Introduction
Part air fryer, part pressure cooker, the Instant Pot Duo Crisp with Ultimate Lid is built to be a single cooking appliance for all of your kitchen needs. It largely gets things right, with a huge number of cooking modes and relatively simple controls. However, a lack of accessories and a somewhat more fiddly lid than its main competition do limit its appeal slightly.
Design and Features
Thirteen cooking functionsIntegrated pressure cooker lidOnly one basket in the box
A large device, the Instant Pot Duo Crisp with Ultimate Lid has a 6.2-litre capacity. Note that this model is slightly squatter and a touch wider than the previous versions, so it may not be compatible with all optional accessories. As with the Ninja Foodi Max OL750UK, one of the main selling points of the Instant Pot Duo Crisp is that it has an integrated pressure cooker lid, whereas previous models required the main lid to be swapped when moving from air frying to pressure cooking. But, unlike the Ninja OL750UK, the Instant Pot Duo Crisp has an insert in its lid: this has to be added for steaming and pressure cooking and removed for the other functions. This doesn’t make a difference for storage, but it does make a difference for cooking. With Ninja’s design, it can use steam alongside other cooking modes. For example, steam combined with air frying delivered the best chips I’ve ever had. Here, you can steam or air fry, but not do both together. This is not to say that the Instant Pot Duo Crisp is lacking in functions. It has 13 cooking options, including pressure cooking, sautéing (this can be done with the lid open), steaming, slow cooking, sous vide, yoghurt, air frying, roasting, grilling, baking, dehydrating and proofing. Each mode has its own button, which makes the front control panel awash with labels. These were initially a little overwhelming, but I soon got used to them. Modes typically let you set the cooking temperature and time, although the pressure cooking option lets you choose the time and steam release option: Natural releases slowly, Pulse in bursts, and Quick all in one go. Once steam has been released, the lid can be unlocked. While the controls aren’t difficult to understand, it would be better if the Instant Pot Duo Crisp shipped with a proper manual. Instead, the simple Getting Started Guide pointed me to the website, which just had lots of videos. I had to use Google to find the actual manual. Again, this is where the Ninja OL750UK is better, as it has a proper manual and an inspiration guide that gives standard cooking settings for different types of food. There’s a main inner bowl on the Instant Pot Duo Crisp, into which the trivet and basket go. That’s enough for most uses, but I’d like to have a wire rack, as Ninja provides, as standard, because this allows for larger joints of meat or even multi-level cooking. Most modes have a pre-heating mode. However, I had to keep an eye on this appliance. Once it was pre-heated, the air fryer jumped straight into the cooking phase without pause or warning.
Performance
Slightly uneven air fryingFast pressure cookingGood results
To see how well the Instant Pot Duo Crisp with Ultimate Lid cooks, I used it in multiple ways. First, I started with chips, cooking at 200°C for 20mins. Here, the results were good, but the cooking was quite uneven: the chips towards the back of the basket were cooked more than the ones at the front. Regular shaking and moving the food about is the best option. The Instant Pot Duo Crisp tops at 204°C, which feels like a strange cut-off point. I used this temperature to cook hash browns. The results were good, but an air fryer with a higher maximum temperature can do a better job. Next, I tried out the pressure cooker with chicken breast. Adding 500ml of water, it took just 10 minutes to cook. The chicken breast came out succulent and moist, with the steam helping to lock in the moisture. I could eat the chicken as it was, but the moisture level also made the meat ideal for shredding.
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Sustainability
TrustedReviews holds the fact that global warming is not a myth as a core value and will continuously endeavour to help protect our planet from harm in its business practices. Air-frying results were a little uneven, although some shaking during the cooking process would have been enough to sort out the food. I would like a few more accessories in the box, although the steaming racks are available quite cheaply. The main competition here is the Ninja OL750UK, which is easier to use, cooks better and even has a temperature sensor – all for only a little more cash. Or, if you don’t care about the temperature probe, the Ninja OL650UK is a bit cheaper than its big brother and only a little more expensive than the Instant Pot Duo Crisp. For alternatives, check out my guide to the best air fryers. Find out more about how we test in our ethics policy. As part of this mission, whenever we review a product, we send the company a series of questions to help us gauge and make transparent the impact the device has on the environment. We currently haven’t received answers to the questions on this product, but we will update this page the moment we do. You can see a detailed breakdown of the questions we ask and why in our sustainability info page.
