Instant Pot (noun):
1. The multicooker that can thaw a few frozen chicken breasts in less than three minutes, slash a six-hour slow cooker recipe down to 45 minutes, and replace a slew of appliances that are collecting dust in your cabinet.
2. A star on Prime Day, Black Friday, and general holiday sales (if not for you, then as a gift for literally anyone)
3. Possibly the most important technological advancement in recent history. The Mars helicopter is a close second.
The Crock-Pot competitor-turned-cult classic has been a staple in foodie kitchens since 2018(opens in a new tab). The collection of three or four models has grown into an army of pressure cookers, toaster ovens, air fryers, blenders, and coffee makers. Google autofills "Instant Pot" over "slow cooker" after typing in "potato soup." When you consider the time, effort, and counter space that these powerhouses save, it makes total sense.
What does an Instant Pot do?
Yeah, why can't you just get a regular slow cooker? At their core, Instant Pots are electric pressure cookers. The proprietary locking lid creates a seal that heats any water inside far past its boiling point, turning it to steam. When that steam has nowhere else to go, it creates pressure — thus cooking food 2-10 times faster than what an oven or slow cooker could do.
What a retailer's Instant Pot descriptions won't tell you
The "manual" button on some entry-level models is the source of so much confusion. Most people only know this from watching tutorials or bugging the shit out of people on Instant Pot Reddit: The manual button is the pressure cooking button. (Why it's not labeled as such, we can't be sure.) Think of it as manually inputting how long you want something to pressure cook. This is the setting to use if you want to defrost something fast, and most foods don't take longer than a few minutes at this setting.
Even if your recipe only calls for one minute of cook time, you are not about to go from frozen chicken breasts to a perfect roast with a well-done center. The act of sealing and coming to pressure feels like it takes forever (in reality, 5-10 minutes), and yes, it's fine if your Instant Pot blows steam in the process. It will automatically switch to pressure cooking when pressurization is complete and will automatically switch to warming when the timer is up.
And, if you happen to get an older model that doesn't have the new automatic sealing lid and steam release button, we suggest wearing an oven mitt or using a wooden spoon to turn the release the pressure and avoid a jump scare.
There are also some general categorization rules to remember on your quest:
The number in each Instant Pot's title, e.g. "6-in-1" describes the number of kitchen appliances it claims to replace.
Aside from the appliance-replacing functions, each model has built-in smart programs that get more specific: These 12 programs are bean/chili, meat/stew, soup/broth, sauté, poultry, steam, congee, multigrain, rice, pressure cook, warm, and slow cook. Some models have more than this, but every model has at least these. They're the things listed on the buttons.
The 6-quart is the most popular size and is ideal for families of five or fewer, and every model comes in this size. The 3-quart is obviously best for smaller families, couples, or roommates and smaller dishes like appetizers and soups. The 8-quart is best for roasts or prepping a few days' worth of meals for large families. Instant Pots occasionally come in a 10-quart size, which is probably overkill unless you frequently cook for groups or are renovating your kitchen and won't have access to your large appliances for months.
All prices listed will be the lowest price for each model, likely the smallest size. As quart size increases, the prices of each model will also increase. Here's how to compare the Instant Pot models available in 2023:
