Duo Nova Series We just said that one of the benefits of the Duo is how easy it is to use, but now we’re saying that it’s not beginner-friendly – what gives? Well, in our opinion, most Instant Pot models have a pretty steep learning curve and it takes a while to get to grips with how they work. The Instant Pot Duo is packed with functionality to make your cooking sessions as straightforward as possible. The device has 13 customizable modes built-in, which can be set up to make a huge variety of dishes. Additionally, we found many meat-based pressure cooker recipes suggest significantly longer cooking times than Instant Pot suggests for the same cut of meat. In those situations, we generally found Instant Pot's recommendations to be more on point, with the longer cook times bringing about slightly drier and tougher results. The pressure release button makes depressurizing the cooking chamber feel much easier and less stressful. Helen is a freelance writer who specializes in kitchen appliances and has written for some of the biggest home-related titles around. If you’re struggling to choose between the two, then be sure to have a read through our Instant Pot Duo vs Duo Nova breakdown above. So, after all that, which Instant Pot model would we actually recommend? In truth, the Duo and the Duo Nova are very similar products and in a lot of situations, they will offer exactly the same functionality and ease of use. Once you know what you’re doing, Instant Pots are an absolute dream, but understanding the different modes and experimenting with recipes can take some time. To make your life easier, we’d recommend starting out by using recipes shared online by other Instant Pot users. 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. It got hot enough to easily brown eve hearty veggies like carrots and made quick work of diced onions. We believe this ability is crucial; to effectively saute right in the pot vastly increases the number of meals you can make with only one dish to clean at the end. For the most part, we found the differences in cooking abilities to be minor between the models in our fleet. That being said, we thoroughly enjoyed the food made by the DUO Nova, with it earning superlatives in most of our cooking tests. The stainless-steel cooking pot doesn’t have handles for easy lifting, if you’d prefer handles consider another model such as the Instant Pot Pro or the Instant Pot Evo Plus. Fast, versatile, and convenient, with its bright, upgraded display and lid, the Instant Pot® Duo™ Nova is a rising star in the bestselling Duo™ family. Just like the Duo, the Duo Nova is incredibly easy to use once you get the hang of it. Meals can be prepared in a matter of minutes – all there is to do is chop up your ingredients and select the cooking process that you want to use. Of course, paying more for the Duo Nova does bring some extra features, which could be pretty useful to the right person. Instant Pot DuoInstant Pot Duo Nova3 QuartsYesYes6 QuartsYesYes8 QuartsYesYes10 QuartsYesIf you’re looking for a larger Instant Pot, the Duo Nova 10 quart might be an option for your kitchen.