On January 20, 2022 by Kim
**This post may contain affiliate links, but we promise only to point you to products we use and love!**
Welcome back to the last installment in our Instant Pot Series! Just to recap – when we say Instant Pot, we are reallytalking about a programmable pressure cooker. Catch up on theother resources here if you are just joining us, and then read on for our best Instant Pot tips and tricks.
- Hints on adjusting, adapting, converting and more!
- What is an Instant Pot?(Includes a Buyers Guide!)
- 4 Ways to Transform Your Freezer Cooking with an Instant Pot
- Crock-Pot VS Instant Pot:Pros, Cons, Recipes, Videos & more!
- 50 Instant Pot Freezer Meals: 50 Meals to cook from frozen!
- Pot-in-Pot Method: Learn what and how this method works!
- 101 Instant Pot Freezer Meals: 101 MORE meals to cook from frozen!
- NewDump and Go Instant Pot Mini Meal Plan!
The number one reason people love the Instant Pot is speed. Whether you are a long time freezer cook or you are just stumbling upon the idea of it, you probably know that the goals of the freezer cook are the same: speed, efficiency, simplicity.
Freezer cooking and the Instant Pot are a match made in heaven, and this is why:
Yes, that means you can skip the thawing step and still have your freezer meals on the table in record time. Butthere is one catch to cooking freezer meals in the Instant Pot. Because the appliance isround you cannot freeze your meals in the bagflat. Square peg, round hole – you get the picture. But never fear! Our test cooks weren’t about to let this come in the way of this epic couple.
Check out our Instant Pot Recipes for freezing instructions!
We typically steer you toward using freezer bags and laying them flat to freeze as they take up less space in the freezer. But if you freeze your meal in a round container, then you can pop it out and right into the Instant Pot. 64 ounces should be the right size for four servings (what we normally put in a gallon freezer bag). This works best for soups, stews, or anything else that will easily fill the space.
Our container recommendations:
- 64 oz containers: Holds 3-4 servings *Easy fit for 6 qt Instant Pot!
- 72 oz containers: Holds 4-6 servings *This one is our favorite for the 6qt Instant Pot!
- 128 oz containers: Holds 8-10 servings *Perfect for the 8 qt Instant Pot!
**Due to inventory in this current season, prices and availability may vary. We will do our best to keep these links updated and get you the best options and prices available!
This is a great option if you don’t want to dedicate your containers to the freezer or you don’t want to buy new containers just for your Instant Pot. Just get creative! This works great for larger pieces of meat (roasts, whole chickens, etc.) that have a liquid component as putting the bag inside another container will keep the liquids from freezing flat.
Take into account the amount of time it takes the pot to come to pressure.
You are still going to be getting dinner on the table in record time, but when you cook food from a frozen state it will take a little bit longer than the regular cook time. Remember, it has to thawand cook the meal all at once.
The Instant Pot will take much longer to come to pressure for the frozen meal than it will for the fresh/thawed version. So while it will only take say 15 minutes to cook, it might take the frozen version 20 minutes to come to pressure, while the fresh/thawed version only takes 5 minutes to come to pressure. So remember that variable when you are trying to have your meal done in time for dinner.
Get more information on adjusting Instant Pot Cooking Times.
Cheesy dishes, cream soups, and dishes that are thickened with flour are not expressly forbidden in the Instant Pot – thankfully! But you do want to take care to clean the seals and valves when you are done so that these foods don’t get stuck in there. These items are best added during a saute or warming step at the end of the cooking time.
Indigo Nili (she vlogs about food on You Tube) has a great tip on using the “pot in pot” method for recipes such as these. This allows you to still use water to create the pressure seal and not the creamy/thickened liquids.
Nili also has a fun video called A Day in the Life of My Instant Pot.
If you’re cooking almost every meal with your Instant Pot like Nili, you might want to consider purchasing an extra insert so that you don’t have to wash as much between meals.
Quick Release versus Natural Release
Cathi at Cherry Blossom Kitchenreminds us that when you are using the pressure cooking setting, that pressure needs to go somewhere once the cooking is all done. There are various methods for different recipes, so check out these tips and instructions in your Instant Pot to use the quick release, natural release, or 10 minute natural release. Also, remember that there has to be at least one cup of liquid in the Instant Pot in order to use the pressure cooking function.
See more advanced tips on Instant Pot release methods.
- 10 Reasons I Bought an Instant Pot– great summary of foods you can cook and methods you can use
- Stovetop and Electric Pressure Cooker Time Chart– handy time chart for all different types of foods, but Hip Pressure Cooking has all kinds of resources for the pressure cooking aficionado
- 50 Instant Pot Freezer Meals
- Dump and Go Instant Pot Mini Meal Plan
- 10 Basic Instant Pot Techniques
- Pressure Cooking Ebook by Traditional Cooking School
**This post may contain affiliate links, but we promise only to point you to products we use and love!**
Get Instant Pot RecipesInstant Pot Meal Plans
You can cook the meal plan as is, or you can build your own custom meal plan with your Membership.
