’re making is doing its thing. And that trust is hard to have when you’re unfamiliar with Instant Pot recipes.
The one thing I tell everyone who’s new to the Instant Pot is this: trust the process. If the food isn’t cooked all the way through when you’ve lifted the lid? It probably just needs a little more time. Until you get a few recipes nailed, use your Instant Pot on a weekend afternoon or on a day when you’ve got a backup plan for dinner- just in case. You’ll get used to the time it takes and before you know it, you’ll be flying.
That’s it for now! What are your most common Instant Pot concerns? Let me know in the comments, or drop a message into my IG DMs- I love nothing more than troubleshooting recipes and kitchen issues with people. (Seriously, it brings me really nerdy joy)
Ruthy Kirwan is a recipe tester, developer, and cooking instructor living in New York City.
In 2016, Ruthy created the website ‘Percolate Kitchen’ to be a digital kitchen resource for busy people. Sharing simple and quick recipes, how-to’s and guides, and meal prep for the everday family, she has built a loyal following of busy parents who want calmer weeknights. Her weekly newsletter is full of actionable tips, recipes, foodie links from around the web, kitchen ‘hacks’ and more.
You can find out more at percolatekitchen.com
