The Instant Pot burn message is a common problem that many Instant Pot users come across! Find out why you’re getting the Instant Pot burn error message, how to avoid the problem in the future, and how to fix the burn error and salvage your meal. See special instructions at the bottom to find out how to deglaze your inner pot and clean the burnt food easily.
What is the Burn Message on the Instant Pot?
Lately I’ve been seeing a trickle of complaints about two of my tried and tested recipes: Instant Pot Penne with Sausage and Instant Pot Jambalaya. People are asking me why they’re getting a burn error and what it means when the Instant Pot display says burn.
I own two Instant Pots, and I never see the burn message. I know other bloggers who are also facing this issue with some of their recipes. Their readers are having issues with rice, pasta, and chili recipes in particular. So I did some digging to find out what’s going on.
The Instant Pot has a burn-protection sensor that monitors the temperature. According to the Instant Pot website, when a high temperature is detected at the bottom of the inner pot, the burn-protection sensor suspends heating. On prior Instant Pot models, the warning ‘ovHt‘ (overheat) is displayed. This message has been changed to ‘burn‘ on newer Instant Pot models.
Some people who own multiple models tell me that they see the Instant Pot burn message more frequently on the newer Instant Pots than they do the ovHt message on the older Instant Pots. They also say that the newer models seem to be reaching a higher temperature than previous models. Some even notice certain ‘hot spots’ on the bottom of the inner pot, where food tends to scorch.
Getting the burn alert doesn’t mean that there’s something wrong with your Instant Pot. It just means that your Instant Pot works differently from previous models and so recipes written for older models may not work as written, and you’ll need to make a few modifications and follow some tried and tested pressure cooking techniques.
It appears that the burn alert happens more often with the newer 8-quart Instant Pots. Both Instant Pots I own are older model 6 quarts, so I borrowed an older model and newer model 8 quart from a couple of friends. I tested the above-mentioned recipes in both Instant Pots numerous times, and made a few discoveries.
If you’re seeing the Instant Pot burn message, the following sections tell you why this may be happening, how to avoid it in the future, and how to fix it when it happens to you.
Thanks to the members of the Facebook groups run by Two Sleevers and Simply Happy Foodie for sharing some of their experiences with the Instant Pot burn error. Thanks also to Monica and Kim for parting with their Instant Pots for a few days!
[Read: 16 Reasons Why your Instant Pot is not Sealing]
Why You’re Getting the Instant Pot Burn Message and How to Avoid it
1. Sealing Ring Issues
If your sealing ring is not installed properly or if it’s missing, your Instant Pot will leak steam, and that will cause the food at the bottom to scorch and your Instant Pot display will say burn.
SOLUTION: You need to make sure that the sealing ring is pushed into the sealing ring rack all the way in and all around. Clean the sealing ring after use and don’t forget to put it back in place when you begin pressure cooking. Sealing rings can also get worn out or stretched out over time, requiring replacement.
2. Steam Release is Venting
If your steam release handle is in the Venting position or the steam release button is accidentally stuck in the down position (Ultra model), your Instant Pot will leak steam, and that will cause the contents to burn.
SOLUTION: Verify that the steam release handle or button is in the Sealing position.
3. Not Enough Liquid
Pressure cookers work by building pressure from steam generated in the pot, which in turn cooks food at high temperatures. This steam cannot be created if there isn’t enough liquid in the Instant Pot.
SOLUTION: According to the Instant Pot company, your Instant Pot pressure cooker requires 2 cups of liquid. If you’re just starting out, you can prevent the burn notice by always using the minimum recommended quantity of liquid.
Through trial and error, I make recipes with less liquid, even as little as 1/2 cup. To figure out what your minimum quantity of liquid is, you can experiment by doing the water test or initial test run with different quantities of water. According to Jill Nussinow of The Veggie Queen, and author of Vegan Under Pressure cookbook, start with 1/4 to 1/2 cup, and increase the quantity with each subsequent test until you’re able to get the Instant Pot to come to pressure and stay under pressure for 5 minutes.
Keep in mind that many foods (e.g. vegetables, meats) release liquid and that counts toward the minimum liquid requirement. Canned tomato products and thick sauces don’t count toward the quantity of liquid because they are too dense.
Note: When you’re adding liquid, make sure it gets underneath any food that’s already in the inner pot. This prevents the food from scorching and creates steam.
4. Inner Pot not Deglazed
If you’re using the Saute function, food can get stuck on the bottom of the Instant Pot. This can block the heat sensor and trigger the Instant Pot burn warning when you start pressure cooking.
SOLUTION: After sauteing and before pressure cooking you need to deglaze the inner pot. Deglazing involves adding a thin liquid like wine, water or broth to the hot surface and scraping the bottom with a silicone scraper or wooden spatula to remove the caramelized and brown bits that are stuck.
Deglazing adds wonderful flavor to your dish, but more importantly, it cleans the inner pot. So any liquid that you add will make full contact with the bottom of the inner pot and that allows the sensor in the Instant Pot to properly register temperature and pressure.
5. Recipe Contains Tomato Products or Prepared Sauces
Recipes containing products like tomato paste, tomato puree, tomato sauce, cream of chicken, cream of mushroom and alfredo sauce tend to scorch on the bottom while the Instant Pot is coming to pressure. These ingredients are not thin enough to build steam and some contain fillers like corn starch, flour or cheese which tend to scorch. I see lots of complaints about chili recipes causing the burn notice.
SOLUTION: One pressure cooker technique that’s commonly used to prevent foods from burning and sticking to the bottom is to layer the ingredients in the Instant Pot. If the recipe you’re using tells you to mix all ingredients together before pressure cooking, but you have issues with the burn error, next time adapt the recipe by doing the following:
- Add the dense and starchy ingredients last: e.g. tomato-based or thick sauces
- Don’t stir
- Cover and pressure cook as directed
Another option is to use the Pot-in-Pot (PIP) cooking method to cook dishes that have thick sauces. You don’t ever have to worry about the burn message when you use the PIP technique.
6. Recipe Contains Starch (Pasta, Rice)
Stirring in and incorporating pasta and rice with all the other ingredients may give you a burn message.
SOLUTION: The layering technique described in the above section can also be used for starchy ingredients. Instead of stirring them in, add them at the end, right on top. The pasta or rice needs to be submerged in liquid, so push down on it with a large spoon or spatula to make sure it’s covered in liquid.
7. Instant Pot Too Hot After Sauteing
If you use the Saute function immediately before pressure cooking, especially if you’re using high heat, it’s possible you’ll get an Instant Pot burn message.
SOLUTION: Use medium temperature for sauteing and turn off and cool down the Instant Pot after sauteing and deglazing. You can cool it down quicker if you remove the inner pot from the unit and set it on a hot pad or cooling rack.
Alternately, you can saute on the stovetop and transfer the sauteed food to the Instant Pot to pressure cook.
Note: I find that allowing the Instant Pot to cool down after sauteing is one of the best ways to avoid the burn error.
8. Recipe Tested with Different Instant Pot Size
If the recipe was written for the 6 quart Instant Pot, and you are using an 8 quart, it’s possible that there may not be enough liquid for the 8 quart to come to pressure.
SOLUTION: Either double the recipe or add an extra 1/2 to 1 cup of liquid. Keep the cooking time the same.
What to do when you get an Instant Pot Burn Message | How to Fix it
Sometimes the Instant Pot says ‘burn’ and then changes to ‘On’. If this happens to you, just say ‘thank you’ and let it keep cooking. You’ll probably have some food stuck on the bottom, but you should be able to salvage most of it.
In some rare cases, the scorched/burnt taste may penetrate the entire dish and you may need to start over. But in most cases, it’s possible to salvage your meal when you get the burn error, by doing the following:
1. Press Cancel to Turn Off the Instant Pot
2. Do a Quick Release of Pressure (QR)
3. Open the Lid
4. If there’s nothing stuck to the bottom:
- Let the Instant Pot cool down.
- Most likely, the original liquid may have partially evaporated. Add enough liquid to replace the original liquid that evaporated, plus an additional 1/2 to 1 cup. Lift the food with a spatula to allow the liquid to reach the bottom of the inner pot.
- Resume pressure cooking the dish.
5. If there’s food stuck to the bottom:
- Transfer contents that are not stuck to the bottom to a separate bowl.
- Scrape and clean out the inner pot so there’s nothing stuck on the bottom. * See tip below
- Allow the Instant Pot unit to cool down.
- Most likely, the original liquid may have fully or partially evaporated. Add enough liquid to replace the original liquid that evaporated, plus an additional 1/2 to 1 cup.
- Resume pressure cooking.
* Tip: How to Deglaze the Inner Pot to Clean Burnt Food
- Select Saute mode and allow the Instant Pot to get hot.
- Add 1/2 cup of water to deglaze.
- Scrape the bottom of the inner pot until the food gets unstuck, adding more water as needed.
- Turn off the Instant Pot.
- Empty out the inner pot, wash, and dry.
6. If necessary, reduce the liquid to desired thickness
If you added extra liquid to allow the Instant Pot to come to pressure, you might find that the dish is too watery after pressure cooking is complete. In this case, after opening the Instant Pot, select the Saute function to reduce or cook out the liquid. Another option is to add a mixture of corn starch and cold water to thicken the dish.
7. Optional: use the Pot-in-Pot (PIP) method to finish cooking the dish
Check out my comprehensive guide to using the Pot-in-Pot (PIP) pressure cooking method. This is a great alternative if you want to avoid any further hassles with the Instant Pot burn error. Just transfer all ingredients to a separate oven-proof dish that will fit in your inner pot and use PIP to finish pressure cooking.
** Bonus Tip **
I frequently put my meat on a trivet to raise it up a bit so that the liquid can cover the bottom of the inner pot; this works really well when the quantity of liquid in my recipe is minimal.
I hope this article has helped you learn about the Instant Pot burn message and how you can avoid it and fix the problem. Please share on social media using the links at the top and bottom of this article. Thanks so much!
You might also find these helpful:
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| Instant Pot Pot-in-Pot Cooking | Instant Pot Tips and FAQs | 16 Reasons why Your Instant Pot is not Sealing |
Tina
March 10, 2018 at 10:55 amThank you!! I’m a new IP user and just got the “burn notice” today!! Really appreciate your suggestions for dealing with the situation when it happens, and for avoiding this error in the future. Very helpful.
Paint the Kitchen Red
March 10, 2018 at 11:53 amHi Tina – good timing, since I just published it yesterday! Yes, it’s fairly common so you’re not alone. I hope you’re able to work around it next dish you make. Thanks for commenting!
Gillian Didier Serre
March 10, 2018 at 12:57 pmHi Neena
I hope you are well cpensated by the INSTANT POT CORP for excellent and we’ll researched information,
Keep up the good recipes and info?
Paint the Kitchen Red
March 10, 2018 at 1:38 pmGillian – that’s so kind of you!! No, I’m not paid by Instant Pot – I’m just a user like you! Thank you for visiting the site and your sweet comment – it means a lot to me.
Eleanor Steiger
March 10, 2018 at 1:42 pmFirst let me state I have 2 Instant Pots (Ultra 6 qt. & DUO 8 qt.) I love my pots and use them all the time. I don’t this is a user problem something is wrong with new sensors on the newer PC. Instant Pot must have gone with a cheaper sensor to make more money. I am just glad I have the pots from early in 2017 and I never had a burn notice. This is the company’s fault and I think they should admit to it like they did with the Gem pot burning up and getting recalled.
Paint the Kitchen Red
March 10, 2018 at 4:32 pmHi Eleanor – I have no idea what exactly has changed, especially since not everyone seems to have a problem, but obviously something is different. Let’s hope these complaints go away with the next iteration. Thanks for commenting.
Lydia
September 27, 2018 at 12:18 pmTotally agree! My old pot worked just fine. I do the same recipes in my new pot and constantly have things burning. It’s so frustrating! The annoying thing is, my old IP stopped working while still under warranty, and the newer model was the replacement. As a result, they won’t do anything about my burn issues. 🙁
Amber H
March 15, 2018 at 8:20 amThanks for the info! I have the 6 qt. Ultra and have gotten this notice twice. Last night I was making pasta with sauce (also added vegetable broth for the liquid) but he recipe I was using was for the Duo so maybe it needs to be adjusted. The food was still fine but I had to soak the pot with hot water and soap to get the burned parts off. Next time I’ll have to use more liquid.
Paint the Kitchen Red
March 15, 2018 at 11:46 amHey Amber – Duo vs Ultra shouldn’t really matter. Next time you make it, add the liquid first (increase the quantity, like you said), then the pasta and sauce and submerge the pasta; don’t stir. See if that helps.
MacDaddy
March 24, 2018 at 2:38 pmA quick way to clean the bottom of the instant pot is to sprinkle about an 1/8 of an inch of baking soda on the bottom then pour in a half to one cup of white vinegar and leave for 30 to 60 minutes. It lifts burnt deposits off with less frustration of scrubbing. Hope this helps other Instant pot owners.
Paint the Kitchen Red
March 25, 2018 at 7:11 pmThank you for taking the time to share that! I’m sure it’ll be useful to others.
Sue Marie
March 27, 2018 at 10:41 pmI have a newer model that I bought on Black Friday. My 6 qt Duo has the newer buttons as well. When I got a burn message 3x when most members of the IP FB site I belong to had no issues with Wendy’s Copycat Chili, I thought it was the pot because I also heard newer poss were more sensitive. I made it again a 2nd time, being very mindful of what not to do. and even though nothing was stuck to the bottom, I got the dreaded burn message 3x again. One of the tips I read here (which I’ve never seen elsewhere) is to let the pot cool down a bit after using saute. I will try that. Thanks for sharing!
Paint the Kitchen Red
March 28, 2018 at 8:55 amHi Sue Marie – did you try and layer the ingredients? That and increasing the liquid and letting it cool down. Another thing to do is to saute in a separate pan – kind of defeats the idea of having the saute function though! If you try it again successfully and get a chance, please give us an update 🙂
Lorien
March 28, 2018 at 3:27 pmThis was just what I needed! I have had a lot of burn signals! I was losing faith! Every time it happened it was likely due to your examples! 1st recipe. Chili was too thick, which we like and do in a slow cooker. — should add some water/tomato sauce, and decrease bean amount. 2.Chicken was sauted first in oil and got stuck– should deglaze before adding sauce and let liquid/sauce go under meat. Sauce was added while pan temp was still too high– should remove pan and bring down temp./or saute on stove first. 3.Chicken sauce had tomato paste in place of ketchup as well as added cornstarch for thickening sauce–should stick with called for wet ingredients like ketchup or add water, and cornstarch should be combined with water at the very end on saute again with no lid. Learned a lot. ONE QUESTION: about the escape of steam. As soon as things start to really sizzle in the closed pot I see steam obviously escaping from somewhere at the back of the closed lid. it possible that it’s coming up through the sides of the red steam preassure plug prior to its popping up? Or that it’s coming up through the venting plug eventhough it’s set to SEALING? Or is a little steam escaping normal?
Paint the Kitchen Red
March 28, 2018 at 6:11 pmHi there Lorien – I’m happy to be of help. Steam should not escape from the sides i.e. where the sealing ring is located on the lid. However, before reaching pressure you will see steam escaping from the pressure release valve even if it’s in ‘sealing’ position, and also possibly the metal float valve. That’s normal. Once it’s under pressure it should not leak steam. Once in a while when I am steaming something with a lot of water, I might see a little steam leaking from the pressure release valve, but that’s just the Instant Pot maintaining a safe pressure – this happens very rarely for me.
Carmen Bourgeois
April 27, 2018 at 11:11 amWas trying to cook a red gravy with browned ground meat and browned pieces of pork. Set my Insta Pot to pressure cook on high and received the burn notice. I turned it off and checked the level and it was on the max mark. I took some of the sauce out and tried again. Same thing happened. I am stumped. I checked the sealing ring and it was fine.
Paint the Kitchen Red
April 27, 2018 at 11:19 amCarmen, if your sauce is a thick sauce, you probably need to thin it out with some broth or water.
Linda
April 28, 2018 at 1:47 pmFirst time use, made beef stew, burn notice. Thought it might be from sauteing first so took pot out, scraped it clean, cooled it down, put stew back in, turned it back on, got to pressure and burn notice. Plenty of liquid. Am so frustrated. Turned it off, unplugged, letting it sit. Dont know what to do, ready to throw the pot, meal and all out!
Paint the Kitchen Red
April 30, 2018 at 1:34 pmLinda – without knowing what recipe you used, it’s hard to say what happened. Maybe the liquid was too thick – did you have a thickener added in already? Try the layering technique next time, maybe?
Jewel Honstein
April 29, 2018 at 4:58 pmthis has not happened to me yet but glad you have posted about the burn notice So IF it does happen I can take action Thanks for the info
Paint the Kitchen Red
April 30, 2018 at 1:31 pmThanks for getting in touch, Jewel. It’s always good to be prepared!
Caryn
May 19, 2018 at 7:18 pmI am so glad I pinned it. I’m pretty new to the IP world, and got the burn notice today while making spaghetti sauce. Thanks to this post, I was able to figure out the problem and salvage my sauce!
Paint the Kitchen Red
May 20, 2018 at 7:32 amHey Caryn! I’m really glad I was of help to you; thank you for letting me know. Happy pressure cooking!
Craig Schaffer
May 19, 2018 at 8:37 pmThanks for this article. My wife and I are new IP users so hints and tips like this are a big help. The pasta dish I made tonight pretty much ticked off all the possible causes in this article. Luckily it had been under pressure long enough that I could just shut it off and saved the meal.
Paint the Kitchen Red
May 20, 2018 at 7:30 amHi Craig – welcome to the Instant Pot cult 🙂 I’m glad you salvaged the meal. It’s a learning process and you’ll figure out what works best for you. Thank you for commenting, it means a lot to me!
patricia kleban
May 22, 2018 at 9:07 amHelp..my new instant pot has displayed burn on water test
Paint the Kitchen Red
May 23, 2018 at 8:13 amHi Patricia, if you made sure the vent was on ‘sealing’, you had the minimum quantity of water, and the Instant Pot came to pressure, then it sounds like a defective unit to me. I would either return it or open a support ticket on the Instant Pot website.
Dad
June 2, 2018 at 7:42 pmThanks for such a great post. Saved me and my meal. my meal was burning, so I’m thankful for the sensor. It was rice and coconut milk that caused the issue. Should have started with water first and layered. Was able to salvage most and as directed add liquid and continue.
Paint the Kitchen Red
June 7, 2018 at 12:08 amI made the same mistake when I first started out with the Instant Pot 🙂 Glad you were able to salvage your rice!
Tharina
June 2, 2018 at 7:54 pmHello! I could use some input. About half of the time I make jasmine roce in thr IP I get a burn notice. I am following the water to rice ratio in the manual it came with. I would first assume I need some more water for my pot based on what you said but the rice is often overlooked and mushy after. So I doubt I need more water? Thoughts? What are the ratios you use for jasmine and basmati rice?
Paint the Kitchen Red
June 7, 2018 at 12:12 amTharina, I use 1:1 for basmati and 1:1.25 for jasmine. What size of Instant Pot do you have? Have you tried cooking a larger quantity? You might try to experiment and see if doubling the recipe makes any difference. Sounds very frustrating 🙁
Gordon Gilges
July 23, 2018 at 5:18 pmWhy would you need a carpenter to help you with your “burn notice!?” Well, you really don’t, but the carpenter that installed your counters may NOT have helped! We have a brand-new 8qt and got a burn notice. The sauté portion of the recipe, the recipe instructs to scrape loose all the brown stuck parts in the bowl, which I did. We got a burn code even after that, I took the chicken out and saw that indeed, there was a “hot spot.” I was suspicious, so on a hunch, I grabbed a level, and sure enough, our counter falls away toward the wall, so all the liquid was running to one side of the pot! The other side burned! I stacked a couple magazines under the back side and violà! A good carpenter never blames his tools!
Paint the Kitchen Red
July 24, 2018 at 9:48 pmWow, Gordon! What a very insightful and helpful comment. I hope others will see your comment and check the level of their Instant Pots. When I have a chance, I will have to update my post to include your comment! Thank you for taking the time to share your experience.
Susan
October 21, 2018 at 2:40 pmOld time Carpenters installed countertops with a slight drop off toward the back so spills didn’t run onto the floor.
Kathy
July 31, 2018 at 12:46 pmI just received my new pot and guess what? Burn notice! I did sauté and did not cool the pot down before putting the chicken in! I removed the pot, saved the liquid, washed out the pot and started over. So far so good. My chicken is almost finished! Thanks for all of your help!
Paint the Kitchen Red
August 1, 2018 at 11:25 amHi Kathy – it’s a rite of passage lol! I hope you had a tasty meal at the end of it all.
Christopher Keller
September 9, 2018 at 5:09 pm“Deglaze” is the problem, and your tip/trick was the solution! Thanks so much. You saved dinner!
Paint the Kitchen Red
September 9, 2018 at 5:24 pmAwesome! Enjoy your dinner 🙂
Melissa
September 16, 2018 at 8:06 pmThis was delicious! I added a bag of frozen mixed vegetables and a chopped potato and it was better than any restaurant version by far. And blending it all at the beginning made it so easy! I did get the burn message but, as usual when it appears AFTER the float is up, I just ignored it and it came to pressure no problem.
RITa
September 24, 2018 at 8:00 pmI have made ribs and red beans in my new Duo Instant Pot with no issues, but just tried to make a chicken and green chile stew, a horrible failure. Apparently rice doesn’t play well with the new sensors or the heating element, I never could get the pot to get pressurized, just kept getting the BURN message. I had a mess of burnt rice at the bottom of my pot. Seems like the pressure cooker mode can’t be used if there is rice in the recipe. Very frustrated with the lack of guidance on how to use a fairly expensive appliance. Takeout tonight while I try to figure out how to salvage this mess!.
Paint the Kitchen Red
September 25, 2018 at 11:05 amSorry for your troubles, Rita! If it helps at all, I also went through a learning curve when I first got my Instant Pot and hope you’ll stick with it! You will get it figured out. I don’t think it’s the rice per se, but most likely the quantity of liquid AND possibly the types of ingredients (assuming you deglazed well). You might have needed to layer the ingredients. I also highly recommend cooling the IP down a bit after deglazing (if you’re having trouble with a recipe). Without knowing the recipe, I would just be guessing.
Steven Gamman
September 26, 2018 at 6:22 pmLucky me, the first time I use my new Ultra I get a Burn message while cooking a pot roast using the America test kitchen recipe.
Got it turn around and it is now cooking.
My question is, has anyone used the ceramic inner pot and found that to be a solution to the burn issue or does it just complicate things.
Thanks,
Steve3
Daniel
September 26, 2018 at 9:07 pmThank you so much for the information!!! I was trying to figure out why I kept gettting the “burn” message on all of my rice and pasta dishes. I do have a newer model, and I found out if I use the rice button for any of my rice dishes, they don’t give me the “burn” message and turn out perfectly! (I was originally using the manual function.) Thank you for doing all of that research for us!!
Paint the Kitchen Red
September 27, 2018 at 6:54 amHi Daniel – you’re so welcome. The reason your rice isn’t burning now is that the rice function cooks on low pressure. Since you know your IP is picky with rice and pasta, make sure you use the layering technique if you’re using the manual/pressure cook function. And increase the liquid by about 1/4 cup. See how that works for you.
arj
September 27, 2018 at 12:36 pmThis was SO helpful! Thank you!
Ken
October 6, 2018 at 7:50 pmThank you
Angie
October 9, 2018 at 4:30 pmI have have an 8qt pot that I received as a Christmas present in 2017. I’m getting fairly regular burn messages. The pot heats up, seals and then says burnt. It never starts counting down. I’ve only found something burnt on the bottom once. I had an older 6qt pot that I replaced because I wanted the bigger one. I never had this problem with it. Tonight I was making chicken that I didn’t sauté first, had no tomatoes, rice or pasta and plenty of liquid. Any ideas what could be wrong? I’ve started using the pot less and less because of this issue.
Paint the Kitchen Red
October 10, 2018 at 11:22 amAngie – This is one of the most frustrating questions I get because I really don’t have an answer for you, I’m so sorry! Sounds like you’ve done everything right. Is there no pattern to what dishes get the error and what ones don’t? Have your tried slightly raising the chicken/food with a low trivet so the liquid covers the bottom?
Morgan
October 22, 2018 at 2:38 pmHi angie! I have the same issue with an 8qt pot bought at nearly the exact same time (Nov of 2017). My pot just wasn’t sealing at all. I’ve replaced my ring a few times. Doesn’t help. I contacted instantpots help chat and they tried to tell me it was because I had something starchy in it (I didn’t and haven’t even made anything starchy in it. It’s done this since I took it out of the box and tried to do that water test). It’s overheating while it’s trying to seal but never properly sealing fully. I have to press down on the lid when it gets close and it usually seals up completely and moves along after that. Some days it fights me all together and says burn eternally. Clearly they made a faulty model and haven’t done anything to rectify it. But pressing down the lid to force the seal HAS helped me many times. Hope this helps. But you should complain to instantpot because maybe they’ll recognize that it’s an issue with the model of enough of us complain
Penny
October 28, 2018 at 10:01 amI am a new user to the instant pot ultra . I made spaghetti and sauce. Got burn notice. Turned it off. Some stuck to bottom but not burned.
Made oatmeal. Burn notice, did burn. Made chicken and rice. Burn notice. Added correct liquid.
I’m about to return it.
Paint the Kitchen Red
October 28, 2018 at 2:18 pmHi Penny – I’m sorry you had trouble, but the recipes you’ve tried can be tricky in the Instant Pot. You might be following a recipe that does not mention the layering technique because that model of Instant Pot didn’t require that. Some recipes do need more liquid and/or Pot in Pot cooking (in the case of oatmeal). My recipes are tried and tested, and you may have better luck? You can also try a soup or other recipes with plenty of liquid.
Terri
November 4, 2018 at 7:41 pmThanks so much for this info! I’ve got a 6 qt. Duo – recd for Christmas 2017. I’ve never gotten burn notice before tonight: I was cooking chicken thighs in a jarred tomato base curry sauce It was taking forever to get up to pressure when it beeped & read “burn”. Scared me to death! I turned off, unplugged and looked in. It was simmering and very little sauce was stuck to the pot. I poured it all in a skillet to finish cooking. Not a disaster, and your hint about tomato based sauces gave me a clue. I’ll use layering & add extra liquid next time.
Paint the Kitchen Red
November 5, 2018 at 12:41 pmYes, common mistake 🙂 I’m happy to hear that you were able to salvage the meal. Layering works really well.
Connie Cortright
November 5, 2018 at 5:28 pmThank you so much for this info!
I have a 6qt Ultra. I didn’t get a burn notice (not sure if thosbpot has that?). , but while cooking fettuccine carbonara, the pot would t come to pressure and I couldn’t figure out why. I had sautéed my chopped bacon, used a slotted spoon to remove it from the pot, then added diced onion and sautéed with garlic for a few minutes, then d carefully deglazed the pot before adding 3 cups of broth and a pound of fettuccine -broken in half. I closed the lid and it off, then pressure cook for 8 minutes as the recipe said. After 15 minutes, the pot still wasn’t under pressure and steam was pouring out of the valve, so I did a QR and opened the lid to find the fettuccine stuck to the bottom of the pot. I simply transfers the salvageable pasta to a pot, added water and boilred for about 4 minutes till it was done and added my carbonara ingredients to that pot. I was bummed it didn’t get made in the IP because after having successfully made the most scrumptious spaghetti and meatballs in the IP, I was so anticipating a great success with this recipe, bit dinner was
delicious!
So, after reading your info, I think next time I’ll cook the bacon on the stove OR let the pot cook down after using sauté mode and before adding the broth and pasta to cook on pressure cook mode/ I believe the pot was too hot for sauté mode which caused the pasta to stick causing the pot not to come to pressure and pour out steam. But do you know why I didn’t get a burn notice?
Paint the Kitchen Red
November 5, 2018 at 7:38 pmHi Connie, thanks for taking the time to comment. Yes, I think letting the pot cool down may help you, and maybe even adding a bit more water. Cooking the bacon in the pot should be fine as long as you do a really good job of deglazing.
The ‘burn’ error is not on the older models of the Ultra (my old Ultra doesn’t have that error either.) If you continue to have a problem, you might try to put a very low trivet on the bottom and put the pasta on that so that the liquid makes contact with the bottom of the pot. Worth a try.
Connie
November 5, 2018 at 9:35 pmThank you!
I just got my IP Ultra 6qt at Kohl’s a few weeks ago. I didn’t know there were “old” versions of the IP Ultra, but I’m assuming mine is new. It has the dial.
Paint the Kitchen Red
November 6, 2018 at 7:59 amThey look the same, Connie, and have all the same features. It could be the older version? Also, I wanted to mention a couple more things to you. When I’ve made fettuccine alfredo in the IP, I’ve done two things: included mushrooms, and they sit below the pasta forming a buffer between the pasta and bottom of the pot, and I also fan out the pasta to reduce clumping.
Meg
November 11, 2018 at 7:51 pmThanks very much for the post! My 8 qt instant pot gave the burn warning for the first time after I had it heated up in sauté mode, but then I decided not to sauté. I plopped some chicken and salsa inside and switched it immediately to pressure cook. I’m glad there is nothing wrong with it… I will simply cool it down next time I have a less liquidy pressure cook to do. Thanks again!
Meg
Paint the Kitchen Red
November 12, 2018 at 7:28 amCooling down after sauteing usually does the trick. Glad you got it figured out and thanks for your comment.
Jeff Bjorklund
November 18, 2018 at 9:44 amHi, good article ! I used my older 6qt. Duo for 3 yrs (alot) and replaced it with a new 6qt duo. Never before had the ‘burn’ issue, but on 2nd meal I scorched (burn) a chicken and rice dish 3 times, lol. All of your article recommendations are spot on,, but something new that I learned recently, probably cause I read more of the manual, is that you can adjust the temperature setting from ‘normal’ to ‘less’ or ‘more’ on any of the program keys just by pressing the key again and it scrolls thru these temp settings. I’m thinking, but haven’t tested it yet, that setting the temp at ‘less’ for the vulnerable types of dishes may help with the burn issue.
Paint the Kitchen Red
November 18, 2018 at 2:56 pmJeff, that’s an excellent point that I haven’t mentioned in the post. I do find that letting the IP cool down helps a lot too, so a combination of the two might be best. I would love it if you’d give me an update if you think of it!
Gail
November 19, 2018 at 5:35 amThank you for this information. I just read a post on Facebook about a woman who had a terrible accident with her pot, getting second degree burns and needing hospitalization. That’s why I’m here now. I’m a new IP user and just got the burn message. I’m thinking I will do what Jeff suggested above and set temperature lower. Will that change cooking times? Even considering returning it.
Paint the Kitchen Red
November 20, 2018 at 8:48 amGail, the burn message is not as ominous as it sounds – ie. not dangerous. It’s just a message telling you that you need to adjust your recipe/technique to allow the IP to come to pressure. I wouldn’t return it until you’ve given it a try. There are so many safety mechanisms built in, you don’t need to worry about anything as long as you’re being smart ie. don’t force open the lid, don’t obstruct the steam release, etc.
And on a side note, that story was not the Instant Pot brand of pressure cooker. the Instant Pot is designed with 10+ Safety Mechanisms and is UL certified. At Instant Pot, they encourage their customers to carefully read and follow the Important Safeguards. As with any appliance, exercise caution when using your Instant Pot or electric pressure cooker.
Barb Murray
November 22, 2018 at 9:28 pmI made a BIG mistake today! I have been using my instant pot almost daily and today I made a dish with pasta and didn’t realize the sealing ring wasn’t in! I am so used to dump and go do something else, that I didn’t notice and of course the “burn” notice came up. Really burnt the pasta on the bottom but was able to salvage the dish and it didn’t permeate the meal. I have now just put in the ring and added water and put under pressure for 3 minutes and the burned pasta on the bottom was released. Whew! Thought I would have to buy a new insert!
Paint the Kitchen Red
November 23, 2018 at 5:19 amBarb, if you can believe it that happens to me sometimes after using the Instant Pot for a few years! I store my sealing ring on top of my lid, which is usually upside down on my IP. Thanks for your comment!
Dante Driver
December 1, 2018 at 2:06 pmSo glad to have found this page! We just got a new 8-quart Duo which has displayed the “burn” message EVERY TIME WE HAVE USED IT so far. Our old 6-quart Duo Plus NEVER displayed a “burn” or “OvHt” message. Not once. I’ll clean it up after we finish the meal we just cooked and try the water test to see if it throws the “burn” message again. I’m wondering if we have a defective unit, but I might return the 8-quart and go back to using our old trouble-free 6-quart.
Paint the Kitchen Red
December 2, 2018 at 8:38 amIt’s frustrating, Dante. If you can’t find the “new normal” then you might have a defective unit. Are you getting the burn error even when you didn’t use the Saute mode? Do keep me posted if you get the chance.
Fishingpot
December 31, 2018 at 8:48 amThank you. My own fault for the burns. Really appreciate the warning and chnace to salvage the food. I always forget to check that the vents are closed. My own fault. Thank you for the information. I would have continued making the same mistake.
Paint the Kitchen Red
December 31, 2018 at 9:55 amI still make that mistake on my DUO sometimes 🙂 Glad it was a fixable issue and your were able to salvage your meal.
Vince
January 2, 2019 at 4:10 pmTonight, I was trying to cook baby potatoes. I watched several youtube videos and all called for 1 cup of water. I got the burn message, turned the post off, opened the pot and took out the potatoes. I tried to put more water in but the water gushed out from the bottom of the pot and all ran all over the counter and floor. What should I do? Will it no longer hold liquid?
Paint the Kitchen Red
January 2, 2019 at 5:17 pmVince, I’m not sure how water got through if you had the inner pot in. Read this post on Common Instant Pot Problems and see if #16 will help you out. Good luck.
Kacie
January 6, 2019 at 2:41 pmHi! My hubby bought me the 8 qt. DUO for Christmas and I was so excited! Well, every time I use the “manual/pressure cook” function, the timer won’t start OR I get the burn message. When I hit cancel and wait for it do de-pressurize, I still see plenty of water/liquid at the bottom of the pot and it’s always clean before I use it. The only time the “BURN” message made sense was when I saute’d something first and there was food on the bottom of the pot.
For example, I like to boil eggs in my Instant Pot. If I use the “Poultry” function ( mine doesn’t have the egg button) it works great…and it’s on high pressure! When I try the “pressure cook” function (also on high heat) the timer never starts and all the water evaporates. Also, my manual says a minimum of 1 cup of water/liquid. When I talked to tech support, she told me 3 cups minimum because it’s an 8 qt. I asked why my manual says 1 cup and they didn’t have an answer and that 1 cup is the minimum for the 3 qt. So far, I’m not impressed. Do you think this might be a technical issue since it’s only happening during “manual” mode? Thanks!
Paint the Kitchen Red
January 7, 2019 at 9:39 amKacie – So did you try the 3 cups water? My hunch is that you’ll have the same issue because I don’t think that’s the problem. I think this is a case where you need to file a ticket at http://support.instantpot.com.. The fact that using Poultry works fine and Pressure Cook does not means there’s something wrong – IMO. Good luck – very frustrating. do you have the option of returning/exchanging?
Robin
January 7, 2019 at 10:45 amThank you, Red, for taking the time to coordinate all this information. I have read and re-read everything, many times, and I strongly suggest that everybody who gets here do the same.
I also strongly suggest, however, that you amend your web site with a message that strongly advises your readers to NOT continue to cook with an Instant Pot that flashes the “BURN” message after repeated use and after you are convinced that you have competently followed the directions for use in the Manual. .
This a manufacturing defect and home cooks who try various workarounds to this defect, in order to complete a meal for their hungry family, allow this defective product to remain in their kitchen.
The Instant Pot that display the “BURN” message repeatedly have a defective sensor. It is as simple as that.
Me thinks that if you want to do even more for your readers than you are already doing, then include the procedure for sending the defective units back and display it prominently.
If enough consumers do this, then these Units will be recalled and the defect will be discovered and corrected.
Sadly, I fear that this error will remain uncorrected because many more home cooks will keep the I/P. rather than return it. You should not have to work around this issue. It is a defective sensor issue and not a layering issue. or a saute issue or a seal issue and I suggest that you advise your readers about this or they will simply put their I/P away and forget about it, or, they will begin to use it as a “crock-pot” or a “slow cooker”, and that will be a shame. IMO! Thank you once again for all you do. I hope that you will consider my suggestion. Happy New Year!
Paint the Kitchen Red
January 7, 2019 at 8:28 pmThanks for your detailed comment. I understand your frustration and I will take your comment into consideration when I’m editing this post next. Many of the burn error reasons are legit pressure cooking errors so they cannot be discounted. But burn errors for no reason at all, of course, should be reported to the company. Happy New Year to you too!
Sanford Toyen
January 13, 2019 at 8:37 pmI’ve always been a fan of pressure cooking. When the Instant Pot came out, I was quite excited. But, the reality is, it’s a dud. The 8 qt. will always always ALWAYS give you the “burn” message before it gets up to pressure. The same is true for any recipes that involve rice and/or tomato.
Frankly, the “solutions” that are listed here are pretty lame. The whole point of the Instant Pot is to make cooking easier and faster. If you’re having to constantly worry about getting the burn message (which you will if you have the 8 qt), then it’s not a kitchen product that will make your life easier. It will just make cooking more difficult and you will experience the frustration (as I have, multiple times) of having your hard-work and money spent on food, end up in the garbage. I would not advise you attempt any of the “solutions” on this page. The Insta-Pot, at least the 8 qt version, is simply not a quality product.
Paint the Kitchen Red
January 16, 2019 at 5:52 pmSanford, sorry to hear about your frustrating experience. I have an 8 quart and I don’t get the burn message very often. I cook pasta and tomatoes in it. The solutions I’ve listed are generally applicable to electric pressure cookers. Granted, there are faulty Instant Pot and if you have one, you really should open a support ticket with the company.
David S Laker
February 4, 2019 at 6:33 pmLove my 6-Qt Onepot so bought an 8-Qt for my friend for Christmas. First demo to friend on how to make stew, EXACTLY THE SAME WAY AS I DO WITH MY 6-Qt., and up comes the dreaded ‘burn’. Tried a restart a few times but you cannot simply “add more liquid” to a stew.
There is an undisclosed and sinister reason for this–probably greed.
I sent it back and lost the shipping and gift wrap costs.
Donnie
February 13, 2019 at 9:05 amFound a link to this from a reddit post. I think most all the information is great with the exception of 1 item in the list. It seems like the information about letting the pot cool down after saute mode is counter-productive to me. Your reason why is interesting and likely even accurate as to why it helps in certain situations, but I think it is wasting energy and time to do it in most cases.
Ironically, recipes from Simply Happy Foodie mentioning to get ingredients up to boil with saute to avoid the burn notice is my reasoning for disagreeing with this tip. The burn notice is unlikely to happen once the pot comes to pressure unless one of the other issues you mention is also in play. If you use the residual heat to get the liquid to start boiling you are saving time to get to pressure which means limiting the time to get the burn notice. Unless you aren’t paying attention while getting it to a boil you should not have anything burning on the bottom.
I know that is not as easy to put into a list of tips, but since many gravitate to the Instant Pot for its perceived speed of use I thought I should mention an alternative option that helps with that.
Paint the Kitchen Red
February 13, 2019 at 12:29 pmDonnie, thanks for taking the time to comment. I do agree that under normal circumstances preheating the IP will make cooking faster and more energy efficient. However, in some (maybe rare, maybe not) cases, Instant Pots have these hot spots that are causing the burn error for no apparent reason. So in those cases, trying to cool the inner pot down is worth a try. Thanks again – I do appreciate your input.
KGaylin
February 23, 2019 at 9:15 amThank you so much for your instructive Instan Pot videos and posts. This latest one on The Burn message explained why I got this signal after sautéing on Hot. I will modify future sautés to medium and allow a cool down period in the future. Incidentally, your instructions are much better than the company’s own documentation.
Paint the Kitchen Red
February 23, 2019 at 5:06 pmI’m happy to be of help – thanks for your kind words 🙂
Tracy
March 24, 2019 at 6:22 pmThank you for this! I’ve had my IP for over a year and had never gotten the burn notice. I tried restarting 2 times, got the same results. I deglazed the itty bit that was there, ( I hadn’t seared or sautéed anything) but I’m pretty sure putting the roast on The trivet was the trick!
Paint the Kitchen Red
March 26, 2019 at 10:28 amYes, that trivet trick was something I discovered a year after getting my Instant Pot!
Kay
March 26, 2019 at 11:50 amI’m a newbie. Reason 1 solved my problem. Thanks.
Paul Nielsen
March 28, 2019 at 4:42 pmHow annoying. Spent the last hour trying to get chicken and rice to cook and repeated burn message. Gave up and went to the oven. Instant pot ended up making cooking time twice as long and more dirty pans to wash as well. I guess I should just use it to sterilize water
Paint the Kitchen Red
March 29, 2019 at 1:29 pmSounds very frustrating, Paul. Did you stir in the rice or did you leave it on top? It might help to not stir it in.
DSHEPP
April 18, 2019 at 3:08 pmHi Neena,
I have an Ultra 6qt. and I’ve tried both your “easy spaghetti” and “penne with sausage” recipes, and both times got the dreaded “burn” error. It’s my fault that I should have read further on your website (I just printed the recipes). But next time I will let the inner pot cool down after sauté, layer ingredients, add tomato based products last, don’t stir, and add an extra 1/4 cup liquid (if needed).
Thank you for all the great info here, I was able to salvage both meals and they were still the best spaghetti I’ve ever made, and the penne with sausage was better than East Side Mario’s (which was what I was trying to accomplish @ home), so thank you for the recipes.
P.S. I will update your website my 2nd attempt on both recipes, as they are that good.
Paint the Kitchen Red
April 19, 2019 at 1:15 pmHi there – you’re very welcome! I’m sorry you had some troubles but glad to hear that you were able to salvage and enjoy the meals! Once you get the liquid quantity right, and follow those suggestions, you’ll be all set to make these recipes again and again – feel free to shoot me an email if you continue to have troubles. And thanks for the lovely comment 🙂
Nancy
May 24, 2019 at 10:29 amThe instructions I have seen say to some or rinse rice become cooking. I have not seen you mention that. Is that necessary in all rice dishes? I also get burn notice when I cook a rice, chicken and veg combination.
Paint the Kitchen Red
May 25, 2019 at 8:17 pmI generally do rinse my rice when I’m making it plain. When I’m making it with spices, I often rinse but do occasionally skip the rinse. If you’re getting a burn error, put the liquid in first, then the veg, rice and finally rice and don’t stir the rice in. See if that gives you better results. I would add more liquid if you still get the burn.