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6/5/2017 7:44:34 PM

How to Write an Instant Pot "Smart" Script for the Bluetooth pot



While looking around for Instant Pot "Smart" Scripts, I realized that the only tutorial I could find for writing your own was dreadfully out of date.  So I got busy and created an updated tutorial.

     Last Updated:  December 12, 2017

Writing your own Instant Pot "Script" for the "Smart" Bluetooth pot...

What is an Instant Pot script?  It is a program that can include recipe directions and more, but it's main purpose is to send a set of instructions to your bluetooth pot to follow.  Once you "Start" a script, it immediately sends the full list of commands to your pot.  You do not need to stay connected or in the area for it to continue and you can close your app at any time after the pot starts.

Jump to:
Details on each Command
NPR (natural pressure release) time
Keep Warm
Notes about Sounds
Altitude Adjustments
Other Notes and Information



Write a sample script:

How do I write my own script?  While I will give details about each command available below, lets jump in and write one.  I think the best way to learn is by doing, so just follow along with the steps below to create a Hard Boiled Egg script that you can adjust to your preference.  It is based on "5-5-5" method, but you can adjust the minutes to your preference.

Open the app and click on DIY to get started...


Add a name for your script/recipe...  in this case "0 - Hard Boiled Eggs"  

Note:  I like to start my own scripts with a zero to make them easy to find among my personal and downloaded recipes.  

You can also click the heart on a recipe to add it to your favorites instead, but this still doesn't make it immediately clear that it is one you created.
 


Now we can start adding commands that the pot will perform...  Click on the "+" button next to "Commands" to add a new Command.


For this script, we will use "Heat to a pressure"...

Since this is an Egg script, check to see that Pressure Level is set to "Low" and then change Heating Level to 75% (100% is like "Steam" instead of "Manual")...  Then click "Done" to save the command.
 


Now we will add a command to "Hold the pressure"...  Change the message to "Count down", the duration to 5 minutes, and then "Done" to save the command.
 


Now we will add a Pause to cover the NPR time on the recipe... change the message to "Hot" (to indicate the process is not done), select "Duration", and set to 5 minutes.  Then "done" to save the command.



Now we will set some pauses to be able to add beeps for the user to know the process is done...  Add a "Pause" command and set the message to "Done", the sound to "Long Beep", and the "duration" to 1 minute.  (Note:  While it appears that you could set the duration to 0 minutes and stack up beeps quickly, this does not work as of 12/2017... you must have 1 minute or the stacked beeps will not sound)



Repeat the Pause command from above two more times...  This will give the user added notifications that the pot is done and the eggs need removed to the ice bath.  At this point you should have 4 pause commands... 1 for NPR and 3 for alerts.


Add one more Pause command for people who are forgetful and/or wandered away while cooking their eggs...  Set this pause with message "Done", sound "Short beep/15 seconds".  

Then set the "duration" to 30 minutes.  This will keep the pot beeping every 15 seconds to alert the user their eggs are done and waiting until they turn off the pot.
 


Now you are done with commands.  Select the "More" option at the bottom of the screen...


Add directions, description, picture, and any other parts of the recipe you would like...  Then click "Save", then "Ok"
 


 Boom!  You have just created your very own script!


Now where is that lovely script you just made?  Under "My" of course.

Click on the script and run it by selecting "Start"...



To edit the script, select the pencil...


Heart to add it to your favorites... then select the heart from the main screen later to view them.



Out-of-box to view the commands...  You can see the altitude adjustments it will make, if any.  Altitude adjustments are only made on scripts and only certain commands will be adjusted.
To set your altitude, go to Settings, Elevation Adjustment, and set your altitude by entering it or GPS  (I like to enter it manually so the app doesn't need to try to check my gps every time I connect)...
   


And if you want to share your script, be absolutely sure it is correct before you share.  There is a bug that causes the view page for a script to update, but NOT the actual script that it shares for download.  So if you want to share, you either have to do some special things and upload it to a location on your own like I do, or you have to make sure it is 100% right the first time you share...







Details on each Command

  • Heat for a period... while an interesting command, I have never used it as I can think of nothing that needs to heat for a time as opposed to trying to get to a goal.  Do NOT use this with the vent closed or pressure cooking.
  • Heat to a temperature...  this command heats the pot (at the bottom) to a specific temperature.  Good for yogurt, sous vide, slow cooking, and similar programs, this selection is NOT meant for use with the vent closed and/or pressure cooking.  Note:  It measures at the bottom of the pot where the heating element is, so I highly suggest you over-shoot and choose a temperature to heat to that is 10 or even 15 degrees higher than the temperature you are looking for and whisk more often as the heat rises to even out the temperature through the pot contents.
  • Heat to a pressure... the first step of standard pressure cooking.  You can heat to low pressure or high, and set the speed or "heating level" of the pot.  Be warned, 100% is like the steam setting and should not be used if you have food in the bottom of the pot or it could burn.  75% is like "Manual" and most of the other buttons, but I believe 50% would be a mimic for "Soup" as it heats more gently than other options.
  • Pause...  Pause is a multi-use command.  It's first use is to stop all heat for a particular duration to mimic NPR.  I find this very useful so that I don't need to track NPR on my own.  The second use is to make beeps and noises to alert the user.  While you sadly cannot stack beeps at 0 duration, you can stack them 1 minute apart.  And one more feature you can manage with the Pause command... Add food.  By setting a pause with some alerting beeps and a message of "add", you can alert the user to QR and add some ingredients... like adding veggies to a roast.  Be sure to give plenty of time for this (like 10 minutes) before moving to the next command, and be sure to note in the script description that the user will be doing this and when. (It could be so easy for someone to miss the alert though, that I would personally write a second script instead.  Roast Part 1, and at the end, they would add ingredients and run Roast Part 2)
  • Hold the pressure... paired with the "Heat to Pressure", this is the "cook time" for standard pressure cooking.  Like with "Heat to Pressure", you can set "low" or "high".
  • Hold the temperature...  this feature pairs with "Heat to a temperature" to maintain the temperature of yogurt, sous vide, slow cooking, and similar programs.  This selection is NOT meant for use with the vent closed and/or pressure cooking.  Note:  If you do not whisk or stir occasionally, the temperature at the bottom of the pot will initially be higher than the rest.  This does even out over time, but whisking can speed the process greatly.  (added note... this function was broken for a time and would not proceed to another command when the specified duration was up.  It has been fixed by app update, so if you have any problem, be sure your Smart Cooker app is up to date)





NPR (natural pressure release) time

One of my favorite things about writing my own scripts is being able to include the NPR time in a script so I don't need to time it after the cooking is done on my own.

To use this in a script, add a "Pause" command after the cook time.  Set the message to "hot" so that users should know it is not time to open the pot yet, then "duration" to the number of minutes the recipe should NPR for.

 

If you are not sure, I use the general rule of longer-cooking... longer-NPR.  More specifically, I use 10 NPR for rice or chicken, 15 to 20 for other meats, 20 to 30 for very long cooked things like fall-apart roasts or beans, and 2 with a very careful QR (quick release) in spurts for pastas.

As an added note, I like to include a notice to users in the recipe directions section and/or the recipe description, that the script "says "hot" during npr time" so they know it is included. 





Keep Warm

Scripts do not automatically go into Keep Warm when they are done.  If you think it might need to, you must write a last command to accomplish this.

Set a command "Hold at temperature" at the end of your command list (after whatever "done" beep pauses you have)

Set message to "count up", duration to 10 hours, and check the temperature that it will hold at.  I tend to use the default 158 to be on the safe side.  Then click "done" to save the command.

 





Notes about Sounds

One very lacking thing about the available sounds is that there is no sound that mimics the standard "Done" sounds that the pot makes.  (as of 12/12/2017)  While this could be cheated by stacking Pause commands with sounds, it WILL NOT work if you try to put them all with zero minutes duration.  If you use zero duration, only one beep will sound and the rest of the sounds you stacked do not play.  I can only hope that the app will be updated someday with the option to play the standard extended "done" beeps that we are used to from the pot.

So, I stack sounds with Pause, duration 1 min.  It doesn't give the same effect as the normal swath of "done" beeps, but it can hopefully alert the user that something more than the beep or two it gives for changing from one command to another is going on.  To give my equivalent of "done", I do the following:

Pause, message "done", sound "long beep", duration 1 minute
Pause, message "done", sound "long beep", duration 1 minute
Pause, message "done", sound "long beep", duration 1 minute

Then I either go into "keep warm", or if the item should be removed from the pot immediately, I start a pause with short beeps so it continues to remind the user to take action.

Pause, message "done", sound "short beep/15 seconds", duration 30 minutes

You can of course choose your own scheme of sounds, but I do suggest to be consistent so you can always know if a particular sound or group of sounds means you need to go to your pot.




Altitude Adjustments

Altitude adjustments are only made on scripts (not buttons you press on the pot) and only certain commands will be adjusted.
To set your altitude, go to Settings, Elevation Adjustment, and set your altitude by entering it or GPS.  I like to enter it manually so the app doesn't need to try to check my gps every time I connect... however, if I traveled a lot with my pot, I would let it check the gps so it could automatically adjust my scripts where-ever I go.
   



Other Notes and Information

Some best practices to keep you and your scripts friendly and easy to understand...
  • Use "On" for the message while you heat to a temp or pressure
  • Use "Count Down" for the message during cooking time
  • Use "Count Up" for keep warm 
  • Use "Hot" to indicate npr time and make note of that in the description and/or directions if you include npr
  • Use "Done" or "Food" to indicate time to open the pot and eat
  • Keep Warm temps are safe between 140f and 165f according to online information, HOWEVER, the food near the top of the pot may vary in temp quite a bit from the food at the bottom near the sensor, so I highly recommend using the default temp it shows at 158 for Keep Warm and keep it covered to help maintain correct temperatures.
  • If you live at high altitude, write your scripts for sea-level cook times.  Then use the automatic altitude adjustment feature.  This way you can share your scripts with anyone at any altitude without causing problems.





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          6/5/2017 2:21:06 PM - Instant Pot "Smart" Bluetooth Scripts


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COMMENTS

8/17/2018 7:10:06 AM Roman
Thank you for the well written list of instructions and user suggestions. I greatly appreciate it.
Do you have any thoughts about file management?
How can you do a "Save as", so that a recipe can be duplicated.
An example is that I use the IP for Sous Vide and I want to duplicate the same recipe but change the temperature for fish, chicken pork, lamb and beef?

Also, than other email, how can I keep recipes on more that one device, for example, iPad and iPhone.


8/24/2018 9:52:34 AM TinkerT
Sadly the scripts don't seem to successfully load unless they have the exact name that was issued to the file from the app.  Would be so useful if you could rename, etc. but this doesn't seem to be supported and probably won't be changed as far as I can see.  Also means that I have found no way to duplicate either.

IF your devices will download and open to the correct app (I have 3 devices that do and one that flat out won't), you can use the share feature and then download them on your other devices.  Unfortunately my new phone just will not associate the file to the cooker app, so I can't download any scripts regardless if they are mine or not.  So frustrating and I have currently found no fix.  So I am left needing to re-create every single script in my phone, or just give up.

Hopefully your devices will open to the right app.

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