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.
What Is The Largest Instant Pot Duo
Duo Nova will likely hold the highest capacity available on the Instant Pot, measuring 10 quart. These Instant Pot models are described below in detail. As the name implies, Instant Pot offers an array of sizes of their electric pressure cookers. The company sells pressure cookers in sizes from six to eight quarts.
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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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.
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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What Is The Best Quality Pressure Cooker
Best Pressure Cooker
- Pigeon Stovekraft Induction Base Aluminium Pressure Cooker.
- Prestige Nakshatra Plus Hard Anodised Inner Lid Aluminium Pressure Handi.
- Prestige Nakshatra Alpha Stainless Steel Pressure Cooker.
- Hawkins Futura Pressure Cooker with Induction Base.
- Butterfly Curve Stainless Steel Pressure Cooker.
Pros And Cons Of The Duo Nova 100
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Hailed as Americas number one multicooker, The Instant Pot Duo Nova 100 definitely lives up to its reputation, judging by its high ranking on Amazon product categories. It holds the #1 place in the Electric Pressure Cookers category and is also #4 in Kitchen and Dining.
Check the best prices today and make the switch to a stress-free, hassle-free, and fun cooking experience!
Check out our complete review on the Best Instant Pot Rice Cookers, which features other models like the Duo Plus, Max, and more.
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Instant Pot Duo Nova 100 Rice Cooker Review
When it comes to high-quality cooking appliances, Instant Pot is a brand that doesnt go unnoticed. They have a ton of models like the Instant Pot Viva, Duo Plus, Max, and Pot Lux Mini, that completely rewrite the rice cooking experience for their users, and is the most trusted household brand in the market.
Instant Pot rice cookers, like the Instant Pot Duo Nova, have a ton of innovative features to boot. The brands rice cookers are made with meal versatility, easy operations, and cutting-edge functionality in mind.
If youve encountered the great products that Instant has to offer, youve probably considered the Instant Pot Lux Mini. Its an ideal appliance for those who want a petite appliance in their kitchen, perfect for single-family households. But if you want a bigger one that allows for more servings, then you should look into the largest Instant pot, the Instant Pot Duo Nova 100 7-in-1 cooker.
Best Instant Pot Recipes
In this EPIC collection, we bring together 100 of the BEST Instant Pot recipes including top 10s, most popular chicken and beef recipes, one-pot dinners, soups, healthy meals, vegetarian and vegan options and desserts. Cooking with Instant Pot just got a whole lot more fun! Do you have a favorite recipe? Let us know in the comments!
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Nuwave Duet Pressure Cooker Air Fryer
Nuwave Duet is one of the best air fryer pressure cooker combo and a versatile appliance that combines features of the Nuwave Brio family with a pressure cooker to make a perfect kitchen appliance. The Nuwave Duet pressure cooker air fryer has a beautiful and appealing design. The body of the cooker is made of dense plastic. Unlike Most ninja pressure cooker air fryers, the Nuwave duet comes with two separate lids which is pretty convenient to use and store the device.
The digital control panel is a clearly lit display, touch buttons clearly labeled with the functions they perform. It uses a dial to select the desired program for cooking. The display shows the temperature, time, pressure and the program being selected for easy tracking. The inner cooking pot is made out of food-grade stainless steel so if you are skeptical about using aluminum or cooking pots, stainless steel pot must be satisfying. Overall, the design is flawless without any visible downside.
Overall Rating: 4.6/5
Furthermore, the Nuwave duet pressure cooker air fryer has reheat, delay timer, stage cooking, automatic keep warm and customized settings where you can store about 200+ recipes. Apart from cooking faster and healthier meals, it is different than other air fryer pressure cooker combos due to the fact that it has two separate removable lids.
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.
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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.
Whats The Difference Between An Instant Pot Duo And An Instant Pot Duo Plus
It is better than the Pot Duo. It is an improved version. Due to this, it carries some of the same functionalities as before, however, there are many others that make it more appealing for specific audiences. In addition to 12, the DUO Plus Instant Pot includes 15 pre-programmed recipes as well as 10 safety features.
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Now What To Do With A Whole Chicken Cooked With The Instant Pot
Curious as to how to make stock in the Instant Pot? This post will guide you through how I make homemade chicken stock in the Instant Pot!
Check out this post here on my three freezer friendly meals that you can make with a whole chicken! Perfect for a meal prep if youre freezing it or as a family dinner with the whole chicken!
Heres 3 other ways to use will all the meat if you Instant Pot a whole chicken!
Want to try another Instant Pot recipes? Check these recipes out
4.7/5SoupSoupsoupInstant Potcomplete answer
Push the Manual/Pressure Cook button, then the Pressure/Pressure Level button until the display says Low, then adjust the cooking time with the plus/minus buttons. Dont forget to change it back when youre done! IP-LUX: The older IP-LUX model does not do low pressure its high pressure or nothing.
Secondly, can you quick release soup? A pot full of stock or soup takes very long to release pressure naturally. If the recipe is designed for Quick Pressure Release, the food may overcook, as the cooking process continues during the natural release process.
Also to know, what is difference between steam and pressure cook on instant pot?
To answer your question in the shortest way possible Id say that there is a difference between presser cooking and steaming. Steaming is when you just cook your food with steam. You can steam your food in a pressure cooker and you can pressure steam your food in the same pot so long as its sealed up tight enough.
Natural Release
What Instant Pot Accessories Do I Need
Since each Instant Pot model is a little different, its important to read the manual and learn about the various features and settings of your Instant Pot. Generally, every model will include an outer body with a display panel and buttons, a lid, a pressure valve, a steam release valve, a plastic collector cup to catch any condensation released during slow-cooking, a stainless-steel or nonstick inner pot, a sealing ring that surrounds the lid and helps absorb odors, and a steam rack or basket to elevate food inside the inner pot.
Any Instant Pot accessories or gadgets you may choose to buy to bulk up your cookers functionality are just a bonus. Depending on what you plan to make with your Instant Pot, extras range from practical and essential to plain old fun. Some people buy extra sealing rings so they can use one for meat and one for baked goods. Some invest in egg trivets if they cook a lot of hard-boiled eggs. Some look into springform pans to make cheesecake and quiche.
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Is There A Disadvantage To The Instant Pot 8 Quart Size
If you are following a recipe book, it helps to know what size of Instant Pot the recipes are made with.
The 8-quart tends to over-cook thingsMeghan, author of Fresh & Healthy Instant Pot Recipes
Megans recipes are based on the 6 quart Instant Pot. Under cooking is likely to happen in the smaller 3 qt because it comes to pressure faster.
If cooking a stew, for example, in a 6 qt it might get 10 minutes of warm up cooking and then 15 minutes of pressure. When using the 3 qt, it might only get 4 or 5 minutes of warm up cooking.
On the other hand, the Instant Pot 8 quart tends to overcook things. Since it takes longer to build pressure, that same recipe might have 15 or more minutes of warm up cooking before getting to pressure, and then 15 minutes of pressure cooking will cause the food to be mush even though thats what the recipe called for.
Getting a large capacity 8 quart will require you to adjust cooking times from 6 qt recipes.
How Is An Instant Pot Different From A Pressure Cooker
A pressure cooker can either be an electric device you plug into the wall, or it can be a stovetop cooker that uses your cooktops heat. A pressure cooker builds up steam pressure inside of an airtight pot to quickly cook food. An Instant Pot is a multifunctional pressure cooker, meaning it has additional cooking functions outside of pressure cooking. Instant Pots also are slow cookers, sauté pots, warmers, steamers, and more.
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What Is Mealthy Crisplid
Already have a pressure cooker and wish to buy an air fryer but struggling with your budget? Worry not as Mealthy has brought to you this incredible innovation called Mealthy CrispLid. It is designed to fit most of the 6 and 8 Qt pressure cookers in the market and magically transforming them into an entirely new appliance, a pressure cooker air fryer. Lets see what Mealthy CrispLid has to offer.
What Are The Best Instant Pot Accessories
The best Instant Pot accessories are items that will make your pot perform better and help your recipes come out tastier. But you also want additions that make cooking easier. Overall, when it comes to top-rated accessories, a good steamer basket is extremely important. While the Instant Pot comes with a trivet or steaming rack, its a good idea to get a larger and better one. For many recipes, like steamed veggies, most chicken recipes, eggs, and potatoes, you dont want your ingredients touching the water at the bottom. A larger steam basket allows you to expand your instant cooking repertoire without sacrificing the flavor of the food or making more work for yourself.
A glass lid is another smart accessory for your pot. Standard lids obscure your view of the food thats cooking. With a glass lid, when you slow cook or sauté, you can see inside of the pot without uncovering your food and disrupting the cooking process.
Baking accessories are another must for your Instant Pot, especially if you enjoy sweets. For example, a good springform pan or cupcake liners that fit into your pot make cooking and cleanup simpler. With the right baking accessories, you can easily follow recipes for cheesecake, brownies, lava cakes, and more.
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How Fast Does An Instant Pot Come To Pressure
The things that you can cook in the Instant Pot is endless. To that end, I have several links at the end of this post featuring delicious recipes that would be just the tip of the iceberg.
So I wanted to cook something that was common and that I had success with already with my 6 qt. pot. I decided to make the brown rice recipe that is included in the recipe book that comes with each Instant Pot. I put the 2 cups of brown rice in each pot. Added in 2 1/2 cups of water and closed the lids. Made sure the steam valve was closed and set the pots on Manual/Pressure Cook for 22 minutes.
As soon as they started I set that timer and watched the pots. I was ready to jot down the time that it took for each one to come to pressure and then begin to do actual 22 minutes of cooking at pressure.
Which one would get to pressure first. I thought that the 3 qt. would be the first, but I was wrong. The first to come to pressure was the 6 qt.
The 6 qt. took 8:47 minutes to come to pressure.
The 8 qt. took 9:46 minutes to come to pressure.
The 3 qt. took 11:15 minutes to come to pressure.
I was really surprised.
I really thought the 3 qt. would come to pressure quicker and make the total cooking time less, but the wattage is not as strong on the 3 qt. and it did make a difference in cooking time.
