How To Know What Size Instant Pot To Buy
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Have you been considering buying an Instant Pot? The fact that you can put the food in, close the lid, push a couple of buttons, and then walk away, even out of the kitchen makes this a must-have appliance in todays kitchen. Its just so easy to use. But what size Instant Pot should you get?
Maybe you already own one and youre thinking of buying another one and youre not sure which size you should get. Well, I took the three main sizes of Instant Pots 8 qt., 6 qt., and 3 qt. and compared them to help you have a better idea of which one is right for you?
Best For Advanced Chefs: Instant Pot Pro 10
Capacity: 6 quarts | Dimensions : 13 x 12.7 x 12.8 inches | Weight: 17 pounds | Programs: 28
Replacing our former Best for Advanced Chefs pick is the newer Instant Pot Pro. This model has the more modern matte black Instant Pot look, something thats a bit easier to keep clean than the previous stainless steel siding. Inside, youll find the new silicone-handled inner pot, which is versatile enough to be used on the stove in a pinch. Of course, there are also more than 11 safety features so you dont have to worry about a disaster in your kitchen.
The front panel packs a lot of information into its display, while also making you feel very welcome to the future. Once it turns on, no matter which of the 28 different programs you chose, you easily move to the next field by twisting the knob. And if you mess up, its easy to start over.
When we sent this home for testing, we found that you do need to read through the instructions to familiarize yourself with all the options. Our tester, whos used Instant Pots before but never her own, appreciated that the booklet walks you through a water test before using it. Once she started using it for recipes, she found you definitely will need to wait until the preheat cycles are done especially when using the sauté function. But as she used the Rice, Sous Vide, and Manual functions, our tester fell more and more in love with it.
Are Instant Pots Worth It
Absolutely. They make cooking weeknight meals a breeze, allowing you to produce a delicious dinner just by throwing a few ingredients into the pot. Instant Pots can steam vegetables, sauté food, function as a slow cooker, and even produce a flawless cheesecake.
Be sure to stay up to date on the best Instant Pot deals here!
Editors’ Recommendations
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Instant Pot Smart Programs Vs Functions
Instant Pots are beloved because of their ability to cook foods quickly using pressure. But theyre also wildly popular, in part, because theyre true multi-cookers that can be used to braise, sauté, steam, and so much more. But all Instant Pots are not created equaler, not every model can perform every function, and theyre billed accordingly . All Instant Pots can pressure-cook, slow-cook, sauté, and keep warm, and fancier models tack on additional cooking methods like yogurt-making, sous vide cooking, broiling, and air-frying. The functions are customizable, and while you cant air-fry or broil in a model that doesnt have an air-frying lid, people still manage to bake cake in models that dont offer mini oven functionality and make yogurt in models that arent officially marketed for yogurt-making.
The Instant Pot Smart Programs allow you to engage each cookers listed functionality with the touch of a button. Many models also have additional Smart Programs that take the guesswork out of specific items like cake, yogurt, eggs, brown rice, and more. The buying guide below details which and how many functions and Smart Programs are available with each model.
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Can You Cook Frozen Chicken In An Instant Pot
Yes. There are a number of recipes devoted to cooking all kinds of foods from their frozen state in an Instant Pot. For some recipes, a little extra time is required to fully cook the meat, but in other cases the extra time required to come up to pressure is enough extra time to completely cook the food.
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First What Is An Instant Pot
Before diving into all the models, let us explain how an Instant Pot actually works. The Instant Pot is a multicooker appliance that can perform the functions of a variety of appliances in one tool. Every Instant Pot model can slow cook, pressure cook, keep your food warm and sauté, and all models can effectively cook rice, meat and soups. No matter which model you pick, you’ll get a pressure cooker that will help you prepare dishes in a fraction of the time it would take using traditional methods.
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!
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Qt Instant Pot Duo Plus Best Overall
The Instant Pot Duo Plus line is the upgraded version of the classic Duo Series, with a safer pressure release, more cooking functions, and a more refined look.
Instant Pot Duo Plus Mini or Duo Plus 30, is the 3-qt version of the best-selling pressure cooker.
Why is it the Best Small Instant Pot?
Compared to other compact pressure cookers from the kitchen appliance manufacturer, the Duo Plus 30 is as capable as its 6 or 8-qt sibling. No feature was spared in this compact configuration. Whatever the size youre getting, youll have access to 15 smart programs.
You wont have that advantage with the Duo Mini nor the Ultra Mini. The brand stripped down two automatic programs from these smaller variants.
The Instant Pot Duo Plus Mini has nine core cooking functionspressure cooker, slow cooker, rice cooker, yogurt maker, steamer, sauté/searing pan, sous vide, sterilizer, and food warmer. Hence, its also called the 9-in-1 Instant Pot.
The 3 quart Instant Pot Duo Mini or the IP Duo 30 is the cheapest among the three compact pressure cookers. I have to note that this model is a classic, but its been retrofitted with the newest features since it was released almost a decade ago.
Well, except for the upgraded vent release and sous-vide function.
Despite not having those features, Instapot Duo Mini is still a skillful multicooker. You can still take advantage of its seven main cooking functionspressure cook, slow cook, sauté, steam, cook rice, yogurt, and food warmer.
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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Does The Instant Pot Offer Smart Features
Every Instant Pot features a microprocessor that uses the amount of ingredients in the pot to adjust factors such as temperature automatically. This is a handy tool for novices. Instant Pots also include features such as 24-hour delay start times and, in some cases, LCD. If you have a model that uses Wi-Fi, you can monitor your Instant Pot with your phone. Youll also get alerts about your meal and suggested recipes from the Instant Pot app.
Instant Pot Size Comparison: 3 6 8 Or 10
If youve been eyeing an Instant Pot, youve probably noticed that it comes in many different sizes. So not only do you have to decide between the many different functions available on each model, you also have to choose which size fits you best. Thats why weve put together this Instant Pot Size Comparison guide.
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What is the best Instant Pot size for your needs? They range from small to very large, so it can be difficult for a first-timer to decide what size would suit their needs.
Weve tried them all and have some tips and information to help you choose the right one. Consider the factors listed below to discover the perfect Instant Pot size for you.
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Instant Pot Pro Crisp + Air Fryer
The 8-quart Instant Pot Pro Crisp + Air Fryer is the Duo Crisp turned up to 11. This pro model has all the same functionality of the Duo Crisp plus an upgraded lid with advanced heat protection, auto-sealing, and gentle pressure release. The sturdier stainless-steel inner pot is made to handle anything its stovetop friendly and oven safe up to 450ºF.
Built-in smart programs: 11Functions: Pressure-cooking, slow-cooking, steaming, sautéing, food-warming, sous videcooking, air-frying, roasting, baking, broiling, dehydratingSizes available: 8-quart Instant Pot
Instant Pot Mini Pot Roast
A pot roast is often a big meal made for a big pot. If you just want a special dinner for two, this is your go-to recipe. Simply choose a smaller cut of meat to make it work, and the rest will fall into place. This should help you figure out similar meat and veggie recipes, too. Recipe from Home Pressure Cooking.
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Is There A 10 Quart Instant Pot
The 10 quart Duo Nova was discontinued. It was released in early September 2019 and was the only model available at that size. It was difficult to find online because it was not listed with the rest of the series on Amazon originally.
You may still be able to find a 10 quart Instant Pot online or at your local stores, but the inventory is likely limited.
If you need an electric pressure cooker larger than 8 quarts youll need to look at other brands. You may also want to consider contacting the company to let them know you would buy a larger Instant Pot. With enough feedback maybe theyll consider making another 10 quart model.
How Does The Pot Size Affect Cooking Time
If you are using a 3 or 6-quart pot, youll need to use a minimum of one cup of liquid. Whether you are using water or brother, you need to keep this in mind. Whatever you do, avoid using any liquids that are thick, as they can cause problems with this cooking appliance.
You should need to cook food any longer than 30 minutes if you are using a 6-quart size pot. Keep in mind that a larger 8 quart pot will take longer to heat up, simply because you have to use more liquid. It is important to factor this in before getting started.
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What Is The Instant Pot
I like to refer to my Instant Pot as the miracle machine. While pressure cooking is what it does best, there are many more ways to use this magical gadget. The Instant Pot is a brand of multicooker that can function as a pressure cooker, rice cooker, steamer, yogurt maker, and slow cooker, to name a few.
Its sometimes referred to as the Instapot, even though thats not really its name. And since its now so popular, electric pressure cookers in general are being referred to as Instant Pots even though thats actually a brand name. Its like what Kleenex is to tissues.
The thing most home cooks need to know about the Instant Pot is that it cooks food under pressure, which allows it to cook quickly and lock in more flavor. Pasta is done in 4 minutes. A whole pot roast is done in 60 minutes.
Which Instant Pot Duo Is The Best
You may be aware of this, but the Instant Pot Duo is a series of multi-cookers designed in different sizes. The smallest is the Mini and then you have the 6, 8, and even a 10- quart model. The bigger models have more features and even different accessories.
To determine which is the best Instant Pot for you, think of how you plan to use it.
How often do you cook? If you cook often, is it normally just for you or for other people too?
What type of food do you like to cook?
Do you prefer batch cooking?
What’s your budget?
Insider tip: By the way, the Instant Pot Duo Mini is a very economical kitchen appliance. You can save money in the long term.
Once youve thought about your requirements and whats realistic, then choosing the perfect Instant Pot becomes easy.
Before you book the order, you need to know what your Duo Mini is capable of and the features it lacks.
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Instant Pot Duo Mini Review
As an Amazon affiliate, and affiliate with other businesses, I earn from qualifying purchases.
The Instant Pot Company recently released an adorable little 3 quart pressure cooker, and they sent me the Instant Pot Mini to review! The new Instant Pot Duo Mini is perfect for small families, college students and traveling.
The new little 3 quart pressure cooker, officially a Instant Pot Duo Mini 3 Qt 7-in-1 Multi- Use Programmable Pressure Cooker, arrived at my door a few weeks ago. Its been on my counter ever since.
The Mini is such a cute little size, but it can do almost everything the bigger 6 quart Duo can do. It doesnt have some of the pre-set buttons the bigger Duo has, but if youre like me, you rarely use the multigrain, sterilize, cake, and egg buttons. All those things can be done / cooked using the Pressure Cook button.
The Instant Pot Company is advertising the Mini as, the ideal companion to the Instant Pot Duo. Perfect for smaller families or to make a small dish for two, side dish or while traveling such as camping, traveling by RV, boating, sailing, hotel excursions.
I couldnt agree more. Its great for all those uses and much of your everyday cooking. But if you want to cook a whole chicken, a big pot of soup, or are having company for dinner, the mini would be too small.
Above is a comparison photo of the Mini cooking pot on the left and the Duo Plus cooking pot on the right.
How We Test Instant Pots
To see how Instant Pots and multi-cookers stack up, weâve spent hundreds of hours whipping up curries and chilies, preparing batches of rice, and even steaming portions of vegetables, comparing the end results. Weâre looking for meat that falls off the bone but is still tender and succulent, rice thatâs fluffy but still with some bite, and crisp vegetables. Weâve also compared how easy they are to use and just how much they speed up cooking.
We evaluate each model on how many different cooking methods it offers, how durable and easy to clean the body and parts are, how loud it is in use and when releasing pressure, and how hot the exterior casing gets. Weâre also assessing how simple each multi-cooker is to use and whether you need to read the instruction manual before cooking, whether recipe inspiration is provided and the useful accessories such as racks and trays it comes with.
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Course Instant Pot Barbecue
Use large, tough cuts of meat for your Instant Pot. Pork shoulder is a great pick for pulled pork sandwiches.
Add some nutrition to your barbecue with some tender, steamed artichokes.
Side dishes like corn on the cob can be made in the Instant Pot while you man the grill.
For mac and cheese or pasta salad, make the noodles in the Instant Cooker first, then add the cheese.
Whip up a dessert in your Instant Pot the night before, from cheesecake to cobbler.
How Many People Does Each Pot Size Feed
A 3 quart pot is ideal for making side dishes as opposed to full meals. It is also a good choice if you are just cooking for yourself. Buying a 6 quart pot is a good choice if you are going for anywhere from 2 to 4 people. An 8 quart pot can accommodate large families and will be useful if you have a few guests over for dinner. If you are planning to have a big get together, this is a great option to consider.
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