Instant Pot Kitchen Must Have Tools and Accessories

If you own an Instant Pot or other pressure cooker, there are Instant Pot kitchen must have tools and accessories hard to live without. Since we moved into our 5th wheel full time, we primarily cook with the Instant Pot. We have been cooking this way since November of 2019 leaving us with quite a bit of pressure cooking experience.

Must Have Instant Pot Tools and Accessories We Own

This list we have compiled is in order of most used tools and accessories to least used tools and accessories in Instant Pot kitchen. This list is followed by a list of tools and accessories we do not have but would like to have in our Instant Pot kitchen.

Flat Wooden Spatula, my most used Instant Pot tool and accessory

A wooden spatula is often times called a wooden turner or fry spatula. The handle is long and sturdy with a flat edge to scrape the Instant Pot bottom clean as you stir and also to help spread ingredients out into even layers.

Having a clean pot bottom is incredibly important when pressure cooking. You do not want a “Burn” to ruin your your pressure cooked dinner. Always make sure the bottom of the instant pot is clean.

I use my wooden spatula for all of my stirring and scraping when cooking with the Instant Pot. When browning chicken, pork chops or breaded anything, the pot bottom gets a lot of browning stuck to it. Add a 1/4 cup of water and a flat wooden spatula will scrape the browning right off the pot bottom. I put the wooden spatula at the top of my list because I use it every time I use the Instant Pot. This is my number one instant pot tool I have in my kitchen.

Long Kitchen Tongs, never cook without these must have Instant Pot tools and accessories

There is no need to risk burning your hand, wrist, or arm retrieving delicious pork chops or delectable chicken breasts after pressure cooking. I love my long tongs. From turning meatballs and flipping chicken thighs to pulling chicken breasts out of a rich enchilada soup to slice. Long tongs are incredibly valuable when cooking with the Instant Pot. Oh! and do not forget, tongs make serving dinners like million dollar spaghetti super easy.

Use long tongs to help maneuver a whole chicken from the trivet to a plate or place raw chicken breasts into a hot pot with olive oil to brown. I use my long tongs almost every time I use my Instant Pot!

Chef’s Knife, you have to have a nice knife in order to make incredible food in your Instant Pot

There is always chopping, slicing, and dicing to be done when cooking. Use a good quality chef’s knife to do your cutting, you’ll get better cuts and it’s safer than using a cheep knife that dulls quickly. There are plenty of great chef’s knifes out there to choose from.

After a ton of research, I chose the Professional Series Chef’s knife from MAC Knife. MAC Knifes have been around since 1964 and they turn out fantastic performing knifes.

I absolutely love my MAC chef knife. It feels good in my hand with a good weight and balance. How fun is it to butterfly a chicken breast with little effort and perfectly dice jalapenos? Be careful though, it is incredibly sharp and it is very easy to cut yourself. Always use safe cutting techniques like keeping a knuckle against the side of the knife guiding the knife edge away from your finger tips that are guiding the ingredients being cut with the knife.

When building your instant pot kitchen, a nice chef’s knife is a must have tool!

End Grain Cutting Board, don’t cut without a nice cutting board

If you do a lot of cutting with nice knifes, you are going to need a nice cutting board. An end grain wood cutting board is designed to be cut on by very sharp knifes. The cutting surfaces of the cutting board is the cross cut surfaces of different hard woods put together. The cross cut end of the cutting board can take a hard cut by a sharp knife and the groove imprint is immediately pushed closed.

This cutting board is a large size so I can have multiple ingredients chopped on it at once. It is also heavy and perfectly flat creating a safe cutting surface. I often times lay a kitchen towel under it to just make sure there is no slipping. It also makes adding chopped ingredients to the instant pot simple.

Pyrex Measuring Cups, incredibly useful Instant Pot tool and accessory must have

You cannot cook without at least a two cup Pyrex measuring cup. Living small in our 32 foot 5th wheel we have reduced our storage space so I have two, two cup Pyrex measuring cups with us. I usually use only one and immediately wash it after each use. They have great handles with perfect leverage while holding and dumping ingredients. A must have tool in any Instant Pot Kitchen.

Measuring Cups and Spoons, you can’t cook without measuring

Personally, I prefer stainless steal measuring cups and measuring spoons. They are easy to clean and easy to see the levels of ingredients. The measuring cups and spoons are held together with with key rings so they are only separated if you remove them. It’s nice to have them all together, all of the time.

Use the stainless steal measuring cups and measuring spoons for dry or wet ingredients.

Egg Holder, a hard boiled egg family’s must have Instant Pot tool and accessory

Hard boiled eggs are a must in our house. We make a dozen every few days, so, we have an egg holder. It holds 14 eggs as designed. Often times I only use one and stack five eggs on top of the other seven eggs to make a dozen. When we make 18 hard boiled eggs, we stack four more eggs on top of the eggs in the top egg holder. If you make hard boiled eggs, you need this egg holder.

Steamer Basket, The best steamer basket in my opinion

Steaming vegetables and dumplings is incredibly easy with this sturdy steamer basket. It is way easier to clean a stainless steal sturdy steamer basket than a wire steamer basket.

With this steamer basket, you can steam left overs too. Get juicy and flavorful left over chicken breast or thighs by steaming them the next day using chicken broth or water + chicken bouillon. Include all of the left over sides as well to warm up at the same time. They turn out AMAZING and easy to clean afterwards.

This steamer basket is a must have Instant Pot accessory or tool for your kitchen.

Kitchen Timer, incredibly useful

I use a kitchen timer all of the time when using my Instant Pot. When doing anything that needs a natural pressure release, I set the timer and go take care of the kids or move on to another part of dinner. As soon as that timer goes off, I release the pressure and remove dinner from the pot. There is never over cooked food because I never forget to release the pressure at the correct time thanks to my kitchen timer.

I also use this kitchen timer when cooking hard boiled eggs using the 5-5-5 method. 5 minutes pressure cooking, 5 minutes natural pressure release, and 5 minutes cooling in a bowl of water, perfect every time because of the timer.

Gravy Whisk, one of my favorite Instant Pot tools and accessories I use

I had always used my wooden spatula to stir my gravies. What was I thinking?! I bought my gravy whisk and was introduced to a whole new world! Whisking a cornstarch slurry into your gravy on the sauté function after you pull meat out with a gravy whisk is an incredible feeling. Make an onion gravy to go with your pork chops and use the gravy whisk to whisk the onions into tiny little pieces.

I love my gravy whisk and highly recommend everyone that is a lover of the nectar of the gods, use a gravy whisk. It also helps to clean the pot bottom as you whisk.

Masher, a must have accessory for those that like to mash

I know we all have our own favorite ways of mashing potatoes. I love this style masher because I am given the opportunity to leave my potatoes or what ever I’m mashing, a little chunky. It is sturdy and easy to grip with one hand or two hands. If I want a creamy mashed potatoes with no chunks, I can keep on mashing until the texture is just right!

Clean up is a breeze too. There are no tiny holes to clean out. Even if for some reason I let the potatoes dry on, it is still easy to wash off. I love this masher!

Steam Diverter, a fun Instant Pot Kitchen tool and accessory to have

If you use your Instant Pot on your kitchen counter, you may have cabinets directly over it. In our 5th wheel, the steam shoots directly at the under side of the cabinets leaving them wet afterward. Get a steam diverter to shoot the steam forward, or to any side you want, instead of up.

This little minion steam diverter works perfect. I’ve seen other steam diverters that are way bigger and we definitely do not have the room for a big steam diverter in our kitchen.

Trivet

If you do not have a trivet for your pressure cooker, I recommend getting one.

I not only use the trivet for removing a whole chickens and large meatloaves, but also use it to remove bunt cake pans and spring form pans easily.

Spring Form Pan, a fun way to cook your favorite dishes

I don’t use my spring form pan very often but when I do, I love it! How cool is it to unspring and unveil a gorgeous dinner you can take a slice out of?

It’s awesome! You can also make yourself cake, cheese cake and bread in them and easily remove the pan.

We just made an Italian concoction with hamburger, ricotta, mozzarella, thick marinara, and a whole bunch of zucchini. It turned out beautiful… and absolutely delicious!

Slow Cooker Lid, very useful when cooking with hamburger

I use my slow cooker lid mainly for holding browned hamburger in the pot as I drain the fat. I’m not sure what I’d do to drain the fat if I did not have this lid.

Using the slow cooker lid on the Instant Pot instead of the Instant Pot lid when on the slow cooker function is not necessary but it is pretty cool getting to look through the glass lid to see what’s cooking.

Egg Bite Mold, a fun must have accessory to have in your Instant Pot tools and accessories

Egg bites are super fun to make and absolutely delicious. They make a great breakfast that’s easy to eat the whole family enjoys.

We have used the egg bite molds for making other things besides egg bites like mini meatloaves, cherry pies, cheese cakes, breakfast bites, and corndogs.

Ladle, a soup and chili cook’s must have

I love making soups and chili in our Instant Pot! They always turn out absolutely amazing! For example: Chicken Tortellini Soup, Chicken Enchilada Soup, Chicken Noodle Soup, Chicken Chili Verde, Classic Chili, Ham Corn Chowder, Chicken Corn Chowder… You’re going to want a good ladle to serve all those with.

Serving Spoon, very helpful when plating dinner

You can get away with using a ladle to scoop heavy saucy dinners but it is much easier to use a large serving spoon in those cases. I like a thicker handle for better leverage. This long spoon works perfect for the Instant Pot keeping your hand away from a hot pot or a steamy dinner.

Transferring taco meat from the Instant Pot to a cheese loaded tortilla waiting in the air fryer basket is a great job for this serving spoon.

Cheese Grater, a valuable tool to go into your Instant Pot accessory and tool collection

There is not a lot of dinners made in our Instant Pot that get away without some sort of cheese being added to it or over the top.

A great box cheese grater that is sturdy with fine shred, rough shred, zester, and slicer is a must have. I also use the fine shred for onion, garlic, and ginger for some recipes. I love this thing.

Lemon Zester, a tool that can be used to fine shred and zest

The great thing about having a lemon zester is not only having the ability to create beautiful zest from lemons and limes, but it also can be used for a super fine cheese shredder.

Parmesan cheese ran through this shredder/zester is like fine little parmesan ribbons. This shredder/zester does a great job fine shredding garlic, onions, and ginger as well.

Kitchen Torch, a fun tool to have in your Instant Pot accessory collection

Has any body had the opportunity to use a kitchen torch to toast the top of their plated dinner? It is a lot of fun and you can make it as crispy as you want. Melt and crisp shredded cheese over a pile of spaghetti or toast some carnitas piled on a tortilla.

You have to be very careful because it is a can of butane plugged into a torch with flames shooting out of it. I am not responsible for anybody burning down their house or hurting them selves by the way. But if you are a relatively safe minded person, this torch can be very rewarding.

I like this torch the best because you do not have to fill a canister and the butane can be detached from the torch when not in use. I found the butane cans in abundance at a local Asian market for a great price.

Accessories and Tools for our Instant Pot We do not Have in our Kitchen, But Want

There are some Instant Pot accessories I would love to have in our kitchen that I haven’t yet bit the bullet on for one a reason or another.

Ceramic Non Stick Instant Pot Insert

I love the Instant Pot but the pot bottom can turn into a nightmare quickly. It would be nice to have a pot that had a ceramic non stick coating on the inside to help make clean up a lot easier. It has almost 20,000 ratings at 4 ^_1/2 Stars with great comments. Count me in.

Air Fryer Lid

We own an air fryer but it would be convenient to be able to crisp the top of some dinners in the Instant Pot. For example, make a pot of macaroni and cheese, put the air fryer lid on, and BAM! You have a crispy top to your mac n cheese.

Let’s say you just shredded a ton of mozzarella, cheddar, ricotta, and parmesan cheese on the top of your million dollar spaghetti and want it melted before you stir it in. Throw the air fryer lid on, light it up for a couple minutes, and there you go, melty cheese on top ready to be stirred into the spaghetti and meatballs.

The main reason we do not have one already is the fact we live in a 32 foot 5th wheel with limited space. For now, I use the hand held torch or air fryer.

Stackable Steamer Insert Pans with Sling

I would love to use a couple of stainless steal stackable steamer pans meant for steaming multiple things at once. I use Pyrex bowls now when making a side with a main dish in the instant pot, and they end up a mess.

They look easy to use with plenty of room to steam for a big family. I would imagine you could make perfect chicken breast or thighs and when it’s time, drop in a pan of seasoned cauliflower to finish it off. Sounds great!

Do You Have an Instant Pot?

Instant Pot Duo Plus 9-in-1

I own the Instant Pot Duo Plus 9-in-1 and I love it! Mine is a little dated now but I have never had a problem with it. Pressure cooking dinner main courses, side dishes, snacks, desserts, breakfasts, and even bread will change your life. The amount of flavor and moisture when cooked in the Instant Pot cannot be replicated by other cooking methods. Highly recommended by my family to yours.

Instant Pot Recipes by TheWildWaynes using Instant Pot Must Have Tools and Accessories

CREAMY INSTANT POT CHICKEN CHILI VERDE

RANCH PORK CHOPS WITH GRAVY

CHICKEN SHAWARMA

TZATZIKI SAUCE

CANTONESE APRICOT CHICKEN IN THE INSTANT POT

CHICKEN ENCHILADA SOUP IN THE INSTANT POT – RICH AND CREAMY

Carnitas in the Instant Pot

SOUTHWEST PORK CHOPS AND GRAVY

ASIAN GREEN BEANS

TACO MEAT WITH GROUND BEEF

PHILLY CHEESESTEAK AND CAULIFLOWER STUFFED BELL PEPPERS IN THE INSTANT POT MADE THE HEALTHY WAY

FULLY LOADED MASHED POTATOES IN THE INSTANT POT

CHIPOTLE BRATWURST CHILI

CORN SALSA MADE WITH INSTANT POT CORN OFF THE COB

YUMMY SALT & PEPPER CHICKEN WINGS

CHILI CHEESE DIP