Highlights
1). Instant pot (or instant pressure) cooker has become quite a hit
2). An instant pot is easy-to-use and also does the job of a slow cooker
3). Instant pot comes with pre-set programs to cook your food to perfection

In today's fast-paced world, instant pot (or instant pressure) cooker has become quite a hit, all thanks to the concept of pressure cooking. An instant pot is easy-to-use and also does the job of a slow cooker. With just bare minimum efforts, you can cook rice, noodles and a variety of dishes in an instant pot. Without taking too much of space in the kitchen, instant pot can make your cooking job way much easier. This versatile multi-cooker can do the job of a steamer as well. It comes with pre-set programs that are specially designed to cook your food to perfection. A lot of people who have a weak hand in cooking often rely on instant pots to cook a variety of dishes. If you have also thought of bringing one home, here's a complete guide on how to use instant pot:

1. Get Familiar With The Settings
Now, that you've got an instant pot for yourself, it's time to get comfortable with the pre-set programs that your instant pot offers. The front of the instant pot consists of various buttons that denote different programs. They, undoubtedly, seem quite complicated; however, they are quite easy-to-access once you understand the basic mechanism. Each button on the instant pot refers to a specific cooking method. To make things more user-friendly, there are pre-set cook timing and pressure setting on the pot. Whether you want to cook food on low, medium or high heat, or just keep it warm, you can easily do that with the help of these settings. Make yourself familiar with its functionality by referring to the user manual.

2. Get On To The Pressure Cooking Process
The primary function of most instant pot models is pressure cooking. The pressure or the steam inside the instant pot is what makes the cooking process simpler. Pressure cooking retains the flavours and nutrients of the food inside and also saves time and money in the entire process. You can use the instant pot to pressure cook potatoes, eggs, vegetables, noodles etc. An instant pot can come quite handy to those who are watching their weight as most of their diet comprises steamed veggies, boiled eggs etc. You can also cook rice in an instant pot.

3. Use It For Thawing Frozen Foods
Picture this: There are sudden guests at your place and while you have to prepare a delectable meal for them, you are struggling with the frozen foods that need to be thawed in order to be cooked. In this scenario, instant pot can come to great help. Apart from handling the above mentioned cooking methods, it is also capable of thawing frozen foods. It is high-powered enough to defrost and then cook various food products.

4. Use It For Sauteing
The method of cooking food with a small amount of oil at relatively high heat is what is referred to as sauteing. An instant pot can be used for the same purpose as well. Sauteing helps to retain the texture, flavour and moisture of the food. Most instant pots come with an advanced sauteing function key, wherein you can saute the food in three different levels as per your liking and preference. The 'normal' function refers to regular browning, the 'more' function refers to darker browning, and the 'less' function refers to light browning. Apart from this, you can also use the instant pot to thicken any sauce by adding in starch or by simply evaporating the liquid present in it.

5. Use It For Warming Already Prepared Dishes
There are times when we often end up preparing dishes in advance and all we need to do is to reheat them in order to savour them in a fresh state. An instant pot can be used to warm the leftover food items. Most instant pots come with an auto warm function, wherein you can set the timer manually.

Now, that we have shared with you some easy ways to use an instant pot, bring them to your rescue and start preparing delicious dishes, without wasting much of your time and efforts