The Instant Pot Pressure Cooker is the best selling, highest rated model on the market. That is for very good reasons, and it remains true despite the one drawback explained below.
(For full details about this electric pressure cooker please click here to read my complete review of the Instant Pot IP-DUO60.)
After publication of the original review, one issue came up that you’ll definitely want to know about before you decide which electric pressure cooker might be best for you.
In my opinion, this is definitely not a deal breaker. However, it is one of those things that most of us would much prefer knowing before we buy.
The Problem: Instant Pot Sealing Ring Absorbs Odors
You’ll find this complaint in some online customer reviews, and I can confirm from personal experience that it’s true. The sealing ring that goes inside the Instant Pot lid tends to absorb odors when cooking certain foods.
Don’t worry, it doesn’t have any effect on the taste of what you cook. Those odors are not transferred to the food inside the pot. The smell is just in the air.
(Update July 2019: At least one person disagrees with me, which you can see in the comment below from Jerry. Jerry says the lingering odor did affect taste, but unfortunately we don’t know what foods were involved. I do have to wonder about highly seasoned Indian curry dishes that have such a powerful aroma, which might be absorbed by delicate foods.)
Many people do not even think this issue is a big deal, but here’s an example to help you decide whether it matters to you.
Let’s say you cook a chicken for dinner, and then the next morning you use your Instant Pot again to make quick work of some steel cut oats for breakfast. Your oatmeal is going to taste great, but while it’s cooking, you’re going to smell the aroma of last night’s chicken.
Maybe you won’t mind that. I do. I’m one of those people who does well handling the major crises in life. It’s the little things that send me over the edge. Personally, no matter how good that chicken was last night, the leftover aroma of it does not go well with my morning coffee.
All You Have To Do Is Clean It Properly, Right?
Well, good luck with that! You can try:
- washing the sealing ring by hand
- running it through the dishwasher
- soaking it in lemon water, vinegar, water with baking soda or whatever else you can think to add
I know one person who tried soaking it in bleach, and even that didn’t work.
The sealing ring is made of silicone. Silicone is not supposed to absorb odors, so this shouldn’t be a problem, but it is. I can’t tell you why, though I’ve heard others speculate that perhaps the material is not quite 100% silicone. That could be true because what the company actually says is that the ring is made of a “silicon rubber compound”.
Regardless, I know of no cleaning method that will remove the cooking odors. If you discover one, by all means leave a comment below to let us know!
Update: Thank you to the reader who suggests leaving the ring in the sun for a few hours to remove the odor. Unfortunately that won’t help you overnight or any time the sun refuses to shine for days on end (which could well be during winter holidays when you need your pressure cooker most!).
The Solution That Works
The bad news is, the only solution is to buy an extra sealing ring.
The good news is that this extra part is not expensive, and changing out the rings is very quick and easy.
The sealing ring set pictured below is the Instant Pot brand. Be aware that using any other brand of sealing rings may void your warranty. Anyway in this case there’s no reason not to buy name brand because these rings are very inexpensive. Exact price depends on which size you need. The set of 2 rings for 6-quart size Instant Pots usually sells for less than $15. The rings are also available in colors. Click on the image below to check today’s exact price on Amazon. Be sure to select the correct size for your Instant Pot model.
With two sealing rings on hand, you can use one when cooking chicken, fish, and any spicy dishes like gumbos or marinated meats. Save the other ring for blander foods like oatmeal that do not produce strong or distinct aromas while cooking.
Switching rings is simple and only takes a minute. The sealing ring is reversible, so there’s no way to get it in backwards. You just insert it into the track and push it into place. Here’s a real short video that demonstrates how easy it is:
A Tip for Storing Your Rings
As mentioned in the comments below, I have discovered one thing that works quite well for me. When my savory ring is not in use I store it in a gallon zip lock bag along with some baking soda (about 1/2 cup). Before using the ring, I just rinse it quickly, dry it off and pop it into the lid.
I only change out the baking soda every few months. I never have a problem with any odors transferring to foods. But again, I also don’t use powerful spices like curry blends in my Instant Pot.
The Bottom Line
Compared to other electric pressure cookers, the Instant Pot is still an all around favorite. I’ve seen comments from many owners of this model that despite this one issue with the sealing ring, they are still extremely happy with their Instant Pot and would purchase it again. I agree with them, and I hope this information helps you decide which model you will be happy with.
Instant Pot now makes a smaller 3 quart size, 7-in-1 Multi-Use Programmable Pressure Cooker, Slow Cooker, Rice Cooker, Steamer, Sauté, Yogurt Maker and Warmer – See the Instant Pot Duo Mini on Amazon
For more information:
- Read the Complete Instant Pot Review
- See the Instant Pot on Amazon
- See the Instant Pot Sealing Ring (sold separately) on Amazon
Brenda Bates says
It can be set outside in the sun for a few hours and that takes the odor out.
Jen G. says
No big deal. Simply buy an extra sealing ring and use one for sweet/neutral and one for spicy/savory foods. This is not an issue. Honest!
Aquafit Ninja says
Hello,
My husband bought the instant pot and it arrived while he is away. I opened the box and there is a very strong chemical smell. I already washed the inner pot and accessories. Did anyone experience this when they first bought the instant pot? I live in a cold rainy climate in a condo with no place to air it out outside. Any suggestions on how to resolve this issue? Thank you.
Susan says
Hello,
I have not personally experienced this problem, and The Healthy Kitchen Shop is a product review site, so almost all our visitors are still shopping to decide which product to buy. You’re far more likely to get helpful information from people who already own an Instant Pot. I suggest you post your question to the Instant Pot Facebook page. It’s a huge community of owners and very active. The link to it is on our Instant Pot Review page.
Best,
Susan
Lori M. says
Hello, I experienced this same thing and still smell it after several uses and washing. It doesn’t affect the taste of the food but the smell is getting to me. (Note: I do have sensitivities to unknown chemicals after 30 years of working in laboratories and I’m also allergic to latex) I hope it’s just the sealing ring and I’m going to try a suggestion to run a 2-minute steam cycle with either 1 c. white vinegar or 1 c. water and a lemon rind. I hope it works!
Therese Pollett says
Helpful video. Thank you!
Rhonda says
I discovered the sealing ring problem when I made yogurt yesterday and tasted black bean soup with onions in the yogurt. It’s not just odor, the taste is in the yogurt. Gross. And I cannot get the smell out of the ring–dishwasher, vinegar, no luck. I’ve just ordered extra rings, and by the way, rings for the 8 quart pot are much harder to find. I got them on the Instant Pot site. I LOVE my instant pot and will switch out the rings next time.
Nicole says
This happened to me! I made a savoury sausage dish and then yogurt and the yogurt smelled and tasted like tomato sauce even though everything was cleaned thoroughly in between. Very gross. I’ve tried vinegar, baking soda, hot soapy water…I’m going to purchase a separate one for dairy and sweet dishes.
Ursula says
From my experience the odor does end up in the food for sure! I made steamed apples for my baby and they smelled of curry and chicken I made one week prior and you could detect it in the taste as well. Disgusting! Im afraid to use the IP until I get new rings.
Susan says
Thank you so much for sharing. This is the first instance I’ve heard of in which it actually affected taste, but then curry is quite strong so maybe it shouldn’t be surprising. In any case, this is very helpful information for others. Thanks for passing it on!
Susan
Kellie says
I’ve done as others mentioned and have 2 rings, 1 for savory doods and one for sweet/bland foods. My savory one reeks, though. I mean my entire kitchen smells like coconut curry and it’s been weeks. Kind of annoying. Trying the sunshine thing today!
Eva says
I have found that cooking white rice eliminates the savory smell – but then the seal smells like rice ;)
Nikki says
The very first thing we cooked it it has left an odor – ribs. How gross and disappointing. I’m fairly certain I could have made it through life without this extra appliance.
Susan says
That’s exactly the purpose of this post. If you can’t live with having to switch out the sealing rings, you will not be happy with an Instant Pot.
Karen says
This was a deal breaker for me because the smell does transfer to other foods. That can’t be healthy. I used my IP a few times and then returned it because I was so grossed out by the smell in the ring.
Susan says
Again, that’s exactly the purpose of this post — to explain the issue so shoppers will know before they buy and, hopefully, not be disappointed.
Mike Carberry says
First time I used the Mini pot, I fixed veggie chili. Strong burnt material odor all through the kitchen. The next day I could taste the odor in the chili. I did not over cook or burn the chili. I hope a replacement seal will help. I may go back to my good ole crock pot. Thank you.
Susan says
The article above is talking about strong odors from foods or seasonings. If I understand correctly, you’re smelling some kind of chemical odor from the Instant Pot itself. To me that sounds like a defective product. I would contact the manufacturer.
Jerry Wallace says
You’re wrong abourt the smell affecting the food, it DOES leave a slightly funky taste. You would think that the manufacturer would be aware of this.
Susan LaBorde says
Hi Jerry,
Thanks so much for sharing your experience. I’m noting this in the above review to be sure readers don’t miss it. Please tell us exactly what foods you cooked that transferred/absorbed odor that affected taste.
I haven’t seen other reports of this, but it’s helpful to know that it can happen.
Thank you,
Susan
Sandy says
I’ve only used my IP a few times and the food has always had that disgusting funky taste….except once when I used about a quarter of the liquid (broth) recommended.
Will probably experiment again….but I’m grossed out and disappointed with Instant Pots.
Cynthia J Dueringer says
I’ve had the same experience…it REEKS so bad I could smell it two rooms away from the kitchen. This is a deal breaker. I’m supposed to do a special cleaning cycle with 2 cups of vinegar?? That kind of shoots the purpose of the pressure cooking concept of buying cheaper cuts of meat and making them edible.
I’m probably going to send it back to the manufacturer. It’ll cost me a few bucks but If more of us did it, they’d figure out how to build a ring that doesn’t smell.
Dana says
I loved my IP at first, but after several months of after smell my wife made me drop it off at a local thrift store with all the different colored sealing rings. Reason, everything regardless of new or used rings used, smelled the same while cooking, permeated the kitchen, some good but mostly horrible. The kicker that sent the IP to the thrift store was a pot of Brussel sprouts.
I’m back to a slow cooker with a glass lid, programable, not fast but everything cooked at least smells edible.
Susan LaBorde says
Hi Dana,
Sorry you had that experience but thanks for sharing. This info might help someone else make a buying decision.
I can certainly understand the Brussels sprouts. Personally I don’t like them, and to my nose they stink up the entire house no matter how you cook them.
For others reading this, one thing I do is that when my savory ring is not in use, I store it in a gallon zip lock bag with some baking soda. Each time I use it I just give it a quick rinse to wash off the baking soda.
Susan
Priyanka says
I used my new instant pot to boil water as a test. After that I made rice pudding as first dish in it. The ring still has a funky smell in it. It is some chemical smell of new product in the sealing ring. How should I get rid of this smell? I have hand washed it but there is no sun so could not put it out.
Susan LaBorde says
Try putting the ring in a large ziploc bag and add some baking soda. Leave it for a few hours or overnight. (Actually, this is how I always store my rings between uses of the Instant Pot.)
That’s what has worked best for me!
Hope that helps,
Susan
Priyanka says
Thanks Susan. That was a great tip. I helped in getting rid of that chemical smell.
Cynthia J Dueringer says
This stinking gasket IS a deal-breaker for me. There must be thousands of complaints about it online. I’ve been cooking for 60 years and I’ve had the old pressure cookers and NEVER had an after-stink. It took me two days to figure out where the hell the god-awful smell was in my kitchen….and my kitchen is HUGE. I cleaned the pot spotless after dinner, even took the ring out and cleaned it like I cleaned the old rubber rings from the old pressure cookers. I never had a stinking gasket in the old cookers and I cooked cabbage, onions, garlic…stinky stuff. Never had an after-stink. But I could smell the stink from this Instant Pot ring as far as our sun-porch the next day. I had to sniff around the kitchen to figure out where that smell was coming from. Apparently, the sulfur-compounds in onions and garlic permeate the silicone gasket and we are expected to give it special treatment to clean it? Including the cost of two cups of vinegar and more?
No and NO THANKS. This blows. I should not have to buy more rings to escape the smell and where do you stash the ring to stop enjoying the smell? And I should not have to go through special cleaning processes for the gasket.
I am so disgusted that after I use this unnecessarily overly-complicated digital pressure cooker that I will have to spend more time re-running a “cycle”, wasting vinegar that right now is scarce in the stores. I would have used that vinegar for pickling next month. I haven’t done the vinegar or lemon cleaning cycle yet so it may not even work. The manufacturer knows this is a problem and is not fixing it? I’m ready to box this junk up and send it back to the manufacturer and let them smell it.
There’s a lot to be said for the simple old pressure cookers. I could put the entire thing in the sink and scrub it all inside and out. No plug. No digital nag screen. No stinky gaskets. Lasted me over 40 years. I’m soooooooo sorry I gave it away,
Cindy in Kansas