Best Instant Pot Duo 7-in-1 Electric Pressure Cooker

 

Best Instant Pot Duo 7-in-1 Electric Pressure Cooker, Slow Cooker, Rice Cooker, Steamer, Sauté, Yogurt Maker, Warmer & Sterilizer, Includes App With Over 800 Recipes, Stainless Steel, 6 Quart

4.7 out of 5 stars

$99.95$99.95

I'm reviewing the instant pot 7-in-1 programmable pressure cooker. If you didn't grow up with a pressure cooker in your house you might be scared to use one the old stovetop pressure cookers were very loud and not very accurate. 

You always have to figure out when your food is cooked the instant pot is an electric pressure cooker it's supposed to be quieter and very accurate the advantage of using a pressure cooker is that it cooks food twice. As fast or faster than using a regular pot on the stovetop steam fills up inside the pressure cooker and cooks food faster this saves you time and energy whatever you cook in a pressure cooker. 

Turns out very flavorful because the spices have nowhere to go except into the beans or meat or whatever you're cooking inside the pot all the cooking is done in one pot. So it's convenient and the instant pot uses 10 safety mechanisms.  it's very safe to use the outside of the unit is brushed stainless steel and should resist fingerprints the unit measures twelve point six inches tall by 4.2 inches wide and weighs fourteen and a half pounds the control panel is well laid out clear and easy to use.

 It has seven functions pressure cooker slow cooker which is 30 minutes to 20 hours rice cooker which is fully automatic saute or browning this feature. With the lid open you can saute before pressure cooking or after yogurt maker steamer and warmer this is the condensation collector it comes to the separate piece you just slide it in and it can be pulled out to wash the cord can be wrapped around this hook the unit comes with a three-ply bottom stainless steel cooking pot there are measurements clearly marked inside the pot and a max fill line the cooking pot can hold six quarts there's also a stainless steel steam rack with a handle which makes it easier to put in and pull out of the unit.

A plastic measuring cup two plastic spoons a user manual with extremely detailed instructions a quick reference guide and some recipes there's a 24-hour time one for delayed cooking an automatic keep-warm function that holds food warm for up to 10 hours until you're ready to eat the unit operates at low pressure and there are many safety features.

Let me show you all the parts on the lid the handle is very comfortable the float valve creates a seal for pressure cooking when the desired temperature and pressure build up inside the pot the valve pops up and seals the pot it locks. The lid when the valve comes down completely it means that all the pressure inside the unit is released and it's safe to open the lid this is the steam release valve there are two positions for the valve venting and sealing for most cooking applications. 

You will be setting the valve to seal the sealing ring is made out of silicone rubber and should last two to three years it expands during cooking and seals the pot to build pressure it should sit tight inside the rack to remove the ring gently pull up never force.

 It or pry it hard because you don't want it to crack or tear you can wash it dry it and put it back to put it back gently push it so that the metal part is in the middle of the ring and pushed all the way around the lid this is the anti-block shield once in a while you should remove it and clean it to close the lid drop it in place by matching the arrows up turn it to lock you'll see the hours are matched up to lock to unlock turn.

 It and simply lift up the lid sits on the handle so it doesn't take up any precious counter space this is a really smart feature. It’s convenient for right-handed users or left-handed users to use the instant pot you put food inside the pot lock the lid choose the steam handle position. Choose your cooking method if you want to work with the pre-programmed settings let's say you're making a lamb stew press meat stew. The display will show an average cooking time and you can change this.

 If you want to depend on what you're cooking by pressing the plus and minus buttons, you can also adjust the pressure to low pressure or high pressure if you don't want to adjust anything choose the manual setting press manual and set the desired time and that's it the maximum time you can set is two hours once you've made your adjustments the unit will start to preheat. Which can last anywhere from ten to thirty minutes the time is determined by what you put in the pot frozen food means longer preheat time once the preheat cycle is completed the pressure cooker will start to cook your food let's test the unit first I'll make rice.

I'm using two cups of rice that are rinsed and I did use the measuring cup that was included with the unit and three cups of water using the same measuring cup when cooking dry Ingredients like rice and beans that expand during cooking don't fill the pot more than a half-full. Otherwise don't fill the pot more than two-thirds full unlock the lid the steam valve is in the sealing position I'll plug in the machine it'll beep once your first plug in the machine. I'll use the rice setting which is fully automatic the 12 is not the actual cooking time the unit is going to preheat. First on means that the unit is preheating after the unit is finished preheating. It'll start cooking the rice and you'll see the actual cooking time, which is going to be displayed there is steam coming out of the pop-up bowels which is normal now the float valve is closed the unit is preheated for about nine minutes.

 Now the display shows 10 which is the actual cooking time the rice is cooking and the unit is absolutely quiet I have not heard one noise except for the little bit of seed that it released earlier before the float valve popped up the cycle is finished. It beeped and now the display says and zeroes the unit has switched to staying warm mode and it will start counting at the time. At this point we can't just open the lid like a regular cooking pot you have to release the pressure that is built up one way to release the pressure is just to leave the Machine alone and it will automatically release it in ten to fifteen minutes.

 The float valve will drop down when all the pressure is released even if the unit isn't kept warm mode it will release pressure automatically the second way the quick release. Where you turn the steam release handle to venting steam will come out and the float valve will drop down it's best not to use it as a quick release for sticky food soup or the poured setting because food could squirt out with the steam with the rice.

 I'm going to release pressure naturally and wait for the float valve to drop down after 10 minutes the float valve drop-down that means.  We can open the lid safely and hold the handle very convenient to put the lid in the handle. I don't have to look for a place to put this hot lid the rice is actually very nicely cooked nothing is stuffed to the bottom and all the water has been absorbed. Let me just check it's actually perfectly cooked it's just like using a rice cooker that's very impressive I press the cancel button to turn the pressure cooker.

 I also like that is very quiet cleanup is quick because there's only one pot to wash the pot the steamed wrap and all the accessories are dishwasher safe. Do not put the lid in the dishwasher the sealing ring will absorb food odors.  it is best to wash it after each uses of the instant pot to cook the rice perfectly. It took a little bit of trial and error to cook the chicken but once I added more liquid the chicken was cooked really well the instant pot has a lot of great features and can cook a large amount of food. It's also great for people who are otherwise afraid of pressure cookers and because it has so many safety features you really don't have to be afraid of using it.