Instant Pot Water Test

The Instant Pot water test is a quick and easy way to make sure your new Instant Pot works without having to chance ruining food! Instant Pot water test video included.

How are you guys liking my new Instant Pot posts and videos? I’ll have an Instant Pot recipe for you next week, and I promise I will get organized enough to get you all some more (non-Instant Pot) recipes soon.

Anyway, if you got a new Instant Pot for Christmas but haven’t quite had the courage to start using it yet, you’re going to want to do the Instant Pot water test. I bought a new Instant Pot – the Instant Pot Ultra 60 – last week so I can try some fun experiments with an Instant Pot that’s a little fancier than the Duo 60 I’ve been using (and loving) for the last 2+ years. The first thing that I needed to do before cooking in it was a water test.

The purpose of the Instant Pot water test is to make sure that your Instant Pot seals, comes to pressure, counts down, and depressurizes like it’s supposed to without the threat of wasting some perfectly good food. The User’s Manual says that it’s optional, but why wouldn’t you do it?
It takes less than half an hour then you’re ready to cook!
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All you need to do is:
1) Make sure that your inner pot and sealing ring are in place (do people actually try to cook without the inner pot? I’m sure it has happened.).
2) Pour in 3 cups of water (if you use water that is already hot, it will slightly decrease the amount of time it will take your Instant Pot to come to pressure).
3) Place the lid on your Instant Pot and lock it into place.
4) Make sure that the steam release valve on your Instant Pot is set to “sealing” (how to do this will vary based on what model you have).
5) Select the “steam” function by pressing the “steam” button or using the central control button to select “steam”.
6) Set the time for two minutes and press the “start” button. The Instant Pot will display “on” until it comes to full pressure. At this point the float valve will be in the up position and the timer will begin counting down.
7) When the time is up, your Instant Pot will beep. Press the “cancel” or “keep warm/cancel” button to turn the Instant Pot off.
8) Stand back and quick release the steam.