Was your vent on seal, I cooked something once and it didn't work because I didn't move the vent to seal.

thanks to everybody for pointing me toward youtube videos... a bit of a duh moment for me??

Thanks a ton cherryfizz! I'll be looking up more of her Instant Pot videos!

My DD bought one, looked at the manual, decided not worth the hassle, and returned it!

The manual is not the best, I relied on the Youtube videos to show me how to use the Instant Pot.

that piece on lid that makes pot pressurize and/or release pressure? if it supposed to wobble freely? there's something about pushing the silver button on under side of lid, but nothing happens?

On the top of the lid there's a black valve. Make sure it's pointed towards the back. When your stuff is done point it towards you. Make sure to use something like a spoon to knock it into place after it's done. Steam will come shooting out. I agree with Cherryfizz YouTube is awesome. Especially if you're a visual learner. And remember 5 minutes is the time it takes after it reached pressure. It can take a while to get to that point.

Hareball... gonna go try yet another egg. nowhere in the manual doers it say that piece should point toward the back? directly in front of that wobbler it says "seal" (i think, or something like that) and at about 3:00 and 9:00 it says vent. now what you just said makes sense... that little pin that pops up will be covered by that part.

If you have a name brand Instant Pot your venting knob should look like this and these are the positions. :)

When you're going to cook something position the knob like in the picture away from you to the "seal" position. When done move towards the "venting" position but remember to use something so you don't burn yourself. And that little silver circle you see to the right in the picture will drop when the pressure is released.

Mine has three options for the notch on top. The center is sealing/pressure, and a vent option on each side. It's a new, 6 quart Instant Pot. I'll take a picture.

mine is only a 3 quart but sounds like Marcy's... 3 positions. that knob won't point to back. i really thought this was something you put stuff in, pressed a few buttons and let it do its thing. apparently not? i put 2 eggs in with enough water. pressed steam and set for 5 minutes like the youtube things said. only way i could get any action out of the pot was to point knob toward vent. i'm sure it would have steamed dry if i hadn't moved know to seal position after it started hissing/steaming. it wasn't until i manually moved the position that the original 5 minutes came up on display and started counting down. now it shows LO:06... whatever that means. i'm getting really frustrated.

For most items the top knob has to be on seal and it will be loose but it is in the middle position. The L0:06 means it has finished the function and is keeping your pot on and the contents warm for up to 99 minutes. When you read the manual you might as well toss it, it’s not user friendly. As Cherryfizz said watch YouTube videos or look online for a recipe you want to convert to your instant pot. A friend gave me good advice, as I had never used a pressure cooker and was hesitant to do so, as a matter of fact I was extremely scared! Toss a tea towel over top of your instant pot covering where the steam vent is so when you release it that blast of steam won’t scald your hand/arm. Most of the time I just let mine go to the cool down period and it releases itself then goes into that L0:?? Mode letting you know how many minutes ago it finished. The tea towel also saves your upper cupboards from particles of red from spaghetti sauce or jams and jellies that release with the steam. Love my instant pot and have cooked numerous items in it.

Your recipe will tell you whether to use quick release or natural release of the pressure. I have had best results just using google.....example: how to cook ____ in the Instant Pot. Most of them give you step by step instructions along with the recipe. Actually, the manual does go through the basics when you read it through and through. I have had good luck doing beans, eggs, and shredded beef.

As far as time, don't forget to allow for the time it takes to come up to pressure and to release if using natural release. Most recipes tell you this, also.

anoriginal put it on seal, and let it sit. It may take 10 or 15 minutes to reach pressure, but it won't spew and jiggle like an old fashioned pressure cooker. The time will start counting down once the pressure is reached so just because it says you can boil eggs in 5 minutes, it still takes the extra time to get the pressure up. Leaving the knob on vent allows the pressure to escape and it will never seal like it's supposed to.

i can see there are many here who will be will to help this "dummiy"... thank you all, in advance!

The current wisdom on doing eggs is 5-5-5. That means to using either the Manual or Pressure button, set it for 5 minutes. It will come to pressure then the 5 minutes begins. Let it natural pressure release (which means to do nothing) for 5 minutes and then quick release (move the black knob (yes it wobbles) to vent (use a wooden spoon so you don't get spewed on) or throw a towel over it. Anyway the third 5 is 5 minutes in an ice bath. It really does make nice hard boiled eggs.

There is a great page on Facebook called Instant Pot Community. You can get lots of recipes, ask any questions you want and someone will help you. They will point you towards other blogs and sites that have good information.

The manual is not very helpful at all.

Have fun.

Oh and use the trivet that came with your pot. Usually 1 cup of water will suffice. Put your eggs on the trivet (or use a metal vegetable steamer) and keep them above the water.

One other thing. Because yours is a 3 quart pot, most recipes are written for the 6 quart so usually cutting them in half (except for how much water to put in) will work.

as FINALLY able to cook 2 different things. first some cauliflower... note to self... 5 minutes is too long. it was edible but very soft.

actually able to hardboil 4 eggs. note to self... when it beeps after 5 minutes, turn off, vent and put into ice water. otherwise, it'll slowly cool down and eggs don't come out very nice.

what I would really like to find would be "cheat sheets"... maybe one nothing but veggies... how to cook (steam, pressure cook) and how long... list from a to z... artichokes to zukes.

maybe another with things like beans, rice, grains, barley, etc. ration product:water, time and method??

inexpensive collapsible metal steamer fits/works perfectly!

anoriginal

bravo!! you're getting there! little by little. keep us posted on what you make.