How to use a ceramic inner pot in your Instant Pot

The Instant Pot is a great kitchen gadget that helps you cook delicious meals that may normally take hours in a slow cooker or another cooking method. By default, the Instant Pot comes with a stainless steel inner pot, which works great for most meals. However, some people complain about foods sticking to the stainless steel, especially when it comes to foods like rice and pasta. That's where a ceramic pot comes in. Here's how to incorporate one into your cooking routine.

Products used in this guide

• Instant Pot DUO60 6 Qt 7-in-1 Multi-Cooker ($98)
• Genuine Instant Pot Ceramic Non-Stick Interior Coated Inner Cooking Pot ($20)
• Genuine Instant Pot Stainless Steel Inner Cooking Pot ($30)

How to use a ceramic inner pot in your Instant Pot

1. First thing's first, you'll need to purchase the ceramic inner pot. The Instant Pot comes with the stainless steel pot by default, so a ceramic one would be sold separately from various retailers like Amazon.
2. To use it with your Instant Pot, make sure that you remove the stainless steel inner pot from your Instant Pot first.
3. Place the ceramic inner pot inside of your Instant Pot and set the stainless steel one aside, or store it somewhere.
4. Operate your Instant Pot as you normally would. If you now have two inner pots for your Instant Pot, then you can use the other right after your first dish is prepared.
5. The ceramic inner pot also has the added benefit of being able to be transferred to the oven, up to temperatures of 360 degrees Celsius or 680 degrees Fahrenheit.

There are a few things to note about the ceramic inner pot, though. The ceramic cooking pot is not fully ceramic, as that would result in cracking when under pressure. Instead, the pot itself is made of an aluminum material that is covered in a ceramic, non-stick coating.

If you're concerned about chemicals in the coating, don't worry! Instant Pot ensures that the coating is Teflon-, PTFE-, and PFFOA-free, and that it's entirely safe and free of harmful chemicals.

Also, if any recipes you are making with the ceramic pot require some oven time, the ceramic pot itself is able to withstand the heat in an oven as well. So if you need to broil something, say a whole chicken, then you can just pop the ceramic pot into the oven for a few minutes and it should be fine.

It's best to avoid using steel utensils so you don't scratch or chip off the coating. Wooden and plastic utensils work best with the ceramic pot.

Our top equipment picks

Here's everything you need if you want to go with a non-stick cooking pot for your Instant Pot.

Our pick

Instant Pot DUO60 6 Qt 7-in-1 Multi-Cooker

$98 at Amazon

The most popular pot

The DUO60 is the most popular pot for good reason. It's big enough for most families of up to four people, with plenty of leftovers. It also comes with all of the basic cooking functions, including yogurt, so you can reduce the number of kitchen tools you own. It also gives you a lot of bang for your buck, compared to all Instant Pot models.

The Instant Pot DUO60 is our pick for best overall Instant Pot model for most people. The 6-quart size is big enough to feed families of four with room for leftovers, and it does all of the basic functions that you need for most recipes. However, it also comes in 3- and 8-quart sizes too, in case you need to go smaller for side dishes or bigger for larger families or more leftovers.

No more sticky messes

Genuine Instant Pot Ceramic Non-Stick Interior Coated Inner Cooking Pot

$20 at Amazon

Non-stick cooking

This optional cooking pot is made of aluminum and coated with a non-stick ceramic coating that's free of harmful Teflon or other chemicals. It allows you to cook foods that normally may stick to the stainless steel pot, such as pasta and rice, making cleanup easier. It can also be transferred to the oven without issue.

If you find yourself cooking sticky foods in the Instant Pot often, such as rice and pasta (maybe macaroni and cheese?), then the Ceramic Non-Stick pot would work best for you. The non-stick coating does not contain any harmful chemicals, so you don't need to worry. You will want to use wooden or plastic utensils when cooking with it though, as metal may scratch or chip the coating off. This pot can also be transferred directly to the oven without any issue, so it's great for recipes that may need the oven for broiling.

Additional Equipment

Optionally, the Instant Pot comes with a stainless steel inner pot, which you can also order more of.