Congratulations and welcome!!
Whether you found a great deal for Black Friday, received one as a gift, or are just finally opening that box that was purchased months ago – welcome!! Hopefully we can help you navigate how to get started with your new Instant Pot 🙂 Some people jump right in, and some are hesitant. This kitchen device will change how you cook – for real! My husband and I forget to take things out of the freezer to thaw all of the time, which puts us in a pickle for dinner. I’m able to put frozen cuts of meat and all sorts of stuff in this pot and not only does the food cook faster, but it’s more tender, and overall flavorful -winning! So here we go – we’re here to help you on your Instant Pot journey!
Step 1: Breathe! I hear so many people say they are scared of their pressure cookers. Once they gets started though, it becomes a lovely addition to meal planning and fixing up delicious snacks and dinners. So…breathe 🙂
Step 2: Take everything out of the box and make sure all of the contents, based on your model are there. Make sure to register your Instant Pot so you are protected under the 1 year manufacturer warranty.
Step 3: The dreaded manual! If for some reason you are missing a manual, head over to the Instant Pot page here to take a peek and download it. It’s good to familiarize yourself with some of the features.
If you skip all of the other steps, start here 😉 Â
Step 4: The water test!!! Yahoodle – let’s get going!!! The instructions will tell you to put water in your pot up to the line 3. It is important to know that your Instant Pot is not marked in CUPS. It is in rice measurements (this confused me too, but it’s important to know!). The point of this test is to not only make sure everything functions, but to understand how it comes to pressure, how much water might evaporate while cooking and how long it takes. (note: When I did the water test, I only used 1 cup of water. I had done a lot of reading, and did not want to wait for 3 liters of water to come up to pressure. It IS good to know how long it takes more liquid to pressurize though.)
A Few Basics and Water Test How To:
Step 5: You’re ready to take on your first adventure! Eggs and veggies are low-cost places to begin experimenting 🙂 Yogurt was my first claim to fame in the Instant Pot 🙂 We will keep posting recipes here, but Google and Pinterest are your friends, and the Official Instant Pot Community on Facebook is FANTASTIC! Don’t be afraid to experiment! 🙂
TADAH! This is the beginning of a beautiful new friendship 🙂
-Danielle
I can’t wait! My Instant Pot should arrive on Thursday. Wish I would have read through your blog BEFORE I submitted my order, because then I would have added some of the accessories you recommend. But I have Amazon Prime, so it’s all good.
Hi Leslie – fancy seeing you here!! 🙂 I’m so excited for you! You can get the accessories at any time of course – the yogurt strainer is on special – I’m not sure for how long. I finally snagged mine because Melissa absolutely loves hers! You can always take your time and see what you think you’ll use before ordering too 🙂
Completed my water test today! The manual suggested the test but didn’t explain what the purpose was. I’m glad I had your video and knew what to look for after the test. Thanks Danielle! Now to decide what to cook first… Back to your page to read some more!
Hi Carolina! Welcome to the “club!” I’m so glad that the video helped you!! 🙂 Please let us know if we can help you any more, or if you have any questions. We have SO much more to upload – keep checking back 🙂 We will also post updates on our facebook page over at http://www.fb.com/sistersunderpressure 🙂
Woo hoo! My instant pot just arrived and I’ve joined the “club!” I can’t wait to cook in it this weekend!
Your blog saved me frOm An instapot crisis! thanks for your simple and specific assistance.