What’s Happening in There?
It may seem like magic, but there's actual science happening inside your Instant Pot after you seal the lid.
What's Happening Inside your Instant Pot?
In a tightly sealed pot under pressure, the boiling point of liquid is higher. Under normal conditions, water boils and turns to steam at 212 degrees Fahrenheit. In a closed environment, however, the water molecules can’t escape, increasing the pressure in the pot. Since more energy is needed for the water to boil, the temperature in the pot increases. This means that you are cooking food with steam that’s at a temperature up to 34 degrees higher than what’s possible in a normal pot, which translates to shorter cooking times.
High Pressure Versus Low Pressure
The Instant Pot has two pressure levels: high and low. Most recipes in this class use high pressure since it is the most efficient. (It is the Instant Pot, after all.) We used low pressure for some bean recipes where the texture is paramount, or in recipes where the texture of the meat was unimportant, like in our chicken broth.
Natural Release Versus Quick Release
There are two methods to release pressure after cooking: natural and quick. The one you use will affect the final outcome of a recipe—so don’t swap one for the other. Most important, don’t force the Instant Pot open before the pressure has been fully released.
Natural Release
If you do nothing or turn off the pot when the cooking time ends, the Instant Pot will allow the pressure in the pot to drop back down naturally. This is the preferred method when you want to gently finish cooking food through, since it will continue to cook as the pressure drops.
A natural release can also affect texture: If you quickly release the pressure on some meat dishes, the meat will seize up and be tough. Our method is generally to quick-release any remaining pressure after 15 minutes of natural release.
Quick Release
You can immediately release pressure by turning the pressure regulator knob to “steam” as soon as your recipe is done cooking. Be careful—the steam will be hot. We usually use a quick release when we want to stop the cooking right away because the food can easily overcook (as in the case of delicate fish).
