Is steaming possible with a pressure cooker?

Instant Pots are sweeping the world of rapid cooking, with almost limitless functions like pressure cooking, sautéing, and even yogurt production. While Instant Pots use pressured steam to cook food rapidly, you may be wondering if such a high-intensity approach is suitable for steaming veggies.

Is it possible to steam in an Instant Pot?

In an instant pot, you can steam. Use your Instant Pot to steam things that would usually be steamed in a pot, such as vegetables, fish, and more.In the same way, an Instant Pot can be used for steaming like a stovetop steamer risks overcooking delicate foods. However, if you understand how these Instant Pot capabilities operate, you’ll be on your way to quick and effortless steaming in no time.

Using the Instant Pot’s Steam Function

Most Instant Pots include a pre-programmed “Steam” setting, which is helpful. Pour in a cup, then place the trivet (metal rack) that came with your Instant Pot inside, followed by a steamer basket on top to use the pressure steaming mode.

Important tip: It is critical to hitting Quick Release soon after complete steaming to avoid overcooking your food.

Will steaming in an Instant Pot cause food to overcook?

It’s critical to remember that, due to the pressure of the Instant Pot, the time of your steaming will be significantly shorter than standard stovetop steaming.

To begin, it’s helpful to understand the Instant Pot’s automatic time settings:

• If you merely push the “Steam” button, it will steam your meal under high pressure for 10 minutes.

• If you select “More,” the time will be increased to 15 minutes.

• By pressing “Less,” you may steam it for only three minutes.

• You may also manually modify the time and adjust the pressure using the “Pressure” button as usual.

While steaming in an Instant Pot may achieve the same outcomes as steaming on a stovetop, the increased pressure of the Instant Pot achieves these results significantly faster, much as its Pressure settings achieve many aspects of traditional cooking in less than half the time. This may be a significant time-saver for harder vegetables like potatoes, carrots, and other roots, and there are no drawbacks. However, with delicate items that are easily overdone, such as spinach and broccoli, overcooking with the Instant Pot is a risk. To add to the risk, unlike traditional stovetop steaming, you can’t check on the progress of your steaming dishes while they’re inside a pressurized Instant Pot. You won’t be able to know how far they’ve cooked until the procedure is over.

How Long Does it Take to Steam in an Instant Pot?

However, any vegetable or meal may be flawlessly cooked in an Instant Pot with careful timing. Fortunately, determining the best times to steam a variety of foods does not need any guessing. To calculate the recommended hours for steaming various veggies and other meals, consult the instructions guide that came with your Instant Pot or utilize internet sites such as Taste of Home or Instant Pot. Here are some Instant Pot suggestions for steaming with 1 cup of water (please note that these cooking times are for fresh vegetables):

• 1 minute for broccoli florets

• 1 minute for Brussels sprouts

• 5-8 minutes for entire, big potatoes

• 1 minute for the spinach

• 1-2 minutes for butternut squash (slices)

It is important to know, compared to the automatic steaming periods in an Instant Pot, the recommended steaming times for most veggies are quite short. In other words, after pressing the “Steam” button, you need manually set a low steam duration for most fragile green veggies.

According to Instant Pot, steaming times for fish are also short. Below are some examples of appropriate seafood steaming times:

• 1-3 minutes for shrimp or prawn

• 4-5 minutes for a whole fish

• 2-3 minutes for the lobster

While the Instant Pot’s time guides only include instructions for pressure cooking eggs (5 minutes for hard-boiled), this recipe recommends steaming eggs with 1 cup of water:

• 3 minutes for soft-boiled eggs

• 5 minutes for medium eggs

• 8 minutes for hard-boiled eggs

Steaming in the Instant Pot the Old-Fashioned Way

While any dish may be precisely steamed in an Instant Pot with careful timing and accuracy, you may be concerned about getting it right and prefer a more conventional manner of steaming. Don’t worry. Conventional steaming in your Instant Pot is also doable! And the option to more carefully monitor your food and its development as it steams. If you’re having difficulties getting the pressure steaming just right, consider purchasing the glass lid for your Instant Pot (if your Pot did not come with one).

How to Go About It

The procedure for conventional steaming with a glass lid is identical to the one for pressure steaming: Prepare your Instant Pot by adding a trivet, a steaming basket, and at least 1 cup of water. Instead of using the “Steam” button, press the “Sauté” button. The water in your Pot will boil, and the cover will keep the steam in place. You will be able to see your steaming food inside the Pot through the clear cover, creating a steaming atmosphere comparable to steaming on the stovetop.

With this approach, you may also remove the lid at any point throughout the steaming process to check on or stir your food. However, you should be mindful to leave the lid on for most of the time to preserve steam. When your veggies are done, turn off the heat and remove them, taking care not to touch any of the hot parts in the Pot (the trivet, the water, the basket, and the walls of the Instant Pot.)

Don’t Forget These Instant Pot Steaming Suggestions

Always, always be prompt. When you complete steaming in an Instant Pot, immediately release the pressure.

• Steaming may necessitate the use of extra equipment, such as a steaming basket and a glass lid for conventional steaming, which may be found here. (Be sure you get the correct size for your Instant Pot!)

• Steaming periods with pressure steaming are substantially shorter than with standard steaming. To avoid overcooking, follow the instructions on the Instant Pot or search for a recipe online.

• Steaming periods for fresh and frozen meals are vastly different. Make careful to research steaming timings for the meal you’ll be steaming.

• Many meals require less steaming time than the automated time settings using the “Steam” function of the Instant Pot. Make careful to manually adjust the time based on the sort of food you’re steaming.

Your Instant Pot is now ready to steam!  Instant Pot can perfectly steam any item in a fraction of the time it would take to steam on the stovetop with a bit of knowledge and effort. It will also start classic steam virtually quickly for enthusiasts of stovetop steaming. Don’t be afraid to use your Instant Pot when you need to steam veggies, eggs, or shellfish.  You may use the Sauté feature to boil water and steam in your Instant Pot if it has a Steam option.