New to Pressure Cooking?

New to pressure cooking?  Here is some information you might find really helpful!  I've tried to make this a quick read while still being VERY informative!  I have an Instant Pot brand pressure cooker, so most of this is geared towards that specific brand but it's pretty universally applicable!

Pressure cooking time: 

 1) When you see a Pressure Cooker recipe that gives a cooking time, understand this is NOT the total amount of time it will take to cook your food. There are actually THREE time periods times to know and understand:
(a)  Amount of time to come to pressure
(b)  Actual Cooking Time.
(c)  Natural Pressure Release Time (NPR)
Recipes specify actual Cooking Time, and may also refer to a Natural Pressure Release Time.  The amount of time to come to pressure (a) varies and is dependent on the amount of food and liquid in the pot, the size of the pot, and the initial temperature of the food and liquid. This can vary from 5 to 30 minutes.  A cup of water used to steam vegetables would only take a couple minutes to come to pressure; but a pot full of frozen meat can take 25 minutes or more to come to pressure.

1.     The liquid in your pressure cooker is boiled to make steam. The steam escapes through the float valve, and when the volume of steam becomes great enough the float valve closes (pops up in most models) and the pot builds up pressure.

2.     When pressure is reached the Actual cooking time (b) begins and the panel display will switch from showing “On”, to the Cook Time in minutes you entered.  During the Cooking Time the IP display counts down from the time you set, until it reaches "0" then displays "L0:00". At this point cooking is complete, and you start the last time period (c), the “Natural Pressure Release Time” time (NPR).

3.     During the NPR time, the pressure cooker changes from Cooking to Warming Mode and the timer starts counting back up showing the number of minutes that have elapsed after cooking has finished.

***Note, on newer models Warming Mode can be turned On/Off**

After the Actual Cooking time period you are letting the IP sit so it can naturally vent off most of its steam pressure without opening the Sealing/Venting valve. Some recipes require an NPR time, others do not. 

4.     Recipes that have lots of liquids (soups) or are thick or starchy, usually specify a NPR time. When the NPR time has elapsed, turn the Venting/Sealing valve to the Venting position to let any remaining steam escape. When all internal pressure has been released, the popup float valve will drop and you can open the pot.

If you need to Quick Release (QR) a recipe, move the venting/sealing valve slowly and in short bursts initially to help prevent liquid from spewing through the valve and all over your pot and kitchen.  YOU CAN ALWAYS CLOSE THE VALVE if liquid starts to spurt out, let it sit for a few minutes and attempt a QR again.

2) Become familiar with the language: Natural Pressure Release (NPR), and Quick Release (QR).  These two methods are what determine the amount of time it takes for time (c) above to finish.
QR means to turn the Sealing/Venting valve to the Venting position as soon as the actual cooking time (b) is done, even though there may be steam pressure remaining in the pot. 
NPR time is the amount of time it takes for the Instant Pot to release some or all of its pressure naturally and the popup float valve to drop on its own without manually opening the steam “Sealing / Venting” valve to bleed off pressure. Some recipes will specify either a QR or NR, or a combination of both.
You can't open the pots lid until the silver button (red on the 8 qt. model) float valve opens (drops down) on its own.
**NEVER EVER TRY TO FORCE YOUR PRESSURE COOKER LID OPEN**

3) Remember that a pressure cooker comes to pressure and cooks with the steam that comes from boiling the liquid. Everything you cook must contain at the very minimum a cup of thin liquid, such as water, broth, or apple juice.   You cannot utilize a jar of thick sauce in a pressure cooker and expect that your food will cook.   It has to turn liquid into steam. 
If your pot is failing to come to pressure, there are several reasons why this may happen.

a.      You did not move the valve to “sealing”

b.     You are missing your sealing ring OR your sealing ring is not correctly seated in the lid

c.      Something is stuck or has burned to the bottom of your pot.

Food that has stuck to the bottom of your pot becomes a thermal insulator that will prevent the heat from boiling the liquid into steam.   If you have a newer Instant Pot, it will display the word “Burn” on the front panel to indicate that after heating the pot long enough, the pot could not be brought to pressure. If you own an older Instant pot, it will  switch to the cooking count down timer without any message, and continue on without coming to pressure.

4) Undercooked or Dry food:  One of the reasons this happens if you do not have enough liquid in your pot before cooking starts, or you are cooking something like pasta  will absorb most or all of the liquid in the pot as it cooks,  thereby leaving an insufficient amount of thin liquid to maintain steam pressure. 
Another reason it happens is using frozen meats and not adding additional time onto the recipe.  There is no specific rule of thumb for the number of minutes to add for cooking frozen meat but anywhere between 5-20 minutes is typical depending on the size of the meat you are cooking.

5) The Water Test:  This is a necessary test (even if you are an experienced pressure cooker owner) to ensure that your Instant Pot is working properly.  During this test, you’ll have the opportunity to do your first QR.  I recommend using the handle of a spoon or other cooking utensil to slowly move the knob from sealing to venting.  This is because the steam escaping from the vent knob is incredibly hot and can cause a very nasty steam burn.  The other reason is because sometimes with a very full pot, or a pot full of starchy items, water/starchy liquid CAN come spraying out of the vent.  This liquid is also extremely hot and can cause burns. 
6) Once your food is done cooking and you’ve utilized either the QR or NPR release method, you are ready to open the lid. Turn the lid counter-clockwise to unlock it, and then lift.

7) A really neat feature on the Instant pot is the tabs on each side of the IP lid fit perfectly into the slots on each side of the body of the instant pot.  Yep, your IP comes with a built-in lid holder. 

8) You may have seen or heard the term “PIP”, which is the abbreviation for  a method called “Pot-In-Pot”.  This method is used 1. when you want to prepare a recipe that doesn’t include enough liquid to make sufficient steam to build up pressure, OR 2. if you want to cook more than one thing in the IP and there is room to stack.
For 1. Use the Trivet that came with your IP and add about a cup and a half of water to your pot, so the liquid can turn to steam and pressurize your pot.   Once the water and trivet are in place, put the uncooked food into an oven proof pot that will fit inside the Instant Pot (You can find some accessories here https://ourtribeof5.blogspot.com/2017/12/the-gift-of-instant-pot-accessories.html ).
The first PIP method above is typically used for things such as Cheesecake, Egg Bites, bread, and cakes.


OTHER INFORMATION YOU MIGHT FIND USEFUL:

Click here for Recommended Accessories: INSTANT POT ACCESSORIES

Instant Pot Step By Step Videos Landing Page: Homemade instruction videos with recipes