Instant Pot Duo Crisp with Ultimate Lid review

• Read our full guide to the best multi-cookers

Among its functions are air fryer, grill, mini oven, roaster, pressure cooker, slow cooker, steamer, sauté, sous vide, dehydrator, yogurt maker, bread proofer and food warmer. We loved how solid it feels on the worktop, harnessed by its hefty weight and non-slip feet. The 6.2-litre pot is also ideal for serving up generous portions or batch cooking.

How easy is the Instant Pot Duo Crisp to use?

It took no time at all to master the functions of the Duo Crisp, which is lucky as we had trouble getting hold of the instructions. There is a QR code and link displayed on the side of the box to access them, but unfortunately neither worked for us and we were directed to a blocked web page.

Despite the lack of manual, this model's user-friendly credentials are impressive. Messages like 'add ingredients' and 'OK to open the lid' display clearly on the large LCD screen, and there's a three-stage progress bar to indicate how far along the preheating or cooking process you are.

There are three steam-release settings to choose from – natural, quick and pulse – and pressure-cooking novices will love the sliding lock function, which is placed a reassuring distance away from the valve. A keep-warm setting, which kicks in automatically after cooking, can also be turned on or off at any time, and there's a dial on the front to adjust the time and temperature.

Cooking results

Our slow-cooker chicken korma recipe worked very well in this multi-cooker, simmering for three hours on a high heat. The sauce was a thick and nutty, though our chicken breast chunks were essentially shredded by the end – a slight reduction in the cooking time may prevent this in future. Some of the sauce also caught the base of the pot when we added the cream and almonds at the end, but cleaned off pretty easily.

Preheating took longer than we'd hoped when using the pressure cooking setting for our beef stew, which added to the overall cooking time – slightly frustrating if you're trying to turn a dish around quickly. We were pleased with the outcome though, and the meat, while overcooked by five or so minutes, was tender enough to slice with a spoon.

How sustainable is the Instant Pot Duo Crisp?

Energy efficiency and sustainability were sadly this multi-cooker's downfall: it came packaged in a lot of plastic wrapping, both around the outside of the box and all the contents inside, including the cooking pot and cord. There are also large chunks of polystyrene that can't be recycled.

We let the multi-cooker run on its pressure cook setting for 30 minutes on high, and it cost 5.05p to run – the most expensive of those we tested by some way (based on 31.8p/kWh).

Conclusion

The versatility and size of the Instant Pot Duo Crisp make it an excellent choice for larger households or those who like to batch cook. While on the pricier end of the cookers we've tested, it's user-friendly design and range of presets make it a solid staple for mealtimes, and it's certainly the kind of gadget you'll get ample use from. Many will be also swayed by the air fryer functionality, but the game-changer for us was the sliding lock function, which felt incredibly safe and secure when pressure cooking.

Instant Pot Duo Crisp with Ultimate Lid specifications

Wattage: 1500W
Dimensions (cm): 39 x 39 x 34
Presets: 13
Materials: stainless steel
Guarantee: one year

All costs-to-run calculations were done against the variable tariff at the time of testing (31.8p/kWh), which may have since changed – read more on the current energy price guarantee rates.