21 Easy And Comforting Instant Pot Recipes To Try This Winter (2024)

FAQs

Does the Instant Pot come with a recipe book? ›

Instant Pot comes with an owner manual and recipe book.

Under different ownership after last year's bankruptcy, the popular multicooker is no longer part of the appliance conglomerate that owns Pyrex and Corelle.

Your Instant Pot should have a line on the inner pot to show the maximum amount of food you can cook in it at once (and it's there for good reason!). Overfilling your Instant Pot can affect the pressure that builds up inside, so you might end up with a mushy meal, or one that doesn't cook properly.

No matter how hungry you are, your Instant Pot can only handle so much food. Overfilling the appliance can result in poorly cooked food or even leakage. "This is a messy mistake because you risk a lot of splatter in the kitchen.

Unless otherwise specified in the recipe, you'll need just enough liquid (usually water or broth) to bring the cooker to pressure. The Instant Pot manual suggests 1 1/2 to 2 1/2 cups, depending on the size of the cooker.

If you are interested primarily in slow cooking, you should buy a dedicated slow cooker. They're more reliable with a range of slow-cooker recipes than an Instant Pot. We found Instant Pot multicookers specifically could not successfully slow-cook dense, high-volume recipes such as beef stew or pot roast.

Overall, if you want a device you don't have to monitor too much, go for an electric multicooker like the Instant Pot. Stovetop pressure cookers are still great options, they just take a little more finesse and know-how to use.

What size Instant Pot are most recipes for? ›

Benefits of a 6-quart Instant Pot: The 6-quart (and new 6.5-quart variation) Instant Pot is the most popular size for home cooks, as most recipes are written for that size.

Con– The Instant Pot uses steam under pressure to cook food and not everything is meant to be cooked in the Instant Pot. I attempted a crustless quiche which turned out well but it was too wet and moist to my liking and I prefer to cook it in the oven with dry heat.

The average lifespan of an Instant Pot ranges from 2-5 years, but it can last longer depending on how often it's used and how well-maintained it is. So it's safe to say Instant Pots aren't commonly being replaced, and may even be a one-time purchase.

To keep an Instant Pot clean long-term, be sure to wipe and clean it after every use by washing the parts with soapy water and removing stuck-on food. Every so often, you can also clean the inner pot of the unit with vinegar to remove any discoloration marks or water spots.