Whats The Best Instant Pot

How To Choose The Most Popular Instant Pot Air Fryer Combo

The three most crucial criteria to consider are price, quality, and popularity.Price is an obvious factor to consider, as you want to ensure it is acceptable for your needs.Quality should also be examined because buying a low-quality goods will not help you achieve your main aim of obtaining the best product.Finally, while not as obvious as price or quality, popularity can be just as significant as both when it comes to attracting new customers.

The Best Instant Pot Models Of 2022 According To Kitchen Appliance Experts

Our side-by-side comparison of Instant Pots makes it super simple.

If youre thinking of jumping on the Instant Pot bandwagon but feel intimidated by the number of multi-cooker models available, we don’t blame you. While most Instant Pots are similar in terms of size options and wattage, the built-in heat and pressure levels along with the smart program settings vary from model to model.

Luckily, the Good Housekeeping Institute’s Kitchen Appliance and Technology Lab is here to help parse through those differences so you can find the best option for your household. We evaluate these multi-cookers for how well they pressure cook and slow cook a beef stew. We also evaluate their ability to evenly brown meat and make rice, including how quickly they came up to pressure and released pressure both quickly and naturally. We check each multi-cooker’s ease of use, including how intuitive and easy-to-read the controls are, the variety of settings offered, how easy it is to clean the cooking insert, and the clarity of the owner’s manual.

There Are So Many Modelswhich One Should I Get

When youre shopping for your first Instant Pot, the dizzying array of Instant Pot models can be a real source of confusion. Thankfully, in 2021 the brand discontinued many of its models and streamlined the series to five core ones .

We recommend the Instant Pot Duo 6-Quart to most people. However, the Instant Pot Pro 6-Quart is also very good, if youre willing to pay extra for improved ease-of-use features, such as a bigger screen, a no-spin inner pot, and a slightly quieter steam release. The company also has a couple of other modelsthe Max and the Ultra, the latter of which is available only through certain retailers we dont recommend them mainly because we found that the Duo and Pro offered the best sets of features for their respective prices. Since 2020, Instant Pot has changed its offerings every few months, and prices have been fluctuating. Ultimately, the brand makes the best multicookers weve found in years of testing, and we think that if you find a model on sale, it will likely still serve you well. The differences between models come down to the extra features.

The only versions that have significant downsides, other than price, are the Duo Crisp and the Pro Crisp these two come with an additional air-fryer lid, which takes up a lot of extra space without adding a lot of extra functionality.

Instant Pot has a comparison chart on its website that shows the most important differences among the five models.

Also Check: How To Clean Your Instant Pot

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:

Who This Is For

If youre a set-it-and-forget-it type of cook who needs to get dinner on the table with minimal effort, an electric pressure cooker may become your new favorite cooking tool. Making meals can be stressful and time-consuming, but an electric pressure cooker can do a lot of the work for you. As with a slow cooker, you add your ingredients to a pressure cooker, seal the lid, turn it on, and walk away. But instead of leaving it to simmer all day, you can cook dinner in an electric pressure cooker in under an hour . Pressure cookers speed up traditional braising, stewing, boiling, and steaming methods by trapping steam inside the pot. As pressure increases, it heats the moisture in the pot beyond the boiling temperature , so it can cook foods more quickly.

• After cooking many pounds of brisket, rice, and beans in six pressure cookers, we think the Fissler Vitaquick 8.5-Quart Pressure Cooker is the best you can get.

Recommended Reading: How Long Does Instant Pot Natural Release Take

Why Am I Getting The Instant Pot Burn Message

There’s likely not enough liquid in the Instant Pot to safely continue cooking. Press the cancel button and carefully perform a quick release the moment you get a burn warning. Once the steam is released, check the contents. If there isn’t enough liquid, add half a cup.

For a more in-depth examination of this error, read our full article: What to do if your Instant Pot says ‘burn’ and how to prevent it in the future.

The Best Electric Pressure Cooker Is An Instant Pot

In 2021, Instant Pot streamlined its offerings. Weve tested the updated Duo, Duo Plus, and Pro models.

The Instant Pot is probably the most well-known electric pressure cookermore accurately called a multi-cooker because it can also slow cook, sauté, and morebut many brands make this handy type of appliance. A good electric pressure cooker can help get dinner on the table quickly and easily even when youre swamped. Of the 18 models weve tested from a variety of brands since 2016, the Instant Pot Duo 6-Quart is still our favorite. It offers great performance at a reasonable price, and its tried-and-true design makes it easier to use than other multi-cookers or gimmicky smart cookers.

Looking for things to make in your Instant Pot? Try these recipes for bone broth, corned beef and cabbage, salsa verde chicken, and classic beef chili from NYT Cooking.

Our pick

The Duo is a versatile time-saver in the kitchen. Its one of Instant Pots more basic and affordable models, and it does everything you need it to do with ease.

Buying Options

*At the time of publishing, the price was $90.

Read Also: How Long To Cook Red Potatoes In Instant Pot

Instant Pot Pork Tenderloin

Instant Pot pork tenderloin takes just minutes to cook to the perfect temperature and the recipe is easy to customize with alternative herbs and spices. This recipe relies on the pressure build and natural release to cook the pork, with no actual high-pressure cooking time. All you have to do is brown the pork, set the timer to 0 , and let the pressure come down naturally for 15 minutes.

Does Instant Pot Really Cook Faster

An Instant Pot uses pressurized heated steam to cook the food. In many cases, this will cook most foods faster and more thoroughly than other cooking methods. A great example can be found when cooking meat that you want to be extra tender.

In order to achieve desired tenderness, you would have to slow cook many types of meat all day either in an oven or slow cooker to get really tender meat. An Instant Pot can achieve the same result in a fraction of the time.

Recommended Reading: How Much Pasta Can You Cook In Instant Pot

What Can I Cook In An Instant Pot

The best Instant Pots offer a range of different cooking methods, which means there are a plethora of different dishes that can be created in Instant Pots and multi-cookers. Slow cooking means you can use cheaper but tougher cuts of meat and cook them low and slow to make casseroles and stews, while pressure cooking speeds up cooking times, making it great for ribs and chicken wings. However, you can even bake cakes – in particular, we found making cheesecake in an Instant Pot was very good, air fry foods like fries, and even hard-boiled eggs. You can find an extensive variety of recipes at instantpot.com.

The Best Instant Pot Baked Beans Recipe

Add the beans to the pot with 8 cups of water and 1 teaspoon of kosher salt. Lock the lid in place and make sure the valve is in the sealing position. Choose pressure cook/manual, high pressure, and set the timer for 25 minutes. When the time is up, cancel the keep warm button and let the pressure come down naturally for 10 minutes.

Place 1 pound dried navy beans, 1.5 tbsp fine table salt, and 6 cups cold water in the pressure cooker. Close lid and pressure cook at High Pressure for 0 minute + 30 minutes Natural Release. Drain Beans: Discard the soaked water and drain the navy beans through a mesh strainer. Rinse the beans with cold tap water. Drain well.

Read Also: What Kind Of Bowl Can Go In Instant Pot

Instant Pot Chili Verde

From The Cookie Rookie, this pork stew is flavored with a mix of green peppers, like green chilis and jalapenos. All the spice in all the right places! Fry up some tortillas and lay them at the bottom of the bowl for extra crunch and texture.

This Instant Pot chicken stew with mushrooms is hearty, creamy and delicious. Using a pressure cooker, its a quick and easy dinner for the whole family. Serve with rice, potatoes, pasta or veggies. Keto-friendly!

Instant Pot Orange Chicken

Chinese orange chicken is a popular take-out menu item, but it is also easy to make at homeespecially with the Instant Pot. Orange juice and zest, garlic, soy sauce, sugars, ginger, and chili paste make for a sweet and tangy glaze with a hint of spice. This dish is not only delicious but also a bit healthier than take-out since the chicken isn’t deep-fried.

Also Check: How To Turn On An Instant Pot

Instant Pot Butter Chicken

The Spruce / Kristina Vanni

This Instant Pot butter chicken recipe takes a lot less time than the traditional way of making this popular Indian dish. Marinating the chicken isn’t necessary because the pressure cooking will render the chicken moist and delicious. It has the same creamy, buttery sauce scented with tomatoes, cumin, garlic, ginger, garam masala, and coriander as the original. Serve it with rice, naan bread, and yogurt.

Best Multitasking Electric Pressure Cooker

The Instant Pot Duo Crisp is a pressure cooker, slow cooker, air fryer, and sous vide machine all in one, making it one of the most useful and economical small appliances we tested.

• Capacity: 8 quarts
• Inner pot material: Stainless steel
• Settings: pressure cook, saute, slow cooker, steam, sous vide, air fry, roast, bake, broil, dehydrate, keep warm
• Number of included recipes: 100s in the free Instant Brands Connect app
• Extras: Air fryer lid, air fryer basket, heat-resistant pad for the lid, broil/dehydrate tray, steam rack

Pros: Features air frying and sous vide cooking options, comes with an app with 100s of recipes, easy to set up and use, cooks rice in under 20 minutes

Cons: Tended to build pressure and heat up slowly, didn’t sear well

We tested three units that could air fry or sous vide, but only the Instant Pot Duo Crisp Pressure Cooker could do both. The Duo Crisp comes with two lids: one for the usual multi-cooker activities and another with a built-in fan for air frying. And, an air fryer basket fits in the inner pot to allow for better airflow and flavorful browning. We air-fried frozen French fries and were impressed with how quickly they were ready and how crispy they tasted.

You May Like: Instant Pot Or Ninja Foodi

Course Instant Pot Barbecue

Best Instant Pot Cookbooks 2022

The best Instant Pot cookbooks are an ideal investment for anyone who loves their pressure cooker, but is stuck in a recipe rut. After you’ve searched high and low for the best slow cooker to suit your needs and invested in a few choice Instant Pot accessories, what’s a few more dollars on some helpful cookbooks? We found a dozen desirable cookbooks designed for the Instant Pot pressure cooker that will inspire you to try new dinner ideas followed by sweet desserts and a sample of alternative stews and soups. With options including vegetarian cuisine, Indian classics, and perfectly proportioned dishes for two, you’ll find the best pressure cooker recipe book for you on this list.

Daniel Shumski’s

We love this cookbook as it works as both an introduction to your Instant Pot pressure cooker. It takes you through what each of the functions does, and instructions you on how best to use them. That’s all before delivering over 100 tailor-made recipes that are organized based on the function you’ll use to cook them.

Simon Rush’s

This “Ultimate” collection of Instant Pot recipes is very comprehensive with over 800 quick and easy recipes for both beginners and more advanced users. Sorted into categories like beans and grains, pasta and rice, brunch, and side dishes, there’s something for all budgets and tastes.

Laurel Randolph’s

Jennifer Smith’s

Srividhya Gopalakrishnan’s

Alice Newman’s

The Editors at Delish’s

Urvashi Pitre’s

Coco Morante’s

Megan Gilmore’s

Nisha Vora’s

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How To Make Instant Pot Great Northern Beans

• Soak beans.
• Cook bacon/onion. Right in the Instant Pot on saute mode.
• Deglaze the pot. Add the water and scrape up in any browned bits.
• Add all ingredients. Stir well to combine.
• Pressure Cook. 30 minutes on high pressure.
• NPR. Let the pressure release naturally for 15 minutes, then release any remaining pressure.
• Saute to cook down.

Instant Pot Breakfast Casserole

All of the favorite savory breakfast foods are cooked together in this Instant Pot casserole. Bacon, hashbrowns, cheese, eggs, and vegetables are layered in a springform pan and cooked in the Instant Pot until set. The breakfast casserole is finished off with a sprinkle of shredded cheddar and fresh parsley.

Also Check: How To Cook Rice And Dal Together In Instant Pot

Instant Pot Hard Boiled Eggs

The Spruce / Diana Rattray

The Instant Pot helps make hard boiled eggs perfect every time. You can fit up to a dozen eggs in the pot and they’re done in about 15 minutes, including the time needed to build and release pressure. The eggs come out smooth, so they look great as deviled eggs and on salads.

Instant Pot Matzo Ball Soup

The Spruce / Diana Rattray

Thanks to the instant pot, this matzo ball soup tastes like the broth simmered all day when it only takes 35 minutes. This version uses chicken thighs, but a cut-up three-pound chicken is an excellent alternative. Just make sure to use bone-in chicken for the very best flavor.

Don’t Miss: How Long To Cook Chicken Tenders In Instant Pot

How Do Instant Pots Work

Cooking food in the Instant Pot is not instantaneous as the appliances name might suggest although it does speed up the process overall. Instant Pots need time to heat up so their temperature can rise above boiling point, which is 212 degrees Fahrenheit at sea level. As it heats up, food inside the Instant Pot releases steam, and the appliance traps the steam inside. The build-up of steam inside the Instant Pot creates a high-pressure environment when the appliance reaches an optimal pressure point, a pressure valve lifts into place and steam is released through a vent on the appliances lid. Thats when the foods cooking time begins.

Barbone said the most anxiety-inducing part of using an Instant Pot, especially for first-time users, is the steam. The Instant Pot makes a lot of noise as the pressure rises and a lot of steam shoots out of a small vent on the lid at a rapid pace. But rest assured this is supposed to happen, and if anything goes wrong, the Instant Pot will shut down.