Instant Pot Duo Plus 6 Qt 9-in-1 Electric Pressure Cooker, Stainless Steel

Why it's worth it

The Duo Plus adds sous vide, a sterilize mode, and a far more readable display to the Duo's core recipe. If you want to see time, temperature, and pressure at a glance instead of guessing, this is the small upgrade that pays off every week.

Everything good about the Duo carries over. Same 6-quart size, same 18/8 stainless pot with an anti-spin tri-ply base, same core programs. What changes is the screen. The Duo Plus puts cooking time, temperature, and pressure on a proper display instead of a bare red number, so you can tell at a glance whether the pot is still climbing to pressure or already counting down your recipe.

Sous vide is the addition you'll actually use. It holds a low water temperature steadily enough for chicken breasts, salmon, and steak you plan to sear afterward. It won't match a dedicated circulator for precision or capacity, and there's no circulation, so you'll want to give things room in the water. For an occasional weeknight steak, though, it saves you from buying another gadget.

From our review of 6 instant pots and pressure cookers

What we like

• +Everything good about the Duo carries over
• +Sous vide is the addition you'll actually use
• +The sterilize mode is quieter than it sounds but genuinely handy if you have a baby in the house or you can jam
• +This is the version to get if the Duo's stripped-down interface bothers you but the Pro feels like more machine than you need

What to know

• –The steam release is the same basic switch as the Duo's, which means the same abrupt hiss and the same fine mist of soup on your…
• –There's no altitude adjustment