Instant Pot IP-DUO Review
One of the fun parts of being a food blogger, is you’re sent wonderful new appliances to review. I was recently sent the new Instant Pot IP-DUO60 7-in-1 Programmable Pressure Cooker to review. It’s the 3rd generation of the Instant Pot and it’s a fantastic pressure cooker. It’s set it and forget it easy, super quiet, has very little evaporation, a wonderful stainless steel pot, and so much more!
Update: I’ve added an updated How to use the Instant Pot Duo video to this post.
About a year ago, I reviewed the 2nd generation Instant Pot Electric Pressure Cooker the IP-LUX60. It’s a great pressure cooker, but I did like some features on the Cuisinart that the 2nd generation Instant Pot didn’t have. It didn’t have a low pressure setting; it didn’t have a browning or simmer setting, and it didn’t have a float valve that was easy to see when it dropped and the pressure had been released.
The new Instant Pot has added all those features and more! They’ve added a low pressure setting. The Saute setting now also has a less heat setting (simmer), and a more heat setting (browning).
The steam release handle has been improved so it’s easy to tell if the pressure cooker lid is set to sealing for pressure cooking, or set to venting to release the pressure.
Next to the steam release handle is the float valve that rises as the cooker comes to pressure and falls when the pressure has been released. The new float valve design makes it easy to tell when the pressure’s been released and you can open the lid.
They added a lid holder to the handles of the Instant Pot so you don’t have to put your hot lid on the counter anymore. It fits on either side.
The Instant Pot in addition to be a fabulous pressure cooker is also a slow cooker, rice cooker and a yogurt maker. I haven’t spent much time using the programmed settings, but one day hopefully I’ll find time to give them all a try.
Laura, Hip Pressure Cooking, recently reviewed the Instant Pot IP-Duo and a did great post about making yogurt in the Instant Pot. Homemade yogurt has been on my must try list for a while now.
The cooking pot is dishwasher safe and the lid has only a few pieces to clean. The only slightly difficult thing to clean is the rim around the pressure cooker. Although, I’ve found that if you push a bit of a wash cloth in to the rim and pull it around it works pretty well.
If you’ve been thinking about buying a pressure cooker, I whole-heatedly recommend the Instant Pot IP-DUO60 Pressure Cooker . It’s the best pressure cooker I’ve used. The Instant Pot cooks meals faster with less energy while preserving more nutrients. I think you’ll love it too. The Instant Pot Duo Manual is available online.
Instant Pot has a Free Electric Pressure Cooker Recipe Booklet. You’ll find information about how you can download it on the link above. It’s a great electric pressure cooker resource with cooking time tables, as well as recipes from some of your favorite pressure cooking gurus, including a couple of my recipes!
How To Use the Instant Pot Duo
Disclosure: I received a free Instant Pot to review, but was not compensated for this post and all opinions expressed are always my own.
Hello Barbara, I so appreciate your comments and how quickly you respond. I left a comment on the 29th of March and you got back to me in 15 minutes. My husband is going to Luke AFB on Thursday and they happen to have a IP-DUO60 for $99.00 Is that a decent price? Also what accessories come with that IP? I did pick up the oxo steam basket you suggested. Do you prefer the IP or your Power Pressure Cooker XL? They sell both at Luke. I was thinking the IP would be better mainly because it has 7 functions including making yogurt. What would you say would be the top 5 gadgets for me to pick up first? By the way, I just found your baking site, can’t wait to try some of those recipes and check it out a bit more. You have such good information on both sites. One final comment, Luke has one copy of your book left, they are holding it for my husband until Thursday, in the furniture department.:) Barns and Noble sold out. Thank you Barbara for all your help and great tips.
Hi Bonnie – such a nice comment. Thanks! Amazon currently has the Duo 60 for $99 as well and I much prefer it over the Power Pressure Cooker. The stainless steel pot holds up better and the settings are easier to use. It comes with a trivet / rack. Here’s a link to my Amazon store with my favorite pressure cooker accessories. https://www.amazon.com/shop/pressurecookingtoday Since you already have the OXO steamer, I would recommend the Fat Daddio’s round cake pan and the springform pan if you want to make cheesecake. How cool that they have a copy of my cookbook at the AFB. Have fun!!
We have an IP-DU060 V2 Instant Pot. The instructions on P7 show how to “Remove and Install the Anti-Block Shield.” Is there an anti block shield on this model? The instructions don’t seem to match our Pot.
Hi Bob – older models had an oval shaped anti-block shield – https://www.pressurecookingtoday.com/wp-content/uploads/2016/04/Instant-Pot-Smart-Pressue-Cooking-Today-800×534.jpg. The newer models have a much smaller round one – https://www.pressurecookingtoday.com/wp-content/uploads/2017/08/IP-Mini-Silicone-Gasket-800×534.jpg. If you’re having trouble removing the shield, it’s stiff at first, just slid a butter knife under it and it will usually pop off for cleaning.
DON’T BELIEVE THE HYPE!
Tried making white rice and then brown rice. Follows instructions clearly and got a “BURN” message both time.
Contacted customer support by phone…on hold for 30 minutes!
Contacted them by email chat. Their suggestion was;
1) put oil in the bottom of the pot! WHAT? The whole purpose is to make food healthy and they suggest oil?
2) put the steamer rack and then another oven-proof bowl with the rice on top! WHAT? So I should use another pot and then risk burning my hands to get the pot of rice out.
3) then they said “there is a learning curve”. To make rice? There are 2 ingredients including water!!! Wash rice. Put rice in pot. Add water. Close lid. Press button. What learning curve?
DO NOT BELIEVE THE HYPE!
Bought 3 for presents and returning all of them.
Sorry you had problems Mike – sounds to me like you didn’t have a proper seal and your pot lost too much water while it cooked and your rice burned. Did you try boiling just water and seeing how much water you’re losing? Typically the Instant Pot has an evaporation rate of 2% for every 10 minutes.
I wish the arrows and writing on the top were not black on black. Very hard to see.
Some people have put a dot of finger nail polish so they’re easier to spot.
Please help. Made chicken and vegetables in my Instapot. Turned out great. After unplugging the pot it is still sizzling. Kept going on through dinner. What’s going on. There is no electricity to the pot. It’s been sizzling about 30 minutes.
Hi Virginia – did you remove the inner pot? The base does take a while to cool down. Sort of like not leaving a pot on an electric stove. That’s my best guess. If you remove the pot and it still sizzles, then you definitely have a problem and should contact the Instant Pot company.
When browning a whole chicken in the instantpot the skin sticks to the bottom. Help
You can add a little more oil and lift the pan out of the Instant Pot slightly to swirl it around and help to get it under the skin. Also, making sure the pot says hot before browning, making sure the oil is in the center as well as edges, and not moving the chicken until it releases easily should help in the future.
Just got my IP duo 60 ENW and did the 2 min steam test, all went well except for a slight burning odor, is that normal and will it dispute after a few uses or is something wrong with my unit? Thanks
Hi Scott – I seen others mention the odor before on the Instant Pot Facebook Community group. https://www.facebook.com/groups/InstantPotCommunity/ It’s a great resource for these type of questions. Have fun with your new Instant Pot!
Hi Barbara thanks for the information. I liked instant pot features but having doubt like whether it’s best to cook brown rice for my 18 months kid? There is no cooking option for brown rice exclusively right? Could you please suggest.. Thanks in advance.
_VANAJA
Hi Vanaja – the pressure cooker makes fantastic brown rice. Just cook it for 22 minutes using the Manual button https://www.pressurecookingtoday.com/pressure-cooker-brown-rice-and-a-giveaway/ I never cook it any other way any more.
Ok. Thanks for prompt reply. Wanted to buy this item. Need your suggestions more to cook best for my kid. Subscribed just now and wanted to follow on FB too. Should click the link above to know how to cook brown rice. Need to watch vedio to cook brown rice in this instant pot.
I’m considering buying a instant pot pressure cooker but would like to know how long it has to warm up before cooking. How much time do I have to add to a recipe for time to pressurize?
Hi Jeanna – it depends on what you’re cooking and the temperature of your ingredients when you add them. If you’re doing a recipe with only 1/2 cup of liquid and the liquid is warm, you’ll be up to pressure in about 5 minutes. If you’re doing a pot of soup with frozen ingredients, then you’ll probably have to add as much 30 minutes for it to come to pressure. It’s similar to what it would take for you to boil something on the stove – a large volume will take a lot longer time to come to a boil then a little bit of water.
This is the most amazing pressure cooker ever… It does what I do in the crockpot In half the time totally amazing recommend it to everyone… Bought it for my mom for Christmas… I think everyone should have one!!!!!!!!!
Great review. Looks interesting, I’ve never used an electric before, but am intrigued by it. Keep the blogs and newsletters coming
Great blog post! We just used our new IP for the first time, but I was stumped on how to use the “Manual” settings. The recipe I was following called for me to set the pot on “high” for 20 minutes. I couldn’t figure how to set the timer part. Are there any step by step instructions on how to use and set the manual function? I couldn’t get the pot to heat up under Manual.
Hi Jenny – congratulations on the new Instant Pot! I actually just filmed a video on how to use the Instant Pot and plan to post it on Wednesday. I mainly use the manual setting. First you have to have the lid on and in the closed position. Then you press manual and then use the + or – buttons to select your time. There is no start button. You just wait a minute or two and the Instant Pot will beep and the display with say On. Then when the pressure cooker reaches pressure, it will show the time and start the countdown. High pressure is the default.
Have fun!
Purchased Instant Pot Duo 60, burned up 1st piece of meat, now trying again on chuck roast. Recipe written for this product states, set timer for 70 minutes after browning. Timer totally dysfunctional! By pressing other buttons, I got the response “6:00”. I have no idea what this represents and cannot change it. Unable to contact manufacturer. Hopeless! Please, somebody help!
Sorry you’re struggling. Here’s a link to their website http://instantpot.com/contact-us/ with the contact phone number 1 800 828-7280 ext. 2 for support. Try just letting the pressure cooker cool down unplugged for a while and I think it will start working again. Then check out Hip Pressure Cookings http://www.hippressurecooking.com/is-your-pressure-cooker-ready-to-cook-checklist/ Beginner series. Hang in there. You’ll get it figured out.
C. A., the Instant Pot manual is inadequate in my opinion. To do pot roast, I do the following with my Instant Pot. I press the “Saute” button and heat some oil in the Instant Pot. The I brown my seasoned chuck roast on both sides (you may have to adjust the saute function down to low if it seems too hot). Remove meat to a platter. Then I put in broth (a cup or a cup and a half) and stir to incorporate the browned bits in the instant pot. Add meat back to pot. Put the lid on. Turn the unit off. Then press the “MANUAL” button and then the PLUS button to increase the time to 60 minutes. You can walk away at this point until you hear it beeping at the end of the cooking cycle. The I release all the pressure and add any veggies (potatoes, onions, carrots, etc). Put lid back on and set it for 5 minutes using the MANUAL button again and the MINUS button to decrease the time to 5. After it beeps again at the end of the cooking cycle, I turn the Instant Pot off and let it sit so the pressure goes down on its own for about 10 minutes (which is called a natural release). Remove lid carefully. Remove pot roast and veggies. Then I make gravy in the Instant Pot using SAUTE function and some corn startch mixed with water.
Thanks Anna – that’s a great description of the best way to cook a pot roast in the Instant Pot pressure cooker.
Want one
Ruth, a new model is supposed to be released around the end of November. They haven’t set a price yet (according to the Instant Pot folks). Anyway, you may want to hold out for that. And I’m wondering if the price on the Duo 6 will drop a bit after the new model comes out?? Anyway, it may be worth waiting either way.
I have only had my IP DUO a short time and done just a few things in it. (I love it, BTW!) But I am new to pressure cooking and need all the help I can get. Thus, I find the cookbook with the DO is not much help with the extra features. It has most recipes using the manual setting. Do I cook a whole chicken on the chicken setting and leave the default time; or do a manual setting for 30 minutes on high? Or maybe I read somewhere it said use low pressure. :/ If I do meatballs in a sauce do I use the meat/stew setting or do it manually? I want to use the extra settings, but am so unsure of myself I feel I will be stuck using the manual settings for everything and not getting the full awesomeness of the IP DUO! I’m sorry if this seems rather scrambled, but it’s my bedtime (yes, it’s only 9:30 so I am showing my age, lol) and my brain is fried from too much computer time. 🙂 I just wish there were a specific cookbook for the DUO’s features…
Hi Pogonia – I haven’t spent much time using the preprogrammed settings for several reasons. First, you’re right there is not enough information about using them. Secondly, if I write a recipe using the manual settings it woks with any electric pressure cooker and is easily translated to a stove top pressure cooker as well. I think the key is to not be afraid to try using the settings and see what works for you. It’s easy to bring the pressure cooker back up to pressure if the food is not cooked long enough, so err on the side of less time.
Yes, you’re right, of course. I just need to get more comfortable pressure cooking. And I do appreciate all the effort that goes into the recipes. It does make sense to do a recipe as a one-size-fits-all and we can all benefit. Thank you for responding.
Pogonia, I don’t use the presets at all. I always use manual and set it for whatever pressure or time the particular recipe calls for. In my opinion, the recipe book that came with the DUO is good but the user’s manual is not very helpful. When I want a pressure cooker recipe, I usually just google “pressure cooker _____________” (fill in the blank with whatever you want to cook, such as pot roast or brown rice, etc.). This is how I first found Barbara’s great website and it has been a huge help to me as I learned how to use my pressure cookers. Good luck!
Thanks Anna. I appreciate your thoughts and encouragement. With all the help here, I will soon be a pro! lol.
Since warm weather has arrived, I am reminded of another feature I like about the InstantPot, and I suppose it would be true of any electric pc. The fact that the unit is totally enclosed reduces the amount of heat that goes out into the kitchen, a big deal in hot humid weather. I have read some criticisms that this pc doesn’t cook at a full 15 psi, but I have found no need to add any time to recipes. As Brent mentioned, this appliance has a stainless steel pot which was the one thing that drove me to this as opposed to another brand. I really don’t want any type of Teflon or other coating on the interior. The stainless steel is quite easy to clean in my experience. My only wish is that the company would come out with an 8 qt unit.
Thanks Norma – you’re so right! People often don’t think of using their pressure cooker in the summer, but it’s a great time to use it and not heat up the house using the oven.
I also love that I can use my immersion blender in the stainless steel pot without worrying about scratching it.
Another nice feature (besides the OVRHT error code and auto shut off when your food is burning) is you can set the time to zero so it comes up to pressure and then immediately switches to the “keep warm” function. This is useful for delicate items which do not require long cooking times such as America’s Test Kitchen recipe for pork tenderloin which directs that you use low pressure (electric pressure cooker only) and then turn it off as soon as it reaches pressure and then natural release. So easy with the Instant Pot.
Anna— Is that ATK recipe for the Pork Loin in their book Pressure Cooker Perfection or from one of their shows? If you are using the book, do you like it?
Sounds like a real useful technique…….I do something similar on the stove for Hainanese chicken and rice and it sounds like it may be adaptable in the pressure cooker to a similar technique with some modification……
Susie, it is from their cookbook “Pressure Cooker Perfection,” which is okay but not great. See this review at the Dadcooksdinner blog. http://www.dadcooksdinner.com/2013/04/book-review-pressure-cooking-perfection.html?m=1
Love that it has a stainless steel pot, the non-stick ones wear out to fast with regular use. This will be on my list of possible replacements for my Nesco pressure cooker that has been used to death.
Have you tried to use this for canning? I need a smaller one than the large pressure cooker I am using now for small batchs
Hi Denis – I have not used it for canning, although I read that it’s possible for small batches.
I have had this pressure cooker since early this year. After having used a stove top pc for years, I’ll never go back. This one is so quiet and I don’t have to stand by the cooker the entire time it’s cooking. Finally, one thing I like very much that I don’t see mentioned in reviews: if you are using a recipe and the moisture level is too low to the point where the food starts to burn, the InstantPot will sound a warning and stop. This happened to me once with a recipe from the book of a well known long time pressure cooker author. I looked at the amount of liquid to rice and felt it was too little, but it was one of my first recipes so I went with it. The fact the pc stopped the cooking saved the food. I was able to add more liquid and continue with the cooking. There was no burned taste at all.
Thanks for commenting! I haven’t had that happen, so I really appreciate you sharing your experience. I agree, it’s hard not to love all the safety features and easy of the electric pressure cookers.
I’ve found that cleaning around the rim is the hardest part of all the pressure cookers I have. I use a small (1 or 1 1/4 inch wide) foam paint brush — the kind found in craft stores. Once I bought a big bundle of them on sale for a dollar. They work quite well and are washable so you can use them until they start to fall apart.
For cleaning the rim around the pressure cooker I’m using a cheap 1 inch chiseled sponge brush……. It works very
well……… bought a whole bag of them in Walmart……… Bought the Instant Pot Duo a month ago and love it…….. Really has changed my cooking habits……
Thanks for the tip Susie. I’ll have to pick some up. What’s your favorite thing to cook in your Instant Pot?
I like how Steamed Pork Spareribs in Black Bean Sauce turn out in the Instant Pot Duo…….. Also Laura Pazzaglia’s Broccoli Rabe recipe from her Everything Healthy Pressure Cooker Cookbook……..(wish the Paperback was available )……. The Pressure cooker really made that recipe much easier…….. and Laura’s time was spot on………….
Also loved the Pressure Cooker Champ (Irish Mashed Potatoes with Green Onions) from Dad Cooks Dinner website…… That also had spot on directions and times…… delicious…….
Thanks Susie! I’ll have to give them a try.
Great minds! I didn’t read any comments until I posted mine.
How do the cook times compare with the Cuisinart? I’m a very new pressure cooker user, and have the Cuisinart. Are recipes created for the InstaPot different in any way?
Hi Lydia – the cook times on the Instant Pot and the Cuisinart are the same. In fact, I haven’t found much difference in cooking times between stove top pressure cooker and electric pressure cookers recipes. The exception may be quick cooking items when the pressure has to be released faster, a stove top model may be able to release the pressure faster.
So fun to see your posts on pressure cooking and how much you’re enjoying it. Thanks for the question.
I bought this pressure cooker and made oat porridge once, but it burnt a little. My wife says she doesn’t like it and she wants to have a baking feature like with Panasonic multi cooker. Do you think we can bake a pudding, let’s say with instant Pot? What feature do we use for that?
Don’t give up on it. It really is a great pressure cooker. You can bake in it. I’ve “baked” flan, cheesecake, and bread pudding https://www.pressurecookingtoday.com/2014/05/cinnamon-raisin-bread-pudding-with-a-caramel-pecan-sauce/
thank you, Barbara.
So you are saying that Instant Pot is better than a Panasonic multi cooker, right?
and another question: what program do you use to bake cheesecake or pudding? Is it a steam or manual?
I’m not familiar with the Panasonic but I assume they both have the same capabilities. You always need to cook with water (liquid) in a pressure cooker whether you’re using the manual setting or one of the preprogrammed settings. I use the manual setting in most of my recipes so those who have stove top pressure cookers can make them as well.
Just looking online it doesn’t look like the Panasonic multiple cooker is a pressure cooker. Based on that fact alone, I think the Instant Pot is better than the Panasonic. It can do all the things the Panasonic can and more.