The Instant Pot is quite a useful device that allows you to cook various recipes and meals all in one handy device. Still, sometimes the Instant Pot can come with its issues. One of the biggest issues for users is that they can’t get the lid off the Instant Pot. So how do you remove a stuck Instant Pot lid?
Below we will highlight five ways to help if you can’t get the lid off of the Instant Pot. Most of them have to do with the pressure feature of your Instant Pot. We will look at ways to decrease pressure or heat before removing the lid.
Twisting the Lid
The first way is the simplest: twisting the Instant Pot’s lid. Sometimes you want to pull the lid off, but if there is too much pressure, or if the lid isn’t clean, it won’t come off. If the locking pin is stuck, then twisting while wiggling back and forth can sometimes remove the glitch.
Making sure your Instant Pot is clean and clear of grime and debris can also help make sure that your lid doesn’t get stuck. Especially when you use your Instant Pot on a regular basis, this can be a great preventative measure in case your lid is prone to getting stuck.
If your lid is stuck in the twisting, you will also get an alert on the screen saying “Lid.”
Decreasing Pressure
The next way is by decreasing the pressure in the Instant Pot. If you have just finished a pressurized cook, your Instant Pot lid will not come off until you decrease the pressure on your pot. This can be done by opening up the steam valve at the top of your lid.
Make sure you are careful of your hands, face, and arms when you open up the steam valve. You don’t want anything in the way of the hot steam as it will get burned.
If you still can’t get the lid off the Instant Pot after you depressurize the lid through the steam valve, then you might have an issue with how you are putting the lid on the Instant Pot in the first place.
Cold Water
A really neat way to release the lid is by pouring cold water over the lid. Please make sure your Instant Pot is turned off before you try this, as you don’t want to cause an electrical accident accidentally.
Sometimes the pressure can get high, and as a result, so does the temperature inside your pressure cooker. This can cause the metal on your cooker to expand, thus making your lid stuck.
Once you try releasing the valve, try pouring some cold water along the seam of the lid and twisting. This should cool down the metal enough for it to release its grip on the lid.
Canceling Cook
Now another reason you can’t get the lid off the Instant Pot could be because your cook is still going. For safety reasons, the Instant Pot locks the lid when it is going through most, if not all, the cooking cycles. So before you can take the lid off, you are going to need to cancel the cook.
This means that you can’t check on whatever you are cooking until it is done. If you want to open the lid and check on something or even stop the cook early, you will need to hit the cancel button.
Hitting the cancel button will turn off whatever cycle you are cooking. Once you have that done, you will need to open the valve and let the pressure decrease, unlocking the lid.
Calling Customer Support
The final thing to do if you can’t get the lid off your Instant Pot is to call Customer Support. There could be anything wrong with your lid, including a blown gasket, a pin that got stuck, etc. If you aren’t able to get your Instant Pot lid unstuck, calling Customer Support might be the best idea.
By going to the Instant Pot website or by Googling the number or email address, you should be able to get in contact with them. They are usually very responsive and helpful.
Unfortunately, sometimes it can be an issue that you will have to get in touch with a mechanic to fix, but this is rare.
Five Ways to Fix a Stuck Instant Pot Lid
These, above, are just five ways of dealing with a stuck Instant Pot lid. Most of the issues that you will come across will have to do with the pressurized feature of the device. Sometimes it might have to do with something causing it to stick, and if that is the case, just make sure your Instant Pot is cleaned before and after use. Happy cooking!
