Cooking Appliances review
Instant Pot Duo Review: Ten Safety Features and No Canning
It is not rated for pressure canning low-acid food, which is the one thing worth knowing before you trust it with anything. Everything else it does well enough to replace four appliances.
By Paulo GerchonPublished 7 min read
Photo: Ajay Suresh, CC BY 2.0
Instant Pot
Instant Pot Duo 7-in-1
Good · researched from 3 sources
The strongest argument for a multicooker is that it replaces four appliances competently rather than doing one thing brilliantly, and this is the model that makes that argument best. Do not use it for canning, and buy a second sealing ring on day one.
- Buy if
- Stews, braises, beans and grains, where pressure genuinely saves hours · Small kitchens replacing several single-purpose appliances · Anyone who wants buttons rather than a touchscreen
- Skip if
- Pressure canning low-acid foods, which it is not rated for · Anyone who wants a serious slow cooker, on Kitchetect's finding · People who resent stripping a lid down to wash it
We don’t list prices, because Amazon’s change hourly.
The limitation nobody advertises
HomeCritique is the only one of our sources to raise it, and it is the single most consequential fact about this machine: the Duo is not rated for pressure canning.
The reason is that canning low-acid food safely requires holding a specific pressure consistently for a set time, and an electric multicooker regulates by temperature and cycles rather than maintaining a fixed gauge pressure. Getting it wrong with low-acid preserves is a botulism risk, not a texture problem.
If preserving is why you are looking at pressure cookers, this is not the device. For everything else in this review it is an excellent one.
What it actually cooks well
TechGearLab put it through a set of dishes and the results were uneven in a predictable way.
Vegetables were the standout. Carrots held their shape, courgette came out tender, potatoes were right, and one tester's verdict was that it crushed the test.
Grains and beans held colour and texture well, which is where pressure cooking earns its reputation, and Kitchetect reports stews and braises finishing in a fraction of the stovetop time.
The pot roast was the weak result. Moist, but too chewy for a top score. That is a fair summary of pressure cooking generally: it makes tough cuts tender fast, and slow methods still do it better if you have the hours.
The cleaning argument
TechGearLab scored ease of cleaning 6.0 out of 10, their lowest mark for this machine. HomeCritique calls cleanup effortless.
Both are describing the same object. The inner pot, lid and steam rack go in the top rack of a dishwasher, which is easy. Getting the lid ready to wash means removing a silicone sealing ring, an anti-block shield and a vent, which is not.
TechGearLab also reports that odours survived washing and that the inner pot picks up scratches.
Buy a second sealing ring
The silicone ring absorbs smells. HomeCritique reports it holding onto chilli and curry, and recommends keeping one ring for savoury cooking and another for sweet.
Rings cost very little and this is a known characteristic rather than a defect, but it is the sort of thing you find out after making a curry and then a rice pudding.
Where the sources disagree on difficulty
TechGearLab scored user friendliness 9.0, praised the manual as clear, and then said it might not be the best machine for a novice. HomeCritique argues that physical buttons make it easier for beginners than newer models with screens.
The buttons are simple. Pressure cooking is not. Minimum liquid volumes, natural release against quick release, and how much time to take off a conventional recipe are all things you learn by doing, and no control panel teaches them.
Both sources are describing different halves of the same experience.
How it scored
The overall 7.8 is the weighted average of these five criteria — we never adjust it by hand.
Cooking performance
TechGearLab scored cooking performance 8.0 out of 10, with vegetables the standout and a pot roast that came out moist but too chewy for a top score.
Value
TechGearLab scored it 87 out of 100 and ranked it second of eight, giving it their Most Versatile award. HomeCritique notes the 1000 W element matches far pricier models.
Build quality
A three-ply stainless inner pot and ten separate safety features including a locking lid and insulated handles. TechGearLab notes the pot scratches easily.
Ease of use
The sources disagree. TechGearLab scored user friendliness 9.0 but says it is not the best choice for a novice. HomeCritique calls the physical buttons beginner-friendly.
Cleaning
TechGearLab scored cleaning 6.0 out of 10, calling the lid tedious to strip down and reporting that food odours lingered after washing.
Displayed percentages are rounded to total 100%. The overall score uses the original weights.
Pros and cons
What we liked
- TechGearLab scored cooking features a perfect 10 out of 10
- Vegetables were the standout in their testing, with carrots firm and potatoes right
- Ten safety features, a locking lid and insulated handles
- Kitchetect reports stews and braises finishing in a fraction of stovetop time
- Physical buttons rather than a touchscreen, which HomeCritique calls beginner-friendly
- Top-rack dishwasher safe parts per HomeCritique
What we didn’t
- HomeCritique states it is not rated for pressure canning low-acid foods
- TechGearLab scored cleaning 6.0 and found odours lingering after washing
- The silicone sealing ring absorbs savoury smells, so a second ring is a real expense
- Kitchetect says the slow cook function underperforms a dedicated slow cooker
- Kitchetect and HomeCritique both criticise the steam release valve position
- TechGearLab notes the inner pot scratches easily
Specifications
| Capacity | 6 quarts, about 5.68 L |
|---|---|
| Functions | Pressure cook, slow cook, rice, yogurt, sauté, steam and keep warm |
| Smart programs | 13 per Kitchetect, 14 per TechGearLab |
| Heating element | 1000 W per HomeCritique |
| Inner pot | Three-ply stainless steel per HomeCritique |
| Safety features | Ten, including a locking lid and insulated handles, per TechGearLab |
| Dishwasher | Top rack for the inner pot, lid and steam rack per HomeCritique |
| Pressure canning | Not rated for it per HomeCritique |
| Group result | 87 out of 100 and second of eight at TechGearLab |
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How we researched this
We have not had this unit on the bench. This review synthesises the manufacturer’s published specifications, independent measurements and owner reports listed below. Every figure on this page comes from one of those sources rather than our own measurement.
3
sources reviewed
TechGearLab is the only source that tested it against a group, supplying the category scores, the group ranking, the specific cooking test results and the cleaning criticism. Kitchetect supplied the pressure release behaviour, the slow cooking comparison and the accessory criticism. HomeCritique supplied the heating element rating, the inner pot construction, the sealing ring odour problem and the pressure canning limitation, which no other source raised. The two sources give different counts for the smart programs, 13 and 14, and both are reported rather than reconciled. No source published measured come-to-pressure times, so none are claimed here.
What we read
Common questions
Can I use the Instant Pot Duo for canning?
Is it hard to clean?
Why does my food smell like the last thing I cooked?
Is it good as a slow cooker?
How steep is the learning curve?
The bottom line on the Instant Pot Duo 7-in-1
The strongest argument for a multicooker is that it replaces four appliances competently rather than doing one thing brilliantly, and this is the model that makes that argument best. Do not use it for canning, and buy a second sealing ring on day one.
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