How to Prevent Instant Pot Burn Warnings with Tomato-Based Recipes

Question

Hello, I was preparing the recipe for Pulled Chicken in Chipotle Sauce for the second time when I received a food burn message. I was very careful about deglazing the pot just as I did the first time, so I can’t quite figure out what I did wrong. But this led me to wonder what to do. All of the instructions I have read from other sources would have you shut off the pot, stir the contents and try to scrape up any burnt food before restarting the program. But how can that be done if using tomato products? I was lucky enough to have the time to just convert to slow cooking, but would really like to know how to address this issue with any tomato product related recipe. Thanks!

Lynn Clark · Accepted Answer

Hi Kim - I'm so sorry you've had issues with the recipe. In the recipe headnote for the Pulled Chicken there are instructions not to stir the tomatoes in when you add them because they have a tendency to burn. You want them to sit on the top of the mixture so they aren't touching the bottom of the pot where the heating element lives. If you did leave them on the top and still had the "Burn" warning, it's possible that your pot is hotter when you are deglazing and more of the water is evaporating than it should. I'd consider adding more water when you deglaze the pot. It will take you a little longer to thicken the mixture at the end, but will hopefully avoid the "Burn" warning. Start with a total of 1 cup of water and see if that avoids the burn message. If it does, and you're happy with the results, you can stick with that amount. If you'd like to try to decrease the amount of water, work backwards from 1 cup down to 3/4 cup total water. Good luck! Best, Lynn C.

How to Prevent Instant Pot Burn Warnings with Tomato-Based Recipes

Have a question for Milk Street experts?

Join the conversation