How to Use Electric Pressure Cooker [Beginner’s Guide]

Are you a beginner or recently bought an electric pressure cooker and wondering about how to use electric pressure cooker?

Then don’t worry, this guide is just for you.

Electric Pressure Cooker

To most people, the word pressure cooker might seem to be a phobia or a horrible nightmare giving them a constant fear of it exploding straight away, which is commonly based on old stories we used to hear in our childhood and rightly so as conventional pressure cookers were not safe enough.

But in reality, as the technological age-progressed we started getting better improved and smarter kitchen appliances with a primary focus on safety and ease of use.

And the latest smart wifi electric pressure cookers have changed the whole concept of pressure cookers as they are entirely up to the standards of safety. This undoubtedly is the most important aspect of every manufacturing company.

Here we talk about the most popular electric pressure cooker known as Instant Pot DUO60 Multi-Use Electric Pressure Cooker.

You may be a little skeptical when using it for the first time. But surely you never will feel this way after reading this guide we put up for you today learning the proper way of using it, and you will be using it like a pro in no time.

Steps for how to use Electric Pressure Cooker

1. Load up the electric pressure cooker pot with food like vegetables, meat, rice, beans, soup, etc.

   

2. Add water or some type of liquid in your pressure cooker pot.

   

3. Close and lock the electric pressure cooker lid properly and make sure the valve is in the sealing direction

   

4. Now plug the power cable and turn on the electric pressure cooker and make sure the plugs are connected properly.

   

5. The electric pressure cooker has a lot of functions. Select the function according to the type of food you are cooking.

   

6. Adjust the timer according to your recipe. Different food has different cooking times so make sure you don’t overcook them.

   

7. Be patient and wait for the timer to finish the countdown.

   

8. After that flip the valve to venting direction carefully because it will release hot steam.

   

9. Now you are good to go open the electric pressure cooker lid and enjoy your meal!

   

Accessories of Electric Pressure Cooker

• User Manual
• Pressure cooker recipe booklet
• Rice paddle
• Soup spoon
• Measuring cup
• Inner pot
• Steam rack
• Condensation cup (water collector)

Things you need to know before using an Electric Pressure Cooker

1. User Manual

The first and most important thing is to read the manual carefully. It contains all the necessary instructions you need to know.

Keep manual in a safe place because it contains all of your time for cooking different things. So, whenever you need help, look at it and it will tell you about some basic stuff.

2. Inner Pot

There is a stainless-steel pot inside the cooker. You can hand wash or dish wash it. There are markers inside and outside the pot, but they are not clearly visible so you can use a measuring cup and spoon that comes along with the pressure cooker.

3. Lid and Sealing Ring

It has an entirely detachable lid, inner pot, and cord. The lid contains a sealing ring which you can remove or install.

4. Steam Release Handle

There is a steam release handle at the top of the lid. After properly closing the lid, make sure your valve is in sealing direction. During the cooking process, the lid is completely locked. You can’t open it. When cooking is complete, carefully move the valve in a venting direction because it will release steam.     

5. Natural and Quick Release

In the natural release, you just wait and let the electric pressure cooker to release the pressure naturally. Means when cooking time or timer countdown reaches zero, the pressure cooker automatically decreases the pressure gradually.

While in quick release, when cooking is done by the pressure cooker you deliberately release the pressure by moving the steam release valve to venting direction.

6. Condensation Cup

Condensation cup is very important because during pressure cooking some amount of steam will release which goes through the groove and then collected in the cup. If you do not attach the cup, then condensation will fall all over your counter, and your kitchen will look like a mess.

7. Cautions

Do not use an electric pressure cooker if

1. cord is damaged
2. a cord is getting more hot than usual
3. the pressure cooker is making unfamiliar sounds or vibrations
4. the cooker is getting hotter than usual and smells like burning

8. How to Clean Electric Pressure Cooker

Make sure to clean the following

1. Lid
2. Inner pot
3. Sealing ring
4. Condensation
5. Pressure cooker body
6. Don’t clean with wet cloth if the power cord is plugged in.

Types and Features of Electric Pressure Cookers

There are many types of electric pressure cookers available in the market with different styles, features, and prices. The history of pressure cookers goes back to the 1940s and 1950s when they were first introduced in the market. These are called first-gen pressure cookers, and they lacked many security features.

Now the electric pressure cookers we have today are packed with many safety features in them as compared to old ones.

The latest design of the lid-locking system almost makes it impossible for the lid to be removed when there is pressure in the pot.

Latest generation pressure cookers are furnished with spring valve pressure regulators. But the ones which completely changed the whole scenario of pressure cooking are the modern electric pressure cookers and multicookers.

The instant pot has made it so easy that everyone can cook without any fear and hesitation. Electric pressure cookers slightly take more time than the stovetop counterparts.

Ease of Use

Electric pressure cookers usage is way easier than you can think. It makes meals faster and healthier within no time, and it boils the meat, dense vegetables, and hard beans quickly.

Hard beans are often soaked in water for hours and hours before conventionally cooking them. But electric pressure cookers have made it so easy that it takes minutes to cook them thoroughly.

Common questions about Electric Pressure Cooker

How does an electric pressure cooker work?

If you want to know the logic behind the working of electric pressure cookers, then this can easily be understood as it is not a mystery anymore. Everyone knows that the pressure cooker works by holding the steam inside the sealed pot, which increases the boiling point of the water and automatically the atmospheric pressure inside the pot also rises fastly. So it Cooks the food at 250 degrees Fahrenheit within no time without damaging the quality of the food.

How does an electric pressure cooker save time?

It saves the time and effort that one puts in cutting the vegetables into small pieces and chunks. It prevents tiredness. You can cook beans or can cook chicken or anything you want within a few minutes.

It is truly believed that the shoulder of lamb and shin of beef are not quickly cooked. It takes a lot of effort to prepare them. But they can be cooked quickly in the electric pressure cookers.

can i cook two dishes in the pressure cooker?

You can cook two dishes in one pressure cooker as well. The electric pressure cookers are designed in such a way that it allows you to cook two meals at one time without any tension. Electric pressure cookers use steamer rack and basket. So you can make layers in the pot and can cook two dishes of your desire at one time with in the same cooker.

Curry can make at the bottom of the pot, and rice can be boiled above the curry.

Do electric pressure cookers use a lot of electricity?

No, they are very cost-effective as it is believed that it saves up to 80 percent of the electrical energy. It means that it consumes only a minor part of electrical power which is one of the most remarkable aspects of electric pressure cookers. They are entirely environment-friendly too.

How Electric pressure cookers save money?

• In the summertime, it is never easy to cook a meal because of the scorching heat, so it takes a lot of energy in the form of an air conditioner to keep the temperature low.
• The pressure cooker keeps the temperature of the kitchen low and makes it cool.
• You can quickly get rid of high electricity bills by just making use of electric pressure cookers. They keep the temperature of the kitchen low without spreading heat in the kitchen.
• An average air conditioner usually takes about 3,500 watts of energy for every additional hour you use it. So you need to cut down the bill and make an electric pressure cooker as your daily driver.
• Making use of cheaper cuts of meat
• Homemade meals can be cooked fastly.

It is easy to order something like pizza. But this is unhygienic, and it costs a lot. Similarly, you can never afford to eat pizza daily. So you can take the help of modern pressure cookers which are always ready to oblige the chefs and everyone. You can make any recipe within minutes. All you have to do is to toss some ingredients in the pressure cooker. Then you have to wait for several minutes, and within no time, a delicious meal will be ready.

Conclusion

Electric pressure cookers are evolving and getting better day by day. It takes no time for them to cook the meal. I would surely recommend everyone to use the latest generation of smart electric pressure cookers to save their time, energy and electricity.

You may feel some hesitation in the beginning. But believe me, you will be used to it soon within no time, and then you will never need to be worried about the cooking.

You can take any pressure cooker of your choice, depending on your needs.