Instant Pot Comparison Chart 2021

Save Kitchen Space By Combining Multiple Appliances Into One

The Instant Pot combines multiple appliances into one appliance, saving you counter space, storage space, and money. Its one kitchen appliance you can use for multiple cooking needs and methods.

All of the 8 quart Instant Pot models combine a pressure cooker, slow cooker, rice cooker, steam, sauté pan, and warmer into one. The yogurt maker, sterilizer, cake/egg maker, and ultra programs are available in specific models in different combinations.

Here is a comparison of the appliances combined in the different 8 Quart Instant Pot options:

* The Bake reference above is a wet-based mode of cooking. The Instant Pot Duo Crisp also includes a baking feature through its air fryer lid.

The Instant Pot Duo Crisp + Air Fryer is very different compared to the other electric pressure cookers as it comes with two lids, enabling both wet and dry cooking methods.

Instant Pot Smart Wifi

The Instant Pot Smart WiFi pairs with your smartphone, so you can see whats going on in your Instant Pot from anywhere! My favorite thing about using it is being able to tell exactly how hot it is inside the pot.

In all other respects, it functions very similarly to the Duo Plus.

Read my full Instant Pot Smart WiFi Review.

Appliances Combined Into Each Instant Pot 3 Quart Model

Each Instant Pot mini model combines multiple appliances into one electric pressure cooker. This is especially great if you have limited kitchen space . While pressure cooking is a top reason to buy an Instant Pot, there are a bunch of other ideas for dishes to try beyond what youre thinking.

For the Duo Nova, the Smart Programs and features are mostly the same. The Duo Nova Mini has a new updated display and a different set of accessories compared to its siblings.

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Best Instant Pots: Which Instant Pot To Buy

See my guide on how to use an Instant Pot.

Are you wondering which Instant Pot to buy? There are so many options, from different sizes to different models, that it can be overwhelming. In this Instant Pot comparison I simplify the options to help you decide on the best Instant Pot for you and your family.

As a mom of five with real-life experience using different sizes and models of Instant Pots, I can help you decide what size and features you really need. So which is the best Instant Pot? Its the one that meets your cooking needs and has the functions that you need, without extras that you dont. Extra features sound nice, and they are if you actually use them. But if youll just be using the basics theres no need to pay more for a more complicated Instant Pot model.

I have purchased two Instant Pots for myself and one for my mom. Ive also helped my mother-in-law decide which Instant Pot to buy. Ive helped friends with different Instant Pot models learn how to use an Instant Pot.

Ive done lots of research and Ive had lots of experience cooking with different Instant Pots. Im ready to share what Ive learned to help you decide which Instant Pot to buy. Youre going to love your new Instant Pot! Also see my favorite picks for the best Instant Pot accessories.

Best Air Fryer: Instant Pot Duo Crisp + Air Fryer 11

Capacity: 8 quarts | Dimensions : 15.3 x 14.8 x 13.6 inches | Weight: 22.7 pounds | Programs: 11

Air fryers are here to stay. If youre yearning for an air fryer, but hate the idea of packing yet another piece of kitchen equipment into your already overloaded cabinets, then a device that combines a multi-cooker and an air fryer will save valuable space. Luckily, Instant Pot designed a multi-cooker/air fryer hybrid, the Instant Pot Duo Crisp.

This model truly takes the Duo to the next level. The Duo Crisp performs 11 functions including sous vide, roasting, broiling, and dehydrating. It comes with two lids, the regular cooking lid with auto seal, and the air fryer lid. The 8-quart size provides enough space for air-fried foods to fully crisp up, and the included air-frying basket is specially designed to optimize airflow.

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The Critiera: What We Look For In An Instant Pot

The most useful function of an Instant Pot is its ability to pressure cook, so you want to get a model that quickly comes to pressure. Since many pressure cooker recipes start with a searing or sautéing step, it can help to have an Instant Pot with inner pot stability, so the pot doesnt spin while youre cooking. You want to know whats going on inside your machine while youre cooking, so an easy-to-read progress bar is super helpful. Some additional functions, like being able to use your Instant Pot for not-very-precise sous vide cooking, are sometimes welcome, but others, like the cake-baking function included in some models, we don’t find particularly attractive. However, if the Instant Pot model advertises it can do those functions, it should do them passably well.

If I Already Have A Slow Cooker And A Rice Cooker Do I Really Need Another Appliance

Well, we cant dictate what you need. However, the Instant Pot is more functional than a slow cooker and a rice cooker combined because it can also pressure-cook. The word instant in the name gives it away: You can cook things astonishingly fast in a pressure cookereven notoriously slow-cooking or labor-intensive foods, such as risotto and brisket.

We think rice cooked in the Instant Pot is fine for most people, though the grains dont come out as fluffy and light as they do from a high-end rice cooker like our top pick, the Zojirushi Neuro Fuzzy NS-ZCC10. Rice aficionados might want to keep their rice cookers, especially for cooking sushi-grade grains.

If youre worried about clutter, you can donate your old appliances to a charity, or hand them off to someone in your life whos just starting out. Were sure theyd appreciate them.

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Instant Pot Comparison And Review

The Instant Pot is a multi-functional pressure cooker. It is not only a pressure cooker, it also has additional features and works as a slow cooker, rice maker, yogurt maker, and egg cooker. It can also be used for sauteing and browning, steaming, warming, and sterilizing. You can even make cake in some models. Thus, you can replace a number of other kitchen appliances with it, making it great for students and people with limited kitchen space. As a pressure cooker, it can cook quickly, and allows a person to make recipes fast that would normally take all day to cook. That makes it great for busy families as well. It is the best pressure cooker available on .

With controlled cooking cycles, the Instant Pot cooks food in a completely sealed environment, which keeps food nutritious and good tasting. The Instant Pot is also energy efficient. It is designed to not exceed needed temperatures and to use less water than would be used with traditional cooking or steaming.

The Instant Pot is available on most models in multiple sizes 3 quart, 6 quart, and 8 quart. I have a 6 quart one, and it is perfect for my family of two and would work fine for up to 4 or even 6. But if you have more than 4 people in your family, or if you like to cook in large quantities and then freeze, I recommend that you purchase an 8 quart pot.

Should I Get The Instant Pot Air Fryer Lid

The Instant Pot Air Fryer Lid is sold 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 Duo Versus Duo Plus

Theres a pretty big difference in functions between the Instant Pot Duo and the Duo Plus. The Duo Plus has sous vide and sterilizer functions, and an additional two cooking programs. This alone may be enough to seal the deal for the Duo Plus. A handful of smaller features can also be found on the Duo Plus, such as quiet steam release, an anti-spin cooking pot design, and a cooking status bar on the LED display.

Instant Pot Gem Multi

I was a little iffy on including this one. MANY people get confused about the GEM. They see it for sale in stores and its a lot cheaper than the other models and they get excited and then realize that its not what they wanted after all. The GEM Is not a pressure cooker. The GEM is a multi cooker which is more closely related to the Crockpot.

This is an 8-in-1 cooker. It can slow cook, sear/sauté, cook rice, steam, stew, roast, bake, and warm. It can not pressure cook. Im going to say that at least one more time so that no one gets confused 🙂

Apart from the fact that its not a pressure cooker, the GEM multi-cooker is quite advanced. It has a microprocessor, an industry leading heating element, and all the looks and styling of a modern machine. Its a great addition to your kitchen if you are looking to replace your Crockpots, Id think its also a great option if you do a lot of camping.

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Instant Pot 8 Quart Dimensions By Model

Here is a quick comparison of the Instant Pot 8 Quart Dimensions for the Lux, Duo, Duo Nova, Duo Plus, Ultra, Viva, Duo Evo Plus models. Model-by-model, the Instant Pot Mini dimensions are fairly close in terms of size and weight.

And one suggestion comes to mind if the overall Instant Pot weight has you nervous. Try lifting it in pieces . Each part will add to the weight.

The Duo Nova 8 Quart weight is as its currently provided by Amazon, but it is also noted as the shipping weight. I think the weight below includes the packaging and the actual electric pressure cooker weighs a few pounds less.

* The Instant Pot Duo Crisp + Air Fryer and Pro Crisp + Air Fryer come with two lids, one for pressure cooking and one for air frying. The Air Fryer lid adds about another inch to the height of this model.

Instant Pot Duo 7 In 1 Best Seller

In case that someone recommended you an Instant Pot, or you have the IP fever from some friend, you probably saw the 7 in 1 DUO model. From day one this cooker is an Instant Pot best seller and for a lot of good reasons!

As an improved version of the 6 in 1 model, the DUO is able to cook at low pressure as well as comes with the Yogurt Maker function!

It can also cook your meals at around 70-percent faster than usual, and comes with 14 smart programs built-in so you can have full control of your recipes

The 7 in 1 can pressure cook, simmer, sauté and create, whether its creating your homemade yogurt, making rice in a perfect way, or even baking an elegant dessert.

Its available in 3, 6, and 8 Quarts and the 6 Quarts model is on a big discount so you can get it now for just $79.95. But hurry up cause is on a special offer.

Pros: Lots of improvements and useful features, like the ability to cook at low pressure and the yogurt function. It also features the lid and handles. Available in the 8-Quart version as well. The ability to cook rice is a great improvement also, you can have a few cups of rice ready in 15 hands-free minutes.

Cons: Costs 25% more than the same models but on the Lux series. If you are not going to be cooking more than 1 or 2 times a week, you may want to save some money and buying a cooker from the IP-LUX series

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Back To School And Instant Pots For Students

Summer will be over before you know it so itâs time to start thinking about back to school sales. The best Instant Pots for students are always in high demand in the lead to schools returning, so it pays to start shopping as early as possible. For those heading off to college, youâll want a convenient, multi-cooker that is suitable for your cooking needs. Right now many of our favorite picks are currently on sale making now the ideal time to buy one of the best microwaves. Be sure to follow our back to school guide for all of your shopping needs this season.

They Are Easy To Clean

Simple and compact in shape and size, it only requires a couple of minutes to clean the machine, which is why so many people love Instant Pots. Furthermore, their four main non-electrical parts, including the outer and inner surfaces, the lid, and the silicone ring, are all dishwasher-safe, making it extremely easy to care for.

Just keep in mind that the sealing rings can fade and begin to carry a funky smell after a long period of daily use even when these Instant Pot accessories are exceptionally durable. So, its best to buy the extra silicone ring to replace the old one every six months.

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Instant Pot Gem 65 V2 Multicooker 8 In 1

The Gem 65 is the first multicooker from Instant Pot and features a variety of different functions including roasting, stewing, baking, and steaming. You can also slow cook, sear/sauté, cook rice, and warmall in one pot.

With 8 built-in smart programs, your favorite dishes can be cooked to perfection, simply by pushing a button.

But there are some reported problems with it. The company advises people that buy certain batches of the product not to use it. You can read more on Consumer Reports.

So for us is not the best that you can get for your buck at the moment maybe with some time they would improve this model, if that happens we would let you know.

Recently Discontinued Instant Pots

As its product line has grown and evolved, Instant Brands has retired some of its older models.Instant Pot Viva: Discontinued in the U.S.The Instant Pot Viva began as a QVC exclusive and was later sold through other retailers. The Viva has since been discontinued in the United States but this 6-quart model is still available in Canada.

Duo Nova Instant Pot: 10-quart Size DiscontinuedWhile you can still get a Duo Nova Instant Pot in 3-, 6-, and 8-quart sizes, the 10-quart Instant Pot Duo Nova has been discontinued.

Instant Pot Nova Plus: Discontinued

The Nova Plus was a Costco Instant Pot exclusive that is no longer available. The Nova Plus was similar to the Duo but had the blue LED screen of the Duo Plus.

Instant Pot Duo Evo Plus: Discontinued

The Duo Evo Plus was an upgrade on the standard Duo and has been discontinued by Instant Pot. It had an upgraded blue LED display panel like the Duo Plus and a sleeker interface.

Instant Pot Lux: Discontinued

This early Instant Pot lacked many of the features you can get in even the most basic models available in 2022. The Lux has been discontinued by the brand, though you can sometimes still .

Instant Pot Smart Wi-Fi: DiscontinuedThis Wi-Fi-enabled 6-quart Instant Pot has been discontinued and replaced by the Instant Pot Pro Plus 6-quart Smart Multi-Cooker.

Instant Pot just got delivered? Put it to use with one of these Instant Pot recipes:

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They Are A Time Saver

The Instant Pots can effectively cut your cooking time by up to . This means you can spend just 20 minutes on a 60-minute job!

Thanks to a tight seal that helps prevent the inside air and moisture from leaking, these cooker dramatically speeds up your cooking. In addition, there is no need to defrost frozen food prior to pressure cooking, which helps save a lot of time and make it a lot easier for busy people to make home-cooked dinner.

For example, rather than spending hours softening dried beans, you can get your whole dish done in 40 minutes using an Instant Potabout three times faster than on a traditional gas stove. Or while slow cookers require about 3 hours to cook pulled pork, an Instant Pot pressure cooker can complete it in less than two hours.

Can I Make My Favorite Standby Recipes In The Instant Pot

Yes, you can make your favorites in an Instant Pot, but it takes some tinkering. And you wont find a single formula that will flawlessly convert a standard recipe to the Instant Pot on the first try. We asked Melissa Clark for some tips. Since pressure cookers are sealed, Clark advised, you should reduce the amount of liquid if its a soup or a stew because youre not getting any evaporation. She added, Youre going to want to cut down on the salt. Since youre using less liquid in the beginning, hold back on the salt at the start, and adjust the seasoning at the end. If you use too much water and end up with a thin stew, dont panicto thicken, just simmer the sauce with the lid off.

Trial and error is how anyone becomes a betterand more confidentcook. Clark also reminds cooks to be kind to themselves: If youre adapting recipes for the Instant Pot, you just have to assume its not going to be perfect the first time around. And forgive yourself thats okay. Youll do things better the next time.

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