An Instant Pot is a countertop appliance that plugs into a wall outlet. Instant Pots are pressure cookers, but they can also slow cook, steam, sauté, warm, and more . They have presets for certain food items like poultry, rice, and stew, so you can simply press a button to cook your meal.
Remove all packaging material and accessories from within and around the appliance. The first Instant Pot with a touch screen has a pressure canning addition that you won’t find everywhere. The best-selling Duo Plus keeps the classic Instant Pot interface but adds more cooking variety and detail to those buttons. If you’re replacing an old model, go all in on the XL version of most expensive Instant Pot, which is just the Pro with an air-frying lid. A best seller, the Duo offers the best combo of features while keeping the price and learning curve down. All products featured here are independently selected by our editors and writers.
Personally I like Duo Nova better, but Duo’s fine if you want to save some cash and still get nearly all the same features. Unlike the classic Duo, the moosoo air fryer is designed with a lid that automatically seals the release valve when closed. This way, you don’t have to wonder if the Duo Nova is building pressure or not.
To avoid personal injury, • Always use oven mitts when removing accessories, and to handle the inner pot. • Always place hot accessories on a heat resistant surface or cooking plate. Failure to follow these instructions may result in injury or property damage 39. Instant Pot is the most recognizable brand name in the pressure cooker space for a reason, and the DUO Nova delivers on that pedigree by offering exceptional performance at a reasonable price. There are very few situations where the DUO Nova wouldn’t be our top pressure cooker recommendation.
However, it doesn’t take too long to wash the pot and sealing ring, while the pot exterior can be easily cleaned with a damp cloth. On the other hand, cooking basmati rice was average and not as impressive. The texture of the rice was soft but not as fluffy as a dedicated rice cooker would offer. In addition, some parts of the rice were not cooked consistently, so there would be rice stuck inside the inner pot – which could have been avoided if the pot had been non-stick.
Page 26Pressure Control Features Condensation Collector The Condensation Collector holds the condensate that collects naturally in the Condensation Rim while cooking. To install the Condensation Collector, align and slide the grooves on either side of the top of the reservoir over the tabs in the reservoir holder at the back of the cooker. Do not operate the pressure cooker without the Condensation Collector installed. Page 25Pressure Control Features Anti-Block Shield The Steam Release Valve includes an Anti-Block Shield located on the underside of the lid.
Instant Pot Duo Nova is a 7-in-1, One-Touch, multi-tasking, space-saving, time-saving appliance that pressure cooks quickly. It also makes delicious meats, eggs, rice, soup, yogurt and more — all in one healthy, dishwasher-safe, stainless steel pot. With 14 Smart Programs — ranging from meats, soup, stew, beans, chili, poultry, rice & yogurt to multigrain & slow cook — it puts cooking on autopilot. Easy-to-use controls and new easy-to-read icons indicate cooking progress, and make selecting and adjusting Smart Programs simple.
It comes with a steaming rack with handles on the 6-quart and higher sizes. If you’re trying to decide between the Instant Pot Duo vs Duo Nova here is a side by side comparison of the key differences between the two electric pressure cooker models. Instant Pot Max also has a large touch screen panel so you can set the time, temperature, pressure level, delayed start, program automatic steam release, and more. However, the Duo Nova has an upgraded lid and a better-looking control panel, which is why many beginners would rather choose it for their first pressure cooking experience. On the other hand, a seasoned cook may feel more at home with the classic Duo since it’s already been cleared by thousands of users from all over the world. Despite advertising seven capabilities, all in all, it comes with 13 convenient smart programs that can replace multiple kitchen appliances.
The Instant Pot Duo Nova main functions are pressure cook, steam, slow cook, saute and keep warm, rice cooker and yogurt maker, and also has 14 one touch preset programs. The steam function uses pressure cooking to steam and again, we struggled to find a good recommendation for timings and plumped for four minutes with one cup of water in the bottom of the pot. The steam rack provided isn’t great for this purpose and some of the broccoli pieces fell through the gaps. Preheating took five minutes and after the four minute cook time we used the quick release pressure button so that we could get the broccoli out immediately.
The ability to control the settings is great for an advanced user, but can be confusing for a beginner. If you want a slightly bigger display screen and creative control over your Instant Pot programs, this is the way to go. Though the Max claims to be the fastest, in a side-by-side comparison, we found that the Ultra was faster at both reaching pressure and cooking chickpeas. Given Instant Pot’s popularity, Instant Brands’ expansion into other products was inevitable. Instant Pots are beloved because of their ability to cook foods quickly using pressure.