Mastering Pot-in-Pot Cooking in Your Pressure Cooker

Pot-in-pot cooking (often abbreviated as PIP) is a transformative technique that expands what's possible in your pressure cooker. By placing food in a secondary container elevated above the cooking liquid, you can prepare dishes that would otherwise be impossible under pressure—delicate cheesecakes, creamy rice puddings, steamed fish, and even complete meals with multiple components.

Once you master the PIP method, you'll wonder how you ever managed without it. This guide covers everything from basic setup to advanced applications.

What Is Pot-in-Pot Cooking?

The concept is simple: instead of cooking food directly in the main insert pot, you place it in a secondary container that sits on the trivet above the water. The water at the bottom generates steam to create pressure, while your food cooks in its own dish, protected from direct contact with the liquid below.

What You'll Need

The Trivet

Most electric pressure cookers include a trivet—a metal rack with handles that elevates food above the pot bottom. If yours is missing or damaged, inexpensive replacements are readily available.

Suitable Containers

Your secondary container must fit inside the pressure cooker with space around the edges for steam circulation. Suitable options include:

• Oven-safe glass dishes: Pyrex bowls and round dishes work excellently
• Stainless steel containers: Look for "stackable insert" pans designed for pressure cookers
• Ceramic ramekins: Perfect for individual portions
• Silicone moulds: Flexible and easy to remove
• Springform pans (7-inch/18cm): The classic choice for pressure cooker cheesecakes
• Round cake pans: Must fit with clearance around edges

Foil or Silicone Lid

For most PIP recipes, you'll want to cover the container to prevent condensation from dripping into your food. Use aluminium foil tented over the dish, or invest in silicone lids designed for this purpose.

Basic PIP Setup

1. Add 1-1.5 cups of water to the main pot (check your specific cooker's minimum requirement)
2. Place the trivet in the pot, handles up for easy removal
3. Prepare your food in the secondary container
4. Cover the container with foil or a silicone lid
5. Lower the container onto the trivet
6. Lock the lid and pressure cook as directed
7. Use the trivet handles to lift out the hot container

Perfect Applications for PIP Cooking

Cheesecake

Pressure cooker cheesecake is legendary in the Instant Pot community, and for good reason. The moist environment produces incredibly creamy cheesecake without the cracks that plague oven-baked versions.

• Use a 7-inch (18cm) springform pan wrapped in foil to prevent water seepage
• Cook on high pressure for 35-40 minutes
• Natural release for 10 minutes, then quick release
• Cool gradually to prevent cracking

Rice and Grains (in PIP container)

While rice cooks perfectly directly in the pot, PIP allows you to cook rice simultaneously with a main dish. Place rice in a heat-safe container on the trivet while a curry or stew cooks below.

Eggs in Ramekins

Individual egg cups, frittatas, or egg bites cook perfectly using PIP. The gentle heat prevents rubbery texture.

• Grease ramekins well
• Cover each with foil
• Cook on low pressure for 8-10 minutes
• Quick release

Steamed Puddings

Traditional steamed puddings that normally require hours of stovetop steaming finish in under an hour with PIP. Sticky date pudding, chocolate pudding, and classic Christmas pudding all work brilliantly.

Delicate Fish

Fish fillets can overcook in direct liquid. PIP cooking gently steams fish to perfect flakiness. Place fish in a shallow dish, season, cover with foil, and cook on low pressure for 3-5 minutes depending on thickness.

Steamed Vegetables

When cooking a main dish that might flavour vegetables undesirably, steam the vegetables in a separate container using PIP. They stay distinct and perfectly cooked.

Advanced PIP: Cooking Multiple Dishes

One of PIP's greatest advantages is cooking complete meals simultaneously. With stackable containers, you can prepare protein, starch, and vegetables in a single cooking session.

Stacked Cooking Example

For a complete chicken dinner:

1. Place chicken thighs directly in the pot with broth and aromatics
2. Set the trivet on top
3. Place rice in a container on the trivet
4. Stack a second container with vegetables on top of the rice container
5. Cook at high pressure for 15 minutes
6. Natural release 10 minutes, then quick release for vegetables

Troubleshooting PIP Cooking

Food Is Undercooked

Heat takes longer to reach food in a secondary container than food in direct contact with the pot. Add 5-10 minutes to conventional pressure cooking times when using PIP.

Condensation in the Dish

Water droplets form when steam condenses on the foil or lid and drips down. Tent the foil so water runs off the sides rather than pooling in the centre. Alternatively, use silicone lids that seal more effectively.

Container Won't Fit

Measure your pressure cooker's interior diameter before purchasing containers. Most 6-quart/6-litre cookers accommodate 7-inch (18cm) round containers with appropriate clearance.

Difficulty Removing Hot Container

Create a foil sling before cooking: fold a long piece of foil into a strip, place it under the container before lowering into the pot, and leave the ends accessible for lifting out after cooking.

Essential PIP Accessories

While you can manage with items from your kitchen, dedicated accessories make PIP cooking easier:

• Stackable steamer inserts: Purpose-built stacking pans with handles
• 7-inch springform pan: Essential for cheesecakes
• Silicone egg bite moulds: Perfect for individual portions
• Silicone sling: Reusable lifting accessory with handles
• Pyrex round containers with lids: Versatile for many PIP applications

Pot-in-pot cooking significantly expands your pressure cooker's capabilities. From silky cheesecakes to complete one-pot meals with distinct components, PIP opens up possibilities that make the pressure cooker even more indispensable in your kitchen.