Instant Pot achieves the best cooking results with a set of smart cooking programs. The programs are stored in and executed by an advanced micro-processor chip inside the Instant Pot control panel. Those programs have been chosen after extensive testing in our lab with various food content.
The smart cooking programs control the cooking process with four parameters: heating intensity, temperature, pressure and duration.
- Heating intensity refers to the amount of heat generated by the heating element. The main reason to control heating intensity is to manage the temperature at the bottom of the cooking pot, primarily to avoid burning food content at the bottom. For instance, heating is slower and gradually in “Soup” function whereas fast and steep in “Steam” (knowing there’s no food in contact to the cooking pot bottom). Heating intensity control is also used for soaking, such as in Multigrain function. Instant Pot IP-CSG60 has a heating element with 1000W power rating. The heat output of heating element is control by switching the power on and off for varying durations.
- Temperature is the cooking temperature in the cooking pot throughout the cooking process. The peak working temperature of Instant Pot is 115°C~118°C or 239°F~244°F. However, the smart cooking programs don’t always maintain at the peak temperature. In the “Multigrain” program, to soften the grains, the food content is heated to 60oC for warm soaking for 50 minutes before cooking starts.
- Pressure: when the liquid content in the cooking port reaches the natural boiling point, which varies depending on the altitude of your location, steam builds up in the cooking pot and pressure is generated. The thermodynamics of gas indicates that in ideal cases the product of the pressure and volume of a gas is directly proportional to the temperature. Since the volume in the cooking pot is a constant, we can consider the pressure being linearly related to the temperature of the gas, and to large extent (with delaying effect) to the temperature of the liquid content. The working pressure of Instant Pot is 10.15~11.6 psi (pound-force per square inch).
- Cooking duration is the time the food content being cooked. The cooking duration changes depends on the volume of the food content. For example, to cook 2 cups of rice, it takes about 14 minutes (8 minute pressure keeping time). More than 2 cups, it takes about 28 minutes (10 minute pressure keeping time). Additional pressure keeping time ensures rice being cooked evenly in volume. The default timing has been tested in our lab which works well in most cases. However, in situations when food needs to be well-done or less-cooked, the cooking duration can be adjusted with the “Adjust” button.
The smart cooking programs can be better understood with the visual temperature/pressure charts in relation with cooking time. The following are the temperature/pressure charts of “Bean/Chili”, “Meat/Stew”, “Soup”, “Congee” and “Multigrain” cooking programs.
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Bean/Chili Program
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Congee Program
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-
Meat/Stew Program
-
-
Multigrain Program
-
-
Soup Program
To cook 2 cups of rice, it takes about 14 minutes (8 minute pressure keeping time). More than 2 cups, it takes about 28 minutes (10 minute pressure keeping time). Additional pressure keeping time to ensure rice are cooked evenly in volume.
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Whole grains are high in fiber. low in fat, and rich in nutrients. Consumption of whole grains has been consistently linked with a significant decrease in risk factors for heart disease and type II diabetes.
Whole grains are more forgiving than white rice when over cooked. Multiple grains can be mixed together to create large variety of wholegrain meal. They remain pleasantly full of texture after cooking.
Prepare Time: 2 minutes
Cooking Time: about 70 minutes
Ingredients: 6~8 servings
- 3 cups brown rice, wild rice or other whole grains, rinsed
- 2 tablespoon of oil (olive oil preferred)
- 9 cups of water
- 1 ½ teaspoon salt (optional)
Cooking:
- Combine the grains, water, oil and salt (if used) in the inner pot.
- Press the Multigrain key.
- After the cooking is completed, let it steam in the residual heat for 5 more minutes.
- Open the lid, stir to fluff up the grains before serving.
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Just like cooking vegetable, fresh or dried fruits are best steamed to preserve the texture and taste as well as vitamins and minerals. Steaming also retains the nature look of the fruit, essential to your fruit dish.
When steaming vegetable, you need one cup of water (250ml), an ovenproof or steel bowl on a trivet. Normally fruit dish has precise requirement on the texture of the fruit. Instead of leaving the cooker naturally cooling down, you’ll need to use the steam release to release the pressure and stop cooking.
Please note that the cooking time is pressure keeping time on Instant Pot or other electric pressure cooker operating at 10.2 – 11.6 psi or 70-80 kPa. Cooking times are approximate. Please use them as a guideline only.
Pressure Cooking Time Table for Fruits
|
Fruits
|
Fresh, Cooking Time
(in Minutes) |
Dried, Cooking Time
(in Minutes) |
| Apples, in slices or pieces |
2 – 3
|
3 – 4
|
| Apples, whole |
3 – 4
|
4 – 6
|
| Apricots, whole or halves |
2 – 3
|
3 – 4
|
| Peaches |
2 – 3
|
4 – 5
|
| Pears, whole |
3 – 4
|
4 – 6
|
| Pears, slices or halves |
2 – 3
|
4 – 5
|
| Prunes |
2 – 3
|
4 – 5
|
| Raisins |
N/A
|
4 – 5
|
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Cooking time for seafood is typically short. The best result is achieved with the original juice being retained in the food. Again steaming is the ideal method. Of course stewing will also work great.
When steaming seafood, you need at least one cup of water (250ml), an ovenproof or steel bowl on a trivet. When seafood or fish are over-cooked, their texture turns tough. Unless that’s the intended result, you should control the cooking time precisely. Normally, you’ll need to use the steam release to release the pressure and stop cooking, as soon as the programmed cooking period is over. An alternative is to take the natural cooling time (7~10 minutes) into consideration.
Please note that the cooking time is pressure keeping time on Instant Pot or other electric pressure cooker operating at 10.2 – 11.6 psi or 70-80 kPa. Cooking times are approximate. Please use them as a guideline only.
Pressure Cooking Timetable for Seafood and Fish
|
Seafood and Fish
|
Fresh, Cooking Time
(in Minutes) |
Frozen, Cooking Time
(in Minutes) |
| Crab |
3 – 4
|
5 – 6
|
| Fish, whole (trout, snapper, etc.) |
5 – 6
|
7 – 10
|
| Fish fillet, |
2 – 3
|
3 – 4
|
| Fish steak |
3 – 4
|
4 – 6
|
| Lobster |
3 – 4
|
4 – 6
|
| Mussels |
2 – 3
|
4 – 5
|
| Seafood soup or stock |
6 – 7
|
7 – 9
|
| Shrimp or Prawn |
1 – 2
|
2 – 3
|
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When cooking vegetable, fresh or frozen, it’s recommended to use steaming to preserve vitamins and minerals to the maximum. Steaming also retains the nature look of the vegetable, adding aesthetic value to your dish.
When steaming vegetable, you need at least one cup of water (250ml), an ovenproof or steel bowl on a trivet. Due to short pressure keeping period, leaving the cooker naturally cooling down without using the steam release will add some extra cooking time to the food.
Please note that the cooking time is pressure keeping time on Instant Pot or other electric pressure cookers operating at the preset pressure level. Cooking times are approximate. Please use them as a guideline only.
The cooking time is for small or medium amount of food. For large amount, please add more water and increase the time by 20~40%.
Fresh or Frozen Vegetable Pressure Cooking Timetable
|
Vegetable
|
Fresh, Cooking Time
(in Minutes) |
Frozen, Cooking Time
(in Minutes) |
| Artichoke, whole, trimmed without leaves |
9 – 11
|
11 – 13
|
| Artichoke, hearts |
4 – 5
|
5 – 6
|
| Asparagus, whole or cut |
1 – 2
|
2 – 3
|
| Beans, green/yellow or wax, whole, trim ends and strings |
1 – 2
|
2 – 3
|
| Beets, small roots, whole |
11 – 13
|
13 – 15
|
| Beets, large roots, whole |
20 – 25
|
25 – 30
|
| Broccoli, flowerets |
2 – 3
|
3 – 4
|
| Broccoli, stalks |
3 – 4
|
4 – 5
|
| Brussel sprouts, whole |
3 – 4
|
4 – 5
|
| Cabbage, red, purple or green, shredded |
2 – 3
|
3 – 4
|
| Cabbage, red, purple or green, wedges |
3 – 4
|
4 – 5
|
| Carrots, sliced or shredded |
1 – 2
|
2 – 3
|
| Carrots, whole or chunked |
2 – 3
|
3 – 4
|
| Cauliflower flowerets |
2 – 3
|
3 – 4
|
| Celery, chunks |
2 – 3
|
3 – 4
|
| Collard |
4 – 5
|
5 – 6
|
| Corn, kernels |
1 – 2
|
2 – 3
|
| Corn, on the cob |
3 – 4
|
4 – 5
|
| Eggplant, slices or chunks |
2 – 3
|
3 – 4
|
| Endive |
1 – 2
|
2 – 3
|
| Escarole, chopped |
1 – 2
|
2 – 3
|
| Green beans, whole |
2 – 3
|
3 – 4
|
| Greens (beet greens, collards, kale, spinach, swiss chard, turnip greens), chopped |
3 – 6
|
4 – 7
|
| Leeks |
2 – 4
|
3 – 5
|
| Mixed vegetables |
2 – 3
|
3 – 4
|
| Okra |
2 – 3
|
3 – 4
|
| Onions, sliced |
2 – 3
|
3 – 4
|
| Parsnips, sliced |
1 – 2
|
2 – 3
|
| Parsnips, chunks |
2 – 4
|
4 – 6
|
| Peas, in the pod |
1 – 2
|
2 – 3
|
| Peas, green |
1 – 2
|
2 – 3
|
| Potatoes, in cubes |
7 – 9
|
9 – 11
|
| Potatoes, whole, baby |
10 – 12
|
12 – 14
|
| Potatoes, whole, large |
12 – 15
|
15 – 19
|
| Pumpkin, small slices or chunks |
4 – 5
|
6 – 7
|
| Pumpkin, large slices or chunks |
8 – 10
|
10 – 14
|
| Rutabaga, slices |
3 – 5
|
4 – 6
|
| Rutabaga, chunks |
4 – 6
|
6 – 8
|
| Spinach |
1 – 2
|
3 – 4
|
| Squash, acorn, slices or chunks |
6 – 7
|
8 – 9
|
| Squash, butternut, slices or chunks |
8 – 10
|
10 – 12
|
| Sweet potato, in cubes |
7 – 9
|
9 – 11
|
| Sweet potato, whole, small |
10 – 12
|
12 – 14
|
| Sweet potato, whole, large |
12 – 15
|
15 – 19
|
| Sweet pepper, slices or chunks |
1 – 3
|
2 – 4
|
| Tomatoes, in quarters |
2 – 3
|
4 – 5
|
| Tomatoes, whole |
3 – 5
|
5 – 7
|
| Turnip, chunks |
2 – 4
|
4 – 6
|
| Yum, in cubes |
7 – 9
|
9 – 11
|
| Yum, whole, small |
10 – 12
|
12 – 14
|
| Yum, whole, large |
12 – 15
|
15 – 19
|
| Zucchini, slices or chunks |
2 – 3
|
3 – 4
|
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