How Long Does Instant Pot Take to Preheat

How Long Does Instant Pot Take to Preheat 2If you are still learning your way around how cooking works, then the chances are you may have encountered an Instant Pot. It is one of the most versatile kitchen appliances next to microwaves. Some people even consider it to be the substitute for microwave because it can cook just about anything that includes chicken, roasts, desserts and much more!

One cannot deny that Instant Pots have added great ease to our lives. With a plethora of recipes nowadays, there are some amazing meals that you can cook up with the help of an Instant Pot. If you are just learning how to cook, then an Instant Pot is one appliance that you do not want to miss out on.

People who do not have previous cooking experience, often find using the Instant Pot a bit tricky. If you are in the same bot, there’s nothing to worry about. After cooking up a couple of meals in your Instant Pot, you will certainly master it. However, before you move on to the cooking phase, you first need to know how to preheat it.

The Instant Pot is also known as a multi-functional pressure cooker. The great features that an Instant Pot has to offer gives it a huge following. If you are also thinking to use an Instant Pot for your regular cooking needs, then you may have one question in your mind. How long does Instant Pot take to preheat? If you are looking for a short answer; then no more than 10-15 minutes.

If you want to learn more about how you can maximise the benefits of an Instant Pot, then continue reading.

Preheating Phase

Most of the times, the people who are not fully acquainted with how an Instant Pot works, do not know about its preheating phase. As we mentioned, the 10-15 minutes for the Instant Pot to preheat is the short answer. There are other factors to consider as well, such as quantity of the contents in the pot.

Depending on the contents inside the Instant Pot, the time it may take to preheat can increase. When you initially start using the pressure cooker function of the Instant Pot, it requires sometime before it the necessary pressure. So, being more clear to the original question, this process is called the preheating phase.

Although it is important to note that sometimes this phase may exceed the 15 minutes mark. So, if your Instant Pot does not preheat in that time, do not worry.

Food Timer

When the food is loaded into the Instant Pot, things may work a bit differently. The countdown would only start when your Instant Pot comes to pressure. In simpler words, if you are cooking a meal that requires to be pressure cooked, then you are going to add that time to the preheating process.

So the total time you would have to wait is going to be around 20-30 minutes, depending on how quick your Instant Pot preheats.

Pressure Release

People who do not have much experience using an Instant Pot, often struggle with pressure release. There are two common ways to release the pressure from an Instant Pot. Let’s have a look at them one by one.

How Long Does Instant Pot Take to Preheat 3

1)     Quick Release

A quick release is normally used when you want to “quickly” depressurize the Instant Pot. This may be the requirement of some recipes, so you might want to adjust according to that. There are three basic steps that you need to follow to quick release an Instant Pot:

  • End the cooking cycle or wait for it to end.
  • Turn the knob of the Instant Pot to the venting position.
  • Wait for the steam to stop flowing and keep the knob open.

Most of the times, the quick release method is pretty straight forward as you may have noticed by now. However, there is one safety measure you might want to take. Make sure that when you turn the knob of the Instant Pot to a venting position, you have an oven mitt on. It can be done with bare hands, but it is not recommended as it may cause a burn.

2)     Natural Release

Natural release is a very straight forward method, and just as the name suggests—it is done naturally. All you need to do is wait until the steam of the Instant Pot is released once your meal is cooked. This method is useful for some dishes where you need to continue cooking a little even after the cycle has finished. Here’s a further step by step break down on how to natural release an Instant Pot.

  • Wait 10-25 minutes after cooking for the Instant Pot to naturally cool down.
  • If your Instant Pot has the “keep warm” feature, then you might want to turn it off to make the process faster.
  • To make sure that the pressure has been released, check the floating valve. If it hasn’t gone down, then wait a little more.
  • It is always a good idea to turn the venting knob. It can help you make sure that the pressure is off.

You need to be cautious for not force open the lid in this method. That can potentially lead to a burn. The main reason the lid does not open is due to the pressure inside, so it is best to wait for it to settle down.

Why is my Instant Pot Stuck on Preheat?

People who are still new to using Instant Pots are not often able to move forward to the preheating process. Here’s why you might find yourself facing this problem:

Setting Release Valve to Seal

One of the most common mistakes that you can make when using an Instant Pot is not setting release value to seal. Only after wasting a lot of time, you might realise that when the Instant Pot is currently releasing the pressure, how will it go past the preheating process? Therefore, always make sure that you set the knob to seal before you begin.

Misaligned Seals

Even after setting the release valve to sealing, you find that you are not going past the preheating process, then it may be due to misaligned seals. This normally happens when you have been using the same Instant Pot for a long time. At times you can fix it by yourself at home. However, if the seals are severely damaged or misaligned, then you might have to buy a new one. Make sure that you check the seals of your Instant Pot every now and then.

Conclusion

The preheating time of an Instant Pot can vary for each individual. However, it doesn’t take longer than 10-20 minutes most of the times. The most important thing you need to keep in mind is your own safety. So, always make sure that when you are releasing an Instant Pot, you follow the steps we have mentioned. Knowing how popular Instant Pots have become nowadays, every other person who starts cooking have to encounter them sooner or later.

We hope you now know everything you need to preheat an Instant Pot!

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