What Is An Instant Pot
Instant Pot is a brand name for a number of pressure cookers, also known as a “multicooker.” It’s a countertop appliance that can be used for a variety of cooking methods, including pressure cooking, slow cooking, searing, steaming, and more. Instant Pots also allow for sautéing and slow cooking right in the same vessel, for true start-to-finish, one-pot cooking of often-complicated or time-consuming dishes. Some Instant Pot models also include programs for specific food preparations, like rice and egg cooking and even yogurt making.
Instant Pot Duo Crisp 11
Why Buy
- One appliance take the place of two of the most popular cookers: an Instant Pot and an air fryer with crisper
- One-touch cooking with pre-programmed controls for all cooking functions
- Fast and easy cleaning with dishwasher-safe lid, food-grade stainless steel inner cooking pot, and accessories
- Exterior is fingerprint-resistant
- Air frying adds healthy cooking with little or no oil to the already versatile Instant Pot.
If youre wondering why you should buy an Instant Pot if you havent already, the Instant Pot Duo Crisp is the answer. This countertop cooker tops other models in the line because it comes with a second top that converts the multifunction pressure cooker into an air fryer. Heres a list of what you can do with the Instant Pot Duo Crisp: air fry, roast, bake, dehydrate, pressure cook, slow cook, cook rice, make yogurt, steam food, sauté, sterilize, and keep food warm. All that in a single appliance, and now its on sale.
You dont have to be an expert cook to take advantage of this model. Like all Instant Pot deals, the Instant Pot Duo Crisp has loads of cooking functions and if you wish, you can set the time and temperature manually. You can also use one-touch buttons on the digital control panel. You can also refer to the Instant Pot Connect app to find more than 1,500 Instant Pot recipes.
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The Instant Pot: Heres Why Cooks Love It
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People have fallen in love with their Instant Pots.
They may like their blenders, cherish their slow cookers and need their food processors.
But the Instant Pot a device that combines an electric pressure cooker, slow cooker, rice cooker and yogurt maker in one handy unit sends even mild-mannered cooks into fits of passion.
You find the L word over and over in the 15,000 or so product reviews on Amazon. And if you click over to Instant Pots , youll find more than 360,000 members sharing their undying affection alongside their recipes for chili.
If youre a cook and got through last year without bumping into people who couldnt stop talking about their Instant Pots or any of the other multifunctional electric pressure cookers on the market then you wont have to wait much longer.
Electric pressure cookers is one of the fastest growing kitchen appliance sectors on the market, with sales doubling and tripling over the last four years, according to Robert Wang, the C.E.O. of Instant Pot Company.
When the Instant Pot debuted in 2009, it was one of the first brands to hit North America electric pressure cookers were already gaining popularity in China. In 2010, approximately 300,000 electric pressure cookers were sold in the United States and Canada, said Dr. Wang. By 2015, that number rose to over three million.
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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?
The Best Prime Day Instant Pot Deals 2022 To Shop Before Time Runs Out
The last day of is ending soon but there are still plenty of Prime Day Instant Pot deals available. The online sale event is known for its incredible markdowns and massive savings, and it may just be the best time to pick up the cult-favorite pressure cooker youve been eyeing. You can snag some amazing Prime Day kitchen discounts from Amazon . and save big. Other than Black Friday and Cyber Monday, its the best time of the year to shop the popular Instant Pot brand. That means you can make your Instant Pot recipe dreams a reality.
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The Best Deals On Pressure Cookers From This Guide
Instant Pot multicookers are some of our readers’ favorite products. These appliances can perform a myriad of different functions, make a wide variety of meals, and are surprisingly easy to use.
Due to their popularity, these products go on sale frequently. The Instant Pot Duo, for instance, is usually $10 less than retail price for most of the year. The best deals and all-time lows crop up during Black Friday, Cyber Monday, and Amazon Prime Day, with some of our picks seeing discounts of $40 or more.
But it can often be difficult to judge what’s a good price to pay. To make shopping a little easier, we’ve compiled all of the best deals on the Instant Pots we recommend.
Amazon Prime Dayamazon Prime Day: Live Updates On Everything To Shop
Before you take the plunge, you’ll probably feel a little intimidated and overwhelmed. Don’t worry! This is not a scary stovetop pressure cooker that threatens to blow the house down every time it jiggles menacingly. This is a state of the art, stainless steel, super-sophisticated machine that will, in fact, change your cooking habits for the better. Even us recipe professionals have fallen head over heels for how easy and intuitive it is to get great results!
If you’ve ever used a slow cooker or a rice cooker, you’re already halfway to becoming an Instant Pot expert. If you haven’t then definitely follow these five tips to really get the most out of the pressure cooker.
Also Check: Why Does My Instant Pot Says Food Burn
Reheat Leftovers Without Nuking Them
The steam function is, at face value, meant to quickly and briefly cook vegetablesit turns the Instant Pot on at full heat and full pressure, and is preset to cook for only a few minutes. However, I prefer using this setting as a nifty hack for reheating frozen meals, which is incredibly helpful during this chaotic time of year. Whether youre doing after-camp pick-ups or dropping off the kids at a summer sports game, the Instant Pot 7-in-1 Cooker is a true time saver. It is especially great at steaming those pot stickers we all stash in the freezer for emergency snacks.
“As a single parent, this thing has absolutely elevated the quality of foods served to my children,” one reviewer wrote. “What used to take all day in a crock pot is done in 40 minutes AND IT’S MORE TENDER! Highly recommend!”
Can You Make Bread In An Instant Pot
An Instant Pot doesnt have the hot, dry environment thats typically used for baking standard loaves of bread. However, there are specialty types of baked goods, like steamed buns, that can be cooked in an Instant Pot. Its also possible to bake cakes, but they will have a different exterior and texture since they will be steamed rather than baked. However, for the models of Instant Pot that can hold a precise low temperature of about 90 degrees, the Instant Pot can be used for proofing bread dough.
Read Also: How To Cook Quinoa In The Instant Pot
How To Choose The Best Instant Pot For You
We’re calling it: 2022 is the year of the Instant Pot. Sure, they’ve been around for a while, but the best Instant Pots now do so much more than pressure cook. The latest models on the market can air fry, steam bake, prove bread, and even dehydrate. In short, it would be easier to list the things you can’t cook in one of these kitchen sidekicks.
From the classic Instant Pot Duo to the latest Instant Pot Pro line, there is a selection of multi-cookers that you can rely on for flavor-packed meals each and every day.
There are even a few Ninja Foodis in our guide, which may be cheating, but we loved them so much in testing that we just had to include them. Our latest top pick from Ninja uses just one lid to air fry, steam crisp, and pressure cook, which is a game-changer if you hate having more than one Instant Pot lid cluttering up your kitchen. We have also featured it in our guide to the
Whether it’s a simple stew to a multi-layered meal of steamed greens and baked fish, you can use the best Instant Pot to cook all manner of meals. Cleaning up is easy, with dishwasher-safe pots and accessories that will keep your life simple.
Look out for a capacity that suits your family size best, and you should also get serious about budget. Instant Pots can get pretty expensive, but prices don’t start too high, so there’s a lot of room to find the right one for you.
Best Instant Pot Deals: Be Ready For Game Day With A $40 Multicooker
It is definitely Instant Pot season. We found some excellent deals on the popular appliance.
David Watsky
Senior Editor / Home and Kitchen
I live in Brooklyn where I write about food subscriptions, cooking, kitchen gadgets and commerce. Anything with sesame is my all-time favorite food this week.
If you’re looking for an Instant Pot, there are serious deals on the popular multicookers today. We found Instant Pots and Instant Pot accessories that are way down from their normal sticker prices. that not only includes the brand’s signature pressure cooker and slow cooker, but also an electric Dutch ovens, air fryers and more handy kitchen gear.
If you’re starting from scratch with multicookers, the Instant Pot is a popular small appliance that functions as a pressure cooker, slow cooker, steamer and warmer, with a sauté mode so you can make tender meats like brisket, beef stew, shredded chicken and pulled pork from start to finish. An Instant Pot keeps all the food securely inside the pot with a safe-locking lid. It’ll deliver easy meals that taste like they’ve taken hours to make — but in reality require a fraction of the time.
For a 3-quart model — perfect for one to three people — anything under $60 is a solid deal. Most Instant Pots come in 3-, 6- and 8-quart sizes, with the 6-quart models being the most popular for families. For a single person or even a couple, you could easily get away with a 3-quart.
Read Also: How To Make Hard Boiled Eggs In Instant Pot
Chef Iq Smart Pressure Cooker
For the tech gadget lovers that want to have a full smart home, check out the Chef iQ thats currently on sale. You can connect this pressure cooker to an app via Wi-Fi or Bluetooth, and control the appliance entirely through your phone. Its got over a thousand cooking programs stored both on the pressure cooker itself and in the app that enable you to get as specific as possible when whipping up your next dish.
Instant Pot Pro Plus Smart
This smart Instant Pot Pro Plus is the latest addition to the companys lineup, allowing you to control your multicooker at just a touch of a button. Simply connect via the Instant Brands Connect app on your smartphone or device to operate, program and monitor your cooking progress. If you didnt want to use the app however, the touch-screen, LED display is straightforward, and you can set times with the handy dial. In addition, it has 11 safety features such as overheat protection, and heat-proof handles so you can safely lift out your inner pot after cooking.
It comes with 16 smart programs, which is fewer than other models, but it has advanced features such as NutriBoost to infuse flavors and enhance texture quality, aswell as the choice of three venting methods.
With a powerful 1500 watts, the Instant Pot Pro Plus heats up much quicker than other models we tested. This was evident while sauteing ingredients and searing meat: the beef was evenly browned before the pre-warming stage had even completed. Pressure cooking was impressive, producing tender, delicious stews in 45 minutes. We were also impressed with the fluffy texture and aromatic quality when cooking basmati rice, which was just as good as a conventional rice cooker.
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Best Budget Electric Pressure Cooker
If you’re looking for a basic, affordable multicooker from the top name in the industry, the Instant Pot Duo Multi-Use Programmable Pressure Cooker is your best bet.
- 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: 100s in the Instant Brands Connect App
- Extras: Extra sealing gasket, steam rack, steam basket, heat-resistant pad for the lid
Pros: Produced tender and juicy slow-cooked pork, builds pressure quickly, good browning, dishwasher-safe and metal utensil-safe stainless steel inner pot, Instant Pot app features 100s of recipes
Cons: Takes experimentation to get cooking times right, controls take some getting used to
The Instant Pot Duo Multi-Use Programmable Pressure Cooker comes in three, six, and eight-quart sizes and features a stainless steel inner pot, which most Instant Pots have. The Duo did okay in each test but excelled in our slow cooker test. The slow cooker pulled pork shredded effortlessly and had an excellent, juicy flavor. The pressure build was quick for the pressure-cooked pulled pork, but the pork was hard to shred. It seemed like it could have used 10 more minutes of pressure cooking.
How Do You Clean An Instant Pot
The good news is that most Instant Pots have dishwasher-safe components. At the least, the stainless steel cooking pot and the silicone ring are dishwasher safe. On many models, the entire lid is dishwasher safe. The lid has a few removable parts that should be removed and cleaned, but the process for that is different depending on the model, so its best to check the user manual to see what parts are removable and how to clean them.
Also Check: How To Delay Start Instant Pot
Average Price For An Instant Pot
The price of an Instant Pot depends mainly on the model. Since all Instant Pots come in 6-quart sizes , we’ll use this size for comparison.
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A 5.7-litre Instant Pot Lux costs around $80.
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A 5.7-litre Instant Pot Duo costs around $100.
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A 5.7-litre Instant Pot Duo Plus costs around $120.
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A 5.7-litre Instant Pot Ultra costs around $150.
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A 5.7-litre Instant Pot Smart costs around $160.
Cleaning Them Is Easy
Its easy to think that time spent in the kitchen is time spent cooking, but many forget about how much time they spend washing the dishes after everyones had their full. Well, thats not something that youll have to worry about when dealing with an instant pot.
You see, they have simple and compact designs, and cleaning them only takes up a couple of minutes . Besides, most instant pots have plenty of non-electric parts, all of which are dishwasher safe:
- The outer surface
- The silicone ring
Note: Even with the best maintenance, the silicone rings can develop a smell if used daily over a long period of time, so always make sure to buy extra one. Ideally, they should be replaced about once every 6 months.
Recommended Reading: How Long To Cook Boston Butt In Instant Pot
Keep Your Instant Pot Clean
One last note: while it seems silly to remind anyone to wash their dishes, it’s important to keep the rubber sealing ring and the anti-block shield inside the lid squeaky clean. Residue from pressure-cooked food can build up on both, and the rubber ring can accumulate odors over time. To keep your Instant Pot working in top condition, follow the manufacturer instructions and remove them for a good scrub in between meals.
For more of the best Amazon Prime Day 2022 deals and coverage, check out:
Best Instant Pot 202: Our Top Picks
It’s the most expensive Instant Pot in our guide, but the Instant Pot Pro Crisp does everything you could wish for. It has an air fryer lid, 14 presets, and a digital display to track your cooking process.
Why we love it
When we tried the Instant Pot Pro Crisp for ourselves, it was able to pressure cook a chicken in just 20 minutes. We then turned it onto air fry mode, and crisped up the skin perfectly.
Most parts of the Instant Pot Pro Crisp can go in the dishwasher, including the pressure cooker lid. It has a removable air fryer basket that we found made takeout-worthy fries, and the handles allowed us to shake up the wedges for even cooking results.
Features
You can put the pot in the dishwasher, and because it has silicone-coated handles, it’s easy to lift out even when your meal has recently finished cooking. The pot can also go on the stove, although with the sear setting, you might not need it.
Our Instant Pot Pro Crisp review has more details
The Instant Pot Duo Plus is an upgrade on the classic Instant Pot Duo, with added safety features and a smarter display. When it comes down to it though, this Instant Pot has all the features you’re looking for when you want to get started with a multi-cooker.
Why we love it
The display shows a timer which makes it easy to know how far through your recipe is. That includes a bar for pre-heating or pressurizing, a cooking bar, and one for a keep-warm timer.
Features
Why we love it
Features
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