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Is Instant Pot Pressure Cooker Non Toxic?
Recently, I have noticed a few scratches on the inner pot of my rice cooker. I purchased this a few years ago and didn’t research the material of the inner pot at the time. It turned out my rice cooker has a non stick Teflon coating in the inner pot like many rice cookers. Many rice cookers have aluminum inner pots which are coated with a nonstick Teflon coating. This non stick coating is used to prevent rice from sticking to the pot. However, if this non stick coating is scratched, it will leach harmful chemicals into food. So I wanted to find a rice cooker with uncoated inner pot made of stainless steel. While researching for a rice cooker, I came across a pressure cooker called Instant Pot which is not only a rice cooker but also a pressure cooker, a slow cooker, a yogurt maker, a saute/ browner, a steamer, a warmer, egg maker and sterilizer. My previous rice cooker was a pressure rice cooker so I know pressure cooker makes delicious rice. However, I have never given pressure cooking a try other than making rice so finding out about pressure cooking was interesting. Apparently, pressure cooking is healthier than other conventional methods of cooking. It also significantly shortens the cooking time. This Instant Pot seemed perfect for me since I can make rice and explore pressure cooking as well. Therefore, I researched more about this amazing gadget, Instant Pot pressure cooker. Is it healthy and non toxic? Let’s find out!
What Is A Pressure Cooker?
Pressure cooker is a sealed pot which uses steam and high pressure to cook food. The lid is locked into an airtight seal and the pressure of the steam inside is raised to cook.
Is Pressure Cooker Healthy?
A pressure cooker cooks food faster than conventional cooking methods such as boiling, braising and steaming. It reduces the cooking time of food by up to 70 percent. Due to this shorter cooking times, it also uses 50 to 75 percent less energy. A pressure cooker cooks food at higher boiling point than water. The boiling point of water is 100 °C / 212 °F (at sea level), the temperature in pressure cooker is as high as 120 °C / 250 °F which makes cooking time faster. On the other hand, the pressure cooker uses lower temperature than conventional cooking methods such as cooking on the stovetop or in the oven utilizing pressure. For example, many recipes’ oven cooking temperature is around 400 °F where as pressure cooking temperature is around 225 -235°F. Although the temperature is lower than the oven, utilizing the pressure, a pressure cooker cooks faster. (The Science of Pressure Cookers)
(Effects of Pressure Cooking on Food: Nutrient Loss or Retention?)
With maximum lower temperature and shorter cooking times, a pressure cooker preserves more nutrients than other cooking methods. It not only retains more vitamins and minerals but also more antioxidant capacity of the food. According to one study done by North Dakota University, pressure boiling and pressure steaming resulted in a greater retention of nutrients and antioxidants compared to boiling method. In another study published in the Journal of Food Science, researchers found pressure cooked broccoli retained 92% of its vitamin C content compared to 78% and 66% for conventional steaming and boiling. Pressure cooked broccoli also retained most of its sulforaphane, an anti-cancer compound found in broccoli. Another study suggests that the best cooking method for preserving the ascorbic acid and beta-carotene in spinach and amaranth is cooking with a pressure cooker. Pressured cooked food also contain little acrylamide. Acrylamide is a chemical that naturally forms in certain foods during cooking at high temperature. It is known to cause cancer in animals. Also, according to a study published in the May 1996 issue of the Journal of the Science of Food and Agriculture, pressure cooking destroys lectins in some foods. Lectins block the absorption of nutrients in other foods and also act as an inflammatory toxin. A pressure cooking has all of these healthy benefits, therefore, it is one of the best ways to cook food.
Is Pressure Cooker Material Safe For Cooking?
There is an inner pot that goes into the pressure cooker and this is where food will be in direct contact. Therefore, this part should be a safe material that doesn’t leach toxic chemicals into food. Pressure cooker’s inner pot is usually made of aluminum, ceramic non-stick or stainless steel. Among these materials, uncoated stainless steel will be the best option. Aluminum leaches aluminum into food. It is a reactive material and will react especially to salty, acidic food. When aluminum is ingested, it will be accumulated in the body and can cause Alzheimer’s disease or cancer. Another material for the inner pot, ceramic coated non stick is usually made of hard anodized aluminum coated with a nonstick layer of ceramic. If the non stick layer of ceramic is scratched, aluminum can leach into the food. Therefore, I want to avoid ceramic coated non stick since pots can get scratched easier than my intentions in my experience.
Stainless steel, on the other hand is moderately reactive material. It is not as reactive as aluminum. It is pretty safe except when you cook acidic food or cook something for a long duration. Pressure cooker cooks much faster than the conventional methods so you won’t have to cook something for long duration. You can cook beef roast within 20-45 minutes depending on a recipe whereas oven takes about an 1hr. Compared to other methods of cooking, a pressure cooker significantly shortens cooking times which minimizes leaching. You can also choose not to use a pressure cooker when cooking acidic food. When you cook acidic food in a stainless steel pot, nickel, iron and chromium can leach from stainless steel. Our body needs iron and chromium so there is a little concern unless you have iron or chromium related health issues already. Nickel, on the other hand, can cause allergic reactions to some people. Overall, I find stainless steel the most safe material for the inner pot of a pressure cooker.
Is Instant Pot Pressure Cooker Non Toxic?
There are 27965 reviews (which are mostly positive reviews) on Instant Pot Duo 60 7-in-1 pressure cooker at Amazon.com. Instant Pot Pressure Cooker is the one of the most popular and well known pressure cooker in the market. It is a multi-functional cooker which is a pressure cooker, a slow cooker, a rice cooker, a yogurt maker, a saute/ browner, a steamer and a warmer. Depending on a model, more functions are included.
Instant Pot pressure cooker’s lid, inner pot and steam rack are all made of food grade 304 (18/8) stainless steel. 18/8 means stainless steel contains 18% chromium and 8% nickel. Stainless steel grade 304 is the most widely used stainless steel due to its excellent corrosion resistance and value. Instant Pot pressure cooker’s inner pot and lid are made of this stainless steel with no chemical coatings.
How about other parts of the cooker? Many rice cookers, pressure cookers, slow cookers in the market contain toxic chemicals such as cadmium, lead and non stick coatings. Does Instant Pot contain heavy metals? Tamara Rubin, the producer and director of MisLead: America’s Secret Epidemic tested an instant pot for some toxic heavy metals. Carissa at Creative Green Living wrote the results as follows.
- Stainless steel inner cooking pot: Non-Detect for Lead, Cadmium and Mercury
- Stainless steel lid (outside of lid): Non-Detect for Lead, Cadmium and Mercury
- Inner portion of steam release valve: Non-Detect for Lead, Cadmium and Mercury
- Anti-Block shield: Non-Detect for Lead, Cadmium and Mercury
- Power Cable: Non-Detect for Lead, Cadmium and Mercury
- Float Valve: Non-Detect for Lead, Cadmium and Mercury
- Steam Release: Non-Detect for Lead, Cadmium and Mercury
- Steaming rack: Non-Detect for Lead, Cadmium and Mercury
- Plastic tools: Non-Detect for Lead, Cadmium and Mercury
- Exterior pot: Non-Detect for Lead, Cadmium and Mercury
- Heating unit disk: 1,400 PPM lead +/- 90 and 46 PPM cadmium +/- 11
- Safety button in base of unit: 303 PPM for Lead +/- 36, Non detect for Cadmium and Mercury
Instant Pot is free of toxic heavy metals such as lead, cadmium and mercury in almost all parts of the pot including where food come in contact directly. Instant Pot has no coatings, lead, cadmium or mercury. It is non toxic and safe.
Final Thoughts
Pressure cooking is healthier than conventional cooking methods since it cooks food in shorter time and kills less vitamins or minerals while cooking. Instant Pot, one of the most popular pressure cookers in the market has stainless steel lid, inner pot and steam racks. Its stainless steel has no coatings and almost all parts of the Instant Pot has no lead, cadmium and mercury. Although I bought this as a rice cooker, I am excited to try other cooking functions. I bought one that is one level higher than instant Pot Duo 60 7-in-1 pressure cooker which can also be used as a sterilizer or egg cooker. I am glad I won’t have to worry about inner pot getting scratched from now on. Happy cooking!
[Update May 1, 2018] I cooked rice in the Instant Pot and it made rice wonderfully. It only took 12 minutes to make rice! After exploring all of the functions, I will be writing a review on this pot in the future.
You can read my review on Instant Pot Duo Plus 60 9-in-1 pressure cooker in my post ‘Instant Pot Pressure Cooker Review – How Instant Pot Changed My Life.’
If you are interested in non toxic cookware, please read my previous post, ‘Non Toxic Cookware Guide – What Is The Healthiest And Safest Cookware?‘
If you are interested in non toxic bakeware, please read my next post, ‘Non Toxic Bakeware Guide – Which Bakeware Is Safe And Non Toxic?‘
If you are interested in non toxic rice cookers, please read my post ‘Non Toxic Rice Cookers – Rice Cookers With A Stainless Steel Inner Pot‘.
If you are interested in safe turkey bakeware, please read my post, ‘Non Toxic Turkey Roasting Pans – Which Turkey Bakeware Is Safe?‘
Thank you for all the information. I love dishes, and cooking. I am ready to shift to non toxic plates and pans.. Thank you for being a voice in the wilderness.
Thank you!
Teflon is safe??
Hi,
Teflon is made of polytetrafluoroethylene (PTFE) which can contain harmful chemicals such as PFOA or Gen X. These toxic chemicals are released when cooking in really high temperature 500°F (260°C) or when non stick layer is damaged or worn off.
You can read about teflon in my other posts here.
https://gonewmommy.com/2018/01/16/non-toxic-cookware/
https://gonewmommy.com/2018/05/17/non-toxic-rice-cookers/
https://gonewmommy.com/2018/01/25/non-toxic-bakeware/
Hope this helps. Thank you!
I purchased a instant pot LUX60V3 6qt 6in. Is this one also safe?
Hi Pat,
Instant Pot IP-LUX60 V3 Programmable Electric Pressure Cooker also has a stainless steel inner pot which is non toxic.
hi just curious if you have found an alternative pressure cooker that is nickel free?
Hi Steph,
Generally, stainless steel material for the inner pot would contain some level of nickel unless you can find a pressure cooker with a 18/0 stainless steel inner pot which contains a negligible amount of nickel (0.75%). I couldn’t find one so far.
Please what information do you have in power quick pot? Is the inner pot safe?
Hi Funmilola,
Power Quick Pot‘s inner pot is made of stainless steel. Therefore, I believe it is safe.
Thank you for your review. I was going to buy the same Instant Pot that you bought from Target but encountered the following warning:
WARNING:This Product can expose you to chemicals include (lead),which is known to the State of California to cause Cancer and (Bisphenol)which is known to the State of California to cause Birth defects or other reproductive harm. For more information go to http://www.P65Warnings.ca.gov http://www.p65warnings.ca.gov
What are your thoughts on this since you have done your research.
Hi Debbie,
Instant Pot has replied to me about their California Proposition 65 warning. They said that,
There are trace amounts of lead in the heating element, well beneath the top layer. There are also trace amounts of iron in the soldering on the outside of the cooker base. None of these traces come in contact with food.
It’s a personal choice if you feel comfortable about this. Although I don’t want any lead anywhere, lead is not in the exposed area of the Instant Pot so I feel it is okay. Also, Iron can be an issue if you consume too much of it but since trace amounts of iron is not in contact with food, I do feel it is okay. Hope this helps! 🙂
It looks like the manufacturer answered your question regarding the heavy metals but not BPA. I’m am wondering if there is any chance of BPA getting into my food? This is the one thing that has kept me from making a purchase.
Hi Pat,
Instant Pot has replied that,
Thank you for contacting Instant Brands. We can confirm that the the inside of the lid is comprised of 18/8, food-grade 304 stainless steel, compliant to FDA standards. The plastic components are all BPA free, and the sealing ring is entirely composed of silicone and is BPA free.
I asked them to clarify about BPA any other place in the pot. I will let you know once I hear from them. Thank you.
Instant Pot came back with the following reply.
Hello Isabelle,
Thank you for your reply with this inquiry.
We are happy to tell you that the Instant Pot is in compliance with the Prop 65 guidelines. This warning is applied to the Instant Pots as small amounts of some of these materials can be found in the inner electronics, heating element, and insides of the power cord.
We can confirm there are no lead, aluminum, or bisphenol that will come in contact with food or hands.
Hope this helps!
Hi Debbie,
Instant Pot also said that,
We are happy to tell you that the Instant Pot is in compliance with the Prop 65 guidelines. This warning is applied to the Instant Pots as small amounts of some of these materials can be found in the inner electronics, heating element, and insides of the power cord.
We can confirm there are no lead, aluminum, or bisphenol that will come in contact with food or hands.
Hope this helps!
Thank you so much for this information!! I’m struggling to determine my high blood levels of cadmium and styrene and was wondering about the instant pot. I’ve been using it daily for the past 2 years and was questioning if this could be an issue.
Regards,
Sheri
Hi Sheri,
Instant Pot was tested free of heavy metals such as mercury, lead or cadmium except for its heating unit disk and safety button in base of unit. No heavy metals were found on the parts that contact your food directly. You can see XRF Instrument testing done on Instant Pot here. Hope this helps. 🙂
Hi Sherri, which instant pot do you use or think is best? My crock pot is Hamilton beach 33969 bought back in 2015. It has a stainless liner but the inside has a few mild scratches from use. I’ve read the logo on the lid itself tested high. So I’m not sure if I should get rid of it (along with most of my kitchen ware) lol sheesh
Tamara Rubin thinks it’s “ok” and says not to be abrasive with the lid, take precautions, etc. but I thought lead can accumulate slowly in the body, stores in bones, and at some point can eventually cause harm. I’m no expert, but that’s the part has me tripped up.
Also, this is a bit off topic but if one has a skin allergy to nickel do you know if they should avoid eating from stainless steel?
Hi Kiki, I have only used Instant Pot but I can say I am very happy with it.
For your nickel question, although very tiny amount of nickel is leached during cooking (generally not at the level that may cause health issues), some people recommend not to use stainless steel that contains nickel if you have a nickel allergy. There are nickel-free stainless cookware available if you want to look for an alternative cookware. (18/0 stainless steel). Hope this helps!
Thanks for your article. It is very well researched, exactly what I was looking for! Your reasoning makes sense, so I am now in the market for a stainless steel pressure cooker!
Thank you, Regina! 🙂
Not sure why you should cook acidic food separate. You mention “reactive” — can you please clarify what you mean by that. Thanks.
Hi Kiki,
Reactive materials in cookware can have the chemical reactions with acidic food and cause metallic taste or discoloration of food. Cooking acidic food in reactive material cookware can also release some metals. Quick sauté may be fine but longer cooking durations resulted in additional increases in metal leaching with tomato sauce in this study. (In this study, they tested tomato sauce on stainless steel but stainless steel is a moderately reactive material. Reactive material cookware can have more reaction and release more.)
I have recently been looking at the Instant Pot & almost bought one until I saw a Prop. 65 warning for BPA. This makes me question the safety. Did any of your tests look for BPA in the food?
Hi Pat,
Instant Pot has replied that,
Hi Pat,
Instant Pot said that,
Thank you for contacting Instant Brands. We can confirm that the the inside of the lid is comprised of 18/8, food-grade 304 stainless steel, compliant to FDA standards. The plastic components are all BPA free, and the sealing ring is entirely composed of silicone and is BPA free.
I asked them to clarify about BPA any other place in the pot. I will let you know once I hear from them. Thank you.
Hi Pat,
Instant Pot has replied as following.
Hello Isabelle,
Thank you for your reply with this inquiry.
We are happy to tell you that the Instant Pot is in compliance with the Prop 65 guidelines. This warning is applied to the Instant Pots as small amounts of some of these materials can be found in the inner electronics, heating element, and insides of the power cord.
We can confirm there are no lead, aluminum, or bisphenol that will come in contact with food or hands.
Hope this helps!
I have the Instant Pot, which I chose because I wanted stainless steel cooking surfaces for safety. But I believe the lid is aluminum. I use a magnet to determine if it’s steel. The magnet did not stick to the lid, but it stuck to the inside cooking pot which indicates it’s made of steel. This greatly concerns me that aluminum is being leeched into the foods I cook in my Instant Pot. I see in your article the lid is also stainless steel, but the magnet did not stick to the lid, as if it were not stainless steel.
Hi Sue,
I inquired about the lid to Instant Pot company and this is their reply.
Thank you for contacting Instant Brands. We can confirm that the the inside of the lid is comprised of 18/8, food-grade 304 stainless steel, compliant to FDA standards.
The plastic components are all BPA free, and the sealing ring is entirely composed of silicone and is BPA free.
Hope this helps!
Hello, I’m hoping you can help answer my questions I’m currently using a ninja foodi to airfry and pressure cook. My 1st question is the main pot is made of aluminum with PTFE- and PFOA-free ceramic is that safer as long as the coating doesnt come off? Or will chemicals still leach into the food?
I’m interested in the instant pot duo crisp, because it uses stainless steel. However I read theres Lead and BPA. Do you know if they come in contact with the food?
Thank you for your time!
Hi Clarissa,
Regarding the Instant Pot, no lead or BPA come in contact with the food.
This is what Instant Pot said.
“There are trace amounts of lead in the heating element, well beneath the top layer. There are also trace amounts of iron in the soldering on the outside of the cooker base. None of these traces come in contact with food.”
“We can confirm that the the inside of the lid is comprised of 18/8, food-grade 304 stainless steel, compliant to FDA standards. The plastic components are all BPA free, and the sealing ring is entirely composed of silicone and is BPA free.”
“We are happy to tell you that the Instant Pot is in compliance with the Prop 65 guidelines. This warning is applied to the Instant Pots as small amounts of some of these materials can be found in the inner electronics, heating element, and insides of the power cord.We can confirm there are no lead, aluminum, or bisphenol that will come in contact with food or hands.”
Regarding the PTFE- and PFOA-free ceramic, it seems that Ninja Foodi Airfryer has nanoceramic nonstick coating. There is a study that nanoparticles are released from nanoceramic coated pans. It says the surface wear due to scratches and other types of damage occurring during normal use may lead to significant release of titanium-containing particles. Hope this helps!
Hello – I found your webpage after I saw the posting below on a Target page about Instant Pots:
“WARNING:This Product can expose you to chemicals include (lead),which is known to the State of California to cause Cancer and (Bisphenol)which is known to the State of California to cause Birth defects or other reproductive harm. For more information go to http://www.P65Warnings.ca.gov http://www.p65warnings.ca.gov”
However your webpage doesn’t say anything about this but says instead:
“Instant Pot, one of the most popular pressure cookers in the market has stainless steel lid, inner pot and steam racks. Its stainless steel has no coatings and almost all parts of the Instant Pot has no lead, cadmium and mercury.”
Can you speak to this? Or research and tell us what you find? I would like to buy one but I don’t want to take a chance on any of the above warnings.
The post was here in case you want to research it yourself:
https://adservice.google.com/ddm/clk/295204063;122181591;w;u=ds&sv1=50639584946&sv2=3161407675399115&sv3=6701773948299953713&gclid=EAIaIQobChMIx9m9icC05wIVBb7ACh3dmwpVEAQYASABEgKY9_D_BwE;%3Fhttps://www.target.com/p/instant-pot-duo-6qt-7-in-1-pressure-cooker/-/A-50608360?ref=tgt_adv_XS000000&AFID=google_pla_df&fndsrc=tgtao&CPNG=PLA_Appliances%2BShopping_Local&adgroup=SC_Appliances&LID=700000001170770pgs&network=g&device=c&location=9028310&gclid=EAIaIQobChMIx9m9icC05wIVBb7ACh3dmwpVEAQYASABEgKY9_D_BwE&gclsrc=aw.ds
Thanks
Hi Susan,
I have inquired about California Prepostion 65 warning to Instant Pot before. They said that,
There are trace amounts of lead in the heating element, well beneath the top layer. There are also trace amounts of iron in the soldering on the outside of the cooker base. None of these traces come in contact with food.
We are happy to tell you that the Instant Pot is in compliance with the Prop 65 guidelines. This warning is applied to the Instant Pots as small amounts of some of these materials can be found in the inner electronics, heating element, and insides of the power cord. We can confirm there are no lead, aluminum, or bisphenol that will come in contact with food or hands.
Hope this helps!
Hello!
The inner pot has an aluminum disk in the bottom. I know it doesn’t come in contact with food directly but still not ideal. Have you found a 100% stainless steel inner pot?
Hi Jalynn,
The inner pot is stainless steel. Are you talking about heating element disc located in the pressure cooker where the stainless steel inner pot sit on?
Why does instant pot come with a warning about potential exposure to BPA if it’s so non toxic?
Hi Annette,
This is what Instant Pot said regarding their California Preposition 65 label and BPA. According to them, no lead or BPA come in contact with the food.
“There are trace amounts of lead in the heating element, well beneath the top layer. There are also trace amounts of iron in the soldering on the outside of the cooker base. None of these traces come in contact with food.”
“We can confirm that the the inside of the lid is comprised of 18/8, food-grade 304 stainless steel, compliant to FDA standards. The plastic components are all BPA free, and the sealing ring is entirely composed of silicone and is BPA free.”
“We are happy to tell you that the Instant Pot is in compliance with the Prop 65 guidelines. This warning is applied to the Instant Pots as small amounts of some of these materials can be found in the inner electronics, heating element, and insides of the power cord.We can confirm there are no lead, aluminum, or bisphenol that will come in contact with food or hands.”
Hope this helps!
Hi go_new_mommy, thanks for your helpful information. Do you know if the inner lid rubber/silicone grommet of some pressure cookers could leach harmful chemicals when the rice is being cooked inside at high temperature?
Hi Vercetti,
Many experts say silicone is safe to use for food. Supposedly, silicone doesn’t react with food and leach chemicals. On the other hand, there are some studies saying silicone release some chemicals. Some products use cheap silicone that contains fillers and they can release toxic chemicals. Therefore, when it comes to silicone, high quality food grade silicone should be used, not the cheap types with fillers. I haven’t inquired about silicone parts in Instant Pot to the company. Now I have asked them if the silicone they used contain any fillers. Once I hear from them, I will get back to you once I hear from them.
Hi Vercetti,
Instant Pot said their silicone is 100% silicone.
Did anyone test the cooked food for nickel that could leach from the stainless steel inner pot? If so, what were the results?
Hi Ceecee,
There are some studies done about stainless steel pot leaching nickel or chromium. You can probably find them online. You can read one of the studies, Stainless Steel Leaches Nickel and Chromium into Foods During Cooking. Hope this helps!
Thanks so much for this very helpful and through review! It was everything I was looking for regarding the metals in the Instant Pot. With regards to the longer cooking time, for example with yogurt, do you think a different Instant Pot container should be used? Sincerely, Jolene
Hi Jolene,
I am not sure if I understand your question correctly but there is only one inner pot that comes with the Instant Pot. There are different cooking times for different dishes but the inner pot used is the same.