Instant Pot Duo Nova review Before we get into our comparison, it’s probably best to take a look at what Instant Pot actually is. Although the term “instant pot” is often used in place of products such as “slow cooker” or “pressure cooker”, Instant Pot is also the name of one of the most popular worktop cooker brands. The Instant Pot Duo is one of the electric pressure cooker models made by Instant Brands. The most obvious advantage of the Duo Nova slow cooker is that it’s available in 4 different sizes, rather than the Duo’s 3. The Duo Nova is available in a larger 10 qt size, which wouldn’t be an option if you picked the Duo. Aside from the 7 base cooking modes on the Instant Pots, they are each packed with a range of additional features to improve the user experience and make food even tastier. For example, the Instant Pot Duo Nova and the Duo both have 13 “Smart Touch” customizable programs for bespoke pressure cooking. Instant Pot is the most recognizable brand name in the pressure cooker space for a reason, and the DUO Nova delivers on that pedigree by offering exceptional performance at a reasonable price. There are very few situations where the DUO Nova wouldn't be our top pressure cooker recommendation. The first is for those that mainly want to cook meat, as we've found some other cookers that can retain just a bit more tenderness in specific cuts than this machine. It sets the standard for pressure cookers, offering a versatile list of cooking functions, well-designed controls, and convenient touches like a pressure release button. In the world of pressure cookers, the DUO Nova sells for a relatively reasonable price but leads the pack in terms of performance. As a result, it’s fair to say that the manual seals on the Instant Pot Duo are a bit of a drawback. However, The Instant Pot Duo Nova also comes in an extra special 10 liquid quartz size. This huge Instant Pot is absolutely ideal if you’re cooking for a large family or need to cater for a party. You’ll struggle to find another high-quality pressure cooker with such a large capacity. From a price perspective, the cost of each model is generally similar when you look at each quart-size side by side. Be sure to keep an eye out for deals and flash sales to save money on your purchase. As the number-one selling electric multi-cooker in the US, Instant Pot is a brand that stands out in this area for its intuitive design and versatile offering. If you type multi-cooker into Google however, you’ll find a host of well-respected brands who are also adding stylish pressure and multi-cookers to their collections. We also had great luck prepping various grains, including rice and quinoa, in the DUO Nova. You can save all of your favorite dishes, and have them ready to go whenever you want. This means you can get something that is the perfect size for you, rather than an Instant Pot that you never fill up. Tidying up after cooking can sometimes take as long as making the food itself. If you have a busy lifestyle, then this is yet another thing that you have to make time for during your day. An Instant Pot can save you a ton of time, and give you more chance to rest and relax. As with the chili ,we used the saute function to brown chicken legs before adding all the other ingredients and pressure cooking on high for 20 minutes. Add to that the seven-and-a-half-minute heat up time and we were pleased with the fast cooking time which produced perfectly cooked chicken that fell off the bone with a temperature of 198 F/ 92 C. The pressure release was a slightly louder 79dB and while the sides of the pot and all the handles stayed cool, the metal part of the lid reached a high temperature of 187 F/ 86 C. Every Instant Pot has different cooking programs, but you can typically expect to see features such as a slow cooker, rice cooker, yogurt maker, and more. An Instant Pot has the ability to replace a number of the appliances in your kitchen.