That time I verified the Instant Pot for use as an "autoclave".

[@LianisLewis]

Thank you for this!

[@oldboots75]

This is very helpful, thanks

[@StipeCap]

Glad it was helpful!

[@matthewgarcia5617]

Are you at sea level? Would I need to increase my cook time if I'm at ~4k feet elevation ?

[@StipeCap]

The instant pot is unreliable for anything other than liquids, such as agar or liquid culture. I wouldn't recommend it for grains unless used as a stop-gap until a suitable pressure canner or sterilizer is available. Yes, you need to adjust for elevation. Charts are available online if you google canning elevation chart.

[@jdmatkin]

I know vid is almost a year old. I'm just getting started and plan to use my instapot for this. Question is with sizes, because I can actually fit three quart jars in mine. Would this change the results?

[@StipeCap]

Nope. Shouldn't make a difference.

[@bendrixbailey1430]

Boy am I glad you did this. I recently got an Instant Pot and then was concerned by many comments online that it did not work, would not sterilize, would not kill endospores. Factual experiments prove otherwise as you’ve shown here. Thanks so much. Now I’ll use it with confidence. Quick question…. Do you only use the BSI vials for validation,or is there any value in putting one in every sterilization run? If you did put one in would you be confident about keeping the jar sterile if you removed that vial in a laminar flow hood? Thanks.

[@StipeCap]

Despite passing verification by biological indicator, I'd only recommend the instant pot for liquid media like agar, or liquid culture. Always use the right tools for the job, a proper pressure cooker or autoclave is preferable. The IP can be used as a stopgap until a proper unit is available and works excellent for liquids. No need to use vials unless you're experiencing issues, or attempting to validate a new unit. Definitely no requirement to run frequently.

[@StipeCap]

Just to validate initially.

[@bendrixbailey1430]

One more thing, can you supply the part. number for the sterilizer? I can’t find one online with that wide slot for breaking the vial. If you have a retail outlet that will sell all the BSI equipment a link would be helpful.

[@StipeCap]

All BI incubators that I'm aware of come with a slot to crack the vials.

[@shaunm1983]

I've been doing almost 4 hour cycles

[@StipeCap]

Not really necessary, but shouldn't hurt.