Instant Pot Duo 6 Qt 7-in-1 Electric Pressure Cooker

Editor's Choice

Instant Pot Duo 6 Qt 7-in-1 Electric Pressure Cooker

Instant Pot · Duo 6 Qt

4.6/5

Still the multicooker to buy first. Pressure cooking and sauté are the functions that earn the counter space; the slow cooker mode is the weak one.

Best for

A family of four who cook beans, stews and stock

Key highlight

Dried beans in about forty minutes with no soaking

• Pressure cooking4.9
• Versatility4.5
• Ease of use4.4
• Cleaning4.5
• Value4.8

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The Duo is the model that made Instant Pot a household word, and it is still the one we recommend to someone buying their first multicooker. Newer models add screens and air-frying lids; the Duo adds nothing and does the core job for less money.

What it replaces

Pressure cooker, slow cooker, rice cooker, steamer, sauté pan, yoghurt maker and warmer. That list is marketing, but four of those are genuinely useful. Pressure cooking is the reason to own it: dried beans in forty minutes without soaking, a tough cut of beef falling apart in under an hour, stock in two hours instead of six. Sauté matters too, because browning in the same pot means one thing to wash.

The slow cooker function is the weakest. It works, but it heats from the base rather than the sides and runs cooler than a dedicated slow cooker, so recipes need adjusting.

Living with it

Six quarts suits a family of four with leftovers. Fourteen one-touch programmes cover the common cases, and most people end up ignoring them and using manual pressure with a time. The lid seals with a twist, the float valve tells you when it is pressurised, and there are more than ten safety mechanisms including a lid lock that will not open under pressure.

The thing nobody mentions in the marketing: pressure cooking includes time to come up to pressure and time to release. A "ten minute" recipe is realistically twenty-five. It is still faster than the oven, but plan accordingly.

Cleaning and upkeep

The stainless inner pot and the lid are dishwasher safe. The silicone sealing ring absorbs smells — curry lives in it forever — so buy a second ring and keep one for savoury and one for sweet. The condensation collector clips off and needs emptying more often than you would think.

Should you buy it?

Buy the Duo if you want pressure cooking without paying for a touchscreen, and if beans, stews, stock and rice are a regular part of how you cook. Skip it if you already own a good slow cooker and a rice cooker, or if you want the air-frying lid, which is a different model.