Instant Pot Duo Mini Getting Started Manual page 11

Pressure cooking 101
Pressure cooking uses steam to raise the boiling point of water above 100ºC. These high
temperatures allow you to cook food much faster than normal.
Behind the magic curtain
When pressure cooking, the Instant Pot goes through 3 stages.
Pre-heating
What you see
The display
shows On.
Cooking
What you see
The float valve bobs
up and down from
all the steam, then
pops up and stays
flush with the lid.
The display switches
to the cooking
countdown timer.
Releasing pressure
What you see
If Keep Warm is on
after cooking, the
timer counts up
from 00:00.
If not, the multicooker
goes back to standby
and the display
shows End.
The float valve is still
popped up.
For Troubleshooting tips, view the full user manual online at instantpot.co.uk.
What you don't see
While the multicooker pre-heats,
it vaporises liquid to create
steam.
Once enough steam has built
up, the float valve pops up and
locks the lid in place.
What you don't see
When it reaches the required
pressure level, cooking begins.
The Instant Pot automatically
maintains the cooking pressure
at High or Low pressure.
What you don't see
Although food has finished
cooking, the multicooker is still
pressurised and hot, which is why
the float valve is up.
Releasing pressure lowers
the temperature inside the
multicooker, which allows you to
safely remove the lid once the
float valve has dropped.
Tips
The time it takes for the multicooker
to pressurise depends on things like
food and liquid temperature and
volume.
Frozen foods have the longest pre-
heating time. For the fastest results,
thaw your food before cooking it.
No need to hang around during this
stage — trust that IP magic!
Tips
A higher pressure means a higher
temperature.
Smart Programme settings
(e.g., cooking time, pressure level,
etc.) can be adjusted at any time
during cooking.
Tips
See Releasing pressure for
information on safe venting
techniques and what they're used for.
Follow your recipe instructions to
choose the best venting method for
your meal.
The Instant Pot cools faster
if Keep Warm is turned off.
instantpot.co.uk 11