What is an Instant Pot?
Instant Pot is a brand of electric pressure cooker. 

What is an electric pressure cooker?
An electric pressure cooker is a kitchen appliance that greatly speeds up cooking by keeping foods in a contained environment with heat reaching as high as 244 degrees. 

Why is this better than a stovetop pressure cooker?
An electric pressure cooker is more of a "set it and forget it" cooking device compared to the conventional stovetop pressure cookers. Stovetop pressure cookers require the user to be present to control the heat of the stovetop as necessary throughout the cooking process and be present to remove from heat when cooking time has expired. An electric pressure cooker plugs into an electrical outlet and is programmed to take care of the proper heating throughout the cycle as well as turn off and/or keep warm when cooking has completed. The user merely pushes a few buttons to get it started then can walk away and the pressure cooker will handle the rest (although, we recommend new users stay near the device as they get used to the process of pressure cooking). 

Why should I buy Instant Pot versus the other electric models on the market?
Instant Pot has created somewhat of a cult following and has become the most popular product in its class (causing some to refer to electric pressure cookers as "Instant Pots" as one would refer to all facial tissue as "Kleenex" or all lip balm as "Chapstick"). There are many other brands on the market, some of them being very good. We would also highly recommend the BREVILLE FAST SLOW PRO; however, Instant Pot is more affordable. One of the reasons Instant Pot gained a huge fan base is it was one of the only makers that used stainless steel for the inner cooking pot. 

Which Instant Pot should I buy?
There are currently several models of Instant Pot on the market. Let's break it down:

so you want to buy an instant pot...

LUX: The Lux model comes in 2 sizes: 6 quart and 8 quart. This model only operates at a high pressure setting and does not make yogurt. The biggest drawback to this machine is that it does not have an integrated lid holder which we consider to be vital as the lid as it comes off the machine is very hot and has hot water dripping from it. If you have a place near your cooker that you can place a hot/wet lid this may not be a concern for you.










DUO: The Duo Model comes in 3 sizes: 3 quart, 6 quart, and 8 quart. The Duo model is the model that has gained the most popularity for the brand. It has two pressure settings: HIGH and LOW. Low pressure cooking is great for vegetables that would otherwise turn to mush if cooked at high pressure. This model has the capability to make yogurt (get creative: almond, soy, cashew, coconut, etc) and has an integrated lid holder. Besides the LUX, all other Instant Pots have these features as well. 










DUO PLUS: The Duo Plus comes in 6 quart. This model is one of the newest offerings from Instant Pot. It features everything the DUO has PLUS: it saves your 3 favorite pressure cooking times making setting the machine even easier (we set the less setting between 3-7 minutes for WHITE RICE and FARRO, normal for 22 minutes for BROWN RICE, and the high for 30-45 minutes for STOCK or huge potatoes). Turning the sound off is super easy, press the "minus" sign for 4 seconds (all Instant Pots conclude cooking with 10 loud beeps that can be a nuisance. All models have the ability to turn sound off, this model is one of the easiest to do so). Turning off the Keep Warm function is an easy press of a button. This model features a sterilize button for sterilizing jars, which is great for canning or baby food. The front panel is an easy to read, attractive LCD display, and the buttons are laid out in a more intuitive way.










ULTRA: The Ultra comes in 6 quart. The Ultra is one of the newest product offerings. The Ultra is the only Instant Pot to offer these features: it has a turn style knob to select functions and settings, it has a self sealing lid (great for those who consistently forget to close the valve), the release button is farthest from the valve (great for those who are concerned with releasing pressure), it has a progress bar on the LCD display that lets the user know exactly where the machine is in the process of coming to pressure/cooking/coming down from pressure, and it has custom temperature settings for slow cooking and sautéing, and can cook at pressure the longest (6 hours). The Ultra also has a sterilize setting (only Duo Plus and Ultra have this option).










SMART: The Smart comes in 6 quart. The Smart model is the only model with Bluetooth connectivity. You can link your device to the Instant Pot app and control and monitor cooking progress from the app. You can use free recipes in the app or write your own recipe scripts to be executed from the app. The Smart also has an attractive, easy to read blue LCD display and the buttons are laid out in a more intuitive way. 










MINI: The Mini is the newest device and the smallest at 3 quarts. It is technically a Duo machine and was also mentioned in the Duo section above; however, its miniature size deserves its own discussion. The Mini model is great for people cooking small amounts of food (1-2 people), it gets to pressure and comes down from pressure quicker, its small size makes it perfect for travel, storing in your kitchen, and is the only model that will fit beneath upper cabinetry with the lid in the holder (full height with lid is 17.25" tall). We typically recommend if people want two or more Instant Pots in their kitchen to get two of the same size (same model not necessary) so that the lids and inner pots are interchangeable, but this new Mini is a great addition for someone wanting a second Instant Pot to cook side dishes while using their bigger machine for the main dish. 

LUX: The Lux model comes in 2 sizes: 6 quart and 8 quart. This model only operates at a high pressure setting and does not make yogurt. The biggest drawback to this machine is that it does not have an integrated lid holder which we consider to be vital, without it the lid becomes very hot during cooking and drips water as you remove it. If you have a place near your cooker that you can place a hot/wet lid this may not be a concern for you.

DUO: The Duo Model comes in 3 sizes: 3 quart, 6 quart, and 8 quart. The Duo model is the model that has gained the most popularity for the brand. It has two pressure settings: HIGH and LOW. Low pressure cooking is great for vegetables that would otherwise turn to mush if cooked at high pressure. This model has the capability to make yogurt (get creative: almond, soy, cashew, coconut, etc) and has an integrated lid holder. Besides the LUX, all other Instant Pots have these features as well. 

DUO PLUS: The Duo Plus comes in 6 quart. This model is one of the newest offerings from Instant Pot. It features everything the DUO has PLUS: it saves your 3 favorite pressure cooking times making setting the machine even easier (we set the less setting between 3-7 minutes for WHITE RICE and FARRO, normal for 22 minutes for BROWN RICE, and the high for 30-45 minutes for STOCK or huge potatoes). All Instant Pots conclude cooking with 10 loud beeps which can be a bit of a nuisance. All models have the ability to turn sound off; however, this model is one of the easiest to do so, simply press the minus sign for four seconds. You can also easily turn off the Keep Warm function with the press of a button. This model features a sterilize button for sterilizing jars, which is great for canning or baby food. The front panel is an easy to read, attractive LCD display, and the buttons are laid out in a more intuitive way.

ULTRA: The Ultra comes in 6 quart and is one of the newest product offerings. The Ultra is the only Instant Pot to offer the following features: it has a turn style knob to select functions and settings, it has a self sealing lid (great for those who consistently forget to close the valve), the release button is farthest from the valve (great for those who are concerned with releasing pressure), it has a progress bar on the LCD display that lets the user know exactly where the machine is in the process of coming to pressure/cooking/coming down from pressure, and it has custom temperature settings for slow cooking and sautéing, and can cook at pressure the longest (6 hours). The Ultra also has a sterilize setting (only Duo Plus and Ultra have this option).

SMART: The Smart comes in 6 quart and is the only model with Bluetooth connectivity. You can link your device to the Instant Pot app and control and monitor cooking progress from the app. You can use free recipes in the app or write your own recipe scripts to be executed from the app. The Smart also has an attractive, easy to read blue LCD display and the buttons are laid out in a more intuitive way. 

MINI: The Mini is the newest device and the smallest device at 3 quarts. It is technically a Duo machine and was also mentioned in the Duo section above; however, its miniature size deserves its own discussion. The Mini model is great for people cooking small amounts of food (1-2 people), it gets to pressure and comes down from pressure quicker, its small size makes it perfect for travel, storing in your kitchen, and is the only model that will fit beneath upper cabinetry with the lid in the holder (full height with lid is 17.25" tall). We typically recommend if people want two or more Instant Pots in their kitchen to get two of the same size (same model not necessary) so that the lids and inner pots are interchangeable, but this new Mini is a great addition for someone wanting a second Instant Pot to cook side dishes while using their bigger machine for the main dish.