How We Test Instant Pots
When the experts in the Good Housekeeping Institute Kitchen Appliances and Innovation Lab assess multi-cookers, including Instant Pots, we put each to the test in a variety of ways. We check overall functionality by filling the device with water to capacity, then activate the high setting and set a timer. We watch and listen once the cooker comes to pressure, we note the time. Then, we maintain pressure for 15 minutes and release the pressure, timing how long it takes for the pressure to drop. Next, our pros get cooking. We mix all of the ingredients for beef stew in the pressure cooker, cover, record how long the pot takes to come to pressure, cook for 20 minutes and record how long the pot takes to release pressure. Then, we evaluate the final product: Is the beef tender? How were the veggies cooked? Whats the overall flavor like? Finally, our pros cook a batch of rice in each device, combining all of the ingredients in the multicooker and cooking according to the manufacturer’s instructions. We then evaluate the rice: Whats the texture like? Is any rice stuck to the bottom of the cooker?
Our testers also consider ease of use, evaluating each product for how intuitive and clear the controls are, how many settings are offered, how simple cleaning is and the clarity of the owner’s manual.
Instant Solo Single Serve Coffee Maker
Courtesy of Amazon
Normally $100, Now $70 on Amazon
Instant makes much more than just its famous pressure cooker pots. This handy single-serve coffee maker can make a highly customized cup of coffee. Able to use coffee pods, grounds, and even a reusable pod, the Instant Solo also has a feature to adjust the brew strength. It comes in a variety of colors so you can find one that fits your kitchen décor.
Preset Buttons On Instant Pot Multicookers
The functions vary between Instant Pot models, so it can help to consider which functions you expect to use the most when choosing one. This helps ensure you get the model that fits your unique cooking style so you’re able to make your favorite dishes with greater ease. The Instant Pot Lux series comes with six integrated functions, and the Duo series and Ultra series have extra functions for things like making cakes and yogurt. Some of the common Instant Pot functions to look for include:
- Slow cooking for tenderizing tough cuts of meat and for preparing meals ahead of time
- Rice cooking to create side dishes
- Saute function to sear food and lock in flavors
- Pressure cooking to quickly cook meats and vegetables
- Steaming for preparing fresh, nutritious vegetables
- Warming to get leftovers ready without investing a lot of extra time or effort
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Instant Pot Or Pressure Cooker
Instant pots are pressure cookers, but pressure cookers aren’t instant pots. You see, it’s more of a “all squares are rectangles” situation. An instant pot is the swiss army knife of pressure cookers. It slow cooks, pressure cooks, steams rice, and can make yogurt too. Unlike an instant pot, pressure cookers can ONLY pressure cook.
There’s some brilliant magic to the whole thing too. Usually you have to babysit the stove, but the instant pot is designed to jive with the 9-5 lifestyle . Because of its versatile nature it can be hard to imagine what it can cook.
Just about anything. Seriously! It defrosts meat or other frozen food. If you mix in the ingredients, you can make just about any meal. Set it and forget it is methodology of an instant pot. Pulled pork is a cinch. Interested in black bean soup? It can do that too. Chicken adobo is a no brainer. And for the holidays, you can even make delicious mulled wine.
Some Of The Most Popular Options Are On Sale
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Chloe Jeong / The Spruce Eats
Cyber Week Deal Alert! The annual event currently includes some great discounts on Instant Pots: Both the Instant Pot Pro Crisp and the Instant Pot Pro are marked down! Find more kitchen deals here.
Instant Pot has done an excellent job of taking the humble pressure cooker and turning it into a worldwide phenomenon, and if you have yet to hop on the Instant Pot train , now is as good of a time as ever. Fall and Winter are a perfect time to cook up stews, chilis, soups, and large-format meals using Instant Pot.
When shopping for an Instant Pot, youll want to consider two main things: which features youll use most often, and what size fits your family, cooking preferences, and, realistically, kitchen counter or storage space. Remember, also, that this simple device may replace two or three other appliances, actually clearing up space on your countertop or in your cabinet.
Throughout the year we’ve been keeping our eye on sales at Walmart, Williams Sonoma, Amazon, Bed Bath & Beyond, and more to help you find the most savings.
Here, the best deals on Instant Pots right now.
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What’s The Difference Between Quick Release And Natural Release
With a quick release, you release the steam from the pot when cooking is done. With the natural release, you don’t release the steam immediately. Instead, you allow the pressure to decrease on its own.
Both have their pros and cons. For more details, check out our article: What do natural release and quick release mean on an Instant Pot?
Should I Get The Instant Pot Air Fryer Lid
The Instant Pot Air Fryer Lid is sold separately and is compatible with 6-quart Instant models that dont already have air-frying capability . The Air Fryer Lid comes with a fry basket and other accessories and allows you to air-fry straight from your pressure cooker. In addition to air-frying, the Air Fryer Lid adds broiling, baking, roasting, reheating, and dehydrating functionality to compatible machines.
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Instant Pot Omni Plus Air Fryer Toaster Oven Combo
Fun fact: Instant Pot doesnt just make instant pots. In fact, they have a plethora of other kitchen gadgets as well, like this air fryer toaster oven. It has an extra large capacity and ten different settings for making food that includes broiling, baking, reheating, toasting, and, of course, air frying.
Instant Pot Instant Pot Round Cook/bake Pan With Lid & Removable Base
Amazon
Normally $22, Now $15 at Amazon
Instant Pots can handle any sized job but this accessory makes it even easier to cook something small or large. Fit for cooking and baking in 6- and 8-quart pressure cookers, it has a removable lid as well as a removable base. It also can be used to reheat foods and is freezer safe.
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Are There Any Disadvantages To An Instant Pot
Instant Pots are affordable and easy to use and clean, so there aren’t too many downsides to buying one. If you have a small kitchen or limited cupboard space, it’s worth noting that Instant Pots do take up a bit of space so consider how much you think you’ll use it before settling on one. There are compact 3-quart Instant Pots but, as you might imagine, they don’t have as much cooking capacity.
The Cheapest Instant Pot Sales And Deals
This is Instant Pot’s best selling model, and with good reason. As its name denotes, the Instant Pot Duo Plus is similar to the Duo model, but with a few added features. You can make a cake or eggs in it, and it can also be used as a sterilizer, so it’s great if you enjoy canning and preserving. You also get 15 built-in programs – one more than the Duo, to make a number of cooking tasks as simple as pushing a button. It is available in 3-quart, 6-quart, and 8-quart models.
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Test : Searing And Pressure Cooking
The test: To test how well the Instant Pots could sear and pressure cook, we made five batches of this recipe for chunky beef chili. We documented the sear on the beef from each model and timed how long each machine took to pressurize. We tasted each sample to evaluate the tenderness of the meat and overall flavor of each chili. One Instant Pot model, the Duo Pro, has a special inner pot that can be used on the stovetop, so we used this pot directly on the burner over medium-high heat to sear the beef. With the other four models, we used their sauté modes.
Heres what happened: The big reveal isno big reveal. Each chili tasted pretty much identical, which may be more of a testament to the quality of the testing of that recipe than the machines we used to make it. None of the five chili samples had bitter notes or off flavors. All of the meat was tender the meat cooked in the Ultra was almost too tender, losing its cube form and shredding a bit too much. There was, however, a clear winner for pressurizing timethe Duo Pro was remarkably fast, taking just over 5 minutes. The Duo Plus was the next quickest, taking about 6 minutes, and since it has a slightly larger inner pot, there was more surface area available for searing. The Duo 7-in-1, Ultra, and Max each took about 8 minutes.
Why Are Instant Pots So Popular
For the unenlightened, heres what makes Instant Pots so spectacular: This multi-cooker does it all . Really. Instant Potswhich wont command too much of your precious counter spacecan steam and sauté vegetables, make oatmeal and grains, sous vide meat, dehydrate fruits, bake a cake , broil veggies, and can even take the place of a sterilizer.
This handy kitchen appliance also acts as a rice cooker, yogurt maker, and air fryer. Instead of spending hours in the kitchen, you can use an Instant Pot to pressure cook your favorite foods or use its air fryer function to make tasty treats in minutes. But the best part? Instant Pots take the guesswork out of slow cooker comfort dishesthink beef stew, bolognese sauce, homemade chicken stock, and other dinner ideas.
Instant Pots also require minimal cleanup, since so many Instant Pot recipes can all be made directly in the cookerno additional pots and pans are needed. Plus, this model has fingerprint-resistant stainless steel sides and comes with a dishwasher-safe lid and inner pot, so theres no need to waste time scrubbing at the kitchen sink. With an array of different versions that come in all different sizes and functionalities, you’re sure to find a model that best fits your needs.
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How The Instant Pot Changes The Way Food Is Cooked
Instant Pots help you prepare your favorite dishes in less time than usual, and the flavors are enhanced by the cooking technology. These pots reduce the amount of time it takes to cook many types of food, so they preserve the flavor of the food you cook and ensure nutrients remain in the foods rather than cooking away. Using an Instant Pot also helps food cook to a more even inner temperature, which is important when cooking most types of meat.
Best Multitasking Pressure Cooker
The Instant Pot Duo Crisp is a pressure cooker, slow cooker, air fryer, and sous vide machine all in one, making it one of the most useful and economical small appliances we tested.
- Capacity: 8 quarts
- Inner pot material: Stainless steel
- Settings: pressure cook, saute, slow cooker, steam, sous vide, air fry, roast, bake, broil, dehydrate, keep warm
- Number of included recipes: 100s in the free Instant Brands Connect app
- Extras: Air fryer lid, air fryer basket, heat-resistant pad for the lid, broil/dehydrate tray, steam rack
Pros: Features air frying and sous vide cooking options, comes with an app with 100s of recipes, easy to set up and use, cooks rice in under 20 minutes
Cons: Tended to build pressure and heat up slowly, didn’t sear well
We tested three units that could air fry or sous vide, but only the Instant Pot Duo Crisp Pressure Cooker could do both. The Duo Crisp comes with two lids: one for the usual multi-cooker activities and another with a built-in fan for air frying. And, an air fryer basket fits in the inner pot to allow for better airflow and flavorful browning. We air-fried frozen French fries and were impressed with how quickly they were ready and how crispy they tasted.
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Best Smart Pressure Cooker
With its hundreds of preset programs and step-by-step interactive recipes, the Chef iQ Smart Cooker is outstandingly precise.
- Capacity: 6 quarts
- Inner pot material: Nonstick
- Settings: pressure cook, sear/saute, steam, slow cook, sterilize, keep warm, ferment, plus 300+ preset programs in its menu
- Number of included recipes: 1000+ in the Chef iQ App
- Extras: Extra sealing gasket, steam rack, steam basket, heat-resistant pad for the lid
Pros: WiFi and Bluetooth connectivity, a helpful app with 1000+ interactive recipes, full-color screen with 300+ present programs, quickest to cook rice and beans, good at searing, easy to set up
Cons: Didn’t do well in our pulled pork tests
The Chef iQ Smart Cooker has the best screen and most precise cooking options of any of the tested units and was easy to set up. Whereas other models have a button for beans, the full-color screen of the Chef iQ cooker offers much more detail. It has specific programs based on bean type, whether they’re soaked, and how much you’re cooking. The customization worked well. The Smart Cooker cooked a pound of beans perfectly 13 minutes faster than any other model.
Instant Pot Pro Plus Smart
The defining feature of the new Instant Pot Pro Plus Smart is that you can pair it with your iPhone or Android to automatically engage the cooking functions from more than 800 smart recipes on the Instant Brands Connect app. This doesnt mean you can press Start while youre at the office and come home to your Instant Pot braising ribs , but you can control almost everything through the appincluding the steam release! The Pro Plus Smart also features a premium inner pot with easy-grab handles and comes with NutriBoost, a function that mimics the motion of boiling by moving food in the pot to enhance the flavor and texture.
Year released: 2021Built-in smart programs: Access 800+ smart recipes via the appCooking functions: Pressure-cooking, rice-cooking, slow-cooking, yogurt-making, steaming, sautéing, food-warming, sous videcooking, baking, sterilizing, and NutriBoostSizes available: 6-quart Instant Pot
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The Instant Pot Duo Plus Is On Sale For 40% Offthe Lowest Price Ever
Fall is the start of cooler weather and packed schedules. That means easy, warm meals are Kingand it doesnt get much easier than an Instant Pot dinner. Pressure cookers have been on the scene for a while now , but the Instant Pot has particularly risen in popularity over the past few years. Noted for its ease of use and versatility, the Instant Pot has truly become a household staple. Curious what all of the fuss is about? During Amazons Prime Early Access Sale, the Instant Pot Duo 9-In-1 is available for 40% offthe lowest price weve ever seen.
The Instant Pot Duo is on sale for 40% off during Amazon’s Prime Early Access eventa new low price. …
Illustration: Forbes / Image: Amazon
As the name may imply, the 9-In-1 Duo offers nine different functions, including pressure and slow cooking, a rice cooker, yogurt maker, steamer, sauté pan, sterilizer and food warmer, all in a single package. It has an easy-to-read LCD screen that displays step-by-step cooking instructions, and 25 customizable cooking programs. These allow you to enter in your own recipes, so all you have to do is load up the pot and push a button. It doesnt get much easier than that.
Instant Pot Pro Crisp & Air Fryer 8
Instant Brands
Normally $270, Now $170 at Amazon
If you’ve been in the market for an Instant Pot upgrade, now’s the time to finally pick up the Instant Pot Pro. This sleek machine is one of the newer models and comes with amazing features not found on older generations. New technology means this heats 20 percent faster and cooks quicker overall, while the large LCD screen allows you to customize almost every aspect, including variable temperature settings.
Normally $200, Now $125 at Amazon
In case seven or nine functions werent enough, this 8-quart Instant Pot Duo adds two more options for you: air fry and dehydrate. You just have to switch out the pressure cooker lid for the air fryer lid, which contains a heater and fan, plus an air frying basket.
Our official review of the appliance found that the familiar design creates a seamless experience. When a function is chosen by pressing a button, a tiny light above that button lights up, so its obvious what has been selected, our tester said about the 10 options on the front of the machine, including steam, slow cook, air fry, bake, dehydrate, and more. Ultimately this two-in-one option was found to be a great deal and space-saver since it is cheaper and smaller than buying a pressure cooker and a separate air fryer.
The Spruce / Donna Currie
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