There’s nothing better than making your own sausage. Not only because you can choose your favorite meat and cook it based on your preferences, but also because you can flavor it how you want. The spices are where the magic is in the sausage-making business. And making your own sausage is in fact easier than you may have thought it would be.

In this article we’ll go over how you can make a sausage from start to finish and talk about each step in-depth, so by the time you’re done reading, you may be a sausage expert in the making. We’ll discuss how you can pick the right casings, how to flavor the sausage, and many other steps in between which if you follow, you’ll end up with the tastiest sausage you’ve ever made.

The Prep Before You Start Making Your Homemade Sausages

There are some preparations that you need to do before you start making your sausages, and we’ll cover those first.

Mise-en-Place

Mise-en-place is an important French culinary phrase that covers the preparation process or putting everything in place before you start cooking, and that’s the first step towards making your sausages. The process includes:

• Reading the entire recipe;
• Preparing the workspace;
• Gathering the equipment;
• Gathering the ingredients;
• Preparing the ingredients and placing them in bowls.

The Meat

After you’ve collected all the ingredients in one place, it’s time to prep the meat. An essential step when handling meat is keeping both the meat and the equipment as cold as possible before you start stuffing the sausages. This makes sure that your meat grinder or stuffer nozzle doesn’t clog up as you try to make your sausages. To keep the meat cold, simply keep it in the refrigerator until the very last moment, or even place it in the freezer for 15 minutes before you start making the sausages.

The Sausage Casings

Another key ingredient apart from the meat is the sausage casings which come in two varieties, natural casings, and synthetic casings, and each needs to be prepared accordingly.

The natural casings should be soaked in cold water for about 30 minutes in order to remove the excess salt before you start making the sausages. Afterward you need to rinse them thoroughly under cold water and go through the whole casing by placing the end of the casing under the faucet and filling it up like a balloon. Then you need to push the water from one end to the end of the other with your hands, and your casings will be squeaky clean.

Synthetic casings, on the other hand, need much less work before you can start filling them with the sausage meat as you only need to soak them in water for about 5 minutes. This makes the casings pliable and easier to fill once you have the filling ready.

Generally, you would use casings with a 21-23 mm diameter for smaller stuffer tubes, while for larger stuffer tubes you’d opt for the 28-30mm diameter casings.

How to Stuff Sausage Casings

If you’ve never tried making your own sausages, this process may seem a bit elaborate, but it’s definitely gonna be worth it. Follow the steps below to make the most delicious homemade sausages that you’ve ever tried.

Chopping and Grinding the Meat

The first step after you’ve done the mise-en-place, rinsed the casings, and chilled the meat is chopping the meat and preparing it to go in the grinder. For this step, you need to take your meat out of the fridge or freezer and cut it into 1-inch pieces. After that, you can return it to the fridge until it’s time to grind it.

After it’s properly chilled and you have your grinder ready to go, you can take the meat out of the fridge and start grinding it. Use the coarse attachment to get a chunky texture or the fine attachment for an integrated texture. Return the meat to the fridge after you’ve ground it.

The Spices

Make your favorite spice blend and combine them with garlic and a small amount of either vinegar, water, or wine depending on which you prefer. If you’re adding mustard powder or paprika, first combine the liquid with the mustard, add the paprika, and then add the other spices. This step will ensure that all the herbs, spices, and salts are well incorporated in the meat. Mix the meat and spices by hand, and you’re ready for the next step.

The Taste Test

Before you start stuffing the sausages, it’s time for the taste test. Get your frying pan out and cook a bit of the sausage filling. After it’s done, try it and check whether the mixture has enough spices, salt, and add more if necessary. If you’re satisfied with the result, proceed to the nest step.

Emulsification

Some types of sausages and meat products require that you emulsify the meat and create a meat paste that you’ll stuff in the casing. For this you’ll need your food processor and a few ice cubes to balance out the heat that the equipment will produce. Place your meat and ice cubes in the food processor and process the mixture in ½ pound batches for about 1 minute per batch. Place the mixture in the fridge once more.

Its Stuffing Time

Take your sausage stuffer out, place it on your workstation, and add a sheet pan under the stuffer to catch the drippings. Apply vegetable or canola oil to the nozzle to make sure that the meat doesn’t stick to the nozzle once you start pushing the sausage. Take the sausage filling out of the fridge, and you’re ready to stuff some sausages.

Take the end of the casing and place it around the stuffer nozzle. Put the meat in the stuffer and start pushing the meat until it’s poking out of the nozzle end. Tie the knot at the end of the casing, and then you can start pushing the meat mixture inside the casing. Make sure that you push it slow and steady to prevent your casing from ripping apart.

During this step, you need to also be aware of some air pockets that may form on the sausages. Don’t worry about them. Remember not to pack the meat too tightly when making a coil because you may not be able to divide them into individual sausages effectively. And in just a few minutes, you’ll have your sausages ready.

Snipping and Twisting

The last step is separating the individual sausages. To do this, redistribute the meat evenly across the casing if you see that the sausage isn’t even throughout the whole length of the casing. Then pinch sausage links every 4, 6, or 8 inches and twist the 1st and 3rd link in the same direction throughout the length to twist 3 links at the same time. Finally, it’s time to snip the sausages by cutting between the links.

Final Thoughts

While sausage-making isn’t very difficult as you may have concluded after reading the previous articles, it really takes both dedication and having a nice spice blend to make the perfect sausage. However, the star of the show will always be the meat, so purchasing high-quality meat is imperative. Each step is essential to getting the best possible sausage out of your meat.

Finally, you can take your grill out and give yourself the opportunity to enjoy your homemade sausage as it should be enjoyed – grilled to perfection. We hope you enjoy the process and that the end result is according to your liking. And if your sausages turned out to be a hit, why not invite some friends over so you can share your culinary masterpiece with them. Have a nice meal!

For many, the Instant Pot is a smart investment. This multi-purpose kitchen appliance can save space, time, money, and energy. However, that’s only true if you know how to get the most out of it. And, many people are missing out by using the Instant Pot for pressure cooking only.

In an Instant Pot, you can do almost if not everything – from sauces and yogurts to air-frying healthy snacks, or dehydrating fruits. In fact, you can even prepare an elaborate and delicious dinner for your loved ones without being stuck in the kitchen for hours on end. The whole process is easier than you think.

In this article, we’ll explain how to use an Instant Pot as a slow cooker and what the benefits are. But, first, let’s talk about slow cooking in general.

Why Slow Cooking?

The Instant Pot is notorious for shortening the cooking time for incredibly long recipes. That’s why so many people with busy schedules swear by it. But, with that in mind, what can we expect when we want to use the slow cooking method for our meal?

Just like baking, frying, deep-frying, or simmering, slow cooking is a specific method of preparing food. It relies on using low heat for a long amount of time, hence the name.

The reason why people sometimes prefer to slow cook a meal is related to texture and taste, but also health. Foods that are prepared over low heat are more nutritious, taste better (more intense flavor), and are usually a lot more tender in texture.

Slow cooking is usually done with a special kitchen appliance called a ‘slow cooker.’ Basically, this is an electronically heated (with few settings), ceramic bowl with a glass lid that offers three main benefits:

• hands-off cooking;
• conservation of energy;
• extraction of flavor.

Slow cookers offer incredible convenience. You can leave the food unsupervised for a long period of time while you tend to your other responsibilities – without impacting the quality of food.

Slow Cooking With an Instant Pot

From the description, you might have noticed that slow cookers have a lot in common with the Instant Pot. This is not a coincidence. The Instant Pot is designed to be a multi-cooker with pressure cooking, sautéing, slow cooking, steaming, rice cooking, and yogurt making as some of its best features.

So, if you were wondering whether you can slow cook in an Instant Pot, we’re here to assure you that you absolutely should, and here’s how!

How to Use an Instant Pot as a Slow Cooker?

Contrary to popular belief, slow cooking is not an intimidating or complex process. In fact, slow cookers are made for one-pot recipes that require almost no food preparation. In most cases, slow cooking means cutting the ingredients into large chunks, adding seasoning, liquid, and pushing a button. Doesn’t sound like you need chef’s skills to do it, right?

Nevertheless, you do need confidence, which is why, we’re going to break down the process, step-by-step.

A Few Considerations Before You Start

Let’s start by making sure that you have everything ready to start cooking – and we don’t mean the ingredients for your chosen recipe.

There are two important considerations you need to know before slow cooking in an Instant Pot.

The first one is the glass lid. As we already mentioned, slow cookers are traditionally made with a glass lid that allows a little bit of steam and moisture to escape the cooker. However, the standard lid for the Instant Pot has an air-tight lock mechanism that completely traps steam and moisture – perfect for pressure cooking but not slow cooking.

You might already have a glass lid as it’s a common accessory for the Instant Pot, but if you don’t you can buy one from Amazon. The glass lid won’t cost more than $30, but if you haven’t bought an Instant Pot yet, it’s a smart idea to get one that has a glass lid included.

The second consideration concerns the recipe adjustment. What we mean by this is that adding water or broth is really important when pressure cooking with an Instant Pot, and also for slow cooking in general. However, since the two cooking methods are very different, the liquid concentration needs to be adjusted. This is also true when you’re following recipes designed for a slow cooker.

The rule of thumb is that you won’t need more than a cup of liquid when using the slow cooking setting in the Instant Pot. However, to make sure you have just the right measurements, let’s see how to convert any recipe into an Instant Pot recipe.

How to Make Slow Cooker to Instant Pot Conversions

Liquid Concentration

The first difference you may notice in some slow cooking recipes is that they might ask for no liquid at all. And, that’s okay. When you’re using a slow cooker, you don’t need a liquid, but it’s a very different story when using the Instant Pot.

The Instant Pot needs liquid, even when using the slow cooking setting. If your original recipe is without liquid, add around at least 1 cup of liquid.

If you’re worried about creating a watered-down version of your recipe, you have two options:

• Use the steamer basket (accessory) to keep your food above the water line.
• Use the Saute function after the slow cooking to boil off excess liquid.

Time Adjustment

The second difference between slow cooker and Instant Pot recipes is the time. Since they’re two different appliances with different properties, the time to cook the food won’t be the same for the two.

Most slow cookers have three settings:

• Low setting – cooking time can take 9+ hours (cooking usually starts the day before).
• Medium setting – cooking time is up to 6 hours.
• High setting – cooking time is up to 4 hours.

In slow cookers, the max temperature is around 209 °F regardless of setting. The low and high options refer to how much time it takes for the cooker to reach a simmer point – not the temperature with which it will cook the food.

The Instant Pot’s Slow Cooking setting has three options which are temperature-associated:

• Slow cooker setting + Less = cook at  190 °F.
• Slow cooker setting + Normal = cook between 195-205 °F.
• Slow cooker setting + More = cook at around 200-210 °F.

Usually, if the recipe says to use the low setting on a slow cooker, this would correspond to the less option of the slow cook setting in the Instant Pot. Alternatively, if the slow cooking recipe says that the meal needs to be cooked eight to nine hours, that’s your cue to use the less setting in the Instant Pot.

Disclaimer: In this article, we’re teaching you how to use the Instant Pot as a slow cooker. This means cooking just as you would in a slow cooker. However, since the Instant Pot is designed to speed things up, you can actually convert slow cooking recipes to Instant Pot recipes (pressure cooking) and achieve relatively the same result in less than an hour.

Using The Slow Cook Option

Let’s start cooking.

1. Prepare all the ingredients!

Cut all the ingredients into large chunks and place them inside the Instant Pot with at least one cup of liquid (water or broth). Alternatively add one cup of water into the Instant Pot and insert the steamer basket. Then, load all the ingredients into the steamer basket making sure that all the food is above the water line.

Tip: Be mindful about the amount of ingredients you need. You may need to scale down your recipe to fit, as you should be careful not to overfill the Instant Pot.

2. Place the Glass Lid on Top!

Do not close the Instant Pot with its standard top that has an air-tight lock mechanism because this will create pressure inside the pot. Instead, use the glass lid that comes as an accessory or the regular tempered glass lid that you bought from Amazon.

Tip: If you do not have a glass lid to use, then you can use the standard lid by putting the steam release handle in the venting position.

3. Press the “Slow Cook” button.

The next step is to plug in the device and choose the “Slow Cook” option by pressing the labeled button.

4. Set the Time.

The Instant Pot allows you to set the desired cooking time anywhere from 20 minutes to 20 hours. Use the “+” and “-” buttons to set the time. The buttons are under the time display where you can read the time you’ve chosen.

5. Choose the Cooking Mode.

Older models do not have a special button, but you need to press the “Slow Cook” button more than once to change the cooking mode – which you can read on the display. However, the newer models have three distinct buttons located next to Timer and above Manual. They read “Less,” “Normal,” and “More” and correspond to the standard settings of Low, Medium and High in most Crock-Pot slow cookers.

6. Wait 10 seconds!

Ten seconds after you push the last button the Instant Pot will start cooking. At this point, you can go about your day and leave the Instant Pot to do its business. You don’t even have to be there when it’s scheduled to finish. Once the timer runs off (cooking is complete), the Instant Pot will automatically shift to a “Keep Warm” setting for up to 10 hours. That’s all!

Conclusion

Cooking in the Instant Pot is a fuss-free experience regardless of what you want to prepare or how you want it prepared. Even when you want the benefits of a deciduous and tender, slow-cooked meal, you can press a few buttons and leave the Instant Pot to prepare the food while you go about your day.

In fact, with the Instant Pot and a glass lid you can mimic standard Crock-Pot slow cookers to the T. But, unlike traditional slow cookers, with the Instant Pot you can choose the exact time you need your meal to be ready – from 20 minutes to 20 hours. On top of that, the Instant has a smart function where it automatically shifts to keep the food warm (up to 10 hours) once it’s done cooking.

So, what are you waiting for? We hope that our guide gives you the confidence you need to start slow cooking some amazing recipes in yot Instant Pot making the most out of this magical multi-functional cooker.

If you are someone who enjoys cooking, you’re likely to have crossed paths with a pressure cooker. Even if you’re not planning on becoming a “home chef”, the convenience that pressure cookers provide may still have drawn you to them.

Pressure cookers are incredibly convenient and great at cutting down cooking time, especially when it comes to cooking meat and legumes, which are not only harder but also trickier to cook well. But despite their advantages, many people hesitate to use them because they are intimidating.

One of the things that people feel uncertain about when using a pressure cooker is deciding on how much water or liquid to put in. And today, we’re here to help you learn all about it. But first, it’s important to share a little bit about how pressure cookers work and whether there are significant differences in the amount of water you need based on the type of pressure cooker you’re using.

How Do Pressure Cookers Work?

The Science Behind Pressure Cookers

The science behind pressure cookers is actually very basic. Simply put, pressure cookers utilize the combined power of steam and high pressure to speed up the cooking process. Heating the pressure cooker causes the water inside to evaporate and turn into steam, and the air-tight lid prevents the steam from escaping, which increases the inner pressure of the cooking chamber. The high pressure inside the chamber raises the boiling point of the cooking liquid, allowing higher heat exposure, which, in turn, cuts down on the cooking time by a large margin.

According to an article by Michigan State University, a traditional pressure cooker can cook the food at around 250 degrees Fahrenheit (121 degrees Celcius), while the boiling point of water under normal pressure is 212 degrees Fahrenheit (100 degrees Celcius). Some modern pressure cookers can achieve even higher boiling points and therefore can cook even faster. The math is very simple: the more you allow the liquid to heat up at a higher temperature without boiling, the faster the cooking time you’re going to get.

The Parts of a Pressure Cooker

​​To ensure safety in the kitchen when you’re cooking it’s important to be familiar with the parts of your average pressure cooker and know what these parts do.

In a traditional pressure cooker, the cooking chamber itself is usually made out of stainless steel or aluminum. The lid or the cover of the chamber usually has a safety valve to ensure that the internal pressure of the chamber doesn’t go above the chamber’s capacity, preventing the cooker from exploding. A rubber piece is usually placed around the lid to prevent the steam from leaking.

In addition to these parts, electric pressure cookers usually contain a secondary chamber placed inside the outer chamber, where the food is actually contained. These pressure cookers often also contain a condensation collector part that is attached to the outer chamber of the appliance.

And lastly, even though it’s not an essential part of a pressure cooker, most modern stovetop pressure cookers also include a digital timer attached to the lid.

Types of Pressure Cookers

Now that we have a general understanding of how pressure cookers work, let’s take a look at what kind of pressure cookers there are and the main differences between them.

Fundamentally, there are two types of pressure cookers: traditional stovetop and electric. Even though stovetop pressure cookers are the more established type, as they have been around for a while and are probably more well-known, electric pressure cookers like the Instant Pot have brought pressure cookers back into the spotlight.

Stovetop pressure cookers are exactly what the name suggests: they need a heat source to work. Despite being quite straightforward, they are the type that requires the most diligence to use because they lack certain safety features that most electric pressure cookers have. Beginner cooks may want to be more cautious.

On the other hand, electric pressure cookers like the Instant Pot don’t need a heat source — they need an electric outlet to plug the device in instead. These appliances are much easier to use and therefore more beginner-friendly, as many of them have automatic cooking modes for different types of food.

You can read our Pressure Cooker Reviews to find out more about various models of pressure cookers.

The Basics of Using a Pressure Cooker

Now that we’ve established the basics of pressure cookers, we can finally get to learn about using one!

Learning how to use a pressure cooker boils down to knowing how much liquid you need to add in and what you need to do to make sure you’re using it safely.

Here are some general points on using a pressure cooker that will help you get the best out of your cooking experience.

How Much Water to Put in a Pressure Cooker?

When you’re cooking with a pressure cooker, avoid filling the pot with too much water. If the pressure cooker has a maximum limit, do not exceed this limit by putting in too much water or food.

Generally, leaving at least ⅓ of the pot empty is a good rule of thumb to follow. Too much liquid in the pressure cooker may clog the safety valve, which may cause your cooker to explode and it may damage your kitchen or cause burns.

It’s also good to remember that putting enough liquid in a pressure cooker is just as important as not putting too much liquid in.

To explain this simply: you need steam in order for your pressure cooker to work and for your food to cook properly. If there isn’t enough water in there, there isn’t going to be enough steam inside the pot to create the pressure needed to cook the food through.

When you’re cooking with a stovetop pressure cooker, it’s normally recommended to put in at least one cup (237 ml) of water or any other thin liquid such as chicken or vegetable stock, but of course, different recipes may call for different measurements.

The official user manual of one of the most popular electric pressure cookers, the Instant Pot, also recommends putting in at least one cup of liquid, although other models’ manuals may even suggest at least 500 ml of liquid, which converts into a little less than two cups. This is mainly due to the sizes of the pressure cookers varying from model to model, which changes the amount of liquid needed.  You can read our review of Instant Pot’s programmable pressure cooker to learn more about Instant Pot.

Don’t Forget to Add Water

It’s generally not safe to use a pressure cooker without any liquid inside, as it may lead to explosions. As a safety mechanism, most electric pressure cookers will give an error or will not start cooking unless there is a sufficient amount of liquid inside, but this is still a good rule to keep in mind.

Also, if you intend to use thickening ingredients like corn starch for thicker consistency soups and stews, be sure to add these ingredients after the pressure cooking process is done. Adding the thickening agent early will thicken the liquid inside the pot and this will allow less steam to be created and the food may not cook evenly and well.

General Safety Rules

• Whether you use an electric pressure cooker or a stovetop one, the first step is to check if your pressure cooker is in good shape. You need to make sure that none of the parts are missing or broken, and that the rubber part that goes around the lid and the valve that lets the steam escape is perfectly clean. This will allow your pressure cooker to work properly while keeping you safe in the process.
• Additionally, if you’re using a very old stovetop pressure cooker, you may need to set the steam valve up vertically when you start cooking, to allow the cooker to balance the inner pressure.
• If you’re using an electric pressure cooker, make sure that the inner chamber is placed properly and do not put food or any liquid directly into the outer chamber.
• Another important step for both electric and stovetop pressure cooker users is to release pressure at the end of cooking. Generally, you can either let the steam out manually or wait for the pressure cooker to release the steam by itself over a while. However, most recipes that involve pressure cookers will include instructions on how to release the pressure once you’re done cooking.
• And lastly, to be on the safer side, it’s always a good idea to let the pressure cooker rest without you touching or moving it for at least 5 to 10 minutes before releasing its pressure.

Conclusion

Pressure cookers are very convenient kitchen tools. They can cut back on cooking time and may even create less dirty dishes than usual because you can make complete meals in them alone. But it’s always important to remember that you’re dealing with high amounts of pressure and therefore need to be extra cautious by keeping the pressure cooker in good condition.

Another crucial thing to remember is to put at least 1 cup of thin liquid like water or stock inside the pressure cooker before you start cooking and not to fill the pot too much with liquid or food.

Now that you have the basics, hopefully, thanks to this article, we hope it’ll inspire you to explore a world of delicious pressure-cooked recipes!

The Instant Pot has been a real game-changer to many people. People with a busy schedule; people who make a lot of yogurt or rice; people who could benefit from a multi-purpose kitchen tool; and people who enjoy pressure cooking. However, what about people who love to take up canning? Is the Instant Pot a good solution for canning food?

Canning food can be an intimidating process at first. There’s certainly a learning curve with a lot of safety precautions. However, most people agree that once you get comfortable with it, the outcome is very rewarding. Canning food can help you save time, reduce food wastage, and preserve fruits and vegetables that are otherwise unavailable all year long.

Whether you’re new to canning or you’ve recently bought an Instant Pot and want to know whether you can use it for canning food, we’ve put together a little guide to help you make a good decision.  But, first, we need to talk about canning in general.

What Happens to Food When You Can?

People have always looked for ways to preserve food for longer periods of time. And, in 1809, Nicolas Appert of France found a new way to prevent food from spoilage. He invented canning, a method that would change the food industry forever.

Canning is a way to prevent food from spoiling by storing it in containers that are hermetically sealed and then sterilized by heat. The process behind it seems so logical and simple to us now, but then it took people another 50 years before they found out how canning preserves food.

Hermetically (completely airtight) sealing the food in a jar and then heating it to a certain temperature kills all the microorganisms inside the jar. And, because the food is hermetically sealed, new organisms can’t reach the food until we open it to consume it – successfully prolonging the food’s shelf life. In fact, the Canned Food Alliance has claimed that even food in dented or rusted old cans can be safely consumed if the container remains sealed.

Additionally, a lot of studies have confirmed that the nutritional value of canned food is preserved and does not deteriorate for at least two years from the moment the food has been canned.

The only real danger from canned food is clostridium botulinum bacteria – one of the most lethal substances that cause severe and dangerous food poisoning. It’s a rare toxin but one that can be caused by improperly processed foods, including homemade canned and fermented foods, which is why this process requires a lot of caution.

Pressure Cookers and Canning

Knowing that canning could potentially be a dangerous way of preserving food, the canning methods and safety precautions have been thoroughly researched. Today, we have a good idea of what someone needs to do to ensure a safe canning process. Can pressure cookers such as the Instant Pot guarantee a safe canning process?

A lot of electric pressure cookers have been advertised as a great tool with which one can process home-canned foods. Some models of the Instant Pot even come with a “canning” feature/option. Yet, The United States Department of Agriculture (USDA) has recommended against electric pressure cookers being used for canning. This was also supported by preliminary research conducted by Utah State University.

The reason behind this is that it seems pressure cookers, including the Instant Pot, do not hit the high temperature needed for canning safely at home. This is mostly because the Instant Pot is regulated by a pressure sensor, and not by a thermometer. The pressure sensor is not a reliable indicator of the cooking temperature. For instance, the altitude of your location can significantly impact the actual cooking temperature, which in some cases can make canning an unsafe procedure.

For many, this is more than enough to end the conversation and never attempt to can in an Instant Pot. This would be a totally reasonable conclusion. However, more experienced canners might wonder whether the same conclusion can be applied to all types of canning. This is a valid remark, so let’s break this down.

Types of Canning

Essentially, there are three methods or types of canning: pressure canning, water bath canning, and atmospheric steam can. We’ll explain each method in more detail and see whether some of them might be a safer alternative for home canning.

Pressure Canning

Pressure canning is a technique of home food preservation that uses a pressure cooker or similar equipment to process food at a higher temperature than other canning methods, such as the water bath canning technique. In other words, everything that we’ve been talking about so far in the article referred to pressure canning.

The study from Utah University and the recommendations from the USDA were also made for pressure canning in electric pressure cookers. This is important to know because pressure canning works very differently than water bath canning.

Pressure canning uses a lot less water than water bath canning – the jars are not covered in water. Instead, the Instant Pot traps steam inside the pressurized container which helps raise the temperature beyond 240 degrees Fahrenheit.

The advantages of pressure canning include:

• Ability to preserve lower acidic food without the need of adding acid.
• Ability to maintain the natural flavor of foods (more so than other methods).
• Using less water and energy during the canning process.
• Ability to keep the canned products at room temperature.

However, one of the biggest disadvantages of pressure canning is the inability to control the temperature at different altitudes because the Instant Pot is regulated by a pressure sensor and not a thermometer. This is a very serious safety concern that should not be ignored.

Can You Pressure Can In an Instant Pot?

To conclude, we do not recommend pressure canning in an Instant Pot because of the studies and USDA recommendations. Remember that an improper canning process can cause botulism – a potentially fatal food poisoning.

Water Bath Canning

The classical way to can your food at home is through a so-called water bath technique. In fact, this is what we explained when we discussed Nicolas Appert of France who invented canning.

Water bath canning, also known as boiling water canning, is a very easy method of canning through which you can preserve your favorite jams, pickles, or sauces. It works by hermetically sealing the jars and then submerging them completely in boiling water for at least 10 minutes, but maybe more depending on the recipe and type of food.

However, there’s a “catch.” Water bath canning only works for high-acidic foods. For example, you can preserve tomatoes, fruit, fermented vegetables such as pickles or sauerkraut. You can also preserve different jams, jellies, and sauces.

With the water bath method, you can’t preserve meats, beans, seafood, corn, or any low-acidic vegetables such as cucumbers. For these foods, you need to do pressure canning.

Can You Water Bath Can In an Instant Pot?

This is another advantage of the water bath canning – you can absolutely do this in an Instant Pot under three conditions:

1. The lid needs to be off! Do not put the lid off – you should not create a pressurized environment.
2. The jars need to be elevated! You need to have a rack that fits inside the Instant Pot because if the jars sit directly on the bottom of the pot the heat can crack the jars.
3. The jars need to be fully submerged in water! This method won’t work if your Instant Pot doesn’t have enough height to fully submerge the jars underwater.

If you can fulfill these three conditions, then you can safely do water bath canning in the Instant Pot.

Atmospheric Steam Can

Finally, the third type of canning is a so-called atmospheric steam canning, which is an alternative to pressure canning.

To safely can foods under pressure you need at least 10 psig (pounds-per-square-inch gauge). At sea level, this is needed to create a boiling temperature of 240 degrees F. The Instant Pot claims to be able to reach 15 psig. That’s great, however, we’ve seen studies that claim that the Instant Pot’s 15 psig is not enough to kill all the harmful bacteria. The reason for this is altitude. For instance, if you live more than 1000 feet (300 meters) above sea level, the minimum psig should be increased. The SpruceEats have a nice guide on how to safely do pressure canning at higher altitudes.

What has this to do with atmospheric steam canning? Well, both pressure and steam canning use pressure instead of water to create a high temperature. However, unlike pressure canning where the environment is created artificially (induced pressure), the steam canners use natural atmospheric steam to reach sterilizing heat. Here, the jars are enclosed in a pot that uses natural steam to process the food.

The University of Wisconsin has conducted a study where they concluded that atmospheric steam canning is safe for home food preservation of high acidic foods.

Unlike pressure canning, steam canning has the same limitations as water bath canning when it comes to the type of food you can preserve. However, it does share some of the benefits of pressure canning – it saves water and energy and it saves the flavor of the food.

Can You Steam Can In an Instant Pot?

Unfortunately, no. You can’t steam can in an Instant Pot. To preserve food under steam you need an atmospheric steam canner. Tools that are specifically designed for canning under steam are your best bet if you don’t want to risk food poisoning or simply spoiling food with improper techniques. Also, don’t use old models that are out of production – they may not be safe.

Conclusion

Canning foods for preservation is a centuries-old technique that some cultures have heavily depended on for survival during winter days. In fact, in many countries throughout the world, canning through the water bath method is a tradition that is still practiced today, especially in Slavic countries. However, for someone who’s just starting with canning or wants to modernize traditional canning techniques, using the Instant Pot might seem like the most practical solution.

There are many things for which the Instant Pot is indispensable, but when it comes to canning – the verdict is not in its favor – at least for pressure canning. Sure, you could can in an Instant Pot, especially if you have a newer model such as the Instant Pot Max, but there are safety concerns backed by science.

You could avoid these safety risks by taking further precautions, but this can be very overwhelming for newbies.

Our recommendation is to begin with water bath canning, gain experience and confidence, and then slowly progress as you learn more about this process. The good news is that you can do water bath canning in an Instant Pot.

If you find yourself on a vacation in Italy, it’s not very likely that you’ll find the term ‘Italian sausage’ on the restaurant menu. You may simply see a ‘salsiccia’ on the menu, although, there are many different types on Italian menus. However, if you’re looking for a place to eat a delicious sausage somewhere in the cities of North America, you may find yourself intrigued by a special type of pork sausage, commonly referred to as ‘the Italian sausage’.

This type of sausage is also known as ‘Sweet Italian Sausage’, ‘Mild Italian Sausage’, but also ‘Hot Italian Sausage. The terms ‘sweet’ and ‘mild’ you may use interchangeably, as they usually refer to the same type of Italian sausage.

In most cases, we are talking about a pork sausage made with anis, fennel seeds, and in the case of hot sausage, some hot spice is expected as well (e.g. minced hot peppers), according to preference.

If you’re an Italian food lover, you must have run into this type of sausage when ordering pasta, pizza, and many other meat-containing Italian dishes.

Also, if you have a recipe that requires a hot Italian sausage, but you have only found the mild/sweet one, all you need to do is add some crushed pepper, chili, or minced hot paprikas, and you’re good to go.

If you find yourself in Italy, and there is a ‘sasiccia fresca’ or ‘fresh sausage’ offered in the restaurant or supermarket, and if its primary seasoning is with fennel, you can rest assured that you are dealing with Italian sausage.

History of the Italian Sausage

This may be a bit unexpected, but the evidence of the Italian sausage as we know it today dates back all the way to the 1st century before Christ.

The recipe and the dish were first described by the Roman historian Marco Terenzio Varrone. Thanks to him two thousand years later, we are still able to enjoy this delicious meal. And the best part is that today it’s not only available and known in Italy and countries that previously belonged to the Roman Empire, but everywhere in the world.

In his writings, Varrone called this delicates dish ‘lucanica’. It is possible that the sausage was previously called also ‘luganega’. Lucanica is how the Roman soldiers who were the first ones to learn how to prepare it, used to call it. Lucanica was a dish made of minced meat that was packed into a case and well seasoned. According to Martial and Cicero, the sausage was named by the region of its origin – the Italian Lucania.

In the US, thanks to the rich cultural mix in most parts of the country, along with the people migrating from Italy, came also the famous Italian sausage… and since it’s so good, it stuck around for quite some time.

Now, let’s dive a bit deeper into the topic: what is this sausage made of exactly, and is it possible for you to make it at home?

What Is Italian Sausage Made Of?

Making an Italian sausage at home is possible, as it doesn’t require any kind of special machinery. Of course, everything is much easier to make with industrial machines, however, it’s also less tasty, and you have no control over the ratio of ingredients as you have when you’re preparing your food at home.

However, stuffing sausages at home can be quite demanding, so many people prefer to avoid going through all the trouble, and simply purchase them at the local shop. On the other hand, if you are buying bulk sausage from your local butcher or you plan to use crumbled meat from a casing to prepare a dish, you can simply buy ground pork too and season it with your own seasoning.

The original Italian sausage usually contains:

• Fennel (but also ground fennel seeds);
• Parsley;
• Onion;
• Basil;
• Crushed red pepper;
• Garlic;
• Oregano;
• Sweet paprika;
• Salt;
• Black pepper;
• Dried thyme;
• Anis;
• Red wine vinegar.

A good thing about the Italian sausage is that you don’t have to use all the ingredients if you don’t like something. Even if you lose an ingredient or replace some of them, it will likely preserve its original taste.

If you don’t want to bother with buying each of these ingredients individually, you can for sure find an ‘Italian seasoning blend’ in your supermarket, buy a few bags of those, and take a shortcut.

Also, if you don’t consume pork meat, you can still prepare the Italian sausage using others types of meat, such as chicken, or cow. The secret is in the seasoning and the spices, so although the type of meat does change the taste of the dish, it’s not crucial for it to be pork.300

For achieving the best results with your Italian sausage, we strongly recommend purchasing the ingredients from the local fresh market.

For example, it’s really important that you find some fresh fennel, as this celery-like vegetable from the carrot family can taste really bad otherwise. The same goes for sweet paprikas, as these are the richest with flavor if they are organically grown and fresh.

When it comes to parsley, it’s always nicer to use fresh leaves, however, if you can’t find any, dried leaves will do the trick too. For those of you who are sensitive or dislike the strong taste of garlic, you can either put less fresh garlic or use the dried ones. Red wine vinegar is optional.

The process of preparing is something that not everybody likes to do. You basically need to knead the pork meat with red wine vinegar and the spices, until it’s evenly distributed through the sausage.

You can add the spices according to your preferences, and simply use more of what you like to taste.

After you’re done with the kneading, you should split the sausage into three pieces, and wrap them in plastic foil. Then, you can either freeze them or store them in the fridge before use.

Another option is to smoke the sausages. To do this, you need to separate the meat pieces to make sure that the air will circulate between them. This is why you can often see meat hanging from a rack when being dried. If you don’t have the conditions for this way of drying, you can also put them on a grill and smoke them for a couple of hours at 100 degrees Fahrenheit, and then slowly increase the heating. The final internal temperature of the sausage should be around 165 degrees Fahrenheit.

How Can I Use the Italian Sausage?

The Italian sausage is actually surprisingly versatile when it comes to different ways you can combine it in your home cuisine.

One way to use it is to add it to a soup, along with other vegetables such as potatoes, carrots, celery, or anything else you like to put in a soup. The sausage should give a very nice aroma to the soup, and thanks to it being well-seasoned, you don’t have to bother too much with the spices.

Another way to use it is to put it on a pizza and mix it with other common pizza ingredients that you like.

Of course, you can also frill the sausage, and eat it with a fresh bun, pita bread, or in a tortilla, combined with some fresh vegetables such as cherry tomatoes, lettuce, cucumber, fresh onions, and sauces of your choice.

Other options are to simply mix the sausage meat with eggs, mix it with pasta, or simply eat it fried. It mixes well with all kinds of red sauces and stews as well.

Conclusion

Italian sausage is one of the go-to dishes when you’re not sure what to make and you don’t want to put in too much effort, while still getting an excellent and tasty meal as a result.

The long history and tradition of this simple dish make it an interesting option when you’re having guests, as there’s also a story to tell about the (at least) two thousand years old sausage recipe.

The main benefits of the Italian sausage are that it’s very straightforward to prepare, the ingredients are usually available regardless of where you live, and it tastes amazing – there’s hardly anyone who wouldn’t enjoy it.

The dish is very well mixed with all kinds of foods: leftovers of cooked vegetables, soups, fresh salads, cream salads, stews, but it also combines well with a simple bun.

Although it’s not recommended to eat such heavy food for breakfast, from time to time it is quite delicious to combine it with your morning scrambled eggs and season with some rocket and cherry tomatoes.

Having a pressure cooker such as Instant Pot can make your mundane activities such as cooking a walk in the park. From helping you cook dishes like rice and chicken to allowing you to satisfy your sweet tooth with brownies and cakes, this effective gadget can without a shade of doubt handle almost everything you throw at it. However, as powerful as it might be, every Instant Pot machine requires regular maintenance for proper functioning. This means washing the parts of your machine as soon as you finish cooking and giving it a deep-cleaning once a month.

Cleaning an Instant Pot: Step-By-Step Guide

Below, we prepared a comprehensive step-by-step guide for you to learn how to clean the Instant Pot quickly and effectively.

What You Need

• Warm soapy water
• White vinegar and baking soda
• Clean, soft cloth
• Dishwasher (optional)
• Soft-bristled brush
• Soft toothbrush

Do not use steel wool, abrasive cleaners, or other scrubbers that could ruin the lining of your pot.

Step One: Unplug the Instant Pot

The key thing to remember about any unit with an electrical outlet is to unplug it before cleaning.

Step Two: Clean the Inner Pot

The best part about the inner pot is that is dishwasher safe, no matter if it’s aluminum or uses stainless steel materials. Rinse it out and place it upside down on the lower rack to wash.

If, however, you prefer the handwashing method, use hot soapy water to clean it while getting the stuck-on pieces of food out by scrubbing with baking soda. Create a solution of three parts warm water to one part baking soda and scrub with a soft-bristled bottle brush to preserve the surface of your pot. Rinse it well and wipe down its interior and exterior surfaces using a soft dry cloth.

Boiling Method

The boiling method is perhaps the easiest way to get rid of burnt-on food as it loosens the burnt-on food particles for effortless cleaning. Boil some water in the inner pot for several minutes and then

Step Three: Wash the Sealing Ring

The sealing ring can absorb odors from strong-smelling foods such as garlic or onion. Throw it in the dishwasher or wash it by hand to get rid of these odors. In case you are still noticing lingering odors after a thorough wash, try the following tips.

• Mix one part of white vinegar with one part of water (possibly two cups of each liquid) into the Instant Pot, adding a roughly chopped lemon rind.
• Run the steam program for somewhere around two minutes.
• Once the program finishes, remove the ring and let it air dry.

Although the odor absorbing properties of white vinegar have proven themselves highly efficient time and again, it is pretty challenging to fully eliminate some odors. This is why we recommend replacing the ring every six months to a year if you don’t want any lingering odors to crosscontaminate your food.

Step Four: Remove and Wash the Tiny Parts From Your Lid

Cleaning the lid doesn’t require frequent removal of all parts, however, if you want to be more thorough, you might want to disassemble a few key parts from its exterior and clean them separately.

• Inspect the float valve and the steam release valve to make sure whether they are free of any food particles.
• Remove any tiny parts from the interior such as the anti-block shield, a silicone nub that prevents food particles from interfering with the steam release valve, to inspect more thoroughly for any clogs. Using your thumb, push the anti-block shield towards the outer edge of the lid firmly but carefully and it should pop right off.
• Another small part to remove is the silicon cap that covers the float valve.
• Although machine washable, we recommend putting these tiny parts in warm soapy water and cleaning them thoroughly using a toothbrush.

Step Five: Clean the Lid

After removing the sealing ring and all the small parts, place the lid in the top rack of your dishwasher to give it a proper wash. If, however, a dishwasher is not an option, use a soft-bristled brush to get rid of any remaining food particles. Allow the lid to fully dry before putting the pieces back together by turning it like a steering wheel over your sink.

Step Six: Wash the Condensation Cup

If the Instant Pot you are using has a flat plastic cup that collects water droplets at the rear of the cooker base, make sure to remove and clean it after each use. The reason for this is that it collects a hodgepodge of food particles which can promote mold growth when combined with moisture.

The best part about cleaning the condensation cup is that it is dishwasher safe but cleaning it by hand is also a breeze. Wash it in soapy water and make sure to rinse it well before putting it back on the machine.

Step Seven: Clean the Cooker Base and Heating Element

The cooker base requires the most care when cleaning the Instant Pot as it is not dishwasher safe. Use a slightly dampened soft cloth to wipe down the exterior and inside lip of the base. Make sure to always keep this part dry as it houses the heating element and electronics.

Step Nine: Plug the Machine in an Electric Outlet

Once every nook and cranny is fully dry, you can freely plug the machine back in an electric outlet. Make sure to push the power cord firmly all the way into the cooker base to ensure safety.

Tips to Keep Your Machine Clean Longer

• Remove undesirable odors by soaking the rings overnight in a 1:1 distilled vinegar and water solution.
• Most machines come with two rings, and for a good reason too. Switch them for sweet and savory dishes to help prevent cross-contamination of odors and flavors.
• Never clean the inner surfaces of the Instant Pot with an abrasive sponge as it may damage the mirror finish.

When to Replace My Instant Pot?

Even though Instant Pot does not release any information about the life expectancy of its pressure cookers, the fact that they use high-end materials indicates that their Instant Pot is most likely to last for several years, of course, with proper care. Do note, though, that you might need to replace certain parts such as the silicone ring every two to three years in order to keep the machine efficient.

Final Thoughts

Hopefully, you now have a better idea of how the whole Instant Pot cleaning process goes and are going to use the knowledge to not only prolong its lifespan but enjoy foods free of cross-contamination as well.

The best part about this machine is that the majority of its parts are dishwasher safe (except the cooker base and the heating element). Whether you use the dishwasher or wash its bits and pieces by hand, make sure they are fully dry before putting them back together. The last but not least key thing to remember is to always unplug the device before washing.