Instant Pot Lingo and Abbreviations + Free Printable Cheat Sheet

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Are you wondering what the instant pot abbreviations and lingo mean? You don’t have to look any farther! I can help you figure out all the jargon and even have a free printable instant pot cheat sheet you can hang on your refrigerator!

One of the most intimidating things about a new instant pot is all the lingo and terminology surrounding it. IP with an NP for 5 minutes then a QR after that… I mean… that’s enough to scare anyone away! Fear no more! I will help you make sense of it all.

Instant Pot Abbreviations and Acronyms

Let’s start with all the different terms we give the instant pot. You will see it called the instapot, a pressure cooker, an electric pressure cooker, an instant pot, or an IP (instant pot).

Sometimes, you will hear people who love the instant pot called potheads. (Yes, it makes me laugh too.)

Let’s go over some of the abbreviations first.

IP: Instant Pot
PC: Pressure Cooker
EPC: Electric Pressure Cooker
LP: Low Pressure
HP: High Pressure
NR or NPR: Natural Pressure Release
MR or MPR: Manual Pressure Release
PIP: Pot in Pot

Ok, now that you know what the abbreviations stand for, what the heck do they even mean?

IP/PC/EPC

These are all just different ways of referring to your Instant Pot. Instant Pot is a brand name of an electric pressure cooker.

Low Pressure and High Pressure

This changes the pressure setting. It changes the PSI (pounds per square inch). Don’t worry too much with it because your recipe will tell you which pressure to use.

Natural Pressure Release (NPR or NR)

When your instant pot beeps and the cooking time is finished, you can choose to let it slowly lose its pressure. You don’t have to do anything for this to happen. Once the food cooks, your pressure cooker will automatically depressurize a little bit at a time on its own. As the pressure drops over time, the float valve will gradually drop.

Quick Release (QPR or QR)

The quick-release method is when you manually turn the pressure release valve from sealing to venting. This will cause a huge amount of steam to come out. First-timers – this is loud and startling the first time! (Pro tip: Use a long spoon or tongs to flip the knob to venting so you won’t risk getting burned by the steam!)

Related Post: NPR vs QPR

Pot in Pot – PIP

Pot in pot is a way to cook in your instant pot. Basically, you are placing a pot within your pot – just as it says. One example of pot in pot cooking is my favorite recipe: Trisha Yearwood’s Instant Pot Lasagna.

Free Instant Pot Jargon Printable

Need help remembering all the abbreviations for your instant pot? Don’t worry! Just go into the printables library and print this off (as many times as you want) and stick it on your fridge or in the front of your recipe book!

(Not signed up for the newsletter? Sign up and I’ll send you the password for the printables library! All kinds of goodies in there, and I try to update it often!)