INSTANT POT :: HIGH ELEVATION
At high elevation there are a few special needs to keep in mind when using multicookers such as the Instant Pot. There are several important as well as subtle changes we need to make, and after living at various high elevations for the past 35+ years, I’d like to pass along some of the nuances of pressure cooking with an electric multicooker at high elevation.
TIME ADJUSTMENT
Instant Pot recipes are generally created for cooking at low elevation, somewhere between sea level and 2,000 feet. However, for high elevation we need to increase the suggested pressure cooking time listed in recipes by 5% for every 1,000 feet above 2,000 feet elevation. As an example, at my elevation (9,000 feet) I need to add 35% more time to everything I cook. To do the math, I multiply the recipe time given by 1.35, increasing the suggested time by 35%. So, for example, I’ll increase a suggested time of 20 minutes to 27 minutes (3 x 1.35 = 27). Here’s a chart to make it easy:
The method of adding this 35% cooking time usually works quite well for me, although with some foods I can get by with less or with others I need more time. Just face it: there will be a period of trial-&-error until you understand how long to cook foods at your own elevation.
Keeping this chart in mind for your elevation, it’s also helpful to know the elevation where the recipe was created. This isn’t always easy. Lots of web authors don’t tell you their elevation, so you’ll need to do some investigation. Often, the “About” page will give some indication, and perhaps even tell you the city they’re in. If you have the town/city location, you can look it up to see its elevation. You can use this site: Elevation Finder Make your time adjustments based on the elevation of the creator by adding or subtracting the time adjustment from theirs. For example, if a recipe was written for use at 5,000 feet, and I’m at 9,000 feet, the elevation difference is 4,000 feet. According to the chart, a recipe at 5,000 feet adds 15% to sea-level pressure-cooking time, and 35% at 9,000 feet. The difference is 20%, so if I use one of these recipes, I only add an additional 20% to the total time. Or I just guess.
I’ll have to admit, I don’t really know if the increase applies to the recipe-suggested times for the Natural Release process. If a low-elevation recipe suggests a 10-minute Natural Release, I sometimes add 35% to that as well (13 minutes NR). I wouldn’t say this is a hard & fast rule, and I usually make a guess based on the type of food I’m cooking.
ADDING PRESSURE TO THE NATURAL ATMOSPHERIC PRESSURE INCREASES THE BOILING POINT OF WATER, ALLOWING FOOD TO COOK FASTER.
For those why may be new to cooking at high elevation, you may wonder…
- Why must we increase the time amount?
- I thought water would boil faster, so wouldn’t food cook more quickly?
I certainly asked those questions! I went on a hunt to try to figure in all out, and here are some things to keep in mind:
- Atmospheric pressure is lower at higher elevations. For example,
- Atmospheric pressure at sea level is around 14.7 psi.
- Atmospheric pressure at 9,000 ft is around 10.5 psi.
- Water boils at lower temperatures at higher elevations.
- Water boils at 212° at sea level.
- Water boils at 195.5° at 9,000 feet.
- Water boils and evaporates more quickly at higher elevation.
- Things may scorch when not enough liquid is added.
- Watch your pot! “A watched pot never boils over.”
- The temperature of boiling water never gets any higher than your elevation allows for in an open pot.
- Adding pressure inside a pressure cooker allows water to boil at a higher temperature than it would in an open pot, therefore the food cooks faster under pressure.
- Pressure cooking increases the pressure inside the cooker in addition to whatever the natural atmospheric pressure is outside the cooker, depending on elevation.
- The net result of using a pressure cooker is the user’s psi based on elevation + the psi of the appliance.
We can’t change the atmospheric pressure of our location, but we CAN increase it to shorten our cooking time by using a pressure cooker. At high elevation, keep in mind what’s going on in the science world and understand why we need to add more time to our recipes.
NET PRESSURE USING A PRESSURE COOKER WITH 11psi:
Sea Level (14.7 psi) + PC (11 psi) = 25.7 psi Net Pressure
9,000′ (10.5 psi) + PC (11 psi) = 21.5 psi Net Pressure
RESULT: Add more time for food to cook at higher elevation!
USING THE SAUTÉ FUNCTION
I use the SAUTÉ function a lot, not only for browning meats or sautéing veggies for a soup, but sometimes just for everyday cooking tasks. I’ve discovered that the High SAUTÉ setting on the Instant Pot is very hot! Things seemed to burn quickly and I’d have to lower the temperature setting, turn it off during cooking, or add more liquid or oil to keep things from burning. That made me dig in to do some more investigation.
Lower atmospheric pressure creates more evaporation, so when sautéing something like onions, the moisture evaporates quickly, leaving the drier part of the onion stuck on the hot pan to burn. On the stove, I’ve learned to keep my burner at a lower temperature and take more time to cook things a little more slowly and I add more oil or liquid. The same holds true for multicookers while using the SAUTÉ function. I keep my SAUTÉ setting at “Medium” most of the time, and sometimes “Low”. My pressure cooker states that the temperature setting for “Low Heat” on SAUTÉ is 275-302°. Since the boiling point for water here is about 196°, you can see that some things may get too hot, boil too rapidly or burn even at “Low”, when smaller amounts of liquid are involved.
When pressure-cooking or slow-cooking, as long as the lid is left on the pot while it’s cooking, I don’t generally add additional liquid. But any time I’m cooking with the lid off and evaporation is at a maximum, I always add more liquid. There isn’t really a calculation for this, just a good old common-sense guess.
SIMMERING WITH THE INSTANT POT
At high elevation, you may need to experiment with different settings on your Instant Pot. Recently I was cooking a tomato sauce that needed to simmer for about an hour. I did not want it to boil or scorch on the bottom, I just wanted a gentle simmer, uncovered. As the recipe suggested, I tried using the SAUTÉ function at the LOW temperature setting. It was TOO HOT and resulted in a full boil. (And with tomato sauce, that meant a lot of spits flying outside the pot onto my eyeglasses and the countertop.) After fiddling with different settings, I found that the SLOW COOK “High” setting was just about right. My cooker states that this setting runs 200-210°. With the lid off, this temperature is just about right to simmer. (Remember: boiling point of water at my location is about 196°.)
Think outside the box a bit, and if your Instant Pot doesn’t allow you to set a custom temperature, find a different setting to accommodate the cooking temperature you want.
LOWER ATMOSPHERIC PRESSURE = GREATER EVAPORATION
Add a little more liquid (water, broth, oil)
Lower the temperature
Relax, take your time, plan ahead, don’t be in a hurry!
SLOW COOK FUNCTION
As with the SAUTÉ function, I’ve found that the SLOW COOK “High” setting is too high for most of my needs. When I “slow cook” I am not looking for a full rolling boil, but rather a gentle simmer with a cover on. The “High” setting can keep things at a pretty wild boil here at my elevation when I’ve got the lid on. When I slow-cook I may use the “High” setting long enough to heat things up, but soon switch it to “Medium” or “Low” to continue the slow cooking time allowance, sometimes allowing for more time.
HOW TO CHOOSE A PRESSURE/MULTI COOKER FOR HIGH ELEVATION
Some of the Instant Pot models come with an adjustment feature to add the recommended time increase based on the elevation you enter. My Instant Pot Ultra has this feature. By telling the IP that I’m at 9,000 feet it automatically adjusts all the PRESET times by adding 35%. Note that word, “PRESET”. In other words, this automatic adjustment works only when I’m using things like the SOUP, PORRIDGE buttons, etc. Whenever I follow a recipe that calls for a certain amount of time entered manually, I have to do the math myself. Personally, I find the IP Altitude Adjustment unnecessary.
The Instant Pot Ultra, which has been perfect for my needs. It allows me to choose my own custom temperature settings, so when the temperature presets are too high, I merely lower it to whatever I choose, and it remembers the setting for the next time. Unfortunately, not many of the electric multicookers offer these custom settings. If you like one that doesn’t offer custom temperature settings, you can usually work around it by trying a different function, such as SLOW-COOK, KEEP WARM, or whatever works.
A FEW MORE TIPS
Have fun with your multicooker and expect that there will be a lot of trial-and-error cooking. Each time you discover something that works for you, jot it down to remember it until it’s engrained into your cooking habits.
When I first began cooking with pressure at my elevation, I started a chart with times and notes for how long I cook and release the pressure for various foods such as beets, oatmeal, rice, whole chicken. I keep this on my computer in a handy spot. Whenever I cook something I haven’t cooked in a while, I have that chart to refer to.
I keep a “Cheat Sheet” handy on my refrigerator with the specifications of my pressure cooker, showing me its SLOW COOK & SAUTÉ temperatures, and a few cooking times with their adjusted amounts for my own elevation.
If your pressure cooker doesn’t offer custom temperature settings, do your best to find a function or setting that will give you the best result, and remember it for future use. It may not always be what a recipe recommends.
Take your time, don’t be in a rush, and allow your food to cook more slowly. Don’t try to speed up your sauté by turning up the heat.
After doing the math for psi at my elevation, I discovered that “Low Pressure” at sea level is the same amount psi as “High Pressure” at my elevation. Therefore, when a sea level recipe recommends LP I can use the HP setting without any additional time!
CANNING
Some multicookers claim they can be used for canning. This may or may not be true for you. Check with your local Extension office to ask whether your cooker adds enough pressure, particularly for low-acid foods. I have not tried canning in my electric pressure cooker. I use my old trusty Presto stovetop for that!
OFF-GRID BONUS!
A lot of folks (like myself) who live in rural mountain areas are using off-grid solar electricity. On sunny days when our batteries top off early, the remaining day’s sunshine goes to waste with no place to put it! On those days I use as much electricity for cooking as possible, and limit my use of propane. I use my Instant Pot for a variety of other cooking; not just pressure cooking or slow cooking. For example, if I’m sautéing some of the ingredients that will be added to a casserole to bake, I’ll choose the multicooker sauté function rather than use a pan on my propane range. Multicookers are a great way to utilize this excess solar power and save $$ on propane!
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