9 foods to stop putting in your Instant Pot, according to a pro chef

Now that you finally gave in and bought yourself an Instant Pot, you’re probably itching to use it right away to cut down on the time you spend in the kitchen. We can’t blame you: Instant Pots are super convenient, with loads of functions for turning out soups, meats, rice, slow-cooked dinners and more. But while it might seem like you can throw anything into one of these magical pots, some foods just don’t belong.

I spoke with Christopher Tanner, chef and executive director of the American Culinary Federation, to find out what you should avoid cooking in your Instant Pot. And don’t worry: The list isn’t long. You’ll start making delicious meals in no time — just pay attention if you plan to cook these foods so you can avoid any waste. And while you’re here, check out our list of the year’s best multicookers (yes, the Instant Pot made the list, multiple times).

Foods you shouldn’t put in your Instant Pot

Tanner says that while you can technically put nearly any food in your Instant Pot, some simply will do better on the stove.

Milk

There are a couple of dairy products that don’t do so well when they’re cooked in an Instant Pot, and milk is chief among them. Tanner says you should avoid putting milk into the device unless it’s ultra-homogenized because it will separate — which is as gross as it sounds.

Hard cheeses

Hold off on adding hard cheese to your Instant Pot meals too, he says, because these can also separate once they come to a boil. Instead, use dry cheese like parmesan. If your recipe does call for a hard cheese, Tanner says to add 8 ounces of Velveeta to the mix to prevent separation. You can also wait to add the cheese after the meal has already cooked.

Certain kinds of pasta

They say a watched pot never boils, but an Instant Pot may have the opposite problem. “Pasta can quickly get mushy in an Instant Pot,” Tanner says. Why is that? For one thing, the pressure-release knob makes it harder to check on it. You either have to throw on some oven mitts to avoid getting burned by the steam or let the machine naturally release it. Either way, you could be left with overcooked noodles.

This rule doesn’t necessarily apply to all pasta, though — avoid fresh pasta and any long pasta like spaghetti or capellini because it cooks super fast. But something like bowtie pasta usually comes out great, Tanner says.

If you don’t have time to keep an eye on the stove as your pasta boils the traditional way, try using a no-boil-over cover on your pots. They’re an easy way to save yourself from a potential mess.

Green vegetables

If you’re like me, you want your green veggies like broccoli, zucchini and Brussels sprouts super tender. But if you add them to an Instant Pot, they can turn gray and mushy, Tanner says. If you do decide to cook them in the Instant Pot, pay attention to the amount of time they’re in there. Tanner says zucchini should be in there for around 10 minutes max — the same goes for broccoli, while Brussels sprouts need only a few minutes. Still, consider using the oven to avoid a gray mess.