Whether you’re brand new to the Instant Pot or have been using it for a while, you may have questions about how to use it. In this comprehensive Instant Pot FAQ guide, I’ll address the most common questions and concerns.
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➡ Are you getting an error code like C7 or PrSe? Head over to my post about Instant Pot error codes and how to solve them!
The Instant Pot is a programmable pressure cooker that allows you to cook foods faster than traditional cooking methods. In addition to pressure cooking, Instant Pots can be used for sautéing, slow cooking, steaming, and more.
The Instant Pot is truly a marvel with its versatile functionality. But this also makes it somewhat complex and confusing for new owners.
I’ve been using an Instant Pot for almost ten years, and I’ve encountered pretty much any problem you can think of!
That’s why so many Instant Pot owners turn to me for help. I hope this list of FAQs and tips will help you make the most of your new appliance.
1. My Instant Pot just says On. What is the meaning of On?
If your Instant Pot says On but no time is showing on the display, that’s normal.
Once you program the Instant Pot to begin pressure cooking, the display panel will say On. It will remain On until the Instant Pot is pressurized.
Once the float valve comes up, the Instant Pot display may take a few minutes to change from On to counting down the pressure cooking time.
For example, to pressure cook for 10 minutes, select Pressure Cook and set the pressure cooking time to 00:10 (Press Start on some models.) The Instant Pot will say On, and once the float valve comes up, it will eventually begin counting down from 00:10 to 00:00.
2. Why is my Instant Pot clicking?
The Instant Pot making a clicking noise is pretty normal.
- The clicking sounds can happen when the Instant Pot is internally regulating power through power switching. This is perfectly normal, and you don’t need to worry.
- The inner pot (liner) may be wet on the outside. This can cause the Instant Pot to make a popping sound. There isn’t anything to worry about. Avoid this issue by ensuring the Instant Pot liner is dry before putting it in the Instant Pot base unit.
- Expansion and contraction of the lid and the base unit can cause a popping noise.
Instant Pot Resources
- How to Use Pot in Pot Instant Pot Cooking Method
- Instant Pot Troubleshooting – Common Problems and How to Fix Them
- How To Natural Release Instant Pot vs Quick Release
- What is a Trivet for the Instant Pot?
- Instant Pot Symbols | Display Panel Icons
- Reasons For Your Instant Pot Not Sealing
- How to Use Instant Pot Delay Start
- Instant Pot Cooking Times – A Complete Guide
- How to Use the Instant Pot Sous Vide Smart Program
- What to do When the Instant Pot Says Burn
- How to Deglaze Your Instant Pot Pressure Cooker
- Instant Pot Directions
3. Why is my Instant Pot hissing? Is it normal for it to hiss?
It is pretty normal for the Instant Pot to make a hissing noise when coming to pressure. You may see some steam coming out of the steam release mechanism or the float valve in addition to the hissing sound.
This happens because the temperature is rising within the pot.
Once enough pressure has built up in the pot, the float valve will rise, and this hissing should stop. You might continue to see a few tiny wisps of steam escaping from the float valve.
The more liquid you have or the colder the ingredients in the Instant Pot (e.g. frozen meat), the longer it takes to come to pressure.
If you find steam leaking from the sides of the lid (where the sealing ring sits), the sealing ring has probably been installed incorrectly.
If the Instant Pot won’t stop hissing, you can troubleshoot the problem by reading the following posts:
– Instant Pot Not Sealing
– Instant Pot Burn Message
If you still can’t solve the problem, it’s possible you have a defective unit, and you might need to contact the Instant Pot company.
4. Is the Instant Pot timer minutes or hours?
The Instant Pot time display is hours and minutes (HH:MM). So if you see 05:00, that means it’s 5 hours, not 5 minutes.
5. How do I set the Instant Pot Timer?
The Instant Pot has three different timers:
Cooking Timer
- Counts down the pressure cooking time.
- After the Instant Pot has pressurized, the display goes from On to the programmed cook time (e.g. 10 minutes or 00:10).
- The timer then counts down from the programmed cook time (e.g. 00:10) to 00:00.
- Once the countdown is complete, the Instant Pot goes into Keep Warm mode if the Keep Warm function is on.
Keep Warm Timer
- Shows the amount of time the contents of the Instant Pot are being kept warm.
- The keep warm timer only comes on if the Keep Warm function has been turned on.
- After the cooking timer reaches 00:00, the keep warm timer counts up from 00:00 until you press Cancel.
- Keep Warm function can be used to keep food warm even if you’re not pressure cooking.
Delay start timer
- Allows cooking to begin at a future time. Shows the number of hours and minutes until cooking begins.
- Begins counting down once the delay start functionality has been enabled.
- Enabling Delay Start function is different for each model. For most models, you select the cooking program, time and pressure level and then select Delay Start and enter the amount of time you want to delay the start of cooking. Finally, you press Start.
- Note: some older models have a Timer button which is the same as Delay Start.
[Read more: How to use the Instant Pot Delay Start]
6. Why is the Instant Pot Counting Up?
If your Instant Pot is counting up, it’s because pressure cooking is complete and you have turned on Keep Warm mode. The time shown on the display is how long it’s been since cooking was completed.
So how do you steam in an Instant Pot without the Steam button? If you don’t have a Steam button, you can follow the above instructions but use the Pressure Cook button instead. It might take a tiny bit longer to heat up, but it will work the same way.
7. Can I adjust Instant Pot timer while cooking?
If you’ve programmed the Instant Pot and cooking has begun, you can adjust the cooking time by pressing the function and navigating to the cooking time. Press Start after you’ve changed the time.
8. Why is my Instant Pot counting up?
The Instant Pot counts up once pressure cooking is complete, and it’s in Keep Warm mode.
9. How long does it take Instant Pot to pressurize?
The quantity and temperature of the food and liquid will determine how long the Instant Pot takes to preheat. This can be anywhere from 10 to 30 minutes.
If you’re cooking soup and have added cold water to the Instant Pot, or if you’re using frozen meat or vegetables, it can take 20 to 30 minutes for the liquid to heat up.
You can reduce the time it takes for the Instant Pot to pressurize by adding warm liquid and thawed ingredients.
After pressure cooking is complete, if the recipe calls for natural pressure release (NPR), that can also take from 5 to 30 minutes, depending on the quantity of liquid in the Instant Pot.
10. If I want to double a recipe, do I need to double the pressure cooking time?
Doubling a recipe doesn’t require changing the cooking time. Cooking times are more dependent on the density and thickness of the ingredients rather than the weight.
So, if you’re cooking 8 chicken thighs instead of the 4 thighs that a recipe calls for, you won’t need to change the cooking time in the recipe (so long as you’re not overcrowding the pot and the liquid has room to circulate).
Keep in mind that even though you are not increasing the cooking time, the Instant Pot will take longer to build pressure due to the increased quantity of ingredients.
On the other hand, if the recipe calls for 2-inch thick pieces of meat and you’re cooking 3-inch thick pieces, or if you’ve cut the vegetables into larger pieces than a recipe recommends, you might have to increase the cooking time.
11. Can I use the Instant Pot as slow cooker?
If you’re using the Slow Cooker setting, be aware that Less (or Low on some models) setting is too low to slow cook anything; it’s more like the Warm setting on a slow cooker.
| Slow Cooker/Crock Pot | Instant Pot |
|---|---|
| Warm | Less (or Low on some models) |
| Low | Normal (or Medium) |
| High | More (or High) |
12. Will my Instant Pot automatically turn off?
If the Keep Warm function is off, the Instant Pot will turn off automatically after the pressure cooking timer has counted down. If the Keep Warm is on, it will turn off once the Keep Warm timer has finished.
13. How can I switch between High and Low pressure?
Not all Instant Pots have the Low setting. The Instant Pot Lux model only has a High-pressure setting. For most other models, use either the Pressure or Pressure Level button to switch between Low and High pressure.
For the Instant Pot Ultra model or the Instant Pot Duo Evo Plus, you’ll use the knob to change the Pressure setting.
14. The sealing ring always smells like whatever I cooked last. How do I remove the smell from the sealing ring?
The sealing ring is made of silicone. Silicone retains odors, and these odors are hard to remove. I solve this problem by having two sealing rings: one for savory dishes and one for mild dishes and desserts.
I also store my lid upside down on the Instant Pot which allows the sealing ring to air out. That being said, I rarely find that the lingering odors in the sealing ring transfer to what I’m cooking.
Some people have different colored sealing rings so they can keep them straight.
Here are some ways to reduce odors in the sealing ring:
- Wash the lid and sealing ring in the top rack of the dishwasher.
- Put the sealing ring out in full sun for a few hours.
- Pressure cook water and lemon juice or vinegar for a few minutes and let the pressure release naturally.
- Soak the sealing ring in hot water dissolved with a denture cleaner tablet.
15. Instant Pot Steam function
Some Instant Pots have a Steam smart program/function or button. The Steam function is very similar to the Pressure Cook function, except that it heats up the liquid at full force and therefore it’s faster. The assumption is that you would be using the Steam function with water, and therefore there’s no chance of burning anything. To use the Steam function:
- Add about 2 to 3 cups of water to the inner pot.
- Place a trivet or steam rack in the water. The trivet should sit above the water level.
- Place the food to be steamed directly on the rack or in an oven-safe dish that can be placed on the rack without it touching the sides of the inner pot. The dish should also be short enough that the Instant Pot lid can be put on such that the dish and food don’t touch the lid.
- Select Steam and program for the appropriate number of minutes. Quick-cooking vegetables take 0 to 1 minute, whole potatoes can take 10 to 20 minutes depending on their size.
The above directions are for pressure-steaming. The Instant Pot comes to pressure and steams the food very quickly. To steam in the traditional way, put the steam release handle/valve in the Venting position. I use this method to steam idlis (South Indian rice cakes).
So how do you steam in an Instant Pot without the Steam button? If you don’t have a Steam button, you can follow the above instrutions but use the Pressure Cook button instead. It might take a tiny bit longer to heat up but it will work the same way.
16. How to Turn on Instant Pot?
There are two ways to turn on the Instant Pot, depending on the model:
- If your Instant Pot has a Start button, program the Instant Pot by setting the pressure cooking time and pressure level and press Start. The display panel will change to On, and that means the Instant Pot has started the cooking process.
- If your Instant Pot does not have a Start button, program the Instant Pot and just wait about 5 seconds. The display panel will change to On, and that means the Instant Pot has started the cooking process.
I hope these Instant Pot tips and FAQs have answered some of the questions you may have about the Instant Pot and made you feel more comfortable with it. If you have further questions, feel free to comment below, or contact me through my Contact Page, or through social media.
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Carol Campbell says
I cooked boneless 3/4in. pork chops for 5 min. They were tender but dry. Were they too thin or do I need to reduce the time, thanks
Paint the Kitchen Red says
Carol, in my experience, cuts of meat that are lean don’t do as well in the Instant Pot. If you really need to, then the best way to cook such cuts is to cook them in the liquid and do a natural release.
Jennifer says
First timer. The clock moved down really slowly. After 30 minutes, I turned off and released pressure valve. Any idea what I did wrong? Thanks.
Paint the Kitchen Red says
Jennifer, Do you mean that after 30 minutes, there was still pressure in the Instant Pot? That can be perfectly normal, depending on what you’re cooking. Something with a lot of liquid can take a long time to de-pressurize. I frequently release pressure at the 20 to 30 minute mark, if I’m in a hurry.
Connie Brown says
my instant pot did not come with a trivet. Is there something I can use for a substitute in a pinch? I have already started using the pot to saute and ready to start.
Paint the Kitchen Red says
Connie – how about a cookie cutter? I also use a round cake rack.
Laura says
Hi,
I have the Instant Pot Lux60, and I am having trouble adjusting the pressure – less, normal, and more. When I press “adjust” it only adds – or subtracts minutes. Hope you can help:).Thanks
Paint the Kitchen Red says
Laura, unfortunately the LUX does not have multiple pressure levels – only high pressure. Honestly, I rarely use the low pressure function – sometimes for fish and vegetables. Hope that helps.
sweete says
hi I bought instant pot 8 quts just 3 weeks ago.. it doesn’t have manual button so do I use pressure cooker and put manual timing?? please help 🙁
Paint the Kitchen Red says
Sweete, the ‘Pressure Cook’ button is the same as ‘Manual’. It’s been renamed in newer models. Hope that helps.
Michael says
Hi I just got a instant pot and tryed to cook a roast in it . But it didnt cook it. Is it normal for the display to flash on and off while it’s on? It was in for like 4 hours and didnt cook
Paint the Kitchen Red says
Michael was the cord pushed in all the way? The display should only go off when it’s in Cancel mode and there’s no activity.
Ethel Mathey says
My multigrain function on my Ultra IP didn’t work. It continued to spew out steam after it was pressurized. Is it possible that this function doesn’t work? Used manual instead.
Paint the Kitchen Red says
Ethel, I’m not sure about that because I’ve not used multigrain very much. I would try it again and if it happens again, I would just use manual. Sorry I couldn’t be of more help 🙁
Evie Naumann says
My recipe says do porridge but after 10 minutes do release and turn on cancel. No problem but after the 10 on porridge it continues to beep so I hit cancel early. Does the beeping stop?
Paint the Kitchen Red says
Evie, was there an error message on the display when it kept beeping? What did the display show? It shouldn’t be beeping while it’s pressure cooking. Try to do a water test to make sure the Instant Pot is working normally. If you continue to have the issue, you might need to open a support ticket and support.instantpot.com. Good luck.
Vicki says
My Insta pot will not seal…the latch will not open to let it close properly…how do I open it?
Thanks so much
Paint the Kitchen Red says
Have you made sure the arrow on the lid is lining up with the arrow and picture of an open lock on the base unit? Sometimes there can be a suction that can cause the lid to not open. It also possible that the pin that is on the back of the lid is stuck.
Bill says
I cooked 2 bone in pork chops, about 1-1 1/4 in thick in broth. After the build up time they cooked 5 minutes. I was afraid of over cooking so did a fast release. They were not tender or juicy although they weren’t tough. The internal temp was 185 degrees. Should you just forget internal temps and cook them longer. I did sauté them first. HELP!!
Paint the Kitchen Red says
Hi Bill, thanks for your question. A couple of things: the best meats for the Instant Pot are fattier cuts. Lean cuts just don’t do as well. So if your pork chop was very lean, that could have been the problem. The other thing is that you should never quick release the pressure when you’re cooking meats. Quick release prevents the juices from flowing back into the meat (the same effect as allowing meat to “rest” after cooking on the stovetop).
Kathy says
Hi I just received my instant pot a few weeks ago. And every time I use it it only cooks for a minute or two no matter what setting I use. It goes to the warm mode. Is there something I am doing or not doing. I have to keep restarting it. But it never just cooks the time on the display.
Paint the Kitchen Red says
Kathy, why don’t you send me a message through my contact form (my email address is on there too) and tell me exactly what buttons you’re pressing and what the display does. It’s hard to know what you might be doing wrong, if anything without some more information 🙂
Mary samson says
I appreciate all the valuable information you’ve posted about the instant pot but I still have a question. Recipes calls for 3 lb of chuck roast and 2 stalks of celery. I’m only cooking for 2 and my roast is only 1.5 lbs. So I want to cut recipe in half. Do I cut cooking time in half as well. Any advise is appreciated.
Thank you
Paint the Kitchen Red says
Mary, it depends. If the recipe is for one large chunk of meat, then you should reduce the cooking time since your chunk of meat will be smaller. If it’s for meat that’s cut up, then you would keep the same cooking time since you can cut the meat up into the same size pieces. Hope that helps.
Melody says
I followed a recipe for minestrone soup and though I liked the flavor, the vegetables were overdone. I’d like to try again. Would you recommend I lower the cooking time, the natural pressure release time or both? Thanks for your help.
Paint the Kitchen Red says
Melody, it’s hard to say without seeing the recipe – there may be other ingredients that are calling for a natural release. Barring that, I would just do a quick release. I generally do a quick release when I’m cooking vegetables. Hope that helps.
Kelly Sullivan says
I think you may have answered my question, but I’m still not sure I understand, so I am sorry if I’m asking you to repeat your answer. I think I am doing something wrong, I press pressure button and adjust the time and it says on but it NEVER goes to the count down – does that mean it isn’t getting pressurized? Sometimes it goes to “burn” and then goes back to “On” – but it never goes to the countdown and never stops until I stop it – I’ve waited like 30 minutes after I’ve started it and set the timer for 10 minutes. The food has been done and I think it’s cooked properly, but I still think I’m doing something wrong. Any ideas?
Paint the Kitchen Red says
Kelly, sorry if my answer wasn’t clear. I think there’s something wrong with your Instant Pot (or at the very least, with the display) if it never goes to countdown mode from ‘On’. I suggest that you open a ticket with the company at https://support.instantpot.com. Please keep me posted.
Mary says
If I have a 6qt or 3 qt inner pot can it be used in the 8qt instant pot as extras?
Paint the Kitchen Red says
Mary, the 6 qt inner pot in the 8 quart is a tight fit, you wouldn’t have room for a trivet and it would be hard to get out. The 3 quart would work, I believe.
Angie says
I just got the Insta pot 9 in 1 DUO Plus 60. I want to hard-boiled eggs. The user manual says never use less than 2 cups of water. But the recipe for hard boiled eggs calls for one cup of water. What should I do?
Paint the Kitchen Red says
Angie, the company does say 2 cups minimum but you should be able to cook the eggs with 1 cup just fine. I do that and have no problems. If there’s an issue, you’ll see ‘burn’ on the display, and you can just add more water if that were to happen. Hope that helps.
Catherine says
I just got the 6 qt DUO seris…i have a lot of recipes for the mini 3 qt can i cook smaller amounts in the 6 qt cooker?
Paint the Kitchen Red says
Catherine, you should be able to cook those recipes in the 6 quart as long as you have the minimum quantity of liquid required by the 6 quart. The 3 quart does cook at a lower pressure, but the recipes should be able to be used the same way, although some 3 quart recipes might have an increased cooking time. It would depend on the recipe. Hope that helps.
Laura says
is it ok to use the Saute function to simmer liquids. For example, I made a veggie broth but I would like to reduce it a bit more before I bottle it for freezing.
Paint the Kitchen Red says
Laura, yes you sure can do that. I frequently reduce liquids on ‘Saute’. Thanks for your question.
Rob says
Hello, I’ve started a few things cooking and then wanted to add something. Just now for example I started some chicken it was 10 minutes into cooking and I decided some carrots sounded good. Can I interrupt the cooking add the carrots and finish cooking?
Paint the Kitchen Red says
Hi Rob, if the Instant Pot has not yet come to pressure, you can open the lid and add ingredients. Once the Instant Pot has come to pressure you cannot open it to add anything without doing a quick release. Since vegetables like carrots cook very quickly, you wouldn’t add them with the chicken unless the chicken has been cut into very small pieces. Instead, you would partially pressure cook the chicken, do a quick release and then add the carrots. e.g. if the chicken pressure cooking time is 10 minutes, and carrot cooking time is 1 minute, you would pressure cook the chicken for 9 minutes, quick release, add carrots, and then pressure cook for another minute. Hope that helps.
Hilda Sterner says
Thank you for writing such a thorough post about the Instant Pot. As a food blogger, I’m late joining the Instant Pot scene. I just didn’t have enough counter space for more kitchen gadgets! Anyways, I found your post quite helpful in explaining some of the questions I had, and in helping me to use the right terminology (now that I’m in the process of writing my first Instant Pot recipe post). Thanks a million!
Paint the Kitchen Red says
Hilda, that’s really kind of you to take the time to let me know! I’m so glad you’re going to post your first Instant Pot recipe 🙂 All the best to you!