Instant Pot Basics: Your First Week of Meals
7 easy Instant Pot recipes to get you started. Weeknight dinners made simple.
After years of using the Instant Pot, here's the basics you need to get started. This appliance has transformed weeknight cooking for millions.
The Instant Pot is a pressure cooker, slow cooker, rice cooker, sauté pan, steamer, and yogurt maker all in one. Here's how to use it.
Getting Started
Basic Parts
- Inner pot (cooks the food)
- Pressure valve (controls pressure)
- Lid with sealing ring
- Control panel
First Use
Run a water test before first use: add 2 cups water to inner pot, close lid, pressure cook on High for 5 minutes. This cleans the inner pot and tests the seal.
Basic Recipes
Perfect Rice
1 cup rice, 1 cup water, 1/2 teaspoon salt. Pressure cook on High for 10 minutes. Natural release for 10 minutes. Fluff with fork.
Shredded Chicken
4 chicken breasts, 1 cup chicken broth. Pressure cook on High for 15 minutes. Natural release for 5 minutes. Shred with two forks.
Black Beans (No Soaking!)
1 pound dried black beans, 4 cups water, 1 teaspoon salt. Pressure cook on High for 30 minutes. Natural release for 10 minutes.
Important Tips
Don't Overfill
Never fill past 2/3—food expands during cooking, especially beans. Overfilling causes the pressure valve to leak.
Quick vs Natural Release
Quick release stops cooking immediately—use for vegetables, pasta. Natural release lets food continue cooking during release—use for meat, beans.
Use the Sauté Function First
Searing meat before pressure cooking adds enormous flavor. Use sauté function to brown meat before adding liquid.
My Instant Pot Pick
The Instant Pot Duo 7-in-1 at $90 is the standard—6-quart capacity, all the features most people need.
Bottom Line
The Instant Pot isn't magic—it's a pressure cooker that automates timing. But that automation makes weeknight cooking much easier.
Related: Read our full Best Instant Pot to Buy in 2026: Top 5 Models Tested & Reviewed for detailed product comparisons and recommendations.