If we told you there was a device out there that could replace your slow cooker, steamer, rice cooker, and more, you’d probably want to know about it! Luckily for you, Instant Pot has a range of products that do exactly this. The pressure cooker was excellent and the slow cooker and pressure cook rice was very good. Not only is it perfect for cooking comfort foods during the cooler months, but it can save you time and money all year round.
Richmond Howard started Meal Prepify in 2019 and has helped over a million people learn how to meal prep, get better at meal planning, and create a kitchen they love to use. He’s an avid home chef and loves to bbq, grill out, and make awesome food for family and friends. He’s been featured on MSN, Renaissance Periodization, and Good Financial Cents.
When one appliance can do so many things, it also nixes the need to buy and find storage for separate kitchen devices, like an egg or rice cooker. Instant Pot designs each of its electric pressure cookers to be convenient, safe, and dependable. As with each Instant Pot, they are mostly the same with slight variations that might make you choose one version over the other. Let’s take a look at the new Instant Pot Duo Nova, now available in four sizes.
You will notice that when there is no pressure in the IP the valve is down. The float valve is what builds and maintains the pressure in the IP. Right away I was able to notice the size difference of the 8-quart vs my 6-quart. I liked the instant vortex idea that the buttons were the same on the Duo Nova as they were on the Duo. This sous vide upgrade of the Duo is interesting, but not widely available. With the Lux, Duo, Duo Plus, Ultra, and Smart Bluetooth being the most common models.
Whether an Instant Pot could make your life a hell of a lot easier is a no-brainer. What involves more thought is choosing the right Instant Pot for you. The Instant Pot Duo Nova model has a backlit display and additional safety features of the auto sealing lid. The auto sealing lid is a feature I love in the Ultra so it’s great to see it here. Though every Instant Pot has the same basic multi-cooking functionality that made the brand a household name, some are more versatile than others. If you’re in the market for an 8-quart pressure cooker, the Instant Pot Duo Crisp would be a really great choice.
The cup can easily slide into place, it can also be put into the dishwasher for cleaning. I do recommend checking this every time you use it to make sure it’s not full. One of the important features to be able to cook in your IP is having the inner pot. A habit I have is to make sure that once my inner pot has been cleaned that I always put it back into my Instant Pot. However, I have had it come unplugged on me while cooking before. Since I already had a 6-quart Duo, I decided on an 8-quart Duo Nova this time.
I guess even Gordon Ramsey will have a hard time operating the Instant Pot without looking at the product manual. We also had great luck prepping various grains, including rice and quinoa, in the DUO Nova. Things generally came out a bit more moist and sticky rather than fluffy, but we generally enjoyed the texture. It also performed well in our meat cooking tests, successfully rendering a tough brisket cut into a tender and enjoyable feast. In designing the DUO Nova, Instant Pot took an already user-friendly machine and added a convenient pressure release button. If you’re after a simple, no-fuss multicooker, the Instant Pot Duo Nova is a good option for beginners.
However, the company seemed to have abandoned this model in favor of the classic ones which they have been keeping up to date with the latest features. Since this was the 10 quart capacity, the largest pot around, I found this quite heavy and cumbersome to lift. Another good thing about the instant pot duo nova is it doesn’t get too hot around the sides if you need to move it around. The Instant Pot Duo Nova has many buttons that may appear confusing and complicated. In my experience, the condensation collector rarely fills up but I have found that when I cook pasta, in particular, liquid tends to collect and it can get messy! Get into the habit of checking for liquid in the condensation collector after every use.