I pulled out my Instant Pot the other day. I was trying out a new recipe, and I could. not. wait.
The recipe said to click the “sauté” button to brown the chicken.
I added the oil, waited a few minutes for it to warm up, and added my chicken.
Let me tell you, the only thing that was “browning” was the bottom of my Instant Pot.
What in the world was I doing wrong?
Thankfully, I’m a person who doesn’t give up until I get food perfect, so I started investigating.
Why is My Meat is Burning When I Sauté in my Instant Pot?
I went into total science mode.
I knew the recipe couldn’t be completely wrong.I just didn’t know how to sauté in the Instant Pot!
So I started playing with my IP, the sauté button, and chicken.
It took some testing, but I finally realized that what I was doing wrong, was the sequence of the steps!
How to Sauté Meat Without Burning It!
The very first thing you need to do is heat your Instant Pot. Before you put ANYTHING in it.
Not even the oil.
Once it’s had a chance to heat up, then you add the oil. Give the oil a few seconds to come up to temp, then add the meat.
(This applies to every pan that’s not non-stick.)
See, the thing is, if you have a hot pan and cold oil, the food won’t stick!
After you put your meat in, you need to wait until it’s seared before you flip it.
If it sticks to the pan, it’s not ready.
You’ll want to leave the meat alone until it forms a crust and releases from the pan.
***Another quick tip: a good flat ended wooden turner is indispensable when it comes to searing meat in the Instant Pot!
So to sauté meat without burning it, you’ll just sauté your Instant Pot until it says hot, then add your oil and place the meat in the pot.
After a few minutes, you’ll turn the meat over using the wooden spatula and continue searing the other side.
When it’s done, you can add a little water or stock to the pot. The steam will loosen any food that is stuck to the pan.
Finally, you can use the spatula to scrape (deglaze) all the meat bits off the bottom of the pot!
It’s as simple as that to sauté delicious Instant Pot Meat!
p.s. Save this simple trick to Pinterest or Facebook so you don’t forget this next time you need to sauté meat in your Instant Pot 😉
