It's Time To Use Your Instant Pot's Slow Cooker Setting. Here's How
If you are one of those people who bought an Instant Pot at the height of the 2017 craze, only to feel intimidated when it came to actually using it, you're not alone. While the Instant Pot has a bit of a learning curve, once you get going you can make delicious stocks in it, cook the most amazing curries, and even make rice in it. Of course, when you've mastered pressure cooking, you can then move on to using the machine's many other functions.
That's right, most Instant Pots are multi-faceted appliances and include a slow cooker function that you have likely never used — but you absolutely should. Just like pressure cooking with your Instant Pot, slowing cooking in it is also super easy. All you have to do is add your ingredients, put the lid on, and press Slow Cook on the button panel. You'll then choose the temperature setting (that'll be the "adjust" button) and how long you want the ingredients to cook for, and you're done.
Things to note when using the slow cook setting on your Instant Pot
While using your Instant Pot as a slow cooker is pretty straightforward there are a few matters to consider before you start pressing buttons. First off: How much do you want to be able to see the food while it's cooking? If you're used to slow cookers, you know they come with glass lids that enable you to monitor your food's progress. Instant Pots do not: they come with heavy-duty twist-on lids that securely lock. However, because you're not pressure cooking when using the slow cooker setting, you can totally buy an Instant Pot glass lid for when you use your appliance as a Crock Pot.
When pressure cooking, you also need to have a certain amount of liquid in the pot so that the appliance can create steam to cook the food. However, if you're using the slow cook setting on your Instant Pot, you don't need as much additional liquid. In fact, as long as your recipe calls for at least one cup of liquid, you won't need to add any more to your pot. Just be sure to add a cup of water if the ingredients for your dish are completely dry.