The Best Stovetop Pressure Cooker: The Kuhn Rikon Duromatic
The Kuhn Rikon Duromatic Pressure Cooker is as pretty to look at as it is effective. It’s a second-generation cooker, which means improved safety features and a spring-loaded pressure gauge rather than a jiggler.
Some stovetop cookers have various switches, levers, or valves to toggle between low pressure, high pressure, and release settings. The Kuhn Rikon combines them all into one elegant solution. The valve is in the center of the conical lid. As pressure builds up inside, an indicator rod slowly rises up in the center, revealing red lines. One red line means you’re at low pressure, while two red lines mean you’re at high. Let it keep heating and, eventually, it will start venting steam to prevent an explosion.
Serious Eats / Vicky Wasik
To release pressure, you use the exact same rod. Just push it down, and steam gets released evenly around from under a shield, reducing the chances of a burn. The valves and rods are also easy enough to remove and clean, which is important to maintain proper function. I like the fact that the valve is an all-metal construction. It gives me peace of mind that the moving parts here are designed to last.
Serious Eats / Vicky Wasik
Kuhn Rikon offers a range of Duromatic models in a variety of shapes and sizes, all with the same basic features and build. We think the 6.3-quart model is the best size for most families, making meals that can feed about 4 to 6 people.
Serious Eats / Vicky Wasik
Dimensions & More Info
- 13″ x 13 1/4″ x 12 3/4″ high.
- 6-qt. cap.
- Comes with extra stainless-steel sealing ring and steamer rack with handles.
- Inner pot is compatible with electric, ceramic and induction cooktops.
- Inner pot is oven safe to 450°F.
- This product is intended for use in the United States and Canada and is built to US electrical standards.
Why You Should Trust Us
Wirecutter senior staff writer Lesley Stockton has spent her entire career in the culinary industry and has covered electric and stovetop pressure cookers for Wirecutter since 2016. For the original version of this guide, she interviewed pressure-cooking experts Lorna Sass, author of Cooking Under Pressure, and Mike Vrobel, author of the blog Dad Cooks Dinner. In 2020, Lesley tested the Instant Pot Duo Evo Plus against our picks.
For the 2019 and 2021 updates, staff writer Anna Perling spent more than 30 hours cooking beans, onions, cakes, butter chicken, rice, and risotto in pressure cookers, as well as air frying two whole chickens, french fries, and mozzarella sticks in new and notable cookers. She also consulted Hip Pressure Cooking, The Veggie Queen, Serious Eats, and Miss Vickie Pressure Cooker Times for guidance.
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Where To Buy The Instant Pot Pro
The 6-quart Instant Pot Pro is available from , Williams Sonoma, Target, and Kohls.
The 8-quart Instant Pot Pro is currently available from Williams Sonoma and .
A note if youre buying from Amazon: For some reason, the Pro is currently listed in the same listing as the Duo Plus. Be sure that you have the correct version selected and be aware that a lot of the reviewsespecially the negative onesare for the Duo Plus.
FOR MORE FROM PRESSURE COOKING TODAYBrowse our collection of the best pressure cooker / Instant Pot recipes.Follow Pressure Cooking Today on and for the latest updates. Join our . Our positive community of pressure cooking fans use all brands of electric pressure cookers, so its a great resource if you have questions about your particular brand. If youre interested in more than just Instant Pot recipes, follow us at Barbara Bakes. There we post amazing breakfasts, breads, and the best dessert recipes!
Instant Pot Pro Review: Ease Of Use And Cleaning
Similar to other Instant Pots, its worthwhile reading the manual first just to get familiar with the settings. The Instant Pot Pro has a more advanced control panel display than other Instant Pots, which can seem overwhelming at first glance. However, once you get the hang of it, you can easily navigate around the settings. The one-touch buttons are straightforward to use, and the progress bar is handy for monitoring your cooking. Like all Instant Pots, the cooker automatically sets to Keep Warm once your dish is ready.
Perhaps the only downside is the stainless steel inner pot isnt non-stick, which was evident after cooking rice. This can take much longer to clean, but can be removed when soaked in warm, soapy water. Nevertheless, the lid and cooker exterior are all easy to clean with a damp cloth.
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Pros And Cons: Stovetop Versus Countertop Pressure Cookers
There was a time when I would have said that stovetop pressure cookers are superior to electric countertop pressure cookers, no contest. They’re heated over a stovetop, so they’re superior for searing. They’re more versatile because they can be used as a regular pot. They don’t require a plug.
All that was before I actually got myself an electric countertop pressure cooker and started using it in my own kitchen. These days, I use my countertop model almost exclusively, and my stovetop pressure cookers collect dust in the closet. Why? In a word, convenience. Countertop pressure cookers have timers and sensors built in to automatically adjust pressure and heat as they cook, which means you’re free to go about your business until they’re done. A stovetop pressure cooker requires you to manually adjust the flame until you hit the sweet spot. Sensors also give me more peace of mind that I’m not going to have any kind of explosion if I leave the kitchen unattended .
Countertop pressure cookers also offer more even cooking along the bottom and sides of the pot, minimizing the chances of scorching. This is especially useful when you’re cooking sticky foods, like thick sauce, rice, risotto, or other grains. Because their heating elements are insulated and enclosed, countertop pressure cookers are more energy-efficient than stovetop models. Nearly all that juice goes into cooking your food instead of heating up your kitchen.
Here’s a quick breakdown of stovetop and electric cookers.
How Does The Instant Pot Pro Compare To The Duo Evo Plus
Its no secret that weve loved our Instant Pot Duo Evo Plus. The features are amazing: flat-bottomed pot, attached handles for easy removal, redesigned lid with easy steam release, and the well-designed large display!
However, after a while using the Evo, we found it wasnt perfectwe couldnt saute at the highest setting and had some problems with the steam release valve.
The Pro has kept the amazing innovations from the Evo and has added a few more nice-to-have features!
The new features for the Instant Pot Pro include
- Five favorites buttons for frequently cooked meals
- Reminder feature
- Black stainless steel design
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The Best Electric Pressure Cooker Is An Instant Pot
In 2021, Instant Pot streamlined its offerings. Weve tested the updated Duo, Duo Plus, and Pro models.
The Instant Pot is probably the most well-known electric pressure cookermore accurately called a multi-cooker because it can also slow cook, sauté, and morebut many brands make this handy type of appliance. A good electric pressure cooker can help get dinner on the table quickly and easily even when youre swamped. Of the 18 models weve tested from a variety of brands since 2016, the Instant Pot Duo 6-Quart is still our favorite. It offers great performance at a reasonable price, and its tried-and-true design makes it easier to use than other multi-cookers or gimmicky smart cookers.
Looking for things to make in your Instant Pot? Try these recipes for bone broth, corned beef and cabbage, salsa verde chicken, and classic beef chili from NYT Cooking.
Our pick
The Duo is a versatile time-saver in the kitchen. Its one of Instant Pots more basic and affordable models, and it does everything you need it to do with ease.
Buying Options
What To Look For In A Countertop Pressure Cooker
Nearly all countertop pressure cookers are multi-cookers that also have slow-cooker functions searing functions sautéing, simmering, reducing, steaming, and, in some models, yogurt-making functions.
I want to be able to sear and sauté powerfully in the same vessel. I want the cooker to come up to pressure and maintain that pressure with no monitoring. The more automation, the better. I’d like to get the thing running with an intuitive interface that gives me maximum control with minimal button presses. I want to be able to manually adjust timing and pressure, both at the start of cooking and on the fly. I also want a pressure cooker that’s easy to clean. Some models I tested had internal pots that would not sit stillthey’d rotate around and around as I tried to stir, making cooking in them difficult and tedious. Others had lids that were difficult to align or lock down.
The biggest problem in most pressure cookers was with the interface: confusing panels with no hierarchy, often coupled with display panels that offered too little information. This might just be the Luddite in me, but I need to see an indication that the machine is actually cooking when it’s supposed to be. “Is it really on?” I’d ask myself, sometimes coming back after half an hour to see that, nope, it wasn’t actually running.
I’m less interested in the slow-cooking function in most multi-cookers, but I tested these out anyway.
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What About Other Instant Pot Models
Instant Pot has released many new models of electric pressure cookers since we first started testing them, and in 2021 the company reduced its lineup to five core Instant Pots. Figuring out exactly what youre giving up or getting from one to the next can be tricky. To help, Instant Pot has a comparison chart that you can reference. In general, however, if you can find another model on sale for a better deal than whichever of our picks is nearest in price, we think most of them will serve you well.
We understand that there are some cases where folks are looking for their Instant Pot to truly do everything . Thats when we get asked about the air-frying lid that you can purchase separately for a Duo or Duo Pluswhich features a heating element and a fan to convection-bake foodsor other Instant Pot models like the Duo Crisp or Pro Crisp, both of which come with an additional air-fryer lid. We have not tested the current version of the air-fryer lid sold separately, but we have tested the Duo Crisp, and we say more about it in the Competition section below. In general, they work okay, and they might be worth considering if youre committed to baking or browning foods directly in your Instant Pot. But they can also be larger and more expensive than our main pressure cooker picks, and they dont work as well as appliances dedicated to convection cooking.
Instant Pot Pro Review
The Instant Pot Pro is new for 2021 and is a great high-end pressure cooker. It is a worthy replacement to the discontinued Duo Evo Plus, packed with user-favorite features that make it worth the cost.
Weve taken the new Instant Pot Pro for a spin, and were here to tell you everything you need to know about the successor to the Duo Evo Plus!
This ended up being our longest review yet! Click the links below to jump to the sections youre interested in:
To compare the Instant Pot Pro with other models, check out my Instant Pot buying-guide, then go in-depth with my other Instant Pot Reviews.
Bottom Line: The Instant Pot Pro is now my first-choice recommendation for a high-end pressure cooker, thanks to the flat-bottom cooking pot with handles, redesigned lid, large display, and favorite buttons.
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Who This Is For
If youre a set-it-and-forget-it type of cook who needs to get dinner on the table with minimal effort, an electric pressure cooker may become your new favorite cooking tool. Making meals can be stressful and time-consuming, but an electric pressure cooker can do a lot of the work for you. As with a slow cooker, you add your ingredients to a pressure cooker, seal the lid, turn it on, and walk away. But instead of leaving it to simmer all day, you can cook dinner in an electric pressure cooker in under an hour . Pressure cookers speed up traditional braising, stewing, boiling, and steaming methods by trapping steam inside the pot. As pressure increases, it heats the moisture in the pot beyond the boiling temperature , so it can cook foods more quickly.
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After cooking many pounds of brisket, rice, and beans in six pressure cookers, we think the Fissler Vitaquick 8.5-Quart Pressure Cooker is the best you can get.
Instant Pot Pro Review: Cooking Performance
During our tests, the Instant Pot Pro performed well when pressure cooking meat stews and cooking rice, but steaming vegetables were not as successful. This was possibly due to the fact that it came with an impractical steaming rack, rather than a basket.
Our first test was to cook a beef stew using the Pressure Cook preset. Before doing so, I browned onions and seared the meat using the Saute program After adding my other ingredients to the pot, I pressed the Pressure Cook button, before being prompted to select your type of meat . The time defaults to 30 minutes on a high temperature, but you can manually adjust to your preference. Once cooking has finished, the Instant Pot Pro alerts you to vent the steam, which is a quick and easy process. Cooking results were impressive, resulting in tender and succulent beef texture. More importantly, the taste was rich in flavor, while the sauce had the ideal consistency without being too watery.
To accompany this, we tested out cooking rice using the White Rice option in the Rice/Grain program. Once complete, the rice was cooked well with a fluffy texture. The only disappointment was that it had stuck to the bottom of the inner pot, due to the fact that its not non-stick and stainless steel.
Steaming vegetables on the other hand, wasnt as successful. First, the vegetable rack isnt as sturdy as a basket, which made it it tricky for us to fit a portion of broccoli and green beans.
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Upgrade Pick: Instant Pot Pro 6
In 2021, Instant Pot released the Instant Pot Pro 6-Quart, which has some great features that make it a meaningful upgrade over the Duo, namely handles on the inner cooking pot, a large LCD, customizable and savable cooking presets, more temperature levels for sautéing, a sous vide function, and a diffuser cap that makes the steam release just a bit gentler . The Pro also comes with an extra silicone sealing ring for the lid and works with Instant Pots QuickCool Tray if you want to depressurize foods faster before serving. Of Instant Pots costlier models, the Pro and its features are most worth the jump in price, especially if you plan to use your multi-cooker frequently. Instant Pots midlevel offering, the Duo Plus, usually costs about $20 less than the Pro at this writing, but the Duo Pluss features are less impressive.
Instant Pot has also made some design upgrades that improve the usability of the Pro over that of the Duo and Duo Plus. One improvement that stands out is that the handles on the inner cooking pot stay cool, which lets you easily remove the pot even when its hot. These handles also act as anchors that lock the pot into place so that it doesnt whirl around when you stira common gripe we had while testing other Instant Pot models .
Instant Pot Pro Plus 6
A fully connected multi-cooker you can wirelessly control through the Instant Brands Connect app.
The Instant Pot Pro Plus is a fully connected multi-cooker that lets you wirelessly operate the unit through the Instant Brands Connect app. Simply select from one of 800+ smart recipes and the app will wirelessly program the Instant Pot Pro Plus. Simply follow the cooking instructions in the app. It will tell you when its time to sauté your ingredients and when you should place the pressure cooking lid over the unit to slow cook your ingredients. You can also wirelessly release steam, or with the one-touch steam release button on the control panel. Program a quick or delayed steam release at the end of a cooking program too, making it easier than ever to use an Instant Pot. The 3-ply stainless steel inner cooking pots aluminum core offers faster, more even heating, and greater searing. Its versatile too, meaning you can use the inner pot on your stove top or in the oven. The control panel is easy to use, and it includes status messages to guide you through various cooking programs.
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Which Instant Pot Is Right For You
Food-specific modes and options will make the difference when it comes to picking the best Instant Pot for your cooking needs. If you want to venture into making your own yogurt, or if you love hard-boiled eggs, it’s worth it to pay a bit more for an Instant Pot model that can do those things.
When it comes to choosing the right size, Instant Pot recommends a 3-quart model for one or two people. Families of six or fewer will likely be happy with the 6-quart multicooker. If you have a large household or host large groups often, consider springing for an 8-quart model.
There are options from other brands, too. We recently reviewed a great Wi-Fi multicooker from ChefIQ. It does more than Instant Pot’s Wi-Fi model and comes with an integrated scale, nonstick pot and helpful iOS or Android app. It costs $200, so if you’re not ready to graduate to a high-end model, Instant Pot’s more affordable options are great for beginners.
If you’re still not sure which model will be the best Instant Pot for your kitchen, take a look at Instant Pot’s product comparison chart or its guide to choosing the right cooker. At the end of the day, all of these models offer the basic pressure cooking and slow cooking modes Instant Pot is known for performing so well.
