Which Containers Can Be Used in the Instant Pot?

In case you didn’t know, you can cook with additional containers in the Instant Pot. This enables you to utilize the pressure cooker in a number of different ways that you wouldn’t be able to do without an extra pot. It’s called pot-in-pot cooking.

We won’t go into the details of how it’s done in this post, but you can read all about pot-in-pot cooking here. In this post, we’ll share with you which containers can be used in the Instant Pot safely.

It’s good to get comfortable with this way of cooking because is a really big benefit of owning an Instant Pot.

Not only will you be able to cook soups and stews like you normally do in the inner pot, with pot-in-pot cooking you can also reheat dishes, cook things that don’t contain a lot of liquid, and even bake a cake.

Why You’ll Love It

There are several reasons for using the pot-in-pot method:

• Thick sauces will scorch on the bottom of the pot.
• If you don’t want your food watered down or cooked in liquid.
• To keep foods separated when cooking more than one item.
• Convenience
• Easy Clean Up

» You might be interested in How to Use Delay Start on an Instant Pot.

What is Pot in Pot (PIP) Cooking?

Pot in pot cooking is a method that allows you to cook things in your Instant Pot within another pot, that you wouldn’t be able to cook by placing directly into the inner pot. You put the water or liquid that is needed to build pressure into the inner pot, but you put the food you’re cooking into another pot that you set on top of the trivet.

This allows you to cook dishes that don’t have liquid in them or cook multiple things at once.

For instance, with the pot-in-pot method, you could:

• Cook your sauce in the bottom of the inner pot, while cooking rice or pasta in a second container on the trivet.
• Make lasagna or casseroles that don’t use liquid and would burn if cooked directly in the inner pot.
• Bake a cake.
• Cook chicken in the bottom of the inner pot, rice in another pot, and potatoes in another pot.
• Reheat a meal without using the microwave.

So Which Containers Can Be Used in the Instant Pot?

The biggest hang up that keeps people from cooking with an extra pot inside the Instant Pot is a lack of understanding of which type of “pot” or container can be used safely inside the Instant Pot.

No one wants to have a glass dish explode under pressure or ruin their Instant Pot by using a non-pressure safe pot in it. There are a few rules you should follow when choosing the right pot.

The good news is that there are great choices that are perfectly safe to use in the Instant Pot. Here are the best choices for pip cooking:

Note: Only use dishes that are made to contain food. The container needs to be made of food-grade materials.

• Stainless steel
• Metal trivet or steamer basket
• Corelle – CorningWare is now the official companion to Instant Pot, perfect for all your cooking and baking needs. CorningWare oven dishes available in multiple sizes are tested to work with Instant Pot.
• Silicon containers – This is one of our go-to containers. They come in many different sizes and are great for cooking cakes, bread, and meatloaf.
• Springform pans – Springform pans are great for cooking cheesecake in the Instant Pot

What you don’t want to use:

• Anything plastic – it’s not made to withstand this much heat
• Anything with lettering that might dissolve or flake off into the food
• Anything that seals completely (with a lid) – a hermetically-sealed container builds pressure inside but has no way to release it. The pressure build up is unsafe for a number of reasons.
• Anything that’s not oven safe.
• Anything with a crack or imperfection.

What About Glass & Ceramic

A glass or ceramic dish labeled oven-safe can technically be used for cooking in the Instant Pot, but not all brands have been tested and proven safe, so it’s best to proceed with caution when using a glass or ceramic container.

CorningWare is now an official companion to Instant Pot and their oven dishes that are available in multiple sizes are tested to work with Instant Pot. This is verified on the official Instant Pot page.

The problem with glass is that it can have a slight imperfection or crack that will cause it to buckle under pressure. While this is very unlikely with brands like Pyrex and CorningWare, it can still happen. If something were to go wrong, the glass could shatter inside the Instant Pot. So proceed with caution and at your own risk.

With any ceramic or glass material there is a risk that it will break, even if it is labeled oven safe. If you’ve had a glass or ceramic container crack in the oven, you know that it can happen, though it’s quite infrequent.

Usually when a glass dish breaks it’s because of thermal shock, which is caused by a major difference in temperature. To avoid thermal shock, don’t set a cold dish on a hot surface, or a hot dish on a cold surface.

Additional Considerations

• Do not set a dish directly on the bottom of the Instant Pot inner pot or in the liquid at the bottom. Always set it on a trivet or rack.
• Always use sufficient water in the inner pot, which gets poured under the trivet. For a 6-quart pot, you need 1 cup of water. For an 8-quart pot, you need 1.5 cups of water.
• Make sure that your container fits inside the inner pot with at least a 1/2 inch clearance around the container to allow steam to rise. This is an integral part of the cooking process. If you don’t leave sufficient room, the dish might not cook at all.
• If placing a wide dish inside the inner pot, use a sling or piece of tin foil around it so you can still grab it to pull it out. Remember that the dish itself might be too hot to touch.

What Pot is Best to Use in the Instant Pot

I have found that stainless steel food-grade containers are the best to use. They transfer heat to the food fairly well and are convenient to use plus usually dishwasher safe.

When you put a dish inside the Instant Pot, make sure that it is at room temperature first. Removing a dish straight from the refrigerator and placing it in the Instant Pot produces a higher chance of it shattering.

Pot in Pot Accessories for Instant Pot

You’re probably wondering if there are containers made explicitly for use in the Instant Pot. Yes there are. If you want to keep the choices easy, you can just purchase one of the stackable stainless steel inserts, like the one pictured below.

These stackable pots are made for use in the Instant Pot. They contain 2 trays, lids, and a safety handle/sling that allows you to easily remove the pots from the Instant Pot.

You can also use the official Instant Pot bundt pan, spring-form pan, cake pan or mini-loaf pans in the Instant Pot.

Another option is food-grade safe silicone. This is

Tips for Pot in Pot Cooking

• When you do pot-in-pot cooking, you don’t need to add any time to the cooking, as the two parts will cook as if they were alone in the pot. However, if you put a lid on the dish (like if you’re using one of the steamer baskets with the lid, you’ll probably need to add 1-2 minutes longer.
• If you’re cooking two things at once, in a double-stack tray, and each has a lid on it, it can take 2x as long to cook. You may have to play around with the timing a bit to get it right.
• Remember that you can’t cook something that needs a lot of time with something that doesn’t, because they won’t cook at the same rate – so one will be overcooked while the other is undercooked. For instance, rice and broccoli cook in vastly different times.
• Make sure that whatever you’re cooking in the bottom of the instant pot won’t burn or be ruined if it has to have a few minutes of extra cooking time.
• Certain containers retain heat better than others and will include carry-over cooking, which can overcook your food. Glass and ceramic holds heat longer than stainless steel. So take that into account in your cooking time. Similarly, silicon doesn’t heat up as much or as quickly and it can take longer to cook foods in silicon.

What Can You Make in a Pot in the IP

My favorite things to make using the pot-in-pot method in the Instant Pot are:

• Lasagna
• Cheesecake
• Cakes & puddings
• Bread
• Meatloaf
• Casseroles
• Pot Pies

Why Use An Instant Pot?

The Instant Pot is one of the most useful kitchen appliances you can buy, because it drastically cuts down on the cooking time for developing flavors in soups and stews, getting tough cuts of meat tender, and even baking a cheesecake. If you don’t have one, check out our guide on which one to buy. Also see our guide to How to Use an Instant Pot and the many accessories you can buy for it.

Frequently Asked Questions

Before You Go

Since you made it to the end of this article, you’re probably pretty interested in Instant Pot cooking. Here are a few more articles we think you might enjoy.

• How to Use the Instant Pot Soup Setting
• 20 Delicious Instant Pot Dessert Recipes
• Is the Instant Pot Dishwasher Safe?
• 23 Flavorful Instant Pot Rice Recipes
• 27 Easy Instant Pot Dump & Go Recipes

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