There are very few situations where the DUO Nova wouldn’t be our top pressure cooker recommendation. The first is for those that mainly want to cook meat, as we’ve found some other cookers that can retain just a bit more tenderness in specific cuts than this machine. However, those cookers also tend to cost a lot more. It sets the standard for pressure cookers, offering a versatile list of cooking functions, well-designed controls, and convenient touches like a pressure release button. In the world of pressure cookers, the DUO Nova sells for a relatively reasonable price but leads the pack in terms of performance.
There’s no recipe book or cooking charts included though, so you’ll have to head to the website or app for these. We found plenty of slow cook and pressure cook recipes but it can be tricky to find exact guidance for more simple tasks like steaming and cooking rice. First off, the rubber gasket on the lid is easily removable, and the lid itself is a single piece. This makes cleaning and drying easier than some other models that use two-piece lids designs that introduce nooks and crannies where water and gunk can hide. This makes it a bit harder to scrub clean than many of its non-stick counterparts but also means it can unequivocally go in a dishwasher.
If you already have a Duo and thinking about purchasing a Duo Nova, or purchasing an Instant Pot for the first time, check out this comparison to help you understand the differences. Costco used to offer an exclusive Instant Pot Nova. (Not to be confused with the Duo Nova released in 2019.) It has since been replaced with the Duo Gourmet, discussed above. Past retailers have offered a vibrantly colored exterior. The Viva has also offered the stainless steel body in several colors. These colorful editions appear to be getting phased out, so stock will be limited.
ProgressThere is no indicator of cooking progress.Status indicator icons tell you what stage of the cooking process the Nova is at. SizeThe Duo comes is 3 qt, 6 qt and 8 qt.The Instant Pot 10 qt is only available in the Nova model. Aside from each Instant Pot series having different smart programs, not all of the sizes within a model will have all of the smart programs included. For example, the mini 3 quart models usually have a few fewer programs than its larger 6- and 8-quart siblings have. For most folks, even families, a 6 quart will make a dish that will feed even a pretty large family.
However, the DUO Nova navigates these challenges better than most, making its cleaning process about as easy as one could hope. Additionally, we found many meat-based pressure cooker recipes suggest significantly longer cooking times than Instant Pot suggests for the same cut of meat. In those situations, we generally found Instant Pot’s recommendations to be more on point, with the longer cook times bringing about slightly drier and tougher results. Each function is easily accessible via the front panel, fitted with one-touch buttons that let users select the desired smart program and make adjustments for pressure and cooking time. But before we start, I just want to make sure everyone knows I absolutely adore all Instant Pot models.
Hi Emily – I have a separate air fryer, so I don’t use the air fryer lid very often. The Duo Crisp does not have the Yogurt function nor some of the other shortcut buttons like rice, brown rice, etc. The Instant Pot Duo Gourmet offers instant pot duo nova some of the newer, in-demand cooking features buttons at an affordable price point. It has a similar button layout to the Duo Plus, the auto-seal lid I love, and comes with accessories like the mini mitts, the ladle, and rice paddle.