How to Deal with Pressure Cooker Paranoia

Last Updated on May 29, 2023 by Heather Reseck

Do you have pressure cooker paranoia?

In this video, I address the two most common causes of pressure cooker paranoia:

• Fear (after hearing stories of exploding jiggle-top pressure cookers. Third generation pressure cookers have so many safety features built-in that they are virtually impossible to open when under pressure. For example, the Instant Pot has 10 safety mechanisms.
• Overwhelm: All the buttons on the front of the electric pressure cookers can be overwhelming. You only need three basic buttons. You can ignore the rest.
  1. Pressure cook
  2. Cancel
  3. Sauté

Here’s an easy way to try out your pressure cooker.

Boil water!

Pour 1 cup of water in the pressure cooker. Secure the lid and close the pressure release valve. Select the Pressure Cook/Manual setting and set for 1 minute. When cooking is completed, quick-release the pressure. Carefully remove the lid.

Congratulations! You have successfully boiled water. How hard was that?!

Now you are ready to graduate to cooking food.  Here are a couple of recipes to try: Lentil Soup and Instant Pot Vegan Chili.

If you get stuck, let me know.