How to put instant pot on high

Q: How do I set my Instant Pot to high temp?

Press +” or - Buttons to change the cooking time (Time Limit: 30 mins to 20 hours). Press Adjust” (Slow Cook” for newer models) to change the Temperature Setting: Normal Setting Temperature: 194-205°F. High Setting Temperature: 199-210°F.

Q: How do I put my Instant Pot on high for 30 minutes?

Make your favorite chicken recipes with the Poultry” button with the Instant Pot. It will default to a High Pressure for 15 minutes. You can adjust for More” to High Pressure for 30 minutes or Less” for High Pressure for 5 minutes.

Q: How do I set my Instant Pot to high pressure for 5 minutes?

Press the Manual” or Pressure Cook” button. (Some Instant Pot models have a button that says Manual” and others have a Pressure Cook” button. They do exactly the same thing.) Use the +/- buttons to set the time to 5 minutes.

Have you been staring at your brand new Instant Pot Electric Pressure Cooker with bazillion Instant Pot Buttons staring back at you? Ok, maybe I exaggerated a little bit. 😛 But, if you’re unsure what to do with your Instant Pot after taking it out of the box, this guide is for you!

Where’s the Start Button? Where’s the Stop Button?

Check out Our Handpicked Instant Pot Accessories

How do I make rice? Why is it not cooking?

ahhh…there are so many buttons on this thing!!

Keep Calm and Let Us Crack the Instant Pot Codes!

Don’t let it push your buttons. 😉

Which Instant Pot Buttons to Use Guide

6 Most Important Buttons
Programmed Buttons
Examples

6 Most Important Instant Pot Buttons

Amy +Jacky’s Tips! Not all buttons are created equal: 6 Buttons will take care of 90% of your cooking.

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Know these 6 Buttons!

Yes, there are 16 – 18 buttons on the Control Panel depending on which Instant Pot you have.

But most Instant Pot Recipes online are developed using these 6 Buttons (highlighted in above picture), because they give us control to cook precisely and accurately.

We also use the “Manual” Button (“Pressure Cook” Button for newer models) to develop recipes, so readers with other pressure cooker brands can enjoy the Pressure Cooker Recipes too. 🙂

Let’s take a look at what these Instant Pot Buttons do

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1. Manual Button (“Pressure Cook” Button for newer models)

Use this to set your desired Pressure Cooking Time (Max: 240 mins)

2. “+” & “-” Buttons

Increase or decrease the cooking time or timer with these 2 buttons

3. Adjust Button

Press this to change from Normal Setting (default) to More Setting to Less Setting

Amy + Jacky’s Tips! For newer Instant Pot models with no “Adjust” Button: press the program buttons to scroll through the three functions (i.e. Press “Saute” button twice to go from Saute Normal to Saute More)

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4. Saute Button

Use this button to saute, brown, or simmer directly in the pot with the lid open.
Press “Adjust” Button to Change Temperature:
- Saute (default): 160 ~ 176°C (320 ~ 349°F) – regular saute or browning
- Saute More Setting (press once): 175 ~ 210°C (347 ~ 410°F) – stir-frying or browning
- Saute Less Setting (press twice): 135 ~ 150°C (275 ~ 302°F) – simmering, thickening sauce

Amy + Jacky’s Tips! For newer Instant Pot models with no “Adjust” Button: press “Saute” button to change settings

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The result of browning using the Saute More Setting. Read more: Pressure Cooker Pot Roast Experiment

5. Keep Warm/Cancel Button

Press this to cancel the operations or turn off the Instant Pot
Press this to start the Keep Warm Function (up to 10 hours)
For IP-Smart: Press “Adjust” Button to Change Temperature Settings
- Default Setting: ~63°C/145°F
- More Setting (press once): 75°C/167°F
- Less Setting (press twice) ~56°C/133°F

Don’t worry if all this sounds like mumble jumbo to you right now, you’ll get it in a minute.

Read on 🙂

Programmed Instant Pot Buttons

I am wondering why you didn’t use the chili button? I also noticed everyone uses the Manual button for all recipes. What are these buttons actually for?
-Readers

Great question! We actually get asked this question all the time!!

These 6 highlighted buttons below have the exact same cooking function (Let me rephrase that! They may not be exactly the same, but the temperature charts we got from the Instant Pot Smart show very similar results) as the Manual Button/Pressure Cook Button (except Multigrain Button’s More Setting), but default at a cooking time pre-set by the manufacturer (see below).

All they do is suggest a cooking time for the selected type of food. You can use the “Adjust” Button, “+” or “-“ “Pressure” Button to make adjustments.

But we like to use the “Manual” Button (or “Pressure Cook” Button for newer models) for more precise control of the cooking method and cooking time, depending on factors such as the cut of meat, the size of the food, or the container it is being cooked in.

Bean/Chili Button – Normal Setting: High Pressure 30 mins; More Setting: High Pressure 40 mins; Less Setting: High Pressure 25 mins
Meat/Stew Button – Normal Setting: High Pressure 35 mins; More Setting: High Pressure 45 mins; Less Setting: High Pressure 20 mins
Multigrain Button – Normal Setting: High Pressure 40 mins; More Setting: Warm water soaking for 45 mins, then High Pressure 60 mins; Less Setting: High Pressure 20 mins
Porridge/Congee Button – Normal Setting: High Pressure 20 mins; More Setting: High Pressure 30 mins; Less Setting: High Pressure 15 mins
Poultry Button – Normal Setting: High Pressure 15 mins; More Setting: High Pressure 30 mins; Less Setting: High Pressure 5 mins
Soup Button – Normal Setting: High Pressure 30 mins; More Setting: High Pressure 40 mins; Less Setting: High Pressure 20 mins

For Newer Models:

Egg Button – Normal Setting – High Pressure 4 mins; More Setting – High Pressure 5 mins; Less Setting – High Pressure 3 mins

Amy + Jacky’s Tips! We still think Low Pressure is still the best way to cook Instant Pot Hard Boiled Eggs 😉

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Cake Button – Normal Setting – High Pressure 40 mins; More Setting – High Pressure 50 mins; Less Setting – High Pressure 25 mins

Amy + Jacky’s Tips! For cheesecake, try our beloved Instant Pot New York Cheesecake #17

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Other Programmed Buttons

Pressure/Pressure Level Button (For DUO, DUO Plus & Smart) – Switches between High Pressure & Low Pressure Cooking Methods
Timer Button/Delay Start Button – Sets timer to delay cooking (up to 24 hours)

Instant Pot Rice Button

Instant Pot Rice Button’s pre-set setting uses Low Pressure Cooking Method, and the Pressure Cooking Time will automatically adjust according to the amount of rice and water in the pot.

Tip! You can’t use “Adjust”, “+” or “-” Buttons with this program.

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For best results, we use the “Manual” Button (“Pressure Cook” Button for newer models) to control the cooking method and time according to the type of rice we cook.

Here Are Our Perfect Rice Recipes:

Instant Pot Jasmine Rice
Instant Pot Basmati Rice
Instant Pot Brown Rice

Slow Cook Button

The Preset Slow Cook Program defaults to 4-hour slow cook time.

Press “+” or “-“ Buttons to change the cooking time (Time Limit: 30 mins to 20 hours).

Press “Adjust” (“Slow Cook” for newer models) to change the Temperature Setting:

Normal Setting Temperature: 194-205°F
High Setting Temperature: 199-210°F
Low Setting Temperature: 190-201°F

Steam Button

The “Steam” function heats at full power continuously, so the Instant Pot Company recommends to use steamer rack to lift the food away from the bottom of the pot to prevent burning.

Press “Adjust” (“Steam” for newer models) to change the Settings: Normal Setting: High Pressure 10 mins; More Setting: High Pressure 15 mins; Less Setting: High Pressure 3 mins

Yogurt Button (For IP-DUO & IP-Smart)

Press “Adjust” (“Yogurt” for newer models) to change the Settings:

Normal Setting: Make yogurt
More Setting: Pasteurize milk
Less Setting: Make Jiu Niang (aka fermented glutinous rice)

Sterilize Button (For DUO Plus & Ultra)

*Note: This is straight from the Instant Pot Manual.

Less Mode – Pasteurization of dairy products (No pressure sterilization at ~83°C/181°F)

Normal Mode – Sterilization of utensils and canning of acidic fruits and vegetables. Not intended for meat canning. (Low Pressure at ~110°C/230°F)

More Mode – Sterilization of utensils and canning of acidic fruits and vegetables. Not intended for meat canning. (High Pressure at ~115°C/239°F)

*This program can open a can of worms if users try to use it to replace a pressure canner. We would recommend using this program to sterilize utensils only.

Whew! I know that was a lot to take in!!

So, we’ve created a list of step-by-step examples on the most commonly used functions below. This way, you’ll know exactly which button to press to do what! 😀

How do I set my Instant Pot to high temp?

Press “+” or “-“ Buttons to change the cooking time (Time Limit: 30 mins to 20 hours). Press “Adjust” (“Slow Cook” for newer models) to change the Temperature Setting: Normal Setting Temperature: 194-205°F. High Setting Temperature: 199-210°F.

How do I set my Instant Pot slow cooker to high?

How To Change The Slow Cooker Setting.

Plug in the Instant Pot and press the SLOW COOK button..

Press ADJUST to change the heat setting between the LESS, NORMAL, OR HIGH. If your Instant Pot model doesn't have an ADJUST button, press the SLOW COOK button again to change the settings..

How do I put my Instant Pot on high for 30 minutes?

Make your favorite chicken recipes with the “Poultry” button with the Instant Pot. It will default to a High Pressure for 15 minutes. You can adjust for “More” to High Pressure for 30 minutes or “Less” for High Pressure for 5 minutes.

How do I set my Instant Pot to high pressure for 5 minutes?

Press the “Manual” or “Pressure Cook” button. (Some Instant Pot models have a button that says “Manual” and others have a “Pressure Cook” button. They do exactly the same thing.) Use the +/- buttons to set the time to 5 minutes.