Instant Pot – Care & Clean

We all love our Instant Pots but we also need to take care of it so that it will keep making us delicious food to feed our hungry tummies. If you agree keep on reading where I explain how to clean and care for your Instant Pot. 

The main parts like the inner steel pot, Base(Housing), Trivet,Main lid with silicone ring, pressure valve, condensator collector, Anti Block Shield are the parts to be cleaned and maintained. 

First lets see the main parts that require regular cleaning followed by smaller parts

Stainless steel inner pot – Needs to be cleaned everyday after use. Rain bowing of the pot is common issue almost everyone faces, this can be easily fixed by using little vinegar and baking soda or handy dandy Bar keepers friend. 

Trivet – This should be cleaned everyday just like inner pot. 

Silicone ring – If you already didn’t know that silicone ring is the main culprit to retain the cooking smells and flavors from the dishes. So always take time to clean it regularly, soak in vinegar and baking soda to remove smells from it. Also have several on hand for sweet and savory dishes so that smells wont contaminate across. Check out my accessories page for genuine Instant Pot silicone rings.

Main lid – Main lid also takes some beating in the cooking and may have splatters occasionally, so clean it wipe inside with a wet cloth. You can also wash it in soapy water. Honestly I do no clean it often but its our dirty lil secret .. 

Pressure Valve/Black Knob – Wash it occasionally with stream of water.

Anti Block Shield – This might get clogged with starchy food like rice or dairy products etc, so clean it occasionally if you notice and food particles stuck in it.

Base/Housing – Never immerse or rinse with water. Always wipe clean with wet cloth followed by dry cloth. 

Base/Housing Rim – This one is little tricky as it is narrow and difficult to clean. I take a paper towel, slightly wet it and run it through the rim slot, after one full round the wet paper towel collects all the little crumbs/debris. Now do that again with dry paper towel to remove moisture. 

Condensator collector – Rinse it occasionally.

Did you know that Stainless steel inner pot, Trivet and silicone ring are Dishwasher Safe. Although I prefer to wash them by hand. 

Our Instant Pot deserves a Spa Day , so here are two ways how I do it occasionally but you can customize it however you want.

Method 1 : 

I put in Half cup vinegar, Half cup water, 1/4 cup Baking soda, Lemon peels ( or Lime peels), some Lemon essential oil 5 drops or so ( or any citrus flavor). Put the lid and do manual high for 5 mins and let the pressure release naturally(NPR). Rinse the sealing ring, stainless steel pot with Hot water. It should be sparkly clean with a fresh smell. 

Method 2 :

Throw in some Mulling spice (or mix of cinnamon, cloves, Anise) along with 2 cups of water. Do Manual 5 mins and NPR. This will leave the Instant Pot smelling like Holiday. You can do the same in steam or saute mode to smell the kitchen( or the house) smell like Holiday.

I hope this post was useful for you, let me know some of your cleaning hacks with me below in the comments. 

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