Welcome back to The Average Kitchen! Thanks for joining us for another fantastic review. Today, we're looking at the Instant Pot Duo Crisp with the Ultimate Lid, which functions as both a pressure cooker and an air fryer. Our goal is to put it through a series of tests to help you make an informed decision. We're not affiliated with Instant Pot or any other brand, so our review is completely independent and unbiased.
Getting Started with the Instant Pot Duo Crisp
First, we'll make creamy mashed potatoes using the Instant Pot app. I've got a bunch of potatoes in the pot with 1.5 cups of water. After closing the lid and setting it to pressure cook for 20 minutes, we’ll hit start. To give you a clear picture, we'll time how long it takes for the pressure to build up and the cooking to begin. It took about 12 minutes for the pressure to build, which isn't bad.
Step-by-Step Cooking
Using the Instant Pot app, which is very intuitive, we followed a simple recipe. Although it called for 4 lbs of potatoes, we used less but kept the 1.5 cups of water. After cooking, we added milk, butter, salt, and pepper. The app's step-by-step guide ensured we didn't miss anything.
After the cooking cycle finished, we did a quick release of the steam and found the potatoes perfectly cooked. We strained them, then mashed them directly in the pot. The result was silky smooth mashed potatoes without any lumps.
Air Frying French Fries
Next, we tested the air frying feature with frozen french fries. We set the air fryer to 400°F for 18 minutes. Surprisingly, the fries were done in just 13 minutes and came out perfectly crispy. This was one of the fastest air-frying experiences we've had.
Cooking Wings and Nachos
We moved on to air frying Nashville-style frozen wings. Setting the air fryer to 400°F for 24 minutes, the wings turned out super crispy. While the wings cooked, we prepared trash can nachos, layering nacho chips, cheese, and barbecue chicken. Following the app's recipe, we air-fried the nachos at 400°F for 5 minutes. The result was fantastic, with the nachos coming out perfectly melted and crispy.
Pressure Cooking BBQ Ribs
For our next test, we tried pressure cooking barbecue ribs. After seasoning and setting the ribs on a trivet with 1 cup of warm water, we pressure-cooked them on high for 20 minutes. Post-cooking, we smothered the ribs in barbecue sauce and broiled them for 5 minutes. The ribs turned out well-cooked, though not fall-off-the-bone tender. Next time, we might increase the cooking time for extra tenderness.
Final Test: Pot Roast
Our final test was a beef pot roast with carrots, potatoes, and onions. We browned the roast on the sauté setting, then pressure-cooked it with beef broth for 40 minutes, followed by a slow release. The roast and vegetables came out perfectly cooked, and we used the broth to make a delicious gravy.
Review Summary
Overall, the Instant Pot Duo Crisp performed exceptionally well. Here’s a breakdown of our ratings:
- Price: 8.6/10 ($250 CAD, great value compared to other models like the Ninja Smart Lid).
- Functionality: 8.9/10 (versatile with multiple cooking functions, though removing the pressure cooking component for air frying was a minor inconvenience).
- Versatility: 9.1/10 (offers 14 functions including pressure cook, sauté, steam, slow cook, sous vide, and various air frying modes).
- Cleaning: 8.5/10 (dishwasher-safe parts make it easier to clean).
- Size: 8.8/10 (6.5 quarts, sufficient for a family meal).
- Overall Quality: 8.8/10 (high-quality build and excellent performance).
The only downside was the lack of an air frying basket, which would have been a nice addition. However, the Instant Pot Duo Crisp still earned a high overall score of 8.8, making it one of the best products we've reviewed.
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