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I am having trouble using the Slow Cooker mode on the Instant Pot. I tried a recipe at low, and it was not even remotely cooked...am I doing something wrong?
I've been getting a lot of questions like this recently. And I don't have an answer.
In all my years of using the Instant Pot1, I can count on one hand the times I've used it as a slow cooker. And, well… those times weren't really slow cooking. I was reheating chili I pressure cooked the night before, for my annual chili potluck at work. Low heat is not enough - I need high heat to be ready by lunchtime. I start at "Slow Cook - High" for an hour or two, and then, once everything is bubbling, I turn the cooker down to "keep warm" until it is time to serve.
For all the things my Instant Pot can do - "It's a pressure cooker, slow cooker, yogurt maker, rice cooker…"2 I really only ask it to do two things. First and foremost, it is my pressure cooker. I use the "Manual" (now "Pressure Cook") mode. I also use "Sauté" mode to saute onions and/or brown meat before turning on pressure cook mode. (And, occasionally, to simmer food after it is pressure cooked.) That's it, I'm done. The Instant Pot is my favorite cooking tool because of how well it does those two functions. 9 modes? 11 modes? Doesn't matter to me, all I want are those two.3
One of the first comments on my Instant Pot FAQ asked about slow cooking mode. (Like I said, I never use it, so I had to look it up in the manual.) According to the Instant Pot manual, the Slow Cooker settings are:
- Normal mode: 90 to 96°C/194 to 205°F.
- More mode: 93 to 99°C/199 to 210°F.
- Less mode: 88 to 94°C/190 to 201°F.
That looked like like "Low" mode lines up with a Slow Cooker set to low, and "High" mode with a slow cooker set to high. But over the last few months, the volume of Instant Pot as a Slow Cooker questions has jumped. More and more, I'm asked: "I set my Instant Pot to Slow Cook - Low mode, came back ten hours later, and the results were not good. Am I doing something wrong?"
Turns out:
- Slow Cook - Normal means "Low" in a traditional slow cooker
- Slow Cook - More means "High" in a traditional slow cooker
- Slow Cook - Less means "Keep Warm" in a traditional slow cooker
I don't know how to answer, yet. I'm going to test out slow cooker mode on the Instant Pot, and I will follow up on this in the New Year, but testing is going to take a while. (Ten hour slow cooks aren't a quick answer.) But, before I start testing,
Updated: Also, the Instant Pot has some limitations as a slow cooker. For more details, see my Update on Instant Pot as a Slow Cooker post. Or the comments on this post, or the Update post.
I want to throw the question to my readers:
Questions about Instant Pot Slow Cooking:
- Are you using the Instant Pot as a slow cooker?
- Is it working?
- What settings do you use? (I saw a Reddit thread that said "Slow cook - medium on an IP is a slow cooker at low. Slow cook - high on the IP is a slow cooker at high. Slow cook - low is a "keep warm" mode. Does that work for you?)
Please answer in the comments below - what are your experiences? (Or, reply by email, on Twitter, or Facebook, or whatever social media platform you can find me on. Frankly, I'd prefer blog comments - I can barely keep up with Twitter as it is, and I've declared Facebook bankruptcy and only check it once in a blue moon.) Thanks!
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Bradley says
3 qt IP slow cook test with 1.5 cup water.
Temps were measured with a Thermapen.
Temps were stable after 10 minutes (relay clicking) . Temps were the same at 10 and 30 minutes.
Low: 182 deg F
Norm: 191 deg F
More: 198 deg F
I tried both the glass and IP cover. Temps were within a degree with either cover.
Stephen says
I can also confirm these issues with slow-cooking in the Instant Pot. Tried to make beef stew with the slow-cook mode set to LOW and after 11 hours the potatoes were still crunchy.
Mark says
I see this thread is still going so my 2 cents. I tried slow cooking some chili yesterday and the IP(not slow cooker) recipe said to cook for 6 hours on low. It had at least 2 cups of liquid. I did 3 hours on normal but did the last 3 on "more". Took off the lid that never did get hot and it was warm but not cooked. I had to pressure cook for 15 minutes and then some of the peppers still had texture. Not crunchy, but not cooked all the way. I do keep the lid on but remove the pressure weight. I am trying now with water and a glass lid off another pot that fits perfectly. On high (more) I am getting 209 deg.F. On low 189 deg. F, and on normal 200 deg. F. This is with my Fluke thermocouple thermometer so should be pretty close. My theory is that the IP knows when the lid is on and this affects the slow cooking somehow. It may affect different versions of the IP differently.
Gail says
Today I tried to make hamburger soup in my instant pot using the slow cooker function on normal mode. I set the timer for 6 hours as suggested in the recipe and when I checked it after 6 hours the soup was barely warm and the vegetables were raw. I have had to cook it on the stove. I followed the instructions in the manual so am wondering what could be wrong and if I might have a faulty unit. I have had it for 3 months and successfully used it for pressure cooking and sauteing. What are your thoughts and advice?
Cait says
My son gave me an Instapot 'cause he loves his. I have 4 slow cookers (4-7qt sizes) that I use all the time, but I tried to use this gift last weekend for deconstructed cabbage rolls...2 hours on med and it was not even hot, so I switched to high for 4 hrs! I checked the temp with my instant read temperature thermometer and it was 165'. I called my son, who said he'd never tried the slow. I then tried pressure for 30 min, and the meal was cooked.
I did like the sauté feature, but as a replacement for my slow cookers, it was a JOKE!!!!. I'll keep it because it was a gift, but I'm keeping all the slow cookers as well. ps..I prefer the old fashioned ones I picked up at thrift stores for a few dollars.
PPS For Christmas, my son gave me a Gornemia sous vied cooker. Gotta love a guy who cooks.
Mary says
Tried cooking an online recipe of slow cooker yogurt Bundt cake in a 6 cup Bundt pan in the Instant Pot on Slow Cooker mode, high temp. Placed cake batter in pan on the rack and used a glass lid, leaving open a bit per the recipe. After the 2 hours it was just warm batter. Completely closed the lid and after another 2 hours the batter was just warm, but the lid had condensed water on it. Gave up and just baked the cake in the oven, and it was awesome. After reading comments by Bonnie and Tresy about the slow cooker mode requiring at least 1 1/2 cups liquid that means all baking type recipes will not work in it, because adding liquid would steam it instead of bake it. They should include this information in the user manual so people don't waste their time trying to bake things in the slow cooker mode with dry heat. Glad to know I'm not the only one having problems with it. Slow cooker mode worked for meatloaf though, so I know it works. Love the pressure cooking recipes still!!
Kathy says
That's why I'm here too - too unsuccessful attempts to cook a roast...not tender at all. And I got rid of my slow cooker! But I do love the IP as a pressure cooker. Just thought I might be doing something wrong.
Karen H says
So..... I'm getting ready to put southwest chicken chili in my instant pot this morning. Another attempt to use the slow cooker setting and the last time, like a lot of you, was a flop. I just saw that the vents need to be OPEN for the slow cooker to work so I'm hoping that is the issue I had before and maybe it'll help those that come here looking for answers in the future.
Lindsay says
I have the Instant Pot IP-LUX60 6-in-1, purchased in November 2016. I have used it as a slow cooker two times to make pork carnitas. Both attempts were successful, however, I did have to adjust cooking temp the first time. The recipe calls for cooking on low for 6-8 hours. But low on the IP just wasn't hot enough. So I switched to 'normal'. After 6 hours on normal, it was perfectly moist and shreddable. Total cook time was 8 hours; two on low and then 6 on normal. Second attempt, I did 6 hours on normal setting and it was once again perfect. Just like 8 hours in my traditional crock pot.
I don't know if this makes a difference or not, but I did purchase the glass lid and use that when slow cooking. (The manual says the glass lid is optional for slow cooking)
Mary says
I just used ip as slow cooker. Had a full pot of chili type soup with 2 lbs of chicken breast. Set it on high and cooked for 7 hours. I checked on it after 8 hours and when I opened the lid it didn't feel hot. It was warm. And the meet was still tough. Now re-cooking under manual mode for 30 minutes.... I hope my soup is still edible....
Vnelson says
I noticed that all the complaints about this began in February. I purchased the IP 8 quart a few weeks ago and tried slow cooking with no success. It never warmed up to the right temperature which was supposed to be above 200F on High.
I tried an experiment with 1.5 cups of water on the Slow Cook High setting and checked the temperature several times in the course of one hour. Each time the water temperature was only about 160F. I did hear the heating element turn on and off several times during the hour. I believe 160F is supposed to be the "low" setting.
I think the Slow Cook programming in newer (?) units is incorrect.
There have also been times when the Sautee function will say On but the unit does not heat up at all and, of course, never reaches HOT.
Something is wrong and it is not "user error".
Lisa G. says
I have also had a problem with my new instant pot using the slow cook mode. I tried cooking a large chuck roast and it turned out terrible! Started on low, it was barely warm after 3 hours. Turned to medium, not much difference after 4 hours. Finally turned to high to get it to cook, but it turned out very tough, not tender at all. I may return mine and go back to a regular slow cooker, which always produces a very tender and tasty meal. I was so excited to get the instant pot, but now just very disappointed.
Emily B. says
I've got the IP Duo 60 and we tried today to use a slow cooker recipe for beef stew. Set on low, left for 6 hours "cooking"... My husband opened it up mid afternoon to check it as he said it smelled the same as when he had put it in. It was. Luckily he checked it in time to still hit the "stew" program and have it ready for dinner!
Tresy says
I came here because I was looking for some explanation of my two most recent slow cooker experiences, both bad. Tried out 2 breakfast bread recipes in 175 Best Instant Pot Recipes that used Slow Cooker on Low for up to 5 hours. Both recipes came out completely undercooked. Today's recipe I'm trying to salvage in in the oven. Was instructed to cook it in the pot in a springform pan. No water. Put it on the steamer rack just to get it off the bottom of the pot. Total disaster. It's been in the over now for nearly and hour and still not fully set yet. If low is really 190°F, that would explain a lot, though "More" at 210°F is hardly better.
MELANIE says
I've tried twice to use my IP as a slow cooker. Both times trying to cook a simple pork tenderloin covered with BBQ sauce as I had before my slow cooker died. First time on low - came home to uncooked tenderloin after being gone 10 hours. 2nd time bumped up temp to medium and after 10 hours, it was not cooked again. I'm going to try one last time on high and see what happens. I had hoped to avoid having to buy a new slow cooker but my IP hasn't come thru for me yet.