Instant Pot Natural Release vs Quick Release of Pressure

Instant Pot natural release vs quick release. Which should you use? Once the Instant Pot has finished pressure cooking, there are multiple ways that you can release pressure. Find out what the different types of pressure releases are, how to quick release, how to do a natural release, and when you should use each method. [Video included]

Instant Pot Natural Release vs Quick Release

There are so many terms to learn when you first get your Instant Pot. One of the most common questions I get is “what is natural release and how do I set my Instant Pot to natural release?”

There are two main ways to release pressure on an electric pressure cooker:

• With the natural release method, the Instant Pot’s pressure is released naturally and the float valve drops in its own time. The cooking time is the actual pressure cook time plus the amount of time it takes for the pressure to be released.
• The quick release method is when you manually release the pressure by forcing the steam out of the pressure release valve.

There are a couple of other pressure release methods and they are hybrids of natural release and quick release. I’ll go over all the methods and tell you how and why you would use them.

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Instant Pot Natural Release

What is Natural Release on Instant Pot?

Instant Pot Natural release (or natural pressure release) is when you allow the pressure to go down on its own. As the temperature inside the Instant Pot decreases, the pressure decreases slowly.

While the Instant Pot is cooling down and pressure is being released naturally, the heating element in the base is still very hot. So the food inside continues to cook, but at a slower pace.

Natural release is the most common pressure release method.

When to use Natural Release?

Use Instant Pot natural release for the following:

Longer-cooking foods

• The food continues cooking even after the cooking cycle is complete. 
  

Keeping food intact

• The pressure releases gradually and there’s less movement in the Instant Pot.
  

Foods with skin (e.g. potatoes, beans)

• The natural release method allows the skin to stay intact instead of bursting since the pressure and temperature go down gradually.
  

Meats

• Natural release is the equivalent of allowing meats to rest after they have been grilled or roasted, which allows the juices to settle into the meat. This is especially useful for large cuts of meat.
• When you do an Instant Pot quick release, the pressure drops very rapidly. This causes the meat fibers to compress, squeezing out fats and juices, and that can leave the meat tough and dry.
• Doing a natural release of pressure allows the juices to settle back into the meat which makes the meat tender and flavorful.
  

Foamy foods

• Doing an Instant Pot quick release when cooking foamy foods like grains or pasta can cause a big mess because the foam can spurt out of the pressure release valve.
• Doing a natural release allows the pressure and temperature to fall gradually, which reduces the mess.

[Use for meats, soups, broths, beans, grains, foamy food, and food with a large amount of liquid or high starch content]

How to Naturally Release Instant Pot?

1. Once pressure cooking has completed, the Instant Pot will chime and will begin counting up the minutes (if in Keep Warm mode).
2. Wait for the float valve to drop on its own.
3. Press Cancel and open the lid by turning it counterclockwise. You’ll hear a chime.

How Long Does it Take for Instant Pot to Natural Release?

Natural release is the slowest pressure release method.

Instant Pot natural release can take 10 to 40 minutes, depending on quantity, density, and type of food. Some Instant Pot recipes include this time in the cooking time but some do not. Be sure to take the natural release time into account.

If there’s a lot of liquid and food, the longer it takes to do a natural release. The denser the food, the more time it takes to release pressure too.

The Keep Warm function can be on or off when doing a natural release. To turn the Keep Warm setting off, press Cancel.

Here are some recipes that use natural release:
– Healthy Instant Pot Butter Chicken with Cashew Butter
– Instant Pot Chicken Tinga
– Instant Pot Chili with Dry Beans

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Instant Pot Quick Release

What is Quick Release?

Quick Release is when you manually release the pressure using the pressure release mechanism that your Instant Pot is equipped with by moving it from the sealing position to the venting position. Different models have different ways of releasing pressure.

When to use Quick Release?

Quick Release (QR) immediately stops the cooking process for fast-cooking foods. 

Instant Pot quick release is also useful when you need to add ingredients to the inner pot partway through cooking. In this case, you would do a quick release, open the lid and add the additional ingredients, close the lid and program the Instant Pot to continue pressure cooking.

This is the quickest pressure release method.

[Use for vegetables, fish, delicate foods, and quick-cooking foods. Can also be used for meats that are completely submerged in liquid.]

How to Quick Release Instant Pot?

1. Once pressure cooking has completed, the Instant Pot will chime and will begin counting up the minutes (if in Keep Warm mode).
2. Move the steam release valve from Seal to Vent position. A jet of steam will begin coming out from the steam release valve. Be very careful of the hot steam. Keep your hands and face away from the path of the steam!
3. Once all the steam is released, the float valve will drop down.
4. Press Cancel and open the lid by turning it counterclockwise. You’ll hear a chime.

How Long Does it Take to Quick Release?

Quick release can take 2 to 5 minutes. I’ve found that some models take longer for the steam to be released because the steam comes out in a more gentle way. One example is the Instant Pot Pro.

Keep Warm can be on or off when doing a quick release. To turn off Keep Warm mode, press Cancel.

Here are some recipes that use quick release:
– Healthy Instant Pot Vegetarian Moroccan Stew
– Instant Pot Jambalaya
– Instant Pot Thai Red Curry

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Timed Natural Release (e.g. 10 or 15-Minute Natural Release)

What is a Timed Natural Release?

A timed natural release is also referred to as 10 minute natural release or 15 minute pressure release (NPR10 or NPR15). It is a hybrid between natural release and quick release. You let the pressure release naturally and then release the rest of the pressure manually.

When to use a Timed Natural Release

A timed release is useful when a recipe calls for natural pressure release, but you don’t have the time to wait.  It has most of the benefits of doing a full natural release with the advantage of being quicker.

Food continues to cook during the natural release process.
[Use when natural release is called for, but you have less time to spare. Can also be used for rice, or meats that are completely submerged in liquid. ]

How to Do a Timed Natural Release

1. Once pressure cooking has completed, the Instant Pot will chime and will begin counting up the minutes (if in Keep Warm mode).
2. Allow 10 or 15 minutes to pass (or whatever amount of time you can afford).
3. Release the remaining pressure as detailed in the quick release section.

How Long Does it Take to do a Timed Natural Release?

This process can take 10 or 15 minutes plus 2 to 5 minutes. Keep Warm can be on or off when doing a timed natural release. To turn off Keep Warm mode, press Cancel.

Here are some recipes that use a timed natural release:
– Instant Pot Chinese Fried Rice
– Instant Pot Thai Peanut Noodles
– Instant Pot Cream of Chicken Soup

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Quick Release in Bursts

What is Quick Release in Bursts

Quick release in bursts is also referred to as intermittent pressure release. It’s a modified version of quick release.

When to do Quick Release in Bursts

Quick Release in Bursts stops the cooking process immediately. By releasing the steam in small bursts, you avoid messy froth and food from coming out of the steam release handle.

This method is slower than quick release but faster than a timed natural release.

[Use to quick release pasta, oatmeal and frothy or messy foods if the recipe calls for quick release.]

How to Do a Quick Release in Bursts

1. Once pressure cooking has completed, the Instant Pot will chime and will begin counting up the minutes (if in Keep Warm mode).
2. Move the steam release mechanism to Vent for a second and move it back to Seal. Wait a couple of seconds.
3. Repeat this process until the pressurized steam coming out is less forceful, at which point you can do a regular quick release and let the remaining steam come out.
4. The float valve will fall into the down position.
5. Press Cancel and open the lid by turning it counterclockwise. You’ll hear a chime.

How Long Does it Take to Quick Release in Bursts?

Quick release in bursts can take about 5 minutes. Keep Warm can be on or off when doing quick release in bursts. To turn off Keep Warm mode, press Cancel.

Here are some recipes that use quick release in bursts:
– Instant Pot Garlic Shrimp Pasta
– Instant Pot Khow Suey Burmese Noodles
– Instant Pot Lo Mein

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Instant Pot Quick Cool Pressure Release

What is Quick Cool Pressure Release?

Steam Release with Quick Cool is an additional way to release pressure and it’s available on some Instant Pot models. This method was introduced in the Duo Evo Plus. Since then, the Instant Pot Pro and the Pro Crisp both have this type of lid.

Back in the days of stovetop pressure cookers, you were able to cool the pressure cooker down faster by running cold water over the closed lid. This allowed the pressure to drop faster. This method is also called cold water release.

Pouring water over on the pressure cooker isn’t possible with an electric pressure cooker! This is where the QuickCool tray comes in handy.

When to Use QuickCool?

Use Instant Pot steam release with QuickCool for the following:

Short-cooking times

• This method can be used for anything with short cook times e.g. tender-crisp vegetables, seafood, risotto, and polenta. Use the Quick Cool method to cool down the Instant Pot and then do a quick release.

When you’re in a hurry

• This method can be used when you need to do a natural release of pressure but can’t wait for the pressure to drop on its own. Use the QuickCool tray to cool the Instant Pot faster and let the pressure release on its own.

Messy foods

• This method can also be used for anything that has a messy quick release, like pasta. Use the QuickCool tray to cool down the Instant Pot and minimize mess, and then do a quick release in bursts.

How to Release Pressure with Quick Cool?

1. To use the QuickCool tray, fill it with ice or water and freeze it ahead of time.
2. Once pressure cooking has been completed, the Instant Pot will chime and will begin counting up the minutes (if in Keep Warm mode).
3. Carefully remove the protective cover from the pressure cooker lid, and place the frozen QuickCool tray on the exposed metal of the lid.
4. When the float valve drops, remove the QuickCool tray, discard the water. Use caution when removing the tray as some or all of the ice may have melted.
5. Press Cancel and open the pressure cooker lid by turning it counterclockwise. You’ll hear a chime.

How Long Does it Take to Release Pressure with Quick Cool?

The Quick Cool method allows you to speed up the steam release by 50%.

The Keep Warm function can be on or off when doing a QuickCool release. To turn the Keep Warm setting off, press Cancel.

Here are some recipes that use quick release with QuickCool:
– Instant Pot Fish Curry
– Instant Pot Aloo Gobi
– Instant Pot Chorizo and Potato

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Float Valve Positions

When the Instant Pot is under pressure, the float valve is in the Up position. Once pressure has been released, the float valve drops to the Down position. At that point, it’s safe to open the lid.

The Up and Down positions look different on various models of Instant Pot. On some models, the float valve is level with the Instant Pot lid when in the Up position and on some models the float valve is higher than the lid level when in the Up position.

The DUO (older model), LUX, DUO SV, NOVA PLUS, SMART WIFI and MAX models have float valves that are level with the lid when pressurized.
[Model-specific information can change since the Instant Pot company often redesigns models and introduces new models.]

The DUO (newer model), ULTRA, DUO NOVA, VIVA, DUO EVO PLUS, PRO, PRO CRISP, PRO PLUS and DUO CRISP models have float valves that rise above the level of the lid when pressurized.
[Model-specific information can change since the Instant Pot company often redesigns models and introduces new models.]

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