Pressure cookers are remarkably forgiving appliances, but certain mistakes can lead to disappointing results, wasted ingredients, or simply not getting the most from your multi-cooker. Whether you're a complete beginner or you've been pressure cooking for years, reviewing these common pitfalls helps ensure every meal turns out as intended.
We've compiled the ten most frequent mistakes we see from pressure cooker users, along with practical solutions to avoid each one.
1. Not Using Enough Liquid
Pressure cookers require liquid to generate steam and build pressure. Without adequate liquid, the cooker may fail to pressurize, display a "burn" warning, or damage your food and potentially the appliance itself.
The Fix
Most electric pressure cookers require a minimum of 1 cup (250ml) of thin liquid. This can be water, broth, wine, tomatoes, or any combination. Thick sauces and pastes don't count—they need thin liquid beneath them. When in doubt, add a bit more liquid; you can always reduce the sauce afterward using the sauté function.
đź’ˇ Quick Tip
Because pressure cookers seal in moisture, you'll use less liquid than conventional cooking. Many slow cooker recipes need liquid reduced by 50% when adapted for pressure cooking.
2. Overfilling the Pot
Every pressure cooker has maximum fill lines for good reason. Overfilling prevents proper steam circulation, can force food particles into the venting mechanisms, and creates safety risks with foods that foam or expand.
The Fix
For most foods, fill no more than two-thirds full. For foods that expand (rice, beans, pasta) or foam (oatmeal, split peas), fill no more than half full. Check your cooker's manual for specific guidance.
3. Using Quick Release on Meat
This might be the most common mistake that leads to disappointing results. Quick-releasing pressure on large cuts of meat causes rapid muscle contraction, squeezing out moisture and leaving you with tough, dry meat despite a long cooking time.
The Fix
Always use natural pressure release for meat, especially large cuts like roasts, whole chicken, and ribs. Allow at least 10-15 minutes of natural release—preferably until the float valve drops on its own. The meat will be noticeably more tender and juicy.
⚠️ Important
Quick release is fine for ground mince, small pieces of chicken for stir-fries, or when you're checking doneness and plan to cook further. But for your finished roast or pulled pork? Always natural release.
4. Forgetting the Sealing Ring
The silicone sealing ring (gasket) is essential for building pressure. If it's missing, not seated properly, or damaged, the cooker won't reach pressure regardless of other settings.
The Fix
Make checking the sealing ring part of your pre-cooking routine. Ensure it's clean, properly seated in its groove, and free from cracks or deformation. After cleaning, many people store the lid separately with the ring removed to allow air circulation and prevent compression.
5. Setting the Valve to Venting Instead of Sealing
It's surprisingly easy to forget to move the steam release valve to the sealing position, especially when you're new to pressure cooking. With the valve open, steam escapes and pressure never builds.
The Fix
Create a mental checklist: liquid âś“, seal ring âś“, valve to sealing âś“, lid locked âś“. After a few weeks, this becomes automatic. If you notice the cooker taking unusually long to reach pressure and steam is continuously escaping, check the valve position.
🔑 Key Takeaway
If your cooker runs for 20+ minutes without reaching pressure and you see constant steam, stop the cycle, check the valve and sealing ring, and restart. The sooner you catch this, the less time you waste.
6. Not Deglazing After Sautéing
The sauté function is fantastic for browning meat and aromatics before pressure cooking. But if caramelised bits (fond) stick to the bottom and you add liquid on top without scraping, those bits can trigger a "burn" warning as they scorch during pressure cooking.
The Fix
After sautéing, pour in a splash of liquid (broth, wine, or water) and scrape the bottom with a wooden spoon to release any stuck bits. This process, called deglazing, incorporates those flavourful brown bits into your dish while preventing scorching.
7. Adding Thickeners Before Pressure Cooking
Flour, cornstarch, and other thickeners can sink to the bottom and scorch under pressure. They also prevent proper steam generation and can trigger burn warnings.
The Fix
Add thickeners after pressure cooking is complete. Mix cornstarch with cold water to create a slurry, stir into the cooked dish, and use the sauté function for a few minutes until thickened. For flour-thickened dishes, coat meat in flour before browning (the sauté step), but don't add additional flour to the liquid.
8. Converting Recipes Without Adjusting Liquid
Slow cooker recipes and conventional braising recipes often call for more liquid than pressure cooker recipes need. Because pressure cooking prevents evaporation, using the same amount of liquid results in watery, diluted dishes.
The Fix
When adapting recipes, reduce the liquid by approximately half, but always maintain your cooker's minimum requirement (usually 1 cup). You can always thin the result, but fixing an overly watery dish is more difficult.
9. Ignoring Natural Release Time in Total Cooking Time
New pressure cooker users often expect a "15-minute recipe" to be on the table in 15 minutes. In reality, the cooker needs time to reach pressure (10-20 minutes) and time to release pressure (5-30 minutes for natural release). That 15-minute recipe actually takes 35-50 minutes from start to serving.
The Fix
Factor in all three phases when planning meals: time to pressure + cooking time + release time. While still faster than conventional cooking, managing expectations prevents frustration. A roast might take 60 minutes to cook, but with 15 minutes to pressure and 20 minutes natural release, plan for 1 hour 35 minutes total.
âś… Pro Tip
For truly quick weeknight cooking, use recipes with small pieces of meat or quick-cooking vegetables that can use quick release. Save the big roasts and whole chickens for weekends when natural release time isn't an issue.
10. Not Trusting the Process
Many new users hover anxiously, worried about the sounds, steam, and sealed environment. They interrupt cooking to check progress, which releases pressure and extends cooking time significantly.
The Fix
Trust the system. Modern electric pressure cookers are remarkably safe with multiple redundant safety features. The hissing during pressure building, the steam puffs, the clicking sounds—these are all normal. Follow your recipe's timing, resist the urge to peek, and trust that the cooker is doing its job. After a few successful meals, this anxiety naturally fades.
Bonus: Not Cleaning the Lid Properly
The lid's various components—sealing ring, float valve, anti-block shield—need regular cleaning. Residue buildup can prevent proper sealing, cause odours to transfer between dishes, and in extreme cases, block safety mechanisms.
The Fix
After each use, remove and wash the sealing ring, pop out and clean the float valve assembly, and remove and clean the anti-block shield. A thorough cleaning takes less than 2 minutes and prevents problems down the track.
Pressure cooking has a learning curve, but it's a gentle one. Most mistakes result in suboptimal dishes rather than disasters, and every error teaches something valuable. By keeping these common pitfalls in mind, you'll accelerate your journey from pressure cooking novice to confident, skilled user—and enjoy consistently delicious results along the way.