Instant Pot 6 Quart Duo Crisp

Instant Pot Duo Crisp And Air Fryer Review: Verdict

If youre after a versatile, 2-in-1, multicooker and air fryer combo, the Instant Pot Duo Crisp and Air Fryer has got you covered. Not only does it have 11 cooking functions to suit every need, but transforms into a handy air fryer at just the switch of a lid. Whats more, this makes a great space saver for those who dont want to splash out on buying several appliances. However, the cooker is bulky, and you will need storage space to house the two lids, and accessories that come with it.

Space aside, the Instant Pot Duo Crisp and Air Fryer performs well at its main functions such as pressure cooking, but you may need to experiment a few times with the steaming and air frying settings. Although the air fryer setting was easy to use, it did have the tendency to overcook things, so youll just need to manually adjust any timings or temperatures to suit your tastes. Nevertheless, the food had a delicious flavor and crunch, and still cooked much faster than a conventional oven. But, if its solely the air fryer function youll be using, youre probably best buying a separate air fryer that has more power and designed for that purpose.

Overall, if you need a versatile multi-cooker that happens to have an air fryer, the Instant Pot Duo Crisp and Air Fryer will do a good job.

What The Duo Crisp With Ultimate Lid Does

Unlike any Instant Pot before it, the Duo Crisp with Ultimate Lid has air fryer functionality built into the main lid. Because of this convection cooking element, you can air fry, broil, bake and roast — all cooking methods that most Instant Pots don’t offer. It also has most of the functionality of your basic Instant Pot multicooker including pressure cook, slow cook, steam and sauté.

While you won’t have to screw on a bulky conical air fryer lid attachment as you do for the original Duo Crisp, you will have to slide in the pressure cooker lid when you want to pressure or slow cook. However, that lid is very light and thin measuring no more than 2 inches high it shouldn’t be hard to find space for one.

I found the dials and controls simple to use, but I’m not used to air fryers that require preheat time.

Instant Pot Duo Crisp + Air Fryer 6 Quart: Unboxing/first Impressions

Advertiser Disclosure: At Slickdeals, we work hard to find the best deals. Some products in our articles are from partners who may provide us with compensation, but this doesnt change our opinions.

In this video, our ever-curious consumer expert Pete King unboxes Instant Pots newest, Walmart-exclusive, the Duo Crisp + Air Fryer 6 Quart. Its an 11-in-1 cooking device capable of everything from frying crispy french fries to a slow, mouth-watering chicken sous vide.

Read Also: Can You Pressure Fry In An Instant Pot

Instant Pot Duo Crisp + Air Fryer Vs Ninja Foodi Fd401 8

Ninja Foodi FD401 8-Quart 9-in-1 Deluxe XL Pressure Cooker & Air Fryer: There are a few differences between the Ninja Foodi FD401 8-Quart 9-in-1 Deluxe XL Pressure Cooker & Air Fryer and the Instant Pot I tested. The first difference is namely the price, as the Ninja Foodi retails for around $250. Unlike the Instant Pot Duo, the fryer lid on the Ninja Foodi is permanently attached and flips up to accommodate the pressure cooker lid. The cooking pot on the Ninja Foodi is also wider and nonstick.

Because of the wider pot in the Ninja Foodi, I give it a slight edge for air frying since it offers more surface space. However, I like the Instant Pot Duo because both lids can detach. Both brands have proven themselves to be reliable, and either would be a great addition to the kitchen.

A great space-saving option.

Like other Instant Pot pressure cookers, the Instant Pot Duo Crisp + Air Fryer performs well. I like that its two-in-one capabilities mean less storage space, and despite its lack of presets, its cooking options allow you to tailor a recipe exactly to your needs.

• Product Name Duo Crisp + Air Fryer
• Product Brand Instant Pot
• Product Dimensions 15.6 x 22.3 x 17.9 in.
• Color Black, Stainless Steel
• Material Stainless steel cooking pot, nonstick coated air fryer basket
• Warranty 1 year
• What’s Included Two lids, a stainless steel cooking pot, a nonstick fryer basket with a plastic base and stainless steel rack, a reversible cooking rack, a trivet/base for the air fryer lid

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

Also Check: How To Turn On Instant Pot

Instant Pot Duo Crisp And Air Fryer Review: Design

The Instant Pot Duo Crisp and Air Fryer looks simple with its trademark stainless steel exterior, LCD display and streamlined touch control pad. Of course, the main differences are the two separate lids , that automatically swap over the wet and dry functions. The 8-quart size provides a generous capacity for families or handling large quantities. However, it is quite large and bulky, particularly once the air fryer lid is on, measuring 14.8 x 14.2 x 14.2 inches. Whats more, if you have low-hanging cabinetry, the top of the air fryer lid might not have enough clearance, so bear this in mind. In any case, if you only have small quantities or limited space, it may be worthwhile opting for the 6-quart capacity.

The touch control panel shows the standard programs such as Slow Cook, Pressure Cook, Saute, Steam and Sous Vide. In addition, it has a specific line for the air fryer functions such as Air Fry, Grill, Roast, Bake and Dehydrate. You can manually adjust the temperature and cooking duration using the buttons on either side of the LCD display. The dry cook functions can be set to a temperature between 84C 204oC while the wet cook functions offer Hi or Lo temperatures.

The box also contains a dehydrating tray, air fry basket, multi-functional rack, and protective pad which is handy for placing down your hot lids safely on the countertop after removing. It doesnt come with a recipe book or charts, however, these can be found on the website or downloaded via the app.

I Made A Few Air Fryer Favorites With The Duo Crisp

Fried chicken thighs: One air fryer recipe I’ve become fond of is simple fried chicken thighs. I take two or three thighs, dip them in egg and dredge them in flour. I made them with my standard recipe in both the Duo Crisp and my solo Magic Bullet air fryer. I cooked for 18 minutes and flipped them at the midway point. The results were remarkably similar, but the Instant Pot needed an extra five minutes to preheat.

Sweet potato fries: Fried potatoes are another classic air fryer food. They generally come out crispy and much less oily than with deep frying. I split a sweet potato in half and made a batch of fries in my solo air fryer and the Duo Crisp. Both batches emerged from 12 minutes of cooking with about the same amount of caramelization and browning.

The Duo Crisp with Ultimate Lid turned out equally browned sweet potato fries as my solo air fryer in the same amount of time.

I also made basic chicken cutlets from scratch in the Duo Crisp. These took a few minutes longer than they would have in a typical solo air fryer but came out looking great with a crispy crust and juicy insides.

The Duo Crisp with Ultimate lid turned out picture-perfect chicken cutlets.

Roasted broccoli: I roasted broccoli florets in the Duo Crisp for 12 minutes at 375 degrees F. While they came out great, there was only enough capacity to cook two servings. I’d probably generally opt to use my oven for something like this.

Recommended Reading: How To Use Instant Pot For Rice

Instant Pot Duo Crisp With Ultimate Lid Performance

• Easy pressure cooking
• Steam function is fierce
• Exterior stays cool

The first thing we made in this Instant Pot was a slow-cooked beef chili. Before switching the slow cooker to high for six hours, we made use of the sauté function to brown the beef and soften the onions. The Duo Crisp offers an impressive six heat levels to choose from when sautéing we opted for level five, which took four minutes to preheat, but was about right for browning our beef.

At the end of the six-hour slow-cook, the Instant pot flicked over to keep warm. The finished chili was 183F/ 84C and was perfectly cooked, with soft beef and a tasty sauce.

Unlike some other models of Instant Pot, this one doesn’t come with a dedicated rice setting, so we cooked brown basmati rice using the pressure cooker function. A cooking chart on the US Instant Pot website suggests a 1:1 ratio of rice to water, but we know from experience that this can result in rice that’s a bit too hard, so we opted for five parts rice to six parts water.

It took 10 minutes to reach pressure, and together with the one-minute cook and another minute for the quick pressure release, thats a total of 12 minutes. Not surprisingly, the broccoli was softer than wed like. But we dont think reducing the cook time to zero would make much difference. The steam function is probably best used for less delicate vegetables, such as carrots.

Performance score: 4.5/5

Harder To Clean Than Most Air Fryers

One major setback of this model for me is how difficult the air frying rack was to clean. When I finished cooking the chicken thighs with dredged flour and egg coating, the fine mesh wire rack was inundated with gunk. While trying to flip them midway through cooking, much of the coating and skin also stuck to the rack.

The wire air frying rack was no fun to clean.

Most air fryer baskets have a nonstick coating and take seconds to clean after use. For the Duo Crisp with Ultimate Lid, I had to give it a good 10-minute soak to get it clean, but it did all eventually come off with a scrubber, soap and elbow grease. I found it much more difficult to clean than the original Duo Crisp’s nonstick basket and rack, which is completely flat with larger holes that don’t trap as much food.

Other foods including sweet potatoes and frozen snacks didn’t stick to the wire rack. If you’re planning on cooking mostly those foods versus battered foods, you may not have the same issues I did.

The original Duo Crisp requires a separate basket insert for air frying which diminishes the overall capacity. On the upside, it was far easier to clean.

Recommended Reading: How To Cook Black Beans In Instant Pot

What We Dont Like

Used for either air frying or pressure cooking individually, the Duo Crisp does nothing exceptional. As an air fryer, it has a lot of the same shortcomings as the standalone air fryers weve tested. The fryer basket, although larger than some weve tested, is still cramped, which makes it difficult to cook food evenly. We found that the basket couldnt handle more than about 12 ounces of chicken tenderswhen we made a larger, 16-ounce batch, the results were slightly mushy in the middle. We were able to cook 1½ pounds of frozen fries in the Duo Crisp but had to toss them more often than Instant Pot suggests. And the resulting fries were classic air fryer quality: dryish on the outside, with mostly fluffy interiors. For more evenly cooked, crispier results, we prefer cooking finger foods in a toaster oven or regular oven.

As a pressure cooker, the Duo Crisp lacks a lot of the preprogrammed settings that make the Instant Pot Duo or Ultra so convenient to use. You cant simply press a button to cook rice, for example, or stewinstead you have to look up the correct time and pressure setting and program it manually. The Duo Crisp also doesnt have a setting for making yogurt, which is admittedly a bit niche but something that some people love about their Instant Pot.

Instant Pot Duo Crisp And Air Fryer Review: Price And Availability

The Instant Pot Duo Crisp and Air Fryer is available in two sizes: the 6-quart model is $149 and the 8-quart model costs $199. Its widely available at online retailers and often on sale below the list price on Amazon.

Its no surprise that this is one of Instant Pots top-end pressure cookers, so you can expect to pay a premium. However, if youre looking for a more affordable option the Instant Pot Duo Nova 7-in-1 Cooker can do everything apart from air fry and starts from a reasonable $99.99 depending on the size.

Read Also: Instant Pot Com Support

Features: No Programs Lots Of Cooking

While other models of Instant Pots have multiple program buttons for things like rice or poultry, this cooker eliminated them in favor of cooking mode buttons. For pressure cooking, the buttons are Pressure Cook, Sauté, Slow Cook, Steam, and Sous Vide. For air frying, the buttons are Air Fry, Roast, Bake, Broil, and De-Hydrate. Universal controls for temperature and time use + and buttons, and along the bottom of the controls are Delay Start, Cancel, Start, and Keep Warm.

Aside from the peculiar spelling of “dehydrate,” I like the cooking options on this model over cooking programs for specific foods. Brown rice and white rice dont cook the same, and chicken breasts arent the same as thighs, so Id rather set the time and temperature myself. Still, some cooks might miss the ease of pressing a single button to make stew.

Instant Pot Duo Crisp 6

The Instant Pot Duo Crisp Air Fryer is fast, versatile and convenient, with two innovative, removable lids to help you to cook and crisp your favorite meals all in one pot.

PRODUCT FEATURES

• Use the pressure cooker lid to pressure cook, sauté, steam, slow cook, sous vide and warm your meals, then switch to the air fryer lid to quickly air fry, roast, bake, broil and dehydrate all your favorites
• Innovative EvenCrisp technology promotes tender juicy meals with a crisp golden finish
• Versatility in one appliance lets you replace your pressure cooker, slow cooker, sauté pan, steamer, sous vide stick, chaffing dish, air fryer, oven, broiler and dehydrator
• Simplify mealtime with the Instant Pot multicookers one-touch controls, preset cooking programs, and a customizable temperature range of 70°C to 400°F
• 10+ proven safety features like Automatic Pressure and Temperature Control for stress-free cooking, Overheat Protection to prevent scorching, and the EasySeal lid with pressure release switch seals automatically and vents from a distance to keep your hands safe

WHAT’S INCLUDED

• Two removable lids, multi-level air fryer basket with dehydrating and broiling tray and a protective pad for storage and countertop use

PRODUCT CARE

• Pressure cooker lid, inner pot & all accessories: dishwasher safe
• Manufacturer’s 1-year limited warranty

You May Like: Instant Pot 3 Quart Duo Nova

Faq About The Duo Crisp Air Fryer

What is the inner pot made of?

It is primarily made from 304 stainless steel with the aluminum core at the 3-ply bottom for optimal use but ensures you that no aluminum comes in contact with the food youre cooking. There is also no aluminum coating and so the inner pot is in compliant with the FDA for safety standard requirements.

The steam rack is likewise made from food grade 304 stainless steel, also ensuring safety for the food youre cooking.

The air fryer comes with a ceramic nonstick coating making food easy to remove and the air fryer basket easy to clean.

Can the setting be adjusted when you have started cooking?

Even when you have started cooking, you can still make some adjustments to the cooking time, cooking temperature, and pressure level.

How many appliances can the Instant Pot Duo Crisp + Air Fryer cover?

With the Instant Pot Duo Crisp+ Instant Pot, you can have your traditional pressure cooker, steamer, slow cooker, food warmer, and sauté pan all in one kitchen device. Added to these, you can also make use of it as an air fryer, broiler, mini-oven, food dehydrator, and broiler.

Are there foods I should avoid putting into the Instant Pot?

To ensure longevity, regular cleaning of the lids and all their parts are important for proper functioning.

Can I use accessories from other brands with my Instant Pot Duo Crisp + Air Fryer?

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.

Recommended Reading: How To Make Scrambled Eggs In Instant Pot