Instant Pot Ultra Info

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Ultra001

Steam Release Button:

-The Steam Release Button is UP in the SEALED position
-The Steam Release Button is DOWN in the VENTING position.

UltraSteamRelease1

-The steam release button will automatically set to the Sealed (up) position when you put the lid on.
If for some reason it’s in the Venting (down) position gently turn it until it releases & the button pops up. It’s really more of a “flick” than a turn. Don’t force it or it could break off!

-For a controlled pressure release, (where you release the steam in bursts so liquid doesn’t spew), just press the button part way down, release, press again. Once you know it won’t spew you can do a Quick Release.

-For a Quick Release press the steam release button all the way down until it clicks. This will lock the botton in the venting postion so that you don’t have to physically hold it down the whole time.

Screen Captures of pgs 11 & 12 of the updated online manual:
(click images to see larger images)

UpdatedPage11

Updated Pg12

Float Valve:

When the float valve is in the Down position it’s flush with the lid.
When it’s in the Up position it pops up out of the hole & sits above the lid.

UltraFVpositions

Settings/Using the Knob:

The knob turns & pushes in.

When you first plug in the IP one of the functions will be flashing.
(If your pot has been sitting awhile & your display has gone blank just push the knob in to get started)
Turn the knob to cycle through the different functions until the one you want flashes, then press the knob in to select that function.

The Display will show you the adjustments you can make for that function and a box will be flashing around one of the adjustment options.
Press the knob in to select it, turn the dial to desired setting, then push the knob in to lock in the setting.

Turn the knob to move to the next setting & repeat the above steps for the other settings.

Press the Start button to start the Instant Pot.

Programs & Times:

Time Format: 00:00
The number before the colon is hours;
the number after the colon is minutes.

Custom Temperature Settings:
The temp can’t be adjusted on pressure functions,
only on the non-pressure settings (except Steam & Sterilize)

Functions on Left Side of Display, from Top to Bottom:
(*Note: The times and temps below are what show on my Ultra’s
display when I select them.)

Pressure Cook: Same as “Manual” on the other models.
Time Range: 00:00-6:00 hours
Pressure: High/Low

Soup/Broth:
Time Range: 00:00-6:00 hrs
Pressure: High/Low

Meat/Stew:
Time Range: 00:00-4:00 hrs
Pressure: High/Low

Bean/Chili:
Time Range: 00:00-4:00 hours
Pressure: High/Low

Steam:
Time Range:00:00-4:00
Pressure: High/Low/No Pressure
(No Custom Temps for “No Pressure” setting)

Slow Cook:
Time Range: 00:30-20:00 hours
Pressure: No Pressure
Temperature: Low (185 F)/Med (194 F)/High (208 F)/Custom (104-208 F)
(Page 8 of the manual is incorrect. The minimum time is 0:30 NOT 2:00)

Saute:
Time Range: 00:01-00.30
Pressure: No Pressure
Low (185 F)/Med (194 F)/High (208 F)/Custom (104-338 F)
(Pg 9 of the Manual is incorrect. It doesn’t say that Saute has a custom temp setting but it does)
*NOTE: The temp range for Saute on the Ultra is lower than the temp range on the Duo.
The Duo has a range of 275-410 F;
The Ultra has a range of 104-338 F.

Warm:
Time Range: 00:10-99:50 hours
Pressure: No Pressure
Low (185 F)/Med (194 F)/High (208 F)/Custom (104-194 F)

Functions on Right Side of Display, from Top to Bottom:

Rice:
Time Range: Automatic (not adjustable)
Pressure: High/Low
(the cook time is set automatically based on the contents, and is for white rice only)

Porridge:
Time Range: 00:00-4:00
Pressure : High/Low

Multigrain:
Time Range: 00:00-4:00
Pressure : High/Low
*There’s a 45 minute pre-soak built into the multi-grain function.
This is for any cook time you set, and there is no way to disable it.
The pre-soak is necessary to soften the hard grains before cooking.
Otherwise they won’t cook properly and could clog the anti-block
shield and float valve causing problems with the Instant Pot.

Cake:
Time Range: 00:00-4:00 hours
Pressure : High/Low
(Pg 9 of the Manual is incorrect-Cake does NOT have a No Pressure option)

Egg:
Time Range: 00:00-0:30 minutes
Pressure : High/Low

Sterilize:
Time Range: 00:00-4:00 hours
Pressure: Low/High/No Pressure
Temperature: Low (230 F)/High (239 F)/No Pressure (181.4 F)
No Custom Temps for “No Pressure” setting.
If you want to customize the temp use “Ultra” instead.
(Temp info isn’t in the manual. I wrote to Instant Pot to get it.)

Yogurt:
Time Range: 00:30-99:30 hours
Pressure: No Pressure
Temperature: Low (91 F)/Med (107 F)/High (181 F)/Custom (104-176 F)

Ultra: This function is the most customizable.
Time Range (with Pressure): 00:00-06:00 Hours
Time Range (No Pressure): 00:01-99:30 hours
Pressure: High/Low/No Pressure
Temperature: Low (131 F)/ Med (197 F)/ High (208 F)/ Custom (104-208 F)
(Page 8 of the manual is incorrect-The max time is 99:30, not 99:50)

Keep Warm:

The maximum time in Keep Warm is 24 hours.
After 24 hours the cooker will automatically turn OFF.
The Keep Warm ON/OFF function can be used at any time during the cooking process.

Delay:

The Delay function allows you to delay the start of cooking.
The default time for Delay is 6 hours, but it can be adjusted
to any time between 00:10 (10 mins) and 24:00 (24 hrs).
You can delay the cook start for all the cooking functions
except for Yogurt and Saute.

Restoring Factory Defaults:

To return to the factory default setting for a specific cooking program, rotate to a specific cooking program, press the central dial to enter the program setting mode, then press and hold the Cancel key until the cooker beeps.

For a full reset of all cooking programs to return the cooker to the factory default settings, removing all customizations, return the cooker to standby mode by pressing ‘Cancel’, then Press and hold the Cancel key until the cooker beeps.

To adjust the ‘Altitude’ follow these steps:

-Return the cooker to the ‘Standby’ mode by pressing ‘Cancel’;
-Press and hold the central dial until the cooker beeps and enters into the system-level settings change;
-Rotate the dial to ‘Alt’ and press to select and rotate to the desired altitude units in feet or meters;
-When the altitude unit is selected, press the central dial to enter ‘Altitude’ adjustment mode, rotate the central dial to make the adjustments; Once the adjustments are made, press the ‘Start’ key to save the system-level settings changes and exit.

The Altitude must only be set once for all programs.  Once the altitude is adjusted, it will apply to all programs.

Using the Ultra to Sous Vide:

-Place your food in a vacuum sealed bag & put it in the Instant Pot liner.
-Add enough water to the pot so your bag of food is fully submerged.
It’s best to start with water as close to your target temperature as possible.
-I place a glass lid on the pot to keep the heat in. You can also use the IP lid.

-Settings to Sous Vide:
Use the Ultra setting.
Temp: Custom/ Select a temp between 104-208 F.
Pressure: None
Set your cook time.
Press Start.

*Ultra has a temperature accuracy of +/- 5°F or 4°C.

With sous vide cooking you put your food in a vacuum sealed bag & cook
it by submerging it in temperature controlled water. This requires a much
longer cook time than pressure cooking. It’s a “low & slow” method.
This method is especially good for meats that you don’t want to over cook.
After cooking meat you can do a quick sear on it in a really hot pan.

You can put your food into either a vacuum sealed bag or a ziplock bag & use *water displacement to get most of the air out.

To do this you put your food in a ziplock bag but don’t seal it all the way. Then you put the bag into water (but don’t let water into the bag) to force the air out. Get as much air out of the bag as possible & then seal it up.

*Water displacement is also called  The Archimedes Principal. This page has directions & photos to explain how it’s done:
http://blog.sousvidesupreme.com/2011/06/sealing-liquids-archimedes-principle/#sthash.eiaYjJar.lTTaMrvu.dpbs

There are many online sites where you can find the temp & cook times for sous vide foods.
“Serious Eats” is my favorite:
http://www.seriouseats.com/2016/01/first-thing-to-cook-with-sous-vide-immersion-circulator-essential-recipes.html

Links to More Info on the Ultra:

Video: How To Use The Instant Pot Ultra 10-in-1 by Ground Leaf
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=tJgHAWQML5M

Video: Non-Pressure Cooking Features of the Ultra by Ground Leaf:
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=sdmQV7JRqZw

Ultra Beginner’s Manual/Quick Start Guide by Paint the Kitchen Red:
https://www.paintthekitchenred.com/instant-pot-ultra-beginners-quick-start-manual/

Printable Chart for the Ultra Settings by Jim Atwood:
https://drive.google.com/file/d/0B7Hvk7cvHf3kN1VKUWE3d0lCZVU/view

Venting & Sealing for the IP Ultra by Jen Neefer:
http://dumpsterfirecookingschool.com/2017/05/07/ip-ultra-venting-sealing/

Ultra Review by Pressure Cooking Today:
http://www.pressurecookingtoday.com/instant-pot-ultra-60-review-giveaway/

Ultra Review by Hip Pressure Cooking:
https://www.hippressurecooking.com/instant-pot-ultra-review/

Ultra 6 Qt Review by Spice Cravings
https://spicecravings.com/instant-pot-ultra-6-quart-review

Ultra Review (w/Sous Vide Test) by Pressure Cook Recipes:
https://www.pressurecookrecipes.com/instant-pot-ultra-review/

Video: The Duo vs The Ultra by Jeffrey Eisner
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=ULJl8HT-IE4&t=135s

Instant Pot Model Comparison by Hip Pressure Cooking:
https://www.hippressurecooking.com/which-instant-pot-model-is-right-for-you/

Ultra Manual + Program Guide & Error Codes by Hip Pressure Cooking:
https://www.hippressurecooking.com/instant-pot-ultra-manual/

Click Image to PIN IT:

UltraPin

13 thoughts on “Instant Pot Ultra Info”

  1. I recently got an Ultra, my first IP, I’ve made yogurt several times in it but it seems to me that the yogurt setting is backwards, when you first select it, it defaults to what seems to me to be the incubation setting, so I change all the settings so I can boil the milk, once that is finished and I am ready to incubate, the settings now default to the boil setting since it remembers the last setting, so now I go to change it again, really what I do is press and hold cancel, in essence I am doing a reset. That does not seem very efficient to me so I don’t know if I am doing it wrong and there is actually a way around it. Do you have any insight on this?

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    1. Malu ~ I haven’t made yogurt in my Ultra yet so I don’t have any first hand insight or tricks into it.
      I don’t think you’re doing anything wrong though because I’ve run into the “last used” memory issue when
      putting in my settings for other functions, and like you, I just reset it back to factory defaults.
      I wish there was an option to turn off the memory function but as far as I know there isn’t.

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    2. You aren’t doing anything “wrong”. I have successfully made several batches of yogurt with my IP Ultra. I make my yogurt in four Ball canning jars without lids which fit inside the pot on top of the trivet. My approach is to use the pressure setting on low pressure for 10 minutes + natural release to heat up the milk. Make sure there’s at least 1 cup of water in the pot. When I process four jars this way, the temp gets above 200 deg F which results in a thicker yogurt. I then remove the jars from the pot for cooling to ~115 deg F. I empty any remaining water from the pressure heat cycle. Once the milk has cooled, I add the starter culture, stir, and then return the jars to an empty pot on top of the trivet and use the yogurt setting on medium. After 8 to 10 hours, I have delicious yogurt ready for straining. I like to strain the yogurt through a coffee filter for about two hours to get the thickness I like.

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  2. I made coconut yogurt for the first time yesterday. It’s rather confusing…and I’m still not sure if I did it correctly. The first step I pressed YOGURT / HIGH (then it shows boil). And it seems to have brought it to a boil because my thermometer registered 180 degrees. Then after letting it sit for the temperature to drop to 100 degrees, I added my culture and then CUSTOM to set the time to 12 hours. Next time I going to let it cook on the 24 hour custom button because it wasn’t tart enough…

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  3. First thanks for posting this as the manual is not much help.

    Pressure Cook:
    Time Range: 00:00-6:00 hours
    Pressure: High/Low

    Steam:
    Time Range: 00:00-4:00 hours
    Pressure: High/Low/No Pressure

    Unless there is something else going on, couldn’t these be combined into 1 setting that lets you choose up to 6 hours and High/Low/No Pressure?

    tia

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    1. Steam cooks a little differently than the Pressure Cook function. Steam heats at full power continuously instead of cycling/fluctuating the way Pressure Cook does. When using Steam you always need to use the trivet because the IP heats from the bottom & it gets hotter with the continuous heat. Steam is good for quick cooking things like delicate veggies (broccoli), fish/seafood, eggs, etc since it heats/pressurizes quicker…which is basically less cook time, which means there’s less chance of over cooking delicate foods.

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  4. Very impressed with this post. I just skimmed through but seems much more extensive than the instruction book that came with the IP. You post is written very clearly and is easy to understand. I bought the Ultra because of the Sous vide function and finally have info on it. Thank you so much.

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  5. I’m not sure I understand which temp setting to use for yogurt(low, med, high, custom). Low is too low for fermenting, and med is too, and high is to hot, so I set it to custom temp of 112? I am lost here! I am making yogurt for the first time and keep second guessing the temp setting I should use.

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    1. Shirley, you use the Cancel button to restore to factory setting…

      To return to the factory default setting for a specific cooking program, rotate to a specific cooking program, press the central dial to enter the program setting mode, then press and hold the Cancel key until the cooker beeps.

      For a full reset of all cooking programs to return the cooker to the factory default settings, removing all customizations, return the cooker to standby mode by pressing ‘Cancel’, then Press and hold the Cancel key until the cooker beeps.

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    1. Sandra ~ You set the Delay on the screen after you select your cooking option (like Pressure Cook, Meat, etc). The “Delay” setting is below the Time & Pressure Settings on the screen. Select “On” and then you’ll be able to enter how long of a delay you want.

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