How To Get Smell Out Of Instant Pot & Lid Ring

Has your Instant Pot been smelly lately? If you’ve cooked an especially fragrant meal, this isn’t surprising. It likely is not your entire Instant Pot pressure cooker that smells, but rather the silicone ring that is found on the underside of the lid. This material can absorb odors and you’ll need to take some action to get the smell out. Keep reading to learn how to get rid of Instant Pot ling ring smell. I also have a tip on how to remove the odor form the inner pot if that is the culprit in your situation.

What Causes Instant Pot To Smell?

On the underside of your Instant Pot lid, there is a silicone ring that wraps around. This ring helps create a seal between the lid and the inner pot. Unfortunately, one downside of the silicone material is that it can absorb odors from the food you are cooking. If the ring is not cleaned and stored properly, then this Instant Pot lid ring smell can lid and you will need to figure out how to get rid of it using the tips below.

It is worth noting that the smell should not be considered dangerous and it probably will not affect the taste of your future meals (with the possible exception of yogurt). But some people, especially those who are sensitive to smells, it can just be annoying. I understand! Keep reading to learn some tips from the Instant Pot user community on how to get rid of this smell.

Tips On How To Get Smell Out Of Instant Pot Lid Ring

Put The Silicone Lid Ring In The Freezer

After you have cleaned the lid ring after cooking, put it in the freezer overnight. Only put the silicone lid ring in the freezer, not other lid parts. Remove it the next morning and see if this managed to get rid of the Instant Pot lid ring smell.

Bake The Instant Pot Silicone Lid Ring In The Oven To Get Rid of Smell

If cold temperatures didn’t get rid of the Instant Pot lid ring smell, try heat! Take a baking sheet and line it with aluminum foil. Heat your over to 300 degrees (note: some users have gone as low as 250, others as high as 350). Place the silicone lid ring on the aluminum foil lined baking sheet and place it in the oven for 60 minutes. Depending on how strong the odor is in your ring, you may notice the smell start to fill the air while it is baking. Take it out after an hour has passed and let it cool. Once it has cooled, the Instant Pot lid ring smell should be significantly reduced if not gone completely. Wait until it has cooled before you lose hope. If you smell it while it is hot, the odor may still be there.

Replace The Silicone Lid Ring

If nothing helps you get rid of the smell from your Instant Pot lid ring, you can always replace it. Be sure to read the product information carefully to ensure that it will fit your model.

How To Fight Again Instant Pot Lid Ring Smells In The Future

Dishwasher Clean The Lid Ring After Every Use

Did you know that your Instant Pot lid, lid parts and inner pot are dishwasher safe? It is recommended that you clean the parts after every use. To help the dishwasher remove any odor from the lid ring, it is recommended that you remove the ring and other small parts like the anti-block shield from the lid before starting the wash cycle. If you don’t have a dishwasher, be sure to wash the lid ring by hand with warm water and soap.

Remove Ring From Lid When Not In Use

After you have removed your Instant Pot lid, lid ring and other small parts from the dishwasher, leave the silicone ring off of the lid. Store the silicone sealing ring in an area with good ventilation. This will help to reduce any residual odor. Remember, you should store your lid upside down on the Instant Pot. You can take off the ring and leave it right on top of that.

Get a Multi-Pack of Rings For Different Uses

If you don’t mind the smell of the lid but you don’t like the possible impact it may have on different types of dishes you make, then you can get a multi-pack of lid rings and use them for different occasions. For example, you could keep one ring for savory dishes, one for yogurts, and one for deserts.

How To Remove Odor From Instant Pot Inner Pot

While the lid ring is usually the most common culprit when it comes to Instant Pot odor, the inner pot can also be to blame sometimes. If you’ve cleaned the ring and an odor remains that you believe is coming from the pot, you can try the following to clean it. Add 1 cup of fresh water and 1 cup of white vinegar to the inner pot. Run a Pressure Cook cycle for five to ten minutes. Then quick release the pressure. You can then hand wash the inner pot or run it through a dishwasher cleaning cycle to get rid of any lingering vinegar odor. Using vinegar is the recommended cleaning approach you will find in your Instant Pot user manual. I like to stick with what the user manual recommends, though other sites out there suggest you can use lemon juice instead of vinegar.