What Size Do I Need
Most Instant Pot users go with the middle size, which is a 6-quart pot. This is the most popular size for many reasons. It can easily cook a small amount or a large amount of food. Its good for making 4-8 servings.
If you are only cooking for 2 people and dont like to make leftovers, then a 3-quart Instant Pot is the best size for you. It will cook a small amount of soup enough for 2 servings, or a small roast, a few chicken breasts or thighs, pork chops, and can easily accommodate enough potatoes for mashed potatoes, while cooking 2 chicken breasts on the trivet above.
If you are cooking for 8+ people, then an 8-quart Instant Pot is the way to go. While you can still cook smaller amounts in this pot, you will have room for all the larger meals you want to make. You can cook a larger whole chicken or a small turkey in this pot. Its also great for cooking pot-in-pot.
Instant Pot Ultra 10 In 1 Best Multifunctional
The word is Ultra! the newest feature that came to revolutionize the pressure cooker world that comes with the ability to pre-program the cooker with different cooking times and different temperatures as well gives you 2 pressures to choose from.
When using the granular control it will be not just a 10 in 1 appliance but once you start to use it you are going to realized that is more like hundreds of appliances in just one.
Packed with endless choices for customization, the Ultra is full of extra modes and functions for the home chef that likes to try new things out. It comes with 21 pre-set temperatures to choose from.
Available in 3 Qt, 6 Qt, 8Qt the 10 in 1 will even allow you to adjust for altitude, so you dont need to convert your recipes and get a really precise cooking time depending on your needs.
Another great addition is the smooth display that will make your recipes programming a breeze. And last but not least you will be able to pressure cook for up to 6 hours that is 2 hours more than what you will get with the Duo Plus.
Pros: Ultra function that combines 10 appliances in 1 making it a wide range of choices to get the most from your pressure cooker. All the same features that come along with the earlier models plus a large digital display that makes it really easy to use. It also features a cooking process indicator that will show you how much your food has been processed, this will allow you to keep an eye on the cooking progress.
How Do You Cook Eggs On This Model
The IP Duo60 does not have an Egg Button but you can still hard or soft boil eggs using the pressure cook setting. Simply choose the low pressure setting and use 3 minutes for a soft boiled egg or 6 minutes for a hard boiled egg. The eggs should be placed on the steamer basket accessory with about 1 cups of water underneath. You can experiment to get the right amount of doneness. Some people hard boil their eggs on the high pressure setting but generally the lower setting produces better texture in the egg white.
You can pressure cook for up to 4 hours using the Duo60. You also have a 24 hour delay timer to start cooking when youre away from the kitchen. And theres an automatic keep warm function to hold the temperature of the dish until youre ready to serve.
The automatic keep warm feature can be used for up to 10 hours. The manual warmer feature can be used for up to 99 hours.
The Duo60 has built in lid holders on the right and the left to place the lid on its side on the pot rather than having to find somewhere to put it down.
Read Also: Is The Instant Pot Dishwasher Safe
Whats Not Included In This Guide
Given Instant Pots popularity, Instant Brands expansion into other products was inevitable. Since its merger with Corelle in 2019, the brand has continued to improve upon its pressure cooker, but also added additional small appliances to its offerings, including air fryers, toaster ovens, air purifiers, and even a very not-instant precision slow cooker that works more like a Crock-Pot, but with added functionality.
For this in-depth Instant Pot buying guide, were covering the brands best-selling product: the pressure/multi-cooker. But as youll see, all of these Instant Pots have a slow-cooking function while a few can even be used as an air fryer or mini oven!
The Best Instant Pot Model You Can Buy For 2022
The original Instant Pot was an instant success because its, well, downright brilliant. Of course, the brand followed up its first model with a handful of additional options, each one with new and different features. A couple of years ago, I took a look at the differences between all the models and came to the conclusion that the basic Lux model was the best choice for most people. Although you can still find it on , the Lux is no longer being manufactured. The least expensive family-sized Instant Pot is now the Duo at about $90 and I continue to believe either is a fine choice.
However, it you have the budget to upgrade, the Instant Pot Pro Plus 6-quart Smart Multi-Cooker is a smart buy and not because of its connectivity. It has a combination of settings and improvements to its design that make it the best Instant Pot yet!
For starters, it has a new, large control panel that makes the Pro Plus sleek and modern-looking and convenient to use. The settings are easy to read no need to squint or pull out your reading glasses and completely intuitive to program. You can select your release setting at the beginning of cooking. In the upper-left-hand corner of the display, theres a signal indicator that lights up when the pots under pressure, so that you know definitively not to open the lid until the light goes off. When youre not using it, the panel goes to sleep so the Instant Pot looks unobtrusive sitting on your kitchen countertop.
Recommended Reading: How To Instant Pot Vegetables
Best Instant Pot 202: Our Top 6 Multi
Find the best Instant Pot for your kitchen, with the help of our reviews of the Duo, Pro, Crisp, and even a few alternatives from Ninja
Choosing the best Instant Pot can be overwhelming. After all, it’s an expansive line, with a range of functions and capacities to choose between. That includes the Duo, Pro, and Crisp lines, all of which have various differences that will make them more suited to some users than others. So, which is the best Instant Pot for you?
We’ve been busy reviewing all the best Instant Pots over the past few months to bring you our top picks, and we’ve also included a few alternatives from Ninja, which have in-built crisper lids as well as pressure cooking functions. A lot of Instant Pots come with crisper lids too, meaning they will double up as the best air fryers, as well as steaming or pressure cooking any food you could hope to make.
One of the major perks of owning an Instant Pot this time of year is the sealed-in, compact design. On a hot day, the last thing you want to do is pour over a hot stove, but the best Instant Pot will do all the cooking for you, and it will prevent your kitchen from overheating while it works. And when your meals are done, you can expect to put all removable parts in the dishwasher to take all the effort out of mealtimes. For our top picks of the six best Instant Pots, keep on reading.
What’s The Best Size Instant Pot
Instant Pots and other multi-cookers come in an array of different capacities ranging from 3 quart / 3 liters right up to 8 quart / 7.5 liters, so knowing which size Instant Pot is best for you can be confusing.
For most people, the 6 quart / 5.7-liter size Instant Pot will prove to be the most useful. Instant say this capacity is enough to feed between three and size people depending upon your appetite, so will be ideal for families or those looking to batch cook meals for a handful of people.
The larger 8 quart / 7.5-liter size will be a better fit for bigger families, or anyone cooking on a large scale, such as creating chilies, stews, or curries for a party. Meanwhile, for one or two-person households the smaller 3-quart / 3 liter, Instant Pot will ensure you’re not using additional energy by cooking a small quantity in an Instant Pot that’s just too large for your needs.
It’s worth remembering that not all models of Instant Pot are available in all sizes, so do check before deciding on the best model for you.
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Which Is The Best Instant Pot Mini
Possibly the best Instant Pot Mini is the Duo. Why? Because it offers good features for a great price. But if you want all the bells and whistles, go for the Ultra 3 Qt Instant Pot. If youre comparing Instant Pot Duo vs Ultra youll need to think about the specific features as to how you will personally use it .
Instant Pot Aura 9 In 1
The Aura is a multi-Use programmable slow cooker that can perform 9 functions in just one cooker: Roast, Stew, Bake, Steam, Slow Cook, Sear/Sauté, Rice, Yogurt, Ferment and Warm.
Have in mind that this cooker is not a pressure cooker, so it would not reach the higher-than-boiling temperatures that can be achieved when pressure cooking.
The Aura is great when cooking larger dishes since its rectangular, it can easily hold a medium-size whole chicken or roast. The cooking pot its made of stainless steel that is dishwasher, stove-top and oven safe.
Also Check: How To Cook Asparagus In Instant Pot
What Is The Difference Between A Pressure Cooker And An Instant Pot
A cooktop pressure cooker only serves two functionspressure cooking and canning. InstaPots, on the other hand, are electric pressure cookers with multiple capabilities. It also doubles as a rice cooker, sauté pan, sterilizer, steamer, slow cooker, yogurt maker. Some models can even help you sous vide, and pressure can. There are also variants with an air frying function.
Instant Pot Smart Unlimited Best For Smart Houses
The Instant pot Smart Smart WiFi is the first Multi-Use Programmable Pressure Cooker that can now be controlled and monitored with your mobile devices. Comes with a modern and easy to understand display screen and a Stainless Steel body.
It used to be a 7 in1 cooker but now has upgraded to an Unlimited multi-use cooker since you can combine all the features and functions. With 13 smart programs such as Soup/Broth Cake, Slow Cook, Sauté just to name a few.
The Smart model comes with many of the extras that other Instant Pot models offer along with the addition of WiFi connectivity, which allows you to set, monitor, and control your cooking from virtually anywhere.
It also comes with more than 750 pre-programmed recipes that you can peruse via the Instant Pot app. When your dish is nearly done, youll receive an alert on your smartphone and can even send your recipes and cooking results to your family.
The Smart series only comes in a 6-quart size and is one of the most expensive models from the company. The Smart feature here is most than anything the ability from the cooker to connect via Bluetooth. You can control your pressure cooker from your phone. You have the same features as the Duo Series.
Pros: You can control the cooker from your phone and cook at any temperature, It can also be used to run saved cooking programs
Cons: The biggest con is the price. For the just the Bluetooth feature expect to pay more than double the cost of the IP-LUX60
Also Check: How To Make Pulled Pork In An Instant Pot
How To Choose The Best Instant Pot For You
Here are the key things to consider when choosing an Instant Pot:
Features: Some Instant Pot models come with preprogramed cooking functions and even additional capabilities such as Yogurt Making and Sterilization. However, these preprogrammed functions merely mimic low- and high-pressure cooking, and you can re-create them manually. Additionally, we found that some preprogrammed functions were unreliable .
Evaluate the kind of cooking you typically do before splurging on bells and whistles that you don’t need. You should also realize that you may still need to adapt your cooking times to get the results you want. We frequently found that the more features an Instant Pot had, the more confusing the controls were.
Size/capacity: We tested only 6-quart models, as they’re the most popular size on the market. However, many Instant Pots are available in 3-quart sizes, which are better for individuals or couples, and 9-quart sizes, which are better for larger families.
Price: It’s surprising how widely the prices vary for Instant Pots, given that most of them offer the same basic features, give or take a few specifics. Your personal budget for cooking gear will influence your decision on which price is best.
The Classic Duo Model
If you are looking for a model that has all the great functions of an Instant Pot without any extra bells and whistles, opt for the best-selling Duo. It comes in the 3-, 6- and 8-quart sizes and has 13 one-touch programs including soup/broth, meat/stew, bean/chili, slow cook, sauté, rice, porridge, steam, yogurt, keep warm and pressure cook.
If the yogurt button doesnt appeal to you, the Lux is the most basic Instant Pot model, offering all the functionality of a pressure cooker, slow cooker, rice cooker, sauté pan, steamer and warmer without the yogurt-making feature. We do not recommend making yogurt in the Lux model.
Also Check: How To Use Instant Pot Steamer Basket
Best Instant Pot To Buy In 2021
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Trying to determine which Instant Pot to get? Check out this 2021 Instant Pot Comparison and Buying Guide to read about the available options and get the Instant Pot size and model thats right for you.
The first Instant Pot pressure cooker came out in 2012. Since then, Instant Pot has released at least 15 new models , and all with slightly different features.
It can be really hard to keep track!
Let me take away the guess work and point you towards the best Instant Pot to buy for your situation with this Instant Pot Comparison and Buying Guide, .
Interested in having us teach you how to start cooking in your Instant Pot?Our live Instant Pot 30-Day Jumpstart beginners course is OPEN for enrollment! Classes start January 10, 2022.
I absolutely love the Instant Pot Pro, which is one of the higher end Instant Pot model. I love the button/dial combo and the ease of use.
Unlike the lower-tier Instant Pot models, the Pro offers:
- attached handles on the cooking pot, so you dont need hot pads to remove the inner pot and the inner pot stays in place when sautéing
- cooking pot with a completely flat bottom, so it sautés more evenly than other Instant Pot models
- the large cooking pot can also be used on the stovetop
- a lid that features a steam release cover and a separate pressure release switch
- larger digital display
Read my full Instant Pot Duo Gourmet Review.
Smart Programs Available In The 8 Quart Instant Pot
Instant Pot created smart programs based on extensive testing to help the home chef be able to cook with the press of a button. The smart programs are designed to control pressure, heat intensity, temperature, and duration.
Each Instant Pot series has a slightly different combination of smart programs. Many of the smart programs are common across all 8 quart models, with a few programs being specially available in certain models.
| Lux | |
| Dehydrate* | Yes |
The 8 quart Duo Evo plus is an interesting addition to the Instant Pot lineup. While it has 10 one-touch programs, its also customizable with 48 preset programs.
* The 8 quart Duo Crisp + Air Fryer comes with fewer pressure cooking smart programs, and 5 air fryer-specific programs.
Also Check: How To Cook Black Beans In Instant Pot
Instant Pot With A Steamer Basket
This Secura Steam Basket fits the 6-Quart Instant Pot
The Instant Pot models come with their own steamer rack.
But the Instant Pot rack is not very useful if you want to steam vegetables or make recipes using the steamer setting.
Lots of Instant Pot owners have chosen to buy this Secura 6 Quart Steam Rack Basket set. It fits the 6 Quart Instant Pot inner pot perfectly.
The set includes a rack/trivet that is slightly higher than the rack that comes with the Instant Pot.
This lets you use more water without the water touching the food in the steamer basker.
If you want to steam food in your Instant Pot, buy this steamer basket. Youll love how convenient it is.
Which Instant Pot Should I Buy
The OPTIONS omg, analysis paralysis will set in but this is an investment. So lets get this Instant Pot comparison show on the road and help you decide which Instant Pot you should buy.
Weve had ours IP for the last 6 months and named it our favorite tech kitchen gadget. If you are in the market you may be trying to determine which Instant Pot is best. Since each different version offers various features, the best Instant Pot varies from person to person.
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