When To Use The Quick Release On Your Instant Pot

You love your Instant Pot. It traps steam inside a chamber and raises its boiling temperature, so your food cooks faster. Your Instant Pot automatically adjusts the pressure for you, and it contains a release valve in the lid to allow steam to discharge. As the Instant Pot nearly finishes its pressure cooking, you have to decide the best method to release pressure. Your Instant Pot has a valve that allows you to control what type of release is used. Natural Release and Quick Release are the two options to depressurize your Instant Pot after cooking. Which should you use: the Natural Release or the Quick Release valve?

The Natural Release lets the Instant Pot slowly cool down by gradually releasing the steam it has built up. The steam seeps out in a controlled way, sometimes called a Manual or Steam Release. This option takes about 30 minutes. The Quick Release allows the pressure from your Instant Pot to escape rapidly. Quick release can take 2 to 5 minutes. Your decision about which release to choose is based on the texture of the meal items you're preparing. A great tip for using the pressure cooker is to use Quick Release when cooking pasta, flashing vegetables, or steaming seafood.

Operating the Quick Release value on the Instant Pot process can be a little overwhelming the first time you try it, as the Quick Release does create a steam surge with an accompanying sound burst. But you can do it! And, when you do, you'll protect the foods you're cooking so that their texture and crispness are at their peak. Pressure cooking instructor Sara Bir (via Insider) explains that the Quick Release happens "when you open a valve on the top of the cooker to let the steam out in a thin, controlled stream." That approach helps keep foods from overcooking. "Manual is handy when you have quick-cooking foods," Bir adds, "like tender greens."

The Quick Release on an Instant Pot is relatively safe if you practice proper precautions. To engage the Quick Release option, manually shift the mechanism from sealing to venting. You'll want silicone oven mitts and a thick kitchen towel close at hand. Rather than use your fingers, you might turn the valve with a secondary object like a wooden spoon or kitchen tongs. As you turn the valve, very hot steam will be immediately released. Don't be tempted to put your hands or face too close to the Instant Pot, just to be sure and cautious. You'll know it's finished and all the pressure has been released because the float valve will sink, and the lid will unlock. Your easy and delicious meal is now ready.

So many foods are ideal for Quick Release! Breakfast items like oatmeal or a French toast casserole retain their essence nicely with the Quick Release, as do tender, crisp vegetable side dishes. Quick Release is best if you want to serve sturdy green broccoli, asparagus with a crunch, or juicy corn on the cob that pops with flavor. Lightly spiced cauliflower or bright snow peas also will hold their shape and texture well with the Quick Release. So will high starch items like mac and cheese or Asian steamed dumplings, risotto or polenta, savory rice pilaf, or quinoa. Main course items like salmon with marmalade compote, chorizo, potatoes, sausage, and peppers are also great for Quick Release.

Still uncertain which release method is best for your menu items? Rick Martinez (via Food Network), "Pressure Point" host, suggests thinking ahead to your finished product. "Generally, foods that are cooked to a specific temperature, like meat, fish, and poultry, should be quickly released so they don't continue to cook," he advises. Remember, the Instant Pot's numerous safety features already infuse you confidently. Preprogrammed settings guide you toward just the right approach to cooking different foods. The Instant Pot gives you lots of food preparation freedom in your busy life because it's much faster than conventional methods. Now that you can discern between the Quick Release and the Natural Release options, your meals will undoubtedly be delicious and memorable.