How to get started with your Instant Pot. A guide for beginners

So, you bought an Instant Pot, it's already at home or on its way and you're panicking that you're not going to use it enough or that you won't know how to use it, that it might be difficult to use...

Fear not! It's really easy to use and help is at hand at all times, this website is full of recipes and tips and I run my own Pressure Cooking with Feisty Tapas Facebook group.

Basically you will have no choice but to use it. No kitchen gadget worth the money will sit gathering dust on my watch!

Jump to:

How an Instant Pot can help you
First steps
1. Take it out of the box
2. Grab a cuppa and read the Instruction Manual
3. Download the Beginners' Guide
4. Do the WATER TEST
5. Get cooking. Don't delay.
6. Learn how to avoid the Burn notice
6. Keep cooking with all my recipes for the Instant Pot
7. Expect a Learning Curve and think of it as fun
How to adapt/convert conventional pressure cooking recipes to the Instant Pot
The Golden Rules
How to reheat from frozen in an Instant Pot
Final Tips and Tricks
Accessories

How an Instant Pot can help you

Multicookers like the Instant Pot are really easy to use.

They save time and money and, in my case, they totally save my sanity (I have several).

They work silently for you while you have more time to get on with other stuff.

Then they keep your food warm automatically at the end, even if you open the lid and help yourself to some of it, it will stay on Keep Warm for the next person. This is ideal in a household with people who eat at different times.

Now, I know I own a lot of kitchen gadgets and that I used to work with Instant Pot in the past but I haven't for years and this is me being totally honest: it's a great kitchen gadget that can make life easier so a great investment.

Above all if you are stressed out trying to juggle work and family. If you happen to have a health condition like me and my chronic pain and fibromyalgia and my ME/CFS.

You will appreciate how easy it is to use and how much it can save your sanity on a daily basis (and the fact that it's so silent it's a huge bonus if you have a problem with background noise).

There are a ton of recipes for it. Another bonus.

Now, what to do when you first receive it? Here are my tips.

First steps

1. Take it out of the box

Admire it, isn't it shiny? Let's unbox it together with the video below.

2. Grab a cuppa and read the Instruction Manual

Nowadays a lot of cooking gadgets come with a small guide to get you started and the proper full-length instruction manual etc is often online and you can access it via the QR code on the front of the documentation that comes in the box, sometimes you'll find the QR code inside.

3. Download the Beginners' Guide

Download The Beginners' Guide that I wrote for Instant Pot UK back in the day.

4. Do the WATER TEST

it's called Initial Test Run on the instruction manual. If you have an 8 litre Instant Pot DUO, then do the water test with at least 1 litre of water.

You'll find a handy video below and on my YouTube Channel, it's really easy! All you need is water.

5. Get cooking. Don't delay.

Below are my recipe recommendations for beginners, a few types for different tastes.

I always recommend you start your Instant Pot journey by reading the manual (yes!), doing the water test, reading the above documents and then cooking a couple of tried-and-tested recipes.

Here are a few recipe suggestions to get you started with your Instant Pot, these all work well:

Risottos

Meat

One-Pot Pastas

Dessert

6. Learn how to avoid the Burn notice

Read our guide on How to avoid the Burn error in your Instant Pot

6. Keep cooking with all my recipes for the Instant Pot

7. Expect a Learning Curve and think of it as fun

Yes, there is a tiny learning curve as part of the Instant Pot way of cooking. To make things easier I created a couple of PDF documents for Instant Pot UK back when I worked with them a few years ago.

You can print these out, ave to your mobile or tablet and have handy. You'll find them below ready for you to download.

How to adapt/convert conventional pressure cooking recipes to the Instant Pot

Download the guide to adapt conventional pressure cooker recipes to the Instant Pot

The Golden Rules

Download the Four Golden Rules of the Instant Pot way of cooking

How to reheat from frozen in an Instant Pot

You may use your Instant Pot a lot to get organised through batch cooking and, like me, you may tend to forget to take things out of the freezer in time for them to thaw.

I have a really nifty solution, reheat them from frozen to piping hot in your Instant Pot, it couldn't be easier. Let me tell you all about it in this dedicated post.

Graphic with the silhouette of an Instant Pot and the words How to reheat frozen food in Instant Pot

Final Tips and Tricks

As part of my work with Instant Pot UK over the years (it ended in January 2021), I got to chat to a lot of customers and got a lot of insight into what Instant Pot users needed.

If you are a member of my Feisty Tapas Facebook groups you will already know this, I have two mottos:

There are no silly questions
We all learn together

So, I share a lot of tips but I also learn a lot from other Instant Pot owners so please don't be shy, always ask questions.

As I always say, if you're wondering it, chances are other people are too and you will be helping them too by asking.

Always scrape the bottom of your Instant Pot with a wooden spoon and some liquid (water/stock/wine) to deglaze it before pressure cooking. You'll see me remind you of this a lot!

Tomatoey sauces, flour, packet mixes, sauces like Dolmio, can burn the bottom and make your Instant Pot overheat. So avoid flour, packet mixed and Dolmio and with tomatoes, make sure you have plenty of liquid in there with them, some people place the tomatoes on top of the other ingredients and don't stir before pressure cooking.

Download the Manual to your computer, phone or tablet so that you always have it handy (you can do quick searches for what you're after too!)

Accessories

It is handy to accessorise your Instant Pot. First of all with a steamer basket or insert, I have a list of the best ones available in the UK.

Graphic showing a photo of an Instant Pot with the words Perfect Steamer Baskets for your Instant Pot

Another handy gadget to have with your Instant Pot, particularly for cheesecakes, is a springform pan, it needs to be 2 cm / 1 inch smaller in diameter than your inner pot.

If you get stuck, give us a shout in my Pressure Cooking Facebook group. There is always someone to help.

Ready? Let's get cooking!