The 22 Best Instant Pot Tips You'll Wish You'd Known Sooner

Sourced from the Instant Pot community on Facebook, which is a kind, wholesome, helpful kind of place that gives me hope for the future of humanity.

1. Make yogurt the "cold start" way — it's way easier and better tasting.

Facebook: InstantPotCommunity / Via Facebook: InstantPotCommunity

It'll be the thickest, creamiest yogurt you've ever had. Bonus: add a spoonful of jam. Get the "cold start" yogurt recipe. Remember to use ultra-pasteurized milk (such as the Fairlife brand), or else you risk nasty bacteria building up.

And in case you don't have a "yogurt button" because you own the Lux model, there's a way! Get instructions here.

2. Use a binder clip to keep the inner pot from moving around while stirring.

Allie Frank / facebook.com

Mostly a tip for when you're in sauté mode.

3. Instant Pot vinyl decals are an actual thing and I can't believe I didn't know this sooner??

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AllWrappedUpIP's store on Etsy is full of adorable designs, ranging from $11-$14 depending on your Instant Pot model.

4. Thicken up beef stew using instant mashed potatoes or xantham gum.

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Check out this comments thread for more ideas depending on what you have in your pantry.

5. A hard-boiled egg loaf is the fastest, easiest way to make egg salad in bulk — with no peeling or ice bath or any of that fuss.

Kristi Hall / facebook.com

"Hard-boiled egg loaf" sounds and looks like actual science fiction, but you'll never make egg salad the same way again. Get full directions for the Instant Pot egg loaf.

6. But if you DO want to make a bunch of hard-boiled eggs in your IP, use the 5-5-5 method.

Kaelah Behlke‎ / facebook.com

5 minutes pressure cooking, 5 minutes natural pressure release, 5 minutes in an ice water bath to chill. Pressure cooker eggs are extremely easy to peel.

Get more details about the 5-5-5 method.

7. Use pre-cut foil sheets to batch-make hamburger patties.

April Rose Ernst / Facebook: InstantPotCommunity

Individually wrap each burger and stack them on the trivet. Hamburgers in the IP are supposedly a-MAZE-ing. See the whole hamburger-in-the-Instant-Pot thread and get a great recipe here.

8. "Eggroll in a Bowl" is the low carb recipe you never knew you needed.

Dianne Montoya / Facebook: InstantPotCommunity

:Bookmarks immediately:

Get the recipe for eggroll in a bowl in the comments.

9. Bar Keepers Friend will remove the stains at the bottom of the pan.

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You can also try putting two cups of vinegar on steam for like 2-3 minutes.

10. Just bought a brand new Instant Pot? Lucky you! You can register online instead of mailing in the warranty card.

instantpot.com / Via Facebook: InstantPotCommunity

You will see the Instant Pot FB community raving over the Instant Pot's next level customer service. Check out that thread here.

11. Attention new moms: Use breast milk bags to store and perfectly portion your homemade IP bone broth.

Instagram: @instantpot_cooking / Via Facebook: InstantPotCommunity

12. Trace the inside of your Instant Pot and keep the template in your wallet when shopping for accessories.

Andrea Cole / facebook.com

You'll want some new accessories in order to fully take advantage of the "Pot in Pot" cooking method.

13. You can make boxed foods in your Instant Pot.

amazon.com / Via 365daysofcrockpot.com

Here is an incredibly helpful blog post about how to make 6 different boxed foods in your IP, including boxed cake mix and Hamburger Helper.

14. Yes, you can make cheesecake in your Instant Pot, and the community swears by the "Cheesecake #17" recipe.

Ann Herman Wayne / facebook.com

Get the infamous New York Cheesecake #17 recipe and do your research by searching in the IP community before making.

15. Store your pot with the lid open in order to keep odors from setting in.

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16. And if your main issue is a stinky sealer ring, store with the lid upside down when you're not using your Instant Pot.

Jerry Leep / facebook.com

The ring is where lingering smells tend to concentrate, so ensuring that it gets enough air time will dramatically help with the odors.

17. Buy extra sealer rings and use one for desserts, one for meats, and one for veggies.

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They will absorb the smells.

Get 3 for $11.99 (5 or 6 quart) from Amazon.

18. Baked potatoes that used to take an hour in the oven are now only 13 minutes in your Instant Pot.

Shannon Wallis / facebook.com

Be sure to use the trivet. Get the full instructions for IP baked potatoes.

19. You need to follow this thread for all the dump-and-go recipes.

Heather King Chaves / facebook.com

The heart wants what the heart wants. And the heart wants dump recipes.

20. In a hurry? Start out with boiling water in your Instant Pot in order to speed up the process of pressurizing.

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Use an electric kettle for the quickest method. Read the whole thread here.

21. To make broth, put all your ingredients in a stainless steel strainer inside of the Instant Pot. This will eliminate the step of having to strain your broth after it's done.

Angela Selken / facebook.com

It's those little time savers that make all the difference. Get the 3-quart, 8-inch-wide strainer for $9.65 from Amazon.

22. Bonus hack (you don't even need to own an IP to know that this is genius): Portion and freeze your tomato paste in 1 tablespoon increments using wax paper to separate.

Kaleigh Tessier / facebook.com

Recipes rarely call for an entire can of tomato paste, so save the leftovers by using this freezing trick.