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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Jim B.
I’ve been cooking a stew for 6 hours on the “more” slow cooker setting and the temperature has only now reached 194F inside the pot. That is more like what I get on my slow cooker on LOW in just about 3 hours. I guess I will have to start using the chili and Beans pressure cooking setting from now on. Worthless as a slow cooker for me.
Sher
My gal just got me an Instant-Pot for the express purpose of aiding me in slow cooking with reduced cooking smell in my very tiny place. You see I have a condition where I can Not eat carbs of almost any kind and so depend on raw fats for energy such as avacados, coconut oil based "coconaise" - when I cook lamb, pork, beef, chicken or turkey, I use my IP to slow cook over 12 to 24 hours depending on what I'm cooking. When its 3-5lb pork shoulder, lamb or heavy beef ribs I might even slow cook in mi IP for 48 hours! In the Slow Cook Low setting! With the right marinate design, the result is so tender and the fats, having NOT been over cooked are perfectly good for my purpose and my energy levels are excellent! - I've been on this careful, difficult diet now for a 8 months and have lost 50lbs, am far more muscular and have much higher, consistent energy levels then ever before in my life! The secret is simply keep cooking temps low so animal fats are great for me instead of destructive due to high temps. - The IP is perfect for think ribs when I want also bone broth - here I simply add heavy onion quantity mixed shitake mushrooms, mildly salted and low temp cooked for 48hrs - the result is a Very strengthening bone broth and meat combo which is also very tasty and satisfying. Also keep in mind that Grass Fed - No Hormones, organically fed creature is key along with organic additions to my IP recipes. It is difficult to keep sugar and especially corn syrup (all of which is GMO is deadly!) out of my recipes but I am finding creative options with a little experimentation and research - this also means NO grains of any kind as well... Difficult but doable with amazing results !
Brian
Before you slow cook anything invest in the glass lid for your Instant Pot. It is a necessity if you are going to use it as a slower cooker and is also great for saute recipes that require a cover and occasional stir. As noted above Normal=Low, More=High, Less=Keep Warm. Getting the lid helps keep the liquid ratio of your recipe at the proper balance and obviously understanding the heat settings will get you pretty close to the designated time on a traditional slow cooker recipe, usually within a half hour or so.
Andrea
Brian,
Will you please give an example of a successful meal you made in the IP using it as a slow cooker? There are many more IP users giving testimony of slow cooking fails, and not enough users testifying to successes.
Chuck
I just did a 2 1/2 lb. buffalo roast in the instant cooker using the slow cooker mode. I browned the seasoned roast using saute and then used it just like I use my crock pot. No rack, onions, juniper berries and beef broth in the bottom, then the roast. Roast sitting in liquid which came about 1/3 up the side. Cooked on normal mode for four hours with the idea of checking it at that point. At the four hour check the internal temp was 170 degrees and immediately went to the keep warm mode. An hour later I pulled the roast, strained the liquid into a pot, put the roast back in the pot on keep warm and made gravy. The roast was tender and delicious. This was a test to see how my new Instant pot would do as a slow cooker and it did great.
Jackie
I have the IP Duo 6qt. This was trial and error since we just got this a couple days ago. I put a 4lb pork roast, baby carrots and chopped potatoes on slow cooker setting and it automatically set to normal. I set the timer for 8 hours and thought it was strange that after 4 hours it was barely warm on the outside. I let it do it's thing but when the 8 hours were up, the veggies are hard and the outside of the roast is rubbery and inside is bloody. So disappointed! I know I set it right, i even watched a few videos before. What am I doing wrong?
Linda Lin
What model of IP are you using? I had a Lux60 6 Qt instant pot and the slow cook function worked well as a regular slow cooker setting on high. It only took 30 minute to boiling and continue bubbling. I gave it to my parents and am considering buying a newer model, such as Duo plus 60 6Qt 9 in one. However, it seems that the slow cook function in the newer model does''t work as well anymore.
Karen
I recently tried my IP as a slow cooker for the first time to cook a 4 lb. chicken. The recipe called for 8 hours on low but my IP deferred to NORMAL and I just left it there because I couldn’t adjust the temp. range. Well, after 5 hours there was condensation on my IP glass lid but raw looking chicken. After 7 hours, the same so I had to bake it for 2 hours more in the oven as not to waste it. What a disappointment.
I emailed my experience to IP and, although customer service acknowledged my inquiry, no forthcoming advice was received.
I have no confidence in this feature of the IP but will try it again and increase the temp and time and see what happens.
Todd
I had similar problem. I tried a lamb stew with lentils on high with the glass lid. The sauté function worked fine to brown the meat with onions. The soup on high for 5 hours never got to bubbling and everything was barely cooked I measure the temperature and it was 175 deg.. I had to finish on the stove. After clean up I filled up with water to max line and left on high for 4 hours. I measured the temperature and it was only around 195 to 197deg. The other thing is the IP kept clicking about 5 times a minute like turning on and off. Since it heats from the bottom the meat, lentils and veggies. must block the heat. The IP just does not get hot enough for use as a slow cooker. I thought it was my unit but seems not after reading these comments. This was the first time I had ever used the IP for anything. Need to keep my slow cooker
Dean
I must say I'm glad I found this form. I too just tried making beef stew the other day and what I did was use high heat for 5 hours and medium heat for 5 hours. I have the glass lid so I didn't bother with the regular lid that comes with it. After the 10 hours there is still a bone in the center of my carrots the potatoes were done and the meat was cooked but not as tender as the results in a slow cooker. I had to use two cups of water as well. I think what I will do next time is just keep it on high heat for 10 hours as I like to cook my stew a long time. The other thought after reading all this is maybe using the normal Hood with the steam release valve closed to help with the process. It can't hurt I don't think. But I'm still struggling with trying to make the perfect rice. It seems so simple but yet I made it the other day and it came out sticky. I use jasmine rice 1 to 1 ratio and I did two cups this last time and it came out sticky. I've had my 8 quart IP since last fall and I do really enjoy it there's just some Kinks that need to be worked out. Any suggestions for the rice? Thanks
mhmoore
Hi Dean, I had problems at first with rice too. I have cooked several different kinds. What works best for me. I almost always rinse my rice really well. For my husband and myself I usually use 1/2c rice, 1/2 c water. I have the 6 qt instant pot. I use a steel mixing bowl or the inside pot of an old rice pot. I cover it tightly with foil, set it on the rack with about 2 cups of water in pot, lock the lid, close the steam, and hit "RICE" I just use the normal setting which on my pot is 12 minutes. Perfect rice every time. Hope this helps.
Egan
Had same issue with overly sticky rice, then tried less water, and that solved the issue. A 1 to 1 ratio is open to some ambiguity between dry and liquid measure. I initially used a liquid measure cup for the water on my initial tries, and that did not work well. I tested and found a liquid cup of water is much more than if you measure a cup of water using a dry measure cup. So, I recommend using the same cup for your rice and water measure. Then, my rice was still too sticky, so I started to use less water. The actual amount of water needed will probably depend on the type of rice used, but try 1 cup rice + 3/4 cup water (measuring both water and rice using the same cup), and this should solve your issue. I now think that pressure cooking rice needs less water than the stove top's 1 to 1 ratio because of faster cooking time and less evaporation.
Lori
this was super helpful for me to convert instant pot recipes to use in my fagor lux
Patti-Ann Marzocco
I was terrified after reading these posts that my new Instant Pot would not effectively replace my crock pot which was certainly my plan. So I carefully prepared my most common slow-cooker dish, chicken alfredo. I did everything as I normally would in the crock. Two hours on Slow-Cooker high, and 1.5-2 hours on low. It turned out perfectly! It was bubbling within the first 30-45 minutes, and cooked just the same as my slow-cooker. So I am wondering if the problem is associated with a certain version of the IP. Mine is an Ultra, just received it for Christmas, here in Canada. It really sounds like there may be an actual defect in some of the pots out there on Slow Cooker settings??
Paul Clay
I used the slow cook feature to make a stew for the first time this week. Set to medium heat level with the lid closed and valve in venting position and after 7.5hours it was not fully done (meat & veg still a bit tough. Set to high for another 1.5 hours and was ok, although veggies were a tad hard giving the length of cooking. I think next time I will try the idea above of using a different lid and see how it compares. Overall it was a success and the family enjoyed it. I wonder if a crock pot heats all the way around, rather than just the base and so gives better results for slow cooking?
Abbi Barden
Did they fix the temp problem? I just got an Ultra 60, cooked two recipes from the new Stock the Crock cookbook and both were perfect on low for the recommended time in the original recipes. My only problem was that the each recipe called for adding something at the end on high. That did not work at all. The first was sliced bok choy (5 mins) added to a chicken thigh dish. It wouldn't cook until I stirred it in, and even then it took about 15 minutes. The other recipe called for turning to high and adding cod on top of a flavorful cooked rice base until flaky (15-30 mins). After 15 mins the fish was still cold. I moved it to the oven to bake, returning it to the Instant Pot when done. The rice mixture, by the way, was perfectly cooked and delicious as were the chicken thighs. Apparently, due to the inability of the heat to radiate quickly upwards from the bottom heating element in this mode, ingredients added on top at the end don't cook. Guess I still need to get a crockpot!
Thanks to "Dad" for all the info and for hosting this helpful discussion.
Patti
I just tried to make Korean oxtail soup in the slow cooker/Low pressure mode and as instructed, left the setting to “venting.” But it continued to release so much steam the entire time. Is this normal since it’s not in the sealed mode? I couldn’t take it so after 30 min, I just switched it to high pressure at 120 min. (Was hoping to try a longer lower temp cooking process to see if the broth would become milky white the way it does after 2-3 days of simmering stovetop).
Jennifer Chambers
I tried to cook a beef stew using the slow cook mode. After 5.5 hours on the highest setting ("more" I think), the potatoes and carrots - even the onions, were still raw. I ended up cooking it an additional 10.5 hours (16 hours total) and it was still not done!!! Ridiculous!
I wanted this to replace my slow cooker. Obviously not happening!!