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Home » Recipes

Instant Pot Terms

August 13, 2020 by Jennifer Leave a Comment

Front of an Instant Pot that is sitting on a counter top.
Pressure Cooker on a shelf.

This glossary of Instant Pot terms will help you get to know your pressure cooker better. Help to understand the difference between NR and QR and many more abbreviations.

Front of the Instant Pot that is sitting on a counter top.

So you bought an Instant Pot and you are wondering what some of the terms are. I do recommend that you start to get to know your Instant Pot by doing a water test first.

In this article, we will help you get to know the abbreviations of terms when it comes to the pressure cooker. We are going to cover all areas of the Instant Pot from where the anti blocking shield is to what NR means.

What Do These Instant Pot Terms Mean

IP ~Let's start with the term IP. IP is just the abbreviation for Instant Pot. You will see in recipes the IP abbreviation used quite often. In fact, we use it here on MCM.

EPC ~ stands for an Electric Pressure Cooker which is the same as an Instant Pot.

5-5-5 method ~ this is for when you make hard-boiled eggs in your Instant Pot. 5 minutes high pressure- 5 minutes natural release (see term below) and 5-minute water bath.

There is also a 6-6-6 method for eggs that would be just like the 5-5-5 but 6 minutes high pressure - 6 minutes natural release- and 6 minutes ice bath.

I also use the 4-4-4 method when I make my Instant Pot Mac and Cheese recipe. I find it's just an easy way to remember 4 cups of water, 4 cups of elbow noodles, and 4 minutes of cook time.

Front of the pressure cooker

HP and LP~ HP means high-pressure mode whereas LP means low-pressure mode. The pressure level button is where you adjust if you want to cook on high or low pressure.

Whether you cook on high or low will depend on the recipe that you are using, most recipes will indicate which mode you need.

By pushing the pressure level button you will be able to change from high to low pressure.

More Abbreviations

NR or NPR ~ NR or NPR means natural release, that is when the pressure comes out naturally on its own. Depending on what you are cooking in your IP it could take anywhere from 10-40 minutes to do a natural release.

QR or QPR ~ means quick release. This is when you turn the release valve to the venting position and let all the steam out of your IP.

QR isn't recommended to do when you are cooking food that has a lot of liquid, because it will splatter out the whole time its depressurizing.

PIP ~ means pot in pot. Some recipes like our Instant Pot Apple Cake you will cook in a separate pot. This pot is inserted into the inner pot of the Instant Pot. Making it a pot in pot cooking method.

PC ~ means pressure cook and that is just what an Instant Pot does. It pressure cooks recipes quickly and that is why you need to add liquid into the inner pot when cooking.

What Are The Parts To The IP

Instant Pot lid showing the Anti block shield.

Anti- Block Shield ~ Flip your lid to your Instant Pot over and you will see a round metal part that has 5 holes in it. This helps prevents food particles from getting into the steam release valve.

I do recommend every so often popping this lid off and cleaning it. To remove it, use your thumb and push the side of the shield towards the lid rim and lift up. You may need to pry the shield a little bit but it should come off.

Burn ~ Oh the dreaded burn indicator that shows up on the screen of your IP. There could be many reasons that you are getting it.

The first is to make sure that you have enough liquid in your pressure cooker. Safely open the lid and check to make sure there is enough water in your inner pot.

Next check to see if there is food that may be stuck to the bottom of the inside of the inner pot. There also could be something stuck to the bottom of your inner pot. A good habit would be to check the bottom of your inner pot before placing it into the cooker base.

The back of the Instant Pot showing the condensation collector.

Condensation Collector ~ This is the cup that is on the back of your pressure cooker. The cup will collect any condensation that may develop during cooking.

From what I have read the Lux series does not have a condensation collector.

It is a good idea to check the condensation collector each time before using it. I also will place this cup in the dishwasher to help keep my Instant Pot clean.

Getting To Know The Parts
Front of the Instant Pot.

Cooker Base ~ This is the heart of your Instant Pot, this what you would call the brains. The cooker base contains the microprocessor and the heating element.

It's a very good idea to never place anything into the cooker base without having the inner pot in it first. I have read many times on social media. Where people have poured water into the cooker base in turn making their IP useless.

Another thing I have read is the Instant Pot base getting melted because of being left on a stovetop. Every time I see this my heart feels for the person that just lost their beloved IP.

Instant Pot lid with release value.

Float Valve Pin ~ This is that silver or red pin beside the steam valve. This is what tells you if your Instant Pot is pressurized. If it's up then your IP is fully pressurized. The pin will drop when there is no longer pressure in the IP and it can be opened.

Steam Release Valve ~ on this IP the knob on the right will release the steam for when doing a QR. Then the steam will come out of the knob on the left.

My 6 quart only has one knob, and that is for sealing and releasing. I have to be careful when turning the valve as to not to get a steam burn.

In conclusion
Instant Pot lid showing the sealing rings.

Sealing Ring ~ If you flip the lid to your IP over you will notice a clear-looking silicone ring. This is what seals the Instant Pot when it is pressurized.

If your seal is not correctly in place then you will not get a good seal and your IP will not come to pressure. The sealing ring is something that will have to be replaced eventually.

It is recommended that you purchase the Instant Pot brand sealing rings only or you will void the warranty of your Instant Pot.

The inner pot and instant pot sitting on a counter top.

Inner Pot ~ The inner pot is the pot that goes into the cooker base. This is the pot that you will be cooking in. It is dishwasher safe as well.

I hope that you found this list of Instant Pot terms useful. Now that you know the terms of the Instant Pot let's get cooking in that IP.

Answering the question "what's there to eat" ~ Jen

Other My Creative Manner articles and recipe that you may enjoy are:

  • Baking Terms
  • Cooking Terms
  • Mac and Cheese
  • Pancake Bites
  • Apple Cake
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Jennifer - My Creative Manner
Welcome to My Creative Manner, I’m so happy to have you here! My name is Jennifer but my friends and family call me Jen. I’m from Michigan where my high school sweetheart and I are raising our three wonderful kids. Life can get busy but our goal is family first, so meals together are a must in our home.
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