How Electric Pressure Cookers Work

An electric pressure cooker consists of three parts, the lid, inner pot and housing unit. The most important things to know about electric pressure cookers  are the safety valves and smart control box.

The Inner Pot

The inner pot is a removable cooking pot. It is generally made from aluminum or stainless steel. Instant Pot uses high quality stainless steel inner pots made with sturdy, three-ply, or copper-clad bottom for uniformed heating.

The Lid Lock

The lid has a gasket or sealing ring. When the lid is placed on the cooker in the sealed position, the lid and inner pot form an airtight chamber. The pressure inside this chamber increases when heat is applied to the inner pot. Operating the lid not locked in position with a significant amount of pressure generated is unsafe and not recommended. Instant Pot® models have float valves, a pin lock mechanism to prevent the lid from being accidentally opened while there is significant amount of pressure inside. If there is enough pressure inside the inner pot, the float valve is pushed up by the pressure. Once pushed up, the pin of the float valve serves as latch lock and prevents the lid from turning, even under force.

Instant Pot® also extends such safety assurance with a safety power switch. If the lid is not in the desired fully close position, the electronic control system detects the situation and will not switch on the power for heating.

Safety Valves

Similar to the conventional pressure cooker, the pin of the float valve can be self-destroyed by excessive temperature or pressure. The float valve without the pin becomes a pressure escape hole, and the pressure inside the chamber is released this hole. Although in such a case the float valve is permanently damaged and possible a lid replacement may be required, this is an effective last line of defense from the safety perspective. Instant Pot® employs the patented innovative push-down pressure release mechanism to release excessive pressure, even in the unlikely case where the pin of the float valve cannot destroyed. Instant Pot® provides a multi-level in-depth defense system to offer unprecedented safety assurance to the consumers.

Normally, the only way the pressure can escape is through a pressure release regulator valve on the lid. The pressure release valve has an anti-block shield inside the lid. If the pressure increases beyond the safe operating range, the pressure release regular valve will be pushed up, similar to that on the conventional pressure cooker, to release excessive pressure built up inside the chamber. The difference from the conventional pressure cooker is that the pressure release valve only kicks in to release excessive pressure due to possible failure of electronic based sensing circuitry.