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

My 8-quart Instant Pot arrived yesterday mid-day. This is my 4th or 5th electric pressure cooker, and it is replacing a Cooks Essentials 6-quart electric PC whose interior pot’s non-stick lining had chipped. I also have some smaller Kuhn Rikon stovetop PCs, which permit really quick cooking for the recipes that fit into them.

I “must” have a large electric pressure cooker for 5 things:

1) I love to cook a whole chicken and make my chicken soup completely from scratch. In the U.S. our grocery stores have big chickens.

2) I am hooked on my own Corned Beef and Cabbage, because I cook the corned beef the night before, and remove the fat after a day of refrigeration. It tastes “cleaner” but still has lots of flavor.

3) Recipes for beef stews might limit the volume of potatoes, carrots, and onions to fit in the pot. An 8-quart pot allows me to use a larger cut of beef, and add more potatoes without jeopardizing the PC’s ability to come up to pressure.

4) PC recipes that take longer than an hour test my patience for hanging around. I like to “set it and forget it” for a while.

5) Ribs. Ribs take up a lot of space, and most people don’t limit themselves to a proper “single” portion. Set dry-rubbed ribs on a trivet in the PC and let the water’s steam produce moist ribs. No BBQ sauce is needed!

I still use my smaller stovetop PCs for:

1) 3-qt is perfect size for rice. I prefer PC rice to rice cooker rice – less scorching. I freeze extra cooked rice.

2) 2-qt is perfect for simple dinner for 2 – and fast – it takes little time to come up to pressure or for natural release.

3) 5-qt braiser holds a full-size round cooling rack, allowing me to steam 4-5 chicken breasts or quickly steam asparagus.

4) I use the 5-qt braiser when I need a truly “quick release” to add foods in stages. With a stovetop PC, you take the PC to the sink and run cold water on the lid to reduce the pressure quickly. You can’t do that with an electric cooker.

So, how about the 8-quart Instant Pot?

1) The inner pot is high quality. Soaking solves a lot of cleaning problems in stainless steel.

2) The silicone gasket fits very snugly. In fact, after I did my preliminary sudsy wash, it seemed like torture to get the gasket to fit correctly. I thought I had fit it correctly… until I tried to do the Water Test and I was unable to lock the lid in position. Thank goodness some kind souls on the Instant Pot Community page on Facebook helped me identify the problem. (When you get your 8-qt pot, observe carefully how the gasket fits before disassembling for washing.) Today,when I reassembled my IP, I patiently positioned the ring in one spot and patiently coaxed it into place, so apparently this old dog could still learn a new trick. (It is important that the gasket and the lid both be completely dry!)

3) The 8-qt. machine is BIG, and TALL. My kitchen counters are the high standard height, and it seemed awkward to me to try to saute in the Instant Pot. (One person suggested strongly that I use a step ladder – obviously no senior should try sauteing from a ladder.) With my beef stew recipe, I had planned to saute mushrooms and onions on the stove anyway (both emit a LOT of liquid, plus there is more “umami” when prepared this way) and add them to the stew at the end. So I sauteed the beef in the same 6 3/4 qt Le Creuset pot I was going to use for the mushrooms (I don’t flip as much food out of that pot as when I use a normal saute pan). My method worked fine for me. If you dread cleaning an extra pot/pan, then you might choose to do everything in the Instant Pot – your choice. Today I reflected that I might use a table at the lower standard counter height, which would make it easier for me to saute in the Instant Pot itself, as long as the cord reached. (I loved the oval pot of the Cooks Essential PC – it was so easy to saute in it!)

4) The IP came up to pressure and down from pressure faster than the Cooks Essential PC. For a “quick” release, you don’t have to wait as long before letting some steam out. And once the steam lever was released, the pressure came down very fast – that was a huge improvement over the Cook’s Essential.

5) You can choose different settings for “Saute”: great when you want a simmer and not a rapid boil!

6) There was plenty of extra room in the pot for the additional potatoes and carrots DH wants in the next batch.

7) Our beef stew was delightful, just as mouth-watering as doing the whole nine yards of Julia Child’s Boeuf Bourguignon.

I am looking forward to trying many more recipes in this versatile cooker.

p.s. The packaging impressed me a lot! There was a reinforced plastic strap around the Instant Pot shipping box that made it easy to remove from the slightly larger Amazon shipping box. Inside the Instant Pot shipping box was the product box with all the graphics as you might see on a store shelf. The product box also had a plastic strap to coax the product box out of the Instant Pot shipping box. The product box had styrofoam reinforcement of the product at top and bottom. So the product was well protected during its shipping!

I already had one, but decided to get one for my parents to take to Florida where they have a vacation condo and spend 2-3 months a year there in their retirement.

Super easy, super versatile, and makes AMAZING dishes in HALF the time.

Everybody should own one of these just like an air fryer, IMO!!

Awesome Product had the biggest one they make but with only a family of four this one is just Right not to big not to small love to use it start it in the morning and when everybody gets home dinner is on the table the hardest part of all of it is setting the table very durable dish wash safe cooking pot I was so impressed by this item I bought 3 more for Christmas Gifts I would definitely recommend this item to my family and friends but count the family out they are each getting one for Christmas very easy to use you can do everything with this thing it awesome Take my word you will not be disappointed

The Instant Pot Duo 7-in-1 Electric Pressure Cooker has revolutionized my cooking experience! This appliance is a true kitchen powerhouse, offering seven different functions in one compact device. Whether I’m pressure cooking, slow cooking, steaming, sautéing, or using it as a rice cooker, the Instant Pot Duo delivers outstanding results every time. I love the convenience it brings to my busy lifestyle—I can prepare delicious and nutritious meals with minimal effort and in a fraction of the time compared to traditional cooking methods. The safety features provide peace of mind, and the stainless steel cooking pot ensures easy cleanup. Overall, the Instant Pot Duo has exceeded my expectations, and I highly recommend it to anyone looking to streamline their cooking process and explore a world of culinary possibilities.

This Instant Pot is an absolute game-changer! The 7-in-1 Mini version is perfect for small kitchens or cooking for one to two people, yet it performs just as powerfully as the larger models. I’ve used it for soups, rice, yogurt, and even sautéing — and every dish comes out perfectly cooked and full of flavor.
It’s easy to use, easy to clean, and saves so much time without sacrificing taste. I love how it replaces multiple appliances and keeps my counter uncluttered. Whether you’re meal-prepping, cooking on a schedule, or just want reliable, fast, delicious results — this little Instant Pot delivers every single time. Excellent product indeed!