Instant Pot Duo 6 Qt 7-in-1 Electric Pressure Cooker, Stainless Steel

Why it's worth it

The Duo covers the seven jobs most people actually want from a pressure cooker, with a stainless inner pot you can sear in and a plain button-and-LED interface. It's the model most online recipes are written around, which makes it by far the easiest one to learn on.

This is the one to buy if you've never owned a pressure cooker. The Duo does the seven things people use — pressure cook, slow cook, sauté, steam, rice, yogurt, keep warm — and it doesn't bury any of them behind a submenu. Instant Pot says it cooks up to 70% faster than slow cooking, and that's the part you'll feel on a Tuesday night. Beans, chili, and rice all land in the same pot.

The inner pot is 18/8 stainless with a tri-ply bottom, and that matters more than the function count. You can brown short ribs in it, scrape up the fond, then lock the lid and walk away. Nothing flakes off after two years the way a nonstick coating eventually does. Scrub it with steel wool or run it through the dishwasher; it doesn't need babying.

From our review of 6 instant pots and pressure cookers

What we like

• +This is the one to buy if you've never owned a pressure cooker
• +The inner pot is 18/8 stainless with a tri-ply bottom, and that matters more than the function count
• +Reliability is the real argument here
• +Steam release is the part beginners dread, and the Duo handles it better than you'd expect

What to know

• –The display is a small red LED readout, and it tells you almost nothing
• –The lid has nowhere to go