The Instant Pot is a great kitchen appliance to have in your house, but did you know you could boil water in the Instant Pot? Here's the step-by-step instructions to easily boiling water in your Instant Pot pressure cooker!
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The Instant Pot is one of my favorite kitchen appliances. It is so versatile and makes quick work of some of your favorite recipes. We all know the Instant Pot can make delicious soups, easily cook frozen meat, and shred meat perfectly, but did you know it can also be used to simply boil water?
Why Would You Boil Water In An Instant Pot?
A frequent question I've heard is "Why would you boil water in an Instant Pot". There are lots of reasons that Instant Pot can be used to boil water. If you don't have an electric kettle, think of your Instant Pot as one!
If you stove top is too full to add a large pot of water, then the Instant Pot is a great option. As long as you have an electrical outlet, you can boil water anywhere.
The Instant pot is a great rice cooker, and you can easily make white rice or Mexican rice right in the Instant Pot.
Sometimes, we don't have access to a kitchen if your house is being renovated or if you are in a small area. Pressure cooking can be your best friend! When you need such basic things as boiling water,
How Much Water Should I add to the Instant Pot?
That depends on what you are using the Instant Pot for. If you are just using it as an electric kettle for some tea, you only need 1 or 2 cups of water.
If you are using the Instant Pot for boil larger volumes of water, you can add as much water as your Instant Pot will allow. Each Instant Pot has a "max fill" line, and that should be the highest amount of water you put into the Instant Pot. Anything higher and when you release the pressure, liquid will spit out the top of the knob on the lid.
Keep in mind that the water molecules will evaporate as the water boils. The first time I used my Instant Pot to boil water, more water than I realized had evaporated.
Boil Water Using Sauté Mode (Without Pressure)
First thing you'll need is your Instant Pot. I have an Instant Pot Duo that I love! I use it all the time! It is my favorite cooking appliance. I found that using the saute function was the best way and the easiest way to boil water in the Instant Pot.
Pour 2-3 cups of water into the Instant Pot. Press the "Sauté Function" button and set the time for 8 minutes. At this point, you can just sit back and let the Instant Pot do its thing. Bubbles will start breaking the surface of the water as the water boils and increase to a full rolling boil as the water reaches a higher temperature.
After 8 minutes is up, the Instant Pot will stop sautéing and you can either remove the water from the pot, or you can press the "keep warm" function to keep the water hot in the regular pot. If your primary goal is simply to boil water, then you are ready to use the boiled water.
Boil Water by Pressure Cooking
You can also boil water by using the pressure setting on your Instant Pot. Add 2-3 cups of water to the Instant Pot, close the lid, and set the cooking time to 5 minutes on high pressure. The Instant Pot will take 3-4 minutes to come up to pressure, and once it comes up to pressure it will begin counting down from 5 to 0.
After 5 minutes, quick release the pressure. Take all safety precautions at this point. There may be liquid that comes up from the top of the knob if there is a lot of water in the Instant Pot. Keep clear of the knob and make sure the steam is not facing anything or anyone.
When the float valve on the top of the lid releases, open the lid. The water will be boiling. Pour the water out and use it as you would like.
Does the Temperature of the Water Matter?
Yes! If you are pressure cooking the tap water and closing the lid, the colder the water, the longer the Instant Pot will take to come up to pressure.
If you use hot water, the Instant Pot will only take 2-3 minutes to come up to pressure. Adding cold water to the electric pressure cooker will result in the pressure taking 5-7 minutes to build.
When using the saute mode, the colder water will take a little longer to heat. Hot water will only take a few minutes to come to a full rolling boil. Room temperature water will take 3-4 minutes to come up to temperature.
Tips and Tricks
- Be very careful when pouring the boiling water out of the Instant Pot. Make sure to use protection on your hands to lift the hot interior pot of the Instant Pot.
- Use this boiling water for tea, coffee, or to pour over couscous and let the couscous sit.
- Though it may be easier to boil water on the stove top, having more than one option for things like boiling water is always a good thing to know!
Frequently Asked Questions
Yes! Though you don't have to separately boil water for pasta. You can cook it all together, like in this Instant Pot Feta Pasta recipe.
Yes! You can use the Instant Pot to steam sweet potatoes, Brussel sprouts, corn, and broccoli, to name a few. Simply add a trivet or a steamer basket to the Instant pot and place the vegetables on the top of the trivet. You'll need a small amount of water in the Instant Pot to create the steam, just enough water to cover the bottom of the pot. Close the lid and set the cook for 3-5 minutes depending on the type of vegetables.
Yes! Keep in mind that the water temperature will go from full boil temperature to slow boil temperature since it will take about 10 minutes to completely release all the pressure naturally.
Yes! Using the high-pressure setting will boil water quickly, whereas the low-pressure setting will take much longer to start the boiling process.
More Instant Pot Information
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