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.
Are Electric Multicookers Safe
For the most part, today’s electric pressure cookers are safe. However, you still need to be careful.
Many people are afraid to use electric pressure cookers because they have heard stories of them exploding on the stove. That was a problem with the old stovetop models, but several safety mechanisms minimize the chance of this happening with modern electric cookers.
“I was never concerned about a multicooker exploding on the countertops,” said chef and chocolatier Anne Wolf.
Jeffrey Eisner, the author of “The Step-by-Step Instant Pot Cookbook,” agreed. “If you’re going to compare pressure cookers from back in the day when they were on stovetops to today’s that are electric and lock in place, a big difference is today’s lids will stay securely on top,” said Eisner. “I feel comfortable using them, and I’ve never been afraid. I’ve never had any issues personally.”
However, today’s electric pressure cookers are not without their risks. “I did find that it’s easy to burn yourself on the steam when you’re doing a quick release,” said Wolf. “So, there’s some burn risk.”
The best way to minimize the burn risk when releasing the pressure is to use a wooden spoon or another long utensil to engage the steam release valve. The steam always comes from the top, so make sure you are not standing over the cooker when releasing the steam.
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 panicjust simmer the sauce with the lid off to thicken.
Trial and error is how anyone becomes a betterand more confidentcook. Melissa 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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Instant Pot Lux Dimensions
With each Instant Pot Lux, it grows by about an inch in each direction with the larger quart sized models. And for weight, it goes up by a few pounds with each quart. From the 3 quart model to the 8 quart, its about a 80% increase in weight!
| Length | |
| 13.5 | 15.4 lbs |
*The Lux 5 Quart is a discontinued size. You may still be able to find them on Amazon and parts are available on the Instant Pot website.
Where To Start When Choosing An Instant Pot Size
Depending upon the brand and model, a wide variety of pressure cooker sizes are available.
You can find anything from a relatively petite 3 quart model to the largest instant pot size at a whopping 14 quarts. How on earth is a person supposed to choose?
Here are 3 key considerations to help you choose the best pot capacity for your household:
1. Food Quantities and How You Cook
The first thing to take a look at is how many people you usually cook for. For these purposes, a small group is usually considered to be 1-3 people, and a large one 4 or more.
The second thing is to analyze your cooking style.
Do you like to cook every day? Do you want to have leftovers, or just enough for one meal? Have you embraced instant pot freezer meal cooking and want your freezer fully stocked?
If you like to cook small amounts more frequently, and are cooking for a small group, a smaller model is the way to go.
Unless youre cooking for just one or two and dont like leftovers, the 3-Quart size will probably still be too small for this, but a 6-Quart model could suit your needs perfectly.
Cooking for groups or batch cooking?
If youre cooking often for a bigger group, or want to cook freezer meals to stash away, youll want to go with a larger model.
Consider an 8-Quart to be the starting point for this, and if youre cooking for more than 6 people, youll certainly want to think about even larger sizes.
2. Your Pot Needs Room
3. WHAT You Cook Factors in Choosing Your Instant Pot Size
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Instant Pot Ultra 10 In 1
The Ultra is the latest and greatest model from the Instant Pot Family, featuring 10 appliances in 1!
It comes in 3 sizes s you can choose from 3, 6 and 8 quarts as well.
Just like the 9 in 1 model it can be used as a Pressure Cooker, Saute, Slow Cooker, Rice Cooker, Steamer, Warmer, Yogurt Maker, and it also includes the Egg/Cake modes and the Sterilize function.
But thats not all! this series includes the revolutionary ULTRA function that improves all the functions giving you the ability to pre-program the cooker with different cooking times and different temperatures, and also you can choose between two types of pressure.
In case you want to know more about it you can check
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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 Dimensions
Similar to the Lux, for each Instant Pot Duo, the dimensions grow by about an inch as the quarts increase. The same is true for the weight increasing with the quart increases. Lets take a closer look at the Instant Pot Duo dimensions for each quart size. The 3 quart, 6 quart, and 8 quart are available models. The 5 quart was an earlier version of the model.
| Length | |
| 14 | 15.8 lbs |
*The Lux 5 Quart is a discontinued size. You may still be able to find them on Amazon and parts are available on the Instant Pot website.
Are Pressure Cookers Safe
Yes, electric pressure cookers like the Instant Pot are generally safe and easy to use. The Instant Pot has so many safety mechanisms built in, its hard to make a catastrophic mistake. The lid has two safety catches: a valve that releases excess pressure automatically, and a lock preventing you from opening the pot while its under pressure. If for some reason the steam-release valve isnt doing its job, the appliance has another sensor that shuts off the heating element if excess pressure builds inside the pot.
But as with any kind of cooking, there is a risk of injury if you are careless. If you follow the safety instructions, you should be good. Weve found only one confirmed report of an injury caused by an Instant Pot, and it was the result of user error: The person suffered minor burns after she covered the steam valve with a dish towel while the pot was under pressure. When she touched the towel a few minutes later, hot soup sprayed onto her arm and neck. The Instant Pot manual, however, explicitly states that all venting valves should be clean and free of debris.
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Why Arent The Other Instant Pot Models Wirecutter Picks
The Duo Plus is an upgraded version of the Duo series . But the differences are so minor that we dont think the price hike is warranted . The only real changes in the Duo Plus are a sous vide setting and the display . But compared with the Duos design, the Duo Pluss screen is smaller, and the control panel isnt nearly as streamlined. Also, the Duo Plus lacks features that make the Pro special, namely the improved inner pot, the additional temperature-control options, and a quieter steam-release valve.
The Instant Pot Max offers a higher pressure setting than other Instant Pot models have, as well as stirring and sous vide features. In theory, such features should increase the overall functionality of the cooker and speed up cooking times. Unfortunately, during testing, we found that the Max took longer to come up to pressure, the sous vide feature never reached its target temperature, and the stirring function left much to be desired. Ostensibly, the Maxs higher pressure setting makes it a better option for those whod like to use their Instant Pot for canning. But we havent tested it for that use specifically, so we cant address those claims.
Do Instant Pot Recipes Work In Any Multicooker
In our testing, the recipes from Eisner’s “The Step-by-Step Instant Pot Cookbook” turned out just as good in the off-brand pressure cookers as they did in Instant Pots, which Eisner used to develop the recipes. Instant Pot recipes appear to translate well across brands.
Though Eisner has never used another brand, he says his recipes work in non-Instant Pot multicookers. “I’ve had people write to me who have other brands,” said Eisner. “And, they say the recipes in my book work just fine for them.”
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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.
Update: Amazon Price Specials On Instant Pots
- Three years ago during Amazon Prime Day, I purchased a 6 qt. Instant Pot that was on sale. And I quickly realized what a great addition it was to my kitchen. The first thing I made was a continuous beef bone broth. I cooked the bones and water under pressure and then switched to slow cooking and kept it going for several days. We were having cups of delicious and healthy bone broth every day and I simply added additional water each day to replace what we had taken from it.
The next year when Amazon Prime Day came I wanted to get my daughter her own Instant Pot as she was getting married that fall. The one that was on special was the 8 qt. size. When it arrived we realized how much bigger it really was than the one I already had.
Then just a few days later my sister told me about the newest Instant Pot that was a 3 qt. size. I immediately began thinking of ways that this size would be helpful. When it arrived we were instantly struck by how small and cute it was!
Now one thing about Instant Pots is that even though they are called Instant they really arent instant. They still need to come up to pressure to cook and that can take several minutes or more. But would the smaller Instant Pot come to pressure quicker and make my meals a little faster? Which one would work best for everyday use?
So I decided to test and compare them and see which one I liked best. I compared their sizes inside and out and how fast they came to pressure.
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Instant Pot Duo Nova 8 Quart Vs 10 Quart
If youre wondering how much additional space youll get with the larger model, here are a few things to consider.
The 10 quart model has a higher power source than the 8 quart, coming in at 1440W. And its the second most powerful Instant Pot, with the Instant Pot Duo Crisp + Air fryer coming in at 1500W.
The 8 quart model is a little lighter and smaller than the 10 quart model. The larger model weighs just over 5 lbs more. And while the 10 quart is less than an inch taller, it adds another almost 2 inches to the width.
| 8 Quart Duo Nova |
|---|
| 14.8L × 15.5W × 14.7H |
Your Biggest Instant Pot Questions Answered
Get answers to your biggest Instant Pot questions and see what other pressure cookers newbies are asking! This list of FAQs for Instant Pot beginners will help you get started with your appliance.
Since publishing and starting to sell my collection of Instant Pot boot camps this year, I’ll often get questions about how to use an Instant Pot. I don’t think it’s any secret that I am obsessed with mine but yes, there is a learning curve and it can sometimes be difficult to get up and going with your IP because of that. But I’m here to tell you the Instant Pot is absolutely nothing to be scared of and will quickly turn into your best friend in the kitchen!
A few months ago, I asked my and friends in the Instant Pot community what their biggest questions about the Instant Pot were. I’ve been compiling these questions ever since so I could have one big reference collection of FAQ’s for Instant Pot newbies! While I am no Instant Pot expert by any stretch of the imagination, I do have a year of pretty heavy Instant Pot cooking under my belt and have learned a few things over time.
Affiliate links used in this post. Read more about my link usage here.
Without further ado, these were the biggest questions I got on Facebook:
What the heck does _________________ mean? The question I see the most is about the lingo used for Instant Pot cooking. I’ll admit it is a little different. I’ve defined a few of the commonly-used terms below!
Here’s how to do it:
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Which Features Are Included On All Models
While some of the models have different and unique features depending on their model type, all pots share these features and functions:
- high pressure cooking
- rice cooker
- stainless steel inner cooking pot
Well talk about the difference between models shortly but these common features are important. These are the features you are going to use frequently, and in some cases you will use these daily.
All of the models: LUX, DUO, ULTRA, and SMART, include these features. Personally, I use the sauté feature and the pressure cooking most often. These features allow the Instant Pot to replace your rice cooker, slow cooker, pressure cooker, steamer, and even the stovetop and frying pans.
With a little practice you can even use your new pressure cooker to bake. Keep in mind that this is technically steamingbut you can make baked goods this way. Here are some of my favorite healthy dessert recipes:
All models include a manual program so you can adjust features and create cooking times and pressures that work for you and your unique recipes.
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Versatility And Special Features
What sets different models of Instant Pots apart from each other is the different features that they offer. While some Instant Pots just offer basic pressure cooker and saute functionality, others have modes for making specific foods or various cooking options, such as steaming. Other features include delayed cooking, keep warm settings, temperature controls, Alexa compatibility, remote cooking capabilities, high-altitude adjustments, sterilize features, air frying, and sous vide.
Clearly, there is no shortage of special features that this appliance can offer, so definitely prioritize which features are important to you and look for a model that offers them. Theres no need to buy an appliance that offers a laundry list of features if youre only looking to do basic pressure and slow cooking.
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