Last week I discovered something was seriously messed up with my Instant Pot Pressure Cooker. At first I thought I must have forgotten the water to poach the chicken because the bottom was all charred and it took what felt like hours for the beeping to signify that the cooking was over.
The next time I added a ton of water, traditional poaching mirepoix and the chicken. Again, it felt like it was taking FOREVER to cook and it was hissing for what felt like the whole time.
Almost all the water was gone with just the strange brew on the bottom.
There are many reasons I picked it as Product of the Year for 2015. It is safe and I thought it was foolproof. You put stuff in, push a button and let it go until it beeps.
Videos: Product tested with Black Beans, made Chicken Stock and cooked Pot Roast that I sautéed in the Instant Pot
I was so freaked out that I could not grasp the concept of not having a working Instant Pot Pressure Cooker in my kitchen. So? I asked for help! Facebook foodie friends gathered together to come up with ideas as to what could be wrong.
My dear friend Tanaya wrote first: “Main thing is to clean the gasket really well. Also, after using it a lot the lid gets a little persnickety and doesn’t seal. If you notice that, you’ll want to jiggle it and then pull/lift it up when its supposed to seal. That almost always takes care of it.”
Nigel wrote: “Did you have the valve on top rotated clockwise as far as possible? And is it possible there’s a kink in the rubber seal under the lid?”
I cleaned the sucker inside and out. I removed the bolt, cleaned underneath it and the bolt itself. I made sure that around the perimeter outside the pressure cooker was also spotless. I gently cleaned the seal of the gasket…
The next morning I showed Reg everything I had done and told him I was still worried Instant Pot would not work properly and that I would not know what to do if that happened.
Reg looked at the lid and said, “How can the pot seal if you have the gasket lever upside down?”
Whaaaaaaaaaaaaat???
I looked at it and yes, indeed, the lever was pointing upwards. You see, it swivels all the way around. There is a very good chance that I had thought it was in the right position but it was not actually sealed. Considering how much I cleaned the whole thing, there is no way to be sure. And for once in my life I did not take any photographs because I was in panic mode!
Yay! It is working again!!!
I just started laughing my ass off. I just had this funny feeling that is what I had done wrong and that is why the thing sang the whole time it was on and there was no liquid left inside. Sure enough, I tried it tonight and it worked like a charm and I am so super grateful!
So now I am more dedicated than ever to make sure my Instant Pot lives up to its potential! I am already planning more foodie adventures together and I promise to take real good care of it and make sure that lever is not upside down. Damn it.
Phew, that was close! Glad it’s back to normal again!
Yup, had me in a total panic and emotional spiral. I’m glad it ended with laughter and delicious chicken.
Have you got a photo of the right position and the wrong position for the gasket lever?
If you look at the second land photo, that is the correct position. It is pointing straight down.
Glad it’s working for you. Whew.
Is there a “reset” button or a fuse on the Instant Pot? Soup sloshed out over the stainless steel insert into the main receptacle and mine is now brain dead. No power. Nothing. Is this fixable?
Oh no!!! Have you let it dry out for a few days? Are you still having issues? Oh that’s scary. I would contact the company directly. So sorry that happened!
I just did the same thing. Did you resolve the problem….or did I Kill mine too?
I had the lever pointing the wrong direction, it had flipped up when it was supposed to flip down Kathy. Check yours and see if that’s the problem. I hope it’s just a simple fix!
10 psi is not 10 x atmospheric pressure. 10 psi is 10 pounds per square inch. Standard atmospheric pressure is 14.7 psi also known as 1 bar. So, your instant pot showing 10 psi means that is it 10 psi over normal. It has 24.7 psi pushibg out on the inside and 14.7 psi on the outside pushing back.
There is no such thing as “10 lbs PSI”. If you are going to talk technical, it HAS TO BE technical, otherwise you totally LOSE CREDIBILITY and nothing else you say will be believable.
“PSI” means “POUNDS PER SQUARE INCH”. So you probably meant, “10PSI”. Since you clearly have no idea whatsoever what “PSI” means, then we CANNOT believe even the figure you gave (10) or that it means 10X atmospheric pressure. I would have to check it myself.
And PLEASE use BLACK TYPE for these comments. I can barely see what I’m typing!
The PSI thing had nothing to do with me or my credibility, it was my friend Wayne’s comment! Focus people.
My instant pot wont power on, after i used it .. i tried to plug it again after several hours. It just wont .. 🙁
Oh dear, that is a whole different issue, definitely call the company directly. I hope they can help!!!
I’m using my new instantpot for the first time today. Is it normal they are quiet while pressure cooking? My stove top cooker was very loud as the weight rocked as it was supposed to. I’m wondering if its actually cooking.