My coworker, who purchases all of the latest kitchen gadgets, bragged how he made the best beef stew in literally 1 hour and 30 minutes start to finish. This time included cutting up the meat and vegetables. He raved how he could also make soup, chili, yogurt, meat, chicken, and beans in this multi-functional cooker all in less than 1 hour. Since my family is always on the go and we like to eat tasty food, we order take out way too much. We have become very conscious about what we eat so we order from nice restaurants where we can customize the order. For example, we will order steamed vegetables and salad with dressing on the side. No fast food hamburgers for us.
That is why this time-saving device sounded like the answer to "what's for dinner?" Not only could we enjoy fast healthy and tasty meals, we would save tons of money from takeout. This started my search for the best slower cooker and pressure cooker combination.
I had never personally used a pressure cooker before but had visions of hot steam coming from a pot that sounded like a whistling "Choo-Choo" Train. You may remember the old models that would explode and posed other safety hazards. The newer models are completely safe. Most are UL & ULC certified with additional built-in safety features.
I knew I had a lot to learn. So my search started by reading many customer reviews and looking at the best sellers online.
It turns out that the leading product had over 35,000 5-star reviews on one site. In addition, this brand had other top rated models. I did my due diligence and spent hours researching.
When looking for a pressure and slow cooker combination, there are several features to consider aside from the price and size. Nowadays, you can program your appliance to cook foods perfectly. Most can cook different types of foods including rice, yogurt, even cakes! Some are even WiFi enabled!
The versatility and recipes that can be prepared are almost limitless!
Listed are my top rated cookers based on product features, safety and customer ratings, and reviews.
Instant Pot Duo Evo Plus Multi Functional Pressure Cooker Slow Cooker
The Duo Plus is new in 2017 and has more features than the Duo, its previous model, which is my #2 choice. The Plus is the #1 best seller in Pressure Cookers on Amazon. 92% of ratings are 4 and 5 stars.
This 9 in 1 product is versatile. You can use it as a pressure cooker, steamer, warmer, slow cooker, yogurt maker, egg cooker, sterilizer, saute pan, and rice cooker.
There are 48 smart preset cooking programs. Press the button that says STEW and you are set to make stew. It takes the guessing out of what temperature to set. It even remembers the last 3 customizations on all cooking programs.
It has a 6 quart capacity with an easy seal lid.
The inner pot is stainless steel (18/8) instead of a non-stick coating. This is my preference. I really like the blue LCD screen. With larger numbers, you can easily read the settings.
Instant Pot Duo Mini 7 in 1 Multi Use Programmable Pressure Cooker Slow Cooker
This model is a 7-in-1 cooker and does not have all of the bells and whistles as the Duo Evo Plus. It is lacking the egg cooker, cake, and sterilizer functionality and the display is not as user-friendly. There are only 14 preset settings, but it is cheaper and smaller.
It is perfect for smaller families or where counter space is limited. It is a great product for cooking side dishes.
Ninja Foodi 7 in 1 Programmable Pressure Fryer, Slow Multi Cooker
It is a 7 in 1 cooker including pressure cooking, steaming, air frying, baking, slow cooking, saute and yogurt making with 5 preset temperature settings and 14 safety features.
It has a 5 quart capacity and can hold a 4 pound chicken.
I like that it is an air fryer. However, this comes with a bigger price tag.
My only negative concern is the inner pot. It is not stainless steel but has a nonstick ceramic coating. It is, however, PTFE/PFOA free.
Breville BPR700BSS Fast Slow Pro Multi Function Cooker
This BPR700BSS is a great slow cooker and is given an "Excellent" rating by Consumer Reports.
There are 11 pressure cooking settings. The LCD display is easy to read and it changes colors based on its function (steaming, cooking or pressurizing).
It has a 6 quart capacity and comes with a recipe book containing 41 recipes. Additional accessories, steamer basket and rack, are also included.
Again my concern is the removable cooking bowl. It is not stainless steel but has a nonstick ceramic coating that is PTFE/PFOA free.
Zavor LUX LCD 6 Quart Programmable Electric Multi Cooker
This model is a stainless steel, multi-purpose cooker that steams, pressure cooks, slow cooks, cooks rice, makes yogurt and eggs, browns, and sous vides.
Safety features include automatic locking, pressure regulator knob, alerts when lid is not properly shut. It has 30+ built-in cooking programs.
I like that it comes with comes with a color cookbook containing over 70 recipes and a stainless steel steamer basket.