This Instant Pot Salsa Shredded Chicken made in the Instant Pot is so easy, and only takes a couple ingredients! It is great for a party, perfect for meal prep, totally freezable, and best of all, DELICIOUS.
The chicken can be thawed or frozen – you don’t need to make any adjustments to the recipe at all either way.
DOUBLE this recipe to feed a crowd – no need to change the cook time!
Instant Pot Salsa Shredded Chicken is perfect for shredding – use it for tacos, over rice, on a salad, in a sandwich, in enchiladas, in a Tex-Mex style soup, or just by itself. It really is so good and so versatile; so easy, too, thanks to the Instant Pot or another pressure cooker!
Salsa Shredded Chicken
Video by Food Under Pressure
Add Chicken to pot. Sprinkle with cumin and chili powder.
Cover with salsa. Add 2-3 T water to salsa jar and swirl with any remaining salsa; add to pot.
Close lid and close vent knob. Pressure Cook on manual/high pressure for 25 minutes.
Quickly release pressure when cook time completes. Remove lid. Turn Instant Pot off by pressing "Cancel" button. Allow to cool for 3-4 minutes.
Using hand mixer on OFF, use mixing blades to break up the chicken breasts slightly. Then, turn mixer on low setting and move around pot to shred chicken. This literally takes 10 seconds!
I made these Black Eyed Peas in my Instant Pot pressure cooker with a left over Ham bone that had a decent amount of ham remaining on the bone. Did you know you can probably snag a ham bone from your local butcher or grocery store – call and ask!
Anyone else serve black eyed peas and ham for New Year’s Day? I served these and my husband raved about them! Honestly, these are good to eat any day, like EVER. They’re great as leftovers, too. Serve with some Instant Pot Cornbread and perhaps some Easy Pressure Cooker Collard Greens and you have a killer meal – all made in your Instant Pot!
Of course, you can make your cornbread and collards any other way you might want. The world, and your kitchen, is yours!
Turn Instant Pot on sauté, allow to heat, then add oil. Sauté onion and garlic in pot 3-4 minutes. Add seasoning, stir & sauté additional minute.
Add dried black eyed peas and water. Stir. Add ham bone.
Close lid and vent knob. Cook on high pressure 25 minutes. Allow pressure to naturally release (NPR).
Open lid, remove bone, and remove ham from bone. Dice ham and add back to pot. Stir. Close lid and vent knob and cook again on high pressure for 2 minutes.
Allow NPR for 15 minutes then release remaining pressure.
Stir and serve with hot sauce, cornbread and other fixings as desired.
I love rice recipes & rice dishes. Well, actually, I LOVE Instant Pot rice recipes! They are some of the easiest, fastest & most delicious pressure cooker recipes, including this Easy Jambalaya.
With Instant Pot rice recipes, I love to add a TON of flavor.
Don’t get intimidated… adding a ton of flavor doesn’t mean you have to have magical powers, just be creative with your ingredients and don’t be stingy with those seasonings! If a rice recipe is going to be my MEAL, I don’t want just a bowl of mostly plain rice. I want meat and veggies and FLAVOR in every bite.
Chinese Fried Rice from a local takeout place usually disappoints me. Why? Because the ratio of rice to other ingredients is far too big. I want meat, I want veggies, I want flavor, not just a mouthful of rice. My Instant Pot Chicken Fried Rice is a big hit in my house!
My husband loves smoked sausage and cajun spice. So, when I had these ingredients on hand recently and needed to get a good dinner on the table ASAP, I decided to go for an easy (and SUPER FAST) Instant Pot Jambalaya.
Good news, it was a HIT! Better news, it took just a few minutes of prep and I cooked everything in one pot – the Instant Pot! Hip Hip HOORAY for only one dirty pot! Gotta love a good Instant Pot one pot meal!
Press “Sauté” on your Instant Pot or Browning setting on other pressure cookers, and allow it to heat.
Add onion, celery, red pepper and garlic as well as sausage and seasonings, sauté 3-4 minutes.
Add rice, sauté another 2 minutes.
Add tomatoes, shrimp and water. Stir gently.
Place lid on pressure cooker and close vent.
For Instant Pot, close lid and turn Vent knob to “Sealing”
Cook on High Pressure for 4 minutes.
For Instant Pot, Press “Manual” [High Pressure] setting, and adjust time using “+/-“ buttons.
When cook time is complete, allow pot to naturally release pressure (NPR) for 5 minutes. Then, quickly release remaining pressure (QPR) manually by carefully opening your vent knob.
For Instant Pot, turn vent knob to “Venting”.
Open lid, and enjoy the yummy view!
Fluff with large fork, then serve immediately with scallion and perhaps more tabasco as garnish.
I previously posted making a Whole Chicken in my Pressure Cooker using a Bundt Pan – I am TELLING YOU, the bundt pan is SO clutch. Is it NECESSARY? No. But it is GENIUS? Yes.
This One Pot Chicken and Potatoes is the same concept as my previous recipe for Whole Pressure Cooker Bundt Pan Chicken – but this time, I added potatoes to make a complete One Pot Meal and it worked PERFECTLY!
There are 2 secrets to my Whole Pressure Cooker Chicken:
1. A Bundt Pan
2. Compound Butter
The Bundt Pan allows the chicken to keep its shape, and it also allows you to capture the juices rather than them running into your cooking liquid at the bottom of your pressure cooker. Capturing the juices makes for a KILLER gravy.
The Compound Butter allows the chicken to stay incredibly moist and gives it so much flavor – compound butters are full of seasonings of your choice. You can really add anything you want to softened butter, mix it up, and call it compound – compound will flavor!
Prepare potatoes – clean and cut in half lengthwise.
Prepare chicken, and dry the skin as best as you can with paper towels. Place chicken in bundt pan, placing hole of chicken around foiled center of bundt pan.
Rub 2-3 T Lemon Pepper compound butter all over chicken and let some fall inside chicken, and under the skin… everywhere you can get it.
Sprinkle on a little salt and pepper (I use about 1/4 t of each)
Pour 1 1/2 cups water in bottom of pressure cooker insert, then place trivet over water. Place bundt pan with chicken in pressure cooker on top of trivet.
Spread remaining Lemon Pepper compound butter on cut potatoes. Scatter them around chicken in your pressure cooker pot.
From lemon you zested and juiced for butter, squeeze remaining juice over chicken and potatoes and stuff the chicken with the lemon peels.
Close lid of pressure cooker, close vent knob and choose High Pressure cooking option. Adjust cook time to 6 minutes per pound of chicken – I used a 4.5 lb chicken, so I set my cook time to 26 minutes.
For Instant pot, close lid and turn vent knob to “Sealing”, press Manual button, then use “+/-“ buttons to adjust cook time to 26 minutes.
When cook time is complete, allow pressure cooker to naturally release pressure (NPR) for 15 minutes – quickly release any remaining pressure (QPR).
For Instant Pot, to QPR, turn vent knob to “Venting” position.
Open lid of pressure cooker.
Prepare a baking sheet with foil.
Use tongs to carefully remove potatoes, and place on foil skin side up.
Carefully remove chicken and place it on baking sheet breast side up.
Place chicken and potatoes in oven under broiler for 5-10 minutes to crisp skin of chicken and potatoes. Look at the beauty – Yum!
Carve that juicy, scrumptious chicken.
Serve with potatoes – they will have the wonderful lemon pepper flavor and will be cooking to tender perfections.
Add some quick steamed green veggies or a salad on the side, if desired.
DO NOT FORGET about the amazing juice you captured in your bundt pan!
Carefully remove bundt pan from pressure cooker insert – this juice is MAGICAL.
Use as a simple drizzle over chicken and potatoes, thicken with slurry of 1-2 T cornstarch plus 1-2 T water over medium heat in sauce pan if desired, or just reserve the liquid for cooking soup, rice, etc!
When chilled, just look at this cooking juice — it turns into an amazing, gelatinous broth.
Who doesn’t love Smores?Sweet, Gooey marshmallow, crunchy, sugary graham crackers, luscious, melty chocolate… you want one now, don’t you?!
I love the flavors, but let’s be honest… how often do you really actually make Smores? Perhaps you do often, but I admit that I do not.
#1: I live in Florida – when do you think we EVER have an opportunity to have a bonfire let alone have the need to sit close enough to one to roast marshmallows? Not very often.
On that note, us Floridians are hunkering down for our coldest day in December coming tomorrow – the high where I live is set to be 63 and the low 41 – perhaps tomorrow should be National Smores-for-real Day in Florida! I’ll let my husband know to connect the propane to our faux fire pit. #2: When else do you make Smores? While camping perhaps? Well, again with the admissions… I admit my idea of camping is, well, non-existent… but if it existed, I’d hope it would involve A/C and my hair straightener. Don’t judge me. But, who doesn’t love Smores?! Especially if there was an easier way to make and eat them. Well, alas… I believe in this Smores Pie. It satisfies the flavor desires, yet involves no fire. And since I have become obsessed with my Pressure Cooker, I am happy to report I make it in my Instant Pot!
S’mores Pie
Ingredients
1 cup graham cracker crumbs, about 8 cracker sheets
Place graham crackers in resealable bag, like a sandwich or quart size ziplock. Crush into crumbs using flat side of meat tenderizer or rolling pin, or whatever you have that will work.
Pour crumbs into small mixing bowl. Pour in melted butter. Mix until combined.
Press evenly on bottom and slightly up the sides, about 1 inch, of springform pan.
Mix brownie batter as directed on box. Pour into springform pan over graham cracker crust.
Tap pan lightly on counter to get rid of air bubbles and evenly disperse batter.
Cover tightly with foil.
Pour 1 1/2 cups water in bottom of pressure cooker inner pot, place trivet over water, then place springform pan on trivet over water.
Close lid of pressure cooker, and close vent knob. On Instant pot, turn vent knob to “Sealing”.
Press Manual button on Instant Pot, or high pressure on any pressure cooker, and adjust cook time to 45 minutes.
Pressure cooker will take 5-10 minutes to come to pressure, then cook time countdown will begin.
When cook time completes, allow pressure to naturally release (NPR) for 10 minutes. Quickly release remaining pressure (QPR)by opening vent knob. On Instant Pot, turn to “Venting”.
Uncover and allow pie to cool slightly, about 15 minutes.
Evenly spread marshmallows over brownie – do it neatly for neater presentation if you wish.
Place under broiler for 2-3 minutes – do not take your eye off those marshmallows! They can go from perfectly browned, to ridiculously burnt in the matter of seconds.
Carefully remove from oven and let cool for 15-20 minutes.
Unlatch spring on springform pan, and carefully remove rim. Slide pan onto a plate or storage container lid – why a storage container lid? Because I use a tupperware or this 7 cup round Pyrex oven safe bowl, turned upside down to store the leftovers! (pending there are leftovers) #Genius
(NOTE: because Pyrex bowl is oven safe, you can use this to cook things in your Instant Pot, too! Worth the purchase: 7 cup Pyrex oven safe bowl, 7 cup, round.
This Pyrex container is just over 7.5 inches in diameter, and the spring form pan is just under 7.5 inches!
Whole Pressure Cooker Chicken If you haven’t tried whole pressure cooker chicken before, you need to – like TODAY. Specifically, you need to try Whole Bundt Pan Pressure Cooker Chicken!
Seriously – this is the best chicken you will ever have in your lifetime. I am confident in that claim. So confident that, if you don’t like it, I’ll buy you a new chicken ?
There are 2 secrets to my Whole Pressure Cooker Chicken:
1. A Bundt Pan
2. Compound Butter or Oil
The Bundt Pan allows the chicken to keep its shape, and it also allows you to capture the juices rather than them running into your cooking liquid at the bottom of your pressure cooker. Capturing the juices makes for a KILLER gravy.
The Compound Butter or Oil allows the chicken to stay incredibly moist and gives it so much flavor – compound butters are full of seasonings of your choice. Today, I will be demonstrating with my Citrus Herb Butter – it is my FAVORITE. But, you could really add anything you want to softened butter, mix it up, and call it compound – compound will flavor! More compound butter recipes to come!
Another great thing about the Compound Butter is it will be captured in the juices that are captured in the Bundt Pan – did I mention how capturing those juices make for a KILLER gravy? Oh yes, Lord.
Whole Bundt Pan Pressure Cooker Chicken
with Compound Butter
Ingredients
Whole Chicken Ingredients
Whole Roaster Chicken, thawed, up to 5 pounds (any bigger won’t fit in the 6 quart Instant Pot)
*because I used this butter, I also stuffed the chicken with the lemon and lime zested for this butter and some fresh thyme – go check out the Citrus Herb Butter!
Remove Chicken from packaging, and inspect for any feathers; they should be easy to remove if any remain. Trim some excess fatty skin, if desired.
Place small square of foil over hole in Bundt pan.
Dry chicken as best as you can with paper towels. Place chicken in bundt pan, placing hole of chicken around foiled center of bundt pan.
Rub compound butter all over chicken and let some fall inside chicken, and under the skin… everywhere you can get it. Sprinkle on a little salt and pepper (I use about 1/4 t of each)
*I also shoved a couple small pieces of the lime and lemon I zested and fresh thyme I used to make my Citrus Herb Butter inside the chicken – aromatics!
Aromatics are a good thing, and they are NOT complicated – onion, garlic, carrots, celery, ginger, herbs, citrus, apples, lemongrass… depends on what flavor you’re going for!
Pour 1 1/2 cups water in bottom of Instant Pot insert, then carefully place Bundt pan directly into Instant Pot (I solicited the help of some tongs).
Close lid. Turn Vent Knob to “Sealing“. Press Manual (high pressure) and adjust cook time using “+/-“ buttons to _____ [Whole Chicken needs 6 minutes per pound] – my chicken was just under 6 pounds (5.8 lbs), so I chose a cook time of 34 minutes.
Instant Pot will take 10-15 minutes to come to pressure, then cook time countdown will begin. When cook time is complete, Instant Pot will beep.
Allow pressure to naturally release (NPR) for 10 minutes. After 10 minutes, quickly release remaining pressure (QPR)by turning vent knob to “Venting”.
Open lid and smile at your super moist and tender chicken, and all that flavorful juice you’ve captured because of the bundt pan!
Carefully remove chicken from bundt pan, and place on cookie sheet.
Carefully remove bundt pan from Instant Pot – pour juices in small saucepan (I pour slowly and avoid getting the juice at the very bottom of the bundt pan because it usually has some fat scraps…)
If desired, use fat separator to remove some fat from the juice. Place remaining juices in a sauce pan on stove over medium heat.
Mix a slurry of cornstarch and cold water.
Pour slurry into saucepan, and whisk.
Allow gravy to simmer for 5-10 minutes or until thickened as desired.
Your gravy can simmer while you follow the next steps, browning your chicken under the broiler.
Lightly broil chicken on cookie sheet to crisp skin – this takes about 4-5 minutes. BE CAREFUL, don’t take your eyes off your chicken!
After lightly browning under broiler for about 4 minutes – you can go a little longer if you prefer, but don’t burn it!
Time to carve! In reality, you could carve this chicken with a darned butter knife or just shred it with a fork because it is SO TENDER and MOIST!
Whole Pressure Cooker Bundt Pan Chicken
with Compound Butter
Serve with your delicious homemade gravy (wasn’t that easy?!) and your choice of sides… Tonight, I roasted potatoes in the oven using the same Citrus Herb Butter and steamed broccoli in the microwave while my chicken was cooking in my Instant Pot!
This one pot dish is a SERIOUS Instant Pot win! It is PERFECT for a busy weeknight!
This is definitely Mom approved, and, kid approved by my seriously picky 7 year old. Hubby loved it. We all loved it. It took well under 30 minutes to make, and the best part is it’s only about 6 minutes hands on cook time.
If I made this on the stove, it would not only take longer, but I would have to dirty at least 2 pots, a couple spoons, a couple lids, and my totally-annoying-to-clean glass stove top. Anyone else HATE cleaning their glass stove top? I am always thankful for my Instant Pot. But, tonight, my love grew. It makes relatively easy meals THAT much more EASY. It makes my life easier. And, it delivers deliciousness. I mean, how could you go wrong here guys?
Did I mentioned this meal is delicious? In all seriousness, this One Pot Tortellini with Meat Sauce is BETTER than any time I have made it on the stove. The tortellini is cooked JUST RIGHT! Seriously. Instant Pot – we love you.
This is a semi-homemade version in that I use jarred marinara sauce and packaged tortellini, but you could definitely make homemade sauce if you have time for that. And if you have time to make homemade tortellini, well… don’t talk to me. LOL – just kidding ? Mail me some to Florida though! You could totally substitute another pasta in this dish… increase cook time to 4-5 minutes depending on what kind of pasta (typically half the time it says on the box – if a cook time range on the box, go with the least amount of time and cut in half. Example: Spaghetti box says cook 8-10 mins, go with 8 cut in half, so 4 minutes cook time in pressure cooker)
One Pot Tortellini with Meat Sauce
Ingredients
1 T olive oil
1 lb. sausage, mild or spicy – your preference (can sub ground beef if desired)
2 jars marinara or traditional tomato sauce
2 cups water
2 9 oz packages pre-made Tortellini, any flavor or variety
Plug in Instant Pot, press “Sauté” button (if other pressure cooker, browning mode).
Pour Olive Oil in Instant Pot insert. Allow to heat for 15-20 seconds, then add sausage and brown for 3-4 minutes using wooden spoon and Pampered Chef Mix n Chop to break up sausage.
Once browned, use towel or Silicone Mitts to lift insert slightly to the side, pressing sausage against one side of pot, and drain as much grease as possible using a spoon (you could also use a strainer!)
Add tomato sauce and water. Stir and allow to heat for 1-2 minutes, stirring occasionally.
Before adding tortellini, stir sauce one last time.
Add tortellini. DO NOT STIR. If you stir, the tortellini may stick to the bottom of your Instant Pot.
DO NOT STIR.
After adding tortellini, gently push them down into the sauce with your spoon.
DO NOT STIR.
Close lid. Turn Vent Knob to “Sealing”. Press “Manual” button, and adjust cook time using “+/-“ buttons to 3 minutes. If other pressure cooker, use high pressure setting for 3 minutes cook time.
Your pressure cooker will take about 10 minutes or so to come to pressure. Once it comes to pressure, cook time countdown will begin.
When cook time is complete, Instant Pot will beep and automatically change to “Keep Warm” setting and begin Natural Pressure Release (NPR). Allow NPR for 5 minutes. Then quickly release remaining pressure (QPR) by turning Vent Knob to “Venting”. Before QPR, I always place a hand towel over the vent knob.
Behold, your one pot Instant Pot wonder.
Serve with a side of garlic bread (and maybe some broccoli if you’re a better Mom than I) ?
Top with parmesan cheese, maybe some crushed red pepper.
First off, allow me to start off with a Confession I probably should not start this blog with…I do not like Instant Pot soft boiled eggs. ? I do however LOVE other Instant Pot eggs — Medium Boiled Eggs, and Hard Boiled Eggs.
Soft Boiled Eggs… well, too soft for me! However, to each his own!
Nonetheless! I found the perfect technique to make Instant Pot Soft Boiled Eggs in my Instant Pot Pressure Cooker, and I thought it only right to share with those who DO like Soft Boiled Eggs.The sacrificial soft boiled egg…
Press “Manual” button and adjust cook time to 3 minutes.
If you aren’t an Instant Pot user, Manual is simply high pressure
The Instant Pot or other pressure cooker will take 5-10 minutes to come to pressure. Once it does, cook time countdown will begin.
When cook time is complete, Instant Pot will beep. Press “Keep Warm/Off” button to turn OFF, and immediately quickly release pressure (QPR) by turning vent knob to “Venting” (I always place a hand towel over the vent knob before releasing pressure).
CAREFULLY but immediately remove eggs from Instant Pot – yesssss…they will be HOT (I use tongs or my Instant Pot Silicone Mitts!).
Immediately place eggs in ice bath, and allow to cool for about 3 minutes.
If you don’t let them cool, they will not be as easy to peel!
Get ready for tears… because they will peel easier than ANY eggs you have EVER made!
It’s hard to decide which Instant Pot accessories to buy – there are so many options! It’s also sometimes hard to tell what will actually fit and work in your Instant Pot or other pressure cooker.
Chances are you have things in your kitchen already you can use in your pressure cooker – make sure it is oven safe. Here is a list of my fave Instant Pot accessories for purchase, in no particular order. *I do not own all of these, but I sure would like to!All have good reviews and are popular in the Pressure Cooker community.
With the exception of the Instant Pot specific products, these can be used with ANY pressure cooker (check the size of your before purchasing so you know they will fit).
Instant Pot Tempered Glass Lid
From popping popcorn, to sautéing and searing, and slow cooking, to just keeping food warm while you display your amazing creation – you really want to have this additional lid option. Don’t try to use alternatives, get the real thing, the Instant Pot Tempered Glass Lid.
Extra Instant Pot Sealing Rings
You can’t get away from it – your sealing rings will retain some odor after multiple use. Yes, you can soak it in water, soap, baking soda, I’ve even heard denture cleaner… you can wash it by hand or in the dishwasher… but, no matter what you do, that pot roast you cook all the time – your sealing ring will love to retain that delicious smell!
I am normally a fan of considering “off” or generic brand items if they are a good deal. HOWEVER, in the case of the sealing ring, I highly recommend sticking with the official Instant Pot brand to ensure a secure fit.
If you’re like me and want to use your Instant Pot for anything and everything – sweet and savory – you NEED an extra sealing ring.
Recently Instant Pot has come out with some brand new, silicone accessories that are custom made to fit in the Instant Pot. Really cool products unlike what I have ever seen before!
From cakes, to cheesecakes, to brownies, to cornbread and banana bread, this springform pan will go to great use! Of course, it can be used in your Instant Pot or your oven. This 7 inch leakproof Springform Pan from Nordic Ware is the perfect size, perfect height, did I mention it’s perfect?
Or, how about a set of 4 inch “mini” springform pans like these Wilton mini Springform pans – you should be able to fit 3-4 in an Instant Pot and most pressure cookers.
Push Pans
This serves the same purpose as the springform pan. Instead of the outer ring of the pan unlatching to loosen and allow you to lift the outer ring away from the bottom, the push pan allows you to literally push the bottom the pan up and away from the outer ring. This is great for cheesecakes! *Note: I do not personally have these pans, but hear people rave about them ALL the time. I don’t think my husband would agree that I need both the springform AND the push pans?
From cakes to breads, this bundt pan will come in handy! I use it for my Whole Pressure Cooker Bundt Pan Chicken, too! And, it fits perfectly in the Instant Pot and most pressure cookers. Of course, it can also be used in your good ole oven. This 6 cup Nordic ware Bundt pan is available in colors, or traditional non-stick stainless color – take a look below.
There are so many options out there – I will share my favorites. Why do you need one (or 3)? Vegetables, meats, fruits, shell fish, any fish… you can use it for EVERYTHING. Any time you need to “prop” your food up over that liquid you MUST have in the bottom of your IP in order to allow it to pressurize, your steam basket or rack will be your go-to BEST Instant Pot friend!
REDKitchen Stainless Steel steamer
The KEY to this steamer basket and why it makes the top 4 fave list – those legs though! Perfect for being able to bring your food away from the water at the bottom of your Instant Pot!
*as of July 2017, currently not available on Amazon
OXO Silicone Steamer Basket
This is a great option if you prefer to move away from stainless steel to silicone. It has legs to keep the basket over your cooking liquid, and the handles makes it SUPER easy and safe to remove this basket from your Instant Pot! Plus, that fun green color!
Traditional Expandable Steamer Basket
This is a classic – you might even have one already. If not, you might find one at a garage sale – confession: that’s where I got mine for a whopping $0.25! The best part about this guy is that it fits in virtually any pot because of it’s expandable and collapsable feature. Collapsable… also why it might be successfully hiding in your cupboard for the last who-knows-how-many years!
This set of racks are different than those above – as you can see, it has a lot more open space. This is great for bigger vegetables and cuts of meat. The Instant Pot comes with a cooking rack, but these provide more height which is PERFECT for pot-in-pot cooking!
Mrs. Anderson’s Round Baking and Cooling rack, 6 inches – perfect for eggs and many other things because they won’t fall through and you don’t have to worry about a “stem” like you have on some of the steamer baskets!
Fat Separator
I love cooking large roasts and whole chickens in my Instant Pot! The liquid that comes fro the meat makes the best sauce or stock. The only problem though… it’s usually fattier than I’d prefer. This OXO 4 cup Fat Separator tool is GREAT for keeping those juices but getting rid of some of that unwanted fat.
Pot Retriever Tongs/mittens
Safety first! Yes, that inner pot in your Instant Pot will be HOT, HOT, HOT when you open that lid after cooking anything on any setting. Using a towel can be awkward, and it can get right into your delicious food – probably causing a mess.
Or, if you want something more multifunctional, these Instant Pot Silicone Mitts (set of 2) are great, too.
Sous Vide Accessories
If you want to get real culinary in your Instant Pot, try sous vide cooking! Sous vide translates to “under vacuum” in French. Sous vide cooking involves vacuum sealing your food item and cooking it under precise temperature in a water bath for exquisite tenderness, texture and a unique food experience unlike any other. Definitely worth it, and a lot easier than the fancy name portrays!
Mini cheesecakes, dulce de leche, individual casseroles, mini desserts, jam, applesauce, homemade yogurt… the list goes on y’all. You can use these to cook in right inside your Instant Pot, or to portion your favorite recipe after cooking in something else. The mini’s are just too cute! Instant Pot unrelated – these jars are great for organizing & storing literally ANYTHING in your house, too!
I use this a lot – If something I am going to cook needs marinating, like my Barbacoa Beef Brisket or Honey Sesame Chicken, I season it and store it right in my pot, ready to go right into my Instant Pot to cook! Why dirty another dish, or deal with annoying saran wrap? Instant Pot Silicone Cover
Pressure Cooking Cookbooks
Perhaps you want to give an Instant Pot as a gift, and want to include a cookbook. Or, you’d like to have one on hand for yourself rather than always looking online. I totally get it! Here are some of the popular pressure cooker cookbooks.
These suckers are so versatile – you’ll use it in your Instant Pot and any other pot. No more threatening your life by transferring hot liquids and or solids to a blender – danger! I love this Immersion Blender because its STRONG. Most immersion aka hand blenders, especially the ones going for $20-$30, are only 200 watts.
Personally, I have the Kitchen Aid 3-speed Hand Blender. It has a great whisk attachment as well as a mini chopper attachment, a container and handy storage bad that comes with it.
Meat accessories
The Pampered Chef tool to have for many purposes (anyone else a fan of Pampered Chef?). You can use this to mix, but what I use it for most of the time is to break of meat while browning – Instant Pot or any Pot. It’s a pain with a flat spatula or wooden spoon to get your meat broken down the way you want. This makes it a breeze.
Pampered Chef Mix n Chop *no image available These shredder claws are better than the short handheld ones. Think about it… the meat is hot. Do you want your hands that close to the meat, which is what the first set would cause? Or would you like some distance, which the second set would allow – up to you!
Depending on how much space you have (or don’t have) in your kitchen, you might want to consider one of these stove protector/covers. This will allow you to more safely place your Instant Pot on your stove top – I have seen countless picture of people ruining both their Instant Pot and Stove Top by placing the Instant Pot on the stove, then accidentally turning the stove top on. Avoid that sad day if you use your stove top as a counter by getting one of these covers.
One of the most intimidating things when I first got my Instant Pot was all this Instant Pot terminology I kept hearing/reading/seeing – it sounded like they were talking in code!
NPR…
QPR…
5-5-5 / 6-6-6 / 7-7-7…
like, what?!
So, I’ve decided to help crack the Instant Pot Terminology Code!
5-5-5 / 6-6-6 / 7-7-7
a method for cooking soft to hard to extra hard boiled eggs
# – # – #: minutes of steam time – minutes of natural pressure release time – minutes of ice bath time
5-5-5: soft boiled
6-6-6: hard boiled
7-7-7: extra hard
I make soft, medium & hard boiled eggs EASIER THAN THAT!
Don’t get confused here! You DO NOT have to remove the shield. In fact, it should STAY ON! You only remove it if you want to clean in. It’s tough to remove, honestly… try a teeter-totter, up on left down on right, type of motion with trying to pull out.
NPR = Natural Pressure Release
NPR is letting the pressure in your IP naturally dissipate and release after cooking time is complete. You do nothing – just let it sit there, and depressurize. This usually takes anywhere from 10-20 minutes, depending on what you have cooked and the quantity
NOTE: until ALL pressure is released, the IP will not let you open the lid — give thanks to the IP Gods for this, serious safety precaution here y’all
When to use NPR: meats (especially large cuts), stews, soups, and generally when your pot in very full
If you QPR when you have a full pot of stew, you will likely end up with a mess on your hands (and your cabinets)
How do you know when NPR is done? This is such a common question!
See that picture vent knob below? See that silver sort of “pin” to the right of the knob? It will drop when pressure is released.
QPR = Quick Pressure Release
QPR is manually releasing the pressure in your IP – releasing the pressure is essential, and without doing so, the IP will not let you open the lid (safety precaution!). If you want the pressure to quickly release (as opposed to naturally – NPR), turn the vent knob on the lid of your IP to “Venting”. BE CAREFUL – vent means steam will come out (steam = hot). I always place a hand towel over the Vent knob before doing QPR.
When to use QPR: veggies, fish, very lean meats like chicken tenderloin – “delicate” items you want to avoid over cooking
Sealing
ANY time you want to use your pressure cooker, you must seal the vent. Sealing the vent allows the pressure to accumulate/build up inside your IP – hence, the ability to cook with pressure. After closing your lid, turn the vent knob to “Sealing” before selecting your cooking preference and cook time.
Venting
The Vent knob turned to “Venting” allows you to manually release pressure from your Instant Pot – this means letting out some serious steam! After cooking on any setting, you must allow the pressure to release before you are able to open you IP lid (safety first!). You can allow your IP to naturally depressurize (refer to NPR), or you can quickly release the pressure manually (refer to QPR).
TIP: Before turning vent knob to “Venting”, place a hand towel over the vent — Less noise and less steam bath for your face, hands and cabinets!
Fine mesh strainer, 
