If food has burned onto the bottom of the cooking pot, soak and scrub off the burned foods. Be sure to add more liquid to the pot and avoid ingredients containing thickeners like canned soups or prepackaged spaghetti sauces. Larger pressure cookers also take longer to come to pressure, so be sure to account for this additional time when preparing your meal. The Duo Nova pressure cooker retains many of the best parts of the Duo and adds in features found on its mid-range pressure cookers like the Duo Plus. The Duo Nova is the first Instant Pot to come in a 10 quart size. So you can now enjoy the larger sized pressure cooker with the functionality and familiarity of Instant Pot.
In what we’ve found to be the most differentiating of our cooking tests, the saute test; the DUO Nova performed wonderfully. 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. While it isn’t a budget appliance, this Instant Pot is a great price when you take into account all the different uses and the other appliances it can replace.
In designing the DUO Nova, Instant Pot took an already user-friendly machine and added a convenient pressure release button. Helen is a freelance writer who specializes in kitchen appliances and has written for some of the biggest home-related titles around. She has been reviewing small appliances, including blenders, juicers, and multi-cookers, for more than 8 years, and also upholsters furniture when she’s not testing the latest food tech gadgets. With a familiar design, the Duo Nova is instantly recognizable as an Instant Pot and as we’ve said in previous reviews, multi-cookers are not the most attractive of the kitchen counter appliances.
It’s a close race between these two models, so it will definitely boil down to your priorities. You can control it with your phone via the Instant Pot app. The app also has pre-programmed recipes and alerts to make cooking even easier. The cooker has an LCD and status icons so you can easily check on your meal. The pot connects to Alexa and Google Assistant for voice control too. When depressed, a continuous stream of steam will be released through the steam release valve until the float valve drops into the lid.
Read the review for the basics of your machine, then hop over to my Getting Started Guide to get cooking in your new Duo Nova! The Duo family includes a wide range of individual models. Fits loosely when installed properly, but will remain in place when the lid is turned over. Follow Care & Cleaning instructions in the included Safety, Maintenance & Warranty booklet to wash the cooker before first use. Remove all packaging material from in and around the cooker, and verify that all parts are accounted for. This product is covered by the Sam’s Club Member Satisfaction Guarantee.
The Smart app lets you dictate specific temperatures and duration of your recipes in unlimited sequences. Be aware that different Instant Pot sizes cook differently, but most online instructions are designed for 6-quart models. As a result, you’ll have to learn how to properly scale the recipes if you choose a different size. With revolutionary smart multi-cookers featuring new functions and uses constantly in development, it can be hard to tell Instant Pot products apart — especially the Instant Pot Duo and Duo Nova.
Men’s Health participates in various affiliate marketing programs, which means we may get paid commissions on editorially chosen products purchased through our links to retailer sites. Unlike the Duo Plus, the Duo Nova does not have a sous vide setting. If you’re interested in using the sous vide, you’ll want to buy a different version that does include this button. Food must be placed only in the inner pot, not cooker base. Only one sealing ring should be installed when using your cooker.Replace your sealing ring every months or when deformation or damage is noticed. Read all Important Safeguards in the included Safety, Maintenance & Warranty booklet before use.
Update your settings here, then reload the page to see it. Prices, promotions, styles and availability may vary by store & online. Next, I tested the Steam function to steam some green beans; I noticed the majority of beans were overcooked, soggy and lacked moosoo air fryer the firm and crunchy texture of steamed vegetables. The steam rack that’s included in the box is only suitable for steaming larger items, so if you’re looking to steam lots of vegetables you’ll need to buy a separate steamer accessory at an additional cost.
– If there is steam leakage from the lid (such as, sealing ring not installed, or steam release handle being in “Venting” and not “Sealing” position) the cooker will not pressurize. The cooker monitors the pre-heating time and lowers heat output if working pressure is not reached within 40 minutes. The DUO Nova provides most of the basic pressure cooking functions and some more advanced options. Essentially, unless you’re looking for some specific specialty functions like air fry or dehydrate, it will likely meet your needs. Some of the design requirements of pressure cookers almost inevitably lead to some cleaning challenges. However, the DUO Nova navigates these challenges better than most, making its cleaning process about as easy as one could hope.