The beef stew setting on an Instant Pot is a pre-set for 35 minutes at high pressure. It's the same as manually choosing the pressure cooker high setting and setting your own time. I set my own time for beef stew as I my beef stew recipe cooks for just 15 minutes at high pressure with tender and delicious results. 35 minutes is not needed with the right cut of meat (go with boneless chuck roast). You can use the setting, just set a manual timer for 15 minutes.