User Manual

14 | support@instantpot.com | 1-800-828-7280
Pressure cooking 101
Pressure cooking uses steam to raise the boiling point of water above 100ºC / 212ºF.
These high temperatures allow you to cook food way faster than normal.
Behind the magic curtain
When pressure cooking, the Instant Pot goes through 3 stages.
Pre-heating
What you see What you don’t see Tips
The display shows
On.
While the multicooker preheats,
it vaporizes liquid to create
steam.
Once enough steam has built
up, the oat valve pops up and
locks the lid in place.
The time it takes the multicooker to
pressurize depends on things like
food and liquid temperature and
volume.
Frozen foods have the longest pre-
heating time. For the fastest results,
thaw your food before cooking it.
No need to hang around during this
stage — trust that IP magic!
Cooking
What you see What you don’t see Tips
The oat valve bobs
up and down from
all the steam, then
pops up and stays
ush with the lid. The
display switches
to the cooking
countdown timer.
When it reaches the required
pressure level, cooking begins.
The Instant Pot automatically
maintains the cooking pressure
at High or Low pressure.
A higher pressure means a higher
temperature.
Smart Program settings (e.g., cooking
time, pressure level, etc.) can be
adjusted at any time during cooking.
Releasing pressure
What you see What you don’t see Tips
If Keep Warm is on
after cooking, the
timer counts up from
00:00.
If not, the multicooker
goes back to standby
and the display shows
End.
The oat valve is still
popped up.
Although food has nished
cooking, the multicooker is still
pressurized and hot, which is why
the oat valve is up.
Releasing pressure lowers
the temperature inside the
multicooker, which allows you to
safely remove the lid once the
oat valve drops.
See Releasing pressure for
information on safe venting
techniques and what they’re used for.
Follow your recipe instructions to
choose the best venting method for
your meal.
The Instant Pot cools faster
if Keep Warm is turned off.