mold or bacteria growth in instapot

Question

I cooked corn on the cob and forgot to clean my instapot. The insert had either mold, slime, or something that looked like red-orange jelly on it, about quarter-sized. I cleaned the pot and insert with soap and water and also boiled water in the pot for 15 min. Not sure if that is enough to kill mold or spores since I don't know what the growth was in pot, I read that it is very hard to kill spores. Do I need to buy a new pot?

Answer 1

It all depends on the material the insert was made of. If it is a genuine Instant Pot, the insert is made out of non-porous stainless steel and can be properly cleaned. If possible, I would disinfect it with a 10% mild bleach solution first then thoroughly rinse and wash the insert with detergent as normal as well as what you have done. If you are really concerned, you could use a wire pad and detergent to scour the insert e.g. a wire Brillo pad.

The problem with porous coated inserts is not only that the mould could potentially penetrate any weakness in the coating itself, but using aggressive cleaning agents such as bleach or wire wool would damage the surface. At the same time, the bleach itself would not be able to reach the roots, if they existed. In that case, I would replace the insert itself rather than taking the risk, particularly if the insert was well used.