Get your pot shining and clean again in less than 10 minutes with no scrubbing. HOW TO CLEAN A BURNT PRESSURE COOKER POT: Best pressure cooker hack ever!
I've got a tip/hack today that is essential for every pressure cooker in the entire world. It's so important, I decided to make an entire post out of it.
IT'S THAT ESSENTIAL!
Welcome to my course on How To Clean a Burnt Pressure Cooker Pot (AKA Instant Pot liner).
Oh, the bane of my existence is this scorched, burnt, impossible to remove layer of brown cement from the bottom of this pot here. And that isn't even the worst I've ever seen! I've done much, much, MUCH worse damage than this!
Every time I make Instant Pot Yogurt or Skyr I know that this will be the aftermath I deal with because truthfully I'm lazy/busy and don't want to stir it while it's coming up to temperature. But this can be a common occurrence if there's not enough water in the pot for oatmeal, rice, pasta, or just about anything.
Before I learned this trick I tried soaking, scrubbing, soaking some more, dishwasher, Bar Keepers Friend (which works wonders on everything but this scorched mess, FYI!), but I always ended up basically scraping it off bit by bit with my fingernails. Gross, I know, but what else!
My sister Maegan is the one that taught me this trick of pressure cooking baking soda, dish soap, and water. When I first tried it, removed the lid, and saw a nasty brown layer floating in my pots soapy water, I literally squealed with disgusted delight and showed my whole family (who were equally disgusted because it really does look kinda gross, just warning ya).
In minutes it went from that burnt pot above to literally being able to wipe away any extra stuck-on residue with a silicone spatula (or a paper towel even).
A quick rinse and a 5 second scrub later, your pot looks like this
It's actually glowing with silver sun rays.
The process is so incredibly easy, I can break it down into 3 easy steps:
CLEANING BURNT PRESSURE COOKER POT
- Step 1: Add water, baking soda, and soap to the pot
- Step 2: Pressure cook for 3 minutes; let the pressure naturally release
- Step 3: Give it a quick rinse (possibly a light scrub) – you're done!
Now go burn something! Then you too can discover the utter joy of disgusting brown floaties in your pot! Good times are ahead!
P.S. Don't actually burn something on purpose ‘cuz I don't wanna be liable for that. I was just being my typical, dramatic, sarcastic self there okay? Okay! But if you happen to burn something, send me a before and after picture when you use this trick! It just never gets old!
Enjoy!
CAN I DO THIS WITH ANY PRESSURE COOKER?
This trick for Cleaning a Burnt Pressure Cooker Pot will work on any brand of electric pressure cooker. I have not tested it on a stovetop pressure cooker.
HOW TO REMOVE STAINS FROM PRESSURE COOKER POT
If you want to return your pot to its brand new, shiny appearance, I suggest using Bar Keepers Friend Liquid Cleanser. Follow the instructions on the bottle and it will be gleaming in no time!
MORE CLEANING HACKS FOR YOUR PRESSURE COOKER
It’s a good idea to give your entire pressure cooker a thorough cleaning from time to time. For ideas on how to clean the seal, lid, rim, and more, see my friend Jennie’s post on How to Clean Instant Pot 101.
TIPS TO PREVENT BURNING IN THE INSTANT POT
- USE ENOUGH LIQUID: Most recipes will need at least 1 cup of liquid to create pressure and prevent burning. This rule of thumb can vary with food like meat and fruit that release liquid as the pot is heating up.
- AVOID THICK LIQUIDS: Liquids that are thick like tomato based sauces and sweet sauces like BBQ or Teriyaki are often the culprit of the dreaded Instant Pot BURN message. Add them after the food is cooked or add water to the pot to thin them out before pressure cooking.
- DEGLAZE THE POT: If you saute vegetables or sear meat in the pot, you will likely have browned bits on the bottom of the pot. Add a splash of liquid and use a wooden spoon to scrape them up before pressure cooking.
- CHECK THE SEAL AND PRESSURE RELEASE KNOB: The silicone seal must be installed correctly and the knob turned to a sealed position to prevent the liquid from inside the pot from evaporating. If the liquid evaporates, the food inside will burn on the bottom of the pot.
RECOMMENDED TOOLS TO BUY/USE TO CLEAN A BURNT PRESSURE COOKER (INSTANT POT) POT
- Instant Pot
- Mrs. Meyer's Lavender Dish Soap
- Bar Keepers Friend
- Baking Soda
- Silicone Spatulas (my favorite ones!)
New to the Instant Pot world? Here are my favorite Instant Pot accessories on Amazon, as well as the top healthy Instant Pot recipes to try. I also recommend you check out my cookbook Master the Electric Pressure Cooker.
PrintHow to Clean a Burnt Pressure Cooker Liner Pot
Easy recipe for a great instant pot cleaner
- Prep Time: 1 minute
- Cook Time: 3 minutes
- Total Time: 10 minutes
- Yield: 1 instant pot 1x
- Category: Cleaning
- Method: Pressure cooker
- Cuisine: worldwide
Ingredients
- 2 cups warm water
- 2 tablespoons baking soda
- 1 tablespoon liquid dish soap, (not the foam kind) I like Mrs Meyers Lavender Dish Soap
Instructions
- Add water, baking soda, and dish soap to the pressure cooker pot. Slosh the mixture around to combine the ingredients.
- Secure the lid and turn pressure release knob to a sealed position. Cook at high pressure for 3 minutes.
- When cooking time is complete, use a natural release.
- The charred residue will now be floating in the soapy liquid. Discard pots contents, give it a quick scrub with a brush if needed, and viola! Pot is like new!
Notes
- Bar Keepers Friend doesn't lift up burnt residue, but it is amazing for removing other stains and making your pot look shiny and new.
- Some readers have had issues with Palmolive and Regular Blue Dawn causing too much foaming and spraying through the valve. Mrs. Meyers is what I use and it works well every time.
Nutrition
- Serving Size: 1
- Calories: 0
- Sugar: 0
- Sodium: 00
- Fat: 0
Keywords: instant pot clean, pressure cooker clean, cleaning solution
Really Really nice statement
Thank you! I didn’t have non foaming dish detergent so I put in a little white vinegar and WOW
I used your burnt pot tip on my recent insta pot burnt Mac and cheese. I had soaked pot for over 2 days in sink with Dawn ,still there. I came up and tried your sisters tip and wiped out ! It was fantastic! Thanks for sharing. You have a new follower! Thanks for the help!
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Christy, that’s awesome! I love hearing that! It ALMOST makes burning food fun 😉
Thank you for sharing this Marcy . Hopefully, I Won’t have to use it anytime soon but I’ll be armed and ready if needed. Have a blessed day!
Beth, Yes, it’s a good one to have in your back pocket!
You mentioned burned on yogurt. That happened to me once, but not any more, i do not boil my milk first. I just mix it with the starter and set it on yogurt for eight hours. Perfect yogurt. Also I don’t use milk, I use a half gallon of half and half which turns into Greek yogurt without straining. Best yogurt I have ever eaten besides getting more yogurt since you don’t have any whey from straining.
It works!
I wanted to leave a comment to express my gratitude to you for this simple trick esp as I am in the middle of the desert without a car and penny pinching, and the thought of having to go buy a scrubby thing added to my list of don’t want to dos. This saved my day and my dinners: it works! Now I can use my ip again and not worried about what I cook in because this trick actually works!
Thanks to you and wherever it came from! Did you figure it out by trial and error?
🙂
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Macda, my sister actually figured out this trick and shared it with me. Isn’t it great!?
This worked!!! Thank you so much!!!!! I accidentally cooked carnitas without a sealing ring .. surprisingly the instant pot didn’t have a burn sign but when I opened the pot it was black on the bottom. I did the recipe twice and it came right off I was shocked.
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Esther, that’s so great! I’m glad it worked for you!
My story is so sad! Used the intatnt pot once and was thrilled.
Removed the inner pot to clean.
Decided to create a recipe in the Instant pot but FORGOT to replace i the inner pot…now I have burnt the bottom of the instant pot…not the INNER pot, but the real bottrom of the pot. Is this dead ? Should I just turn it into a plnater and consider myself a failure?
Thanks for nay h elp!
Polly, oh no, that’s a bigger problem for sure. I would email Instant Pot and ask them. I’m not sure what they’d say!
I saw the comments about using Dawn, but that’s all I had on hand, so I put in a few drops of Dawn along with the baking soda and water. No spewing suds! This worked really well on removing the last bits of toasted/burnt cheese from my inner pot that couldn’t be removed by scrubbing and soaking. Thanks so much for the tip!
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I usually do not comment on blogs but…
Thank you, thank you, thank you!! After 2 day’s of soaking I was ready to toss my brand new once used pot due to a newbie mistake of putting cream in my pot thinking I could make scallop potatoes. As advertised 5 minutes of pressure with soap and baking soda all the burnt potatoes and cream came right off!
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Kat, that’s so amazing! It is so very satisfying to see all of that burnt mess pull off with so much ease.