It’s pretty simple to figure out the settings and get cooking shortly after removing it from the box and the preset programs are a good starting point for common foods and meals. There’s no recipe book or cooking charts included though, so you’ll have to head to the website or app for these. We found plenty of slow cook and pressure cook moosoo air fryer recipes but it can be tricky to find exact guidance for more simple tasks like steaming and cooking rice. In addition to that, it also has settings that allow it to widen the realm of possibilities. Your Instant Pot can serve not only as a pressure cooker but also as a warmer, steamer, rice cooker, slow cooker, sous vide, and much more.
The easy-to-read control panel indicates exactly what stage the cooking process is at, and the easy-to-use controls make selecting smart programs and making adjustments simple, even during cooking. The Duo Nova 13 smart programs – ranging from meats, soup, stew, beans, chili, instant vortex poultry, rice and yogurt, to multigrain, porridge and slow cook – are also customizable, so you can record the way you like to cook. Combining the function of seven appliances in one, they both perform well an extensive variety of cooking tasks, all at the touch of a button.
One of the biggest upgrades on the Instant Pot Duo Nova over the Duo is the inclusion of an automatic seal and steam release valve. The Instant Pot Duo does not have these features and instead relies on more traditional, manual seals. One of the Instant Pot Duo’s biggest advantages is just how easy it is to use.
These are amazing for anything, starting with a basic meat stew or soup broth and ending with fancy Citrus Pork Carnitas. The Instant Pot Duo is considered a classic among all the Instant Pot products. On the other hand, the is the new kid on the block and comes with a few flashy features that make it more suitable for beginners (hence the name – Duo Nova).
With the slow cook function with three settings (low, medium, and high heat), you no longer need an extra slow-cooker. One of those includes a smart steam release valve in the updated lid, which will automatically seal when the lid is closed. That way, you don’t need to turn the Steam Release Handle to the sealing position to pressurize. We’ve forgotten that step on the Duo more times than we’d like to admit.
Duo Nova upgrades include the EasySeal Lid to automatically seal when pressure cooking and a cooking progress indicator, so you know when cooking begins. With 12 Smart Programs — ranging from meats, soup, stew, beans, chili, poultry, rice and yogurt, to multigrain, porridge and slow cook — it puts cooking on autopilot. The Poultry Smart Program cooks moist and tender chicken, turkey and other poultry, even from frozen. The Bean/Chili Program takes dried, unsoaked beans to flavorful cooked beans in no time.