Instant Pot DUO Nova Review

The Instant Pot DUO Nova sets the standard for pressure cookers, offering a versatile list of cooking functions, well-designed controls, and convenient touches like a pressure release button.

Performance Comparison

Credit: Ian Pearman

User Friendliness

In designing the DUO Nova, Instant Pot took an already user-friendly machine and added a convenient pressure release button.

Our absolute favorite thing about the DUO Nova's user experience is the pressure release button. This button sits about two inches from the pressure valve and allows you to open that valve without actually touching it. Most pressure cookers force you to timidly bat at the pressure valve with a wooden spoon to release it without getting your fingers uncomfortably close to the jet of steam that suddenly bursts forth. Thus, having a button that makes this process quicker, easier, and safer is a welcome addition.

The pressure release button makes depressurizing the cooking chamber feel much easier and less stressful.

Credit: Ian Pearman

This isn't the only model available with a pressure release button, and in fact there are other machines that place their buttons on the main control panel, even farther away from the assault of steam that accompanies depressurizing a pressure cooker. However, the DUO Nova is certainly still in the minority in offering a pressure release button. And those machines that have those buttons farther away — they generally require wiring to run from the valve to the control panel, meaning the lid must be permanently affixed to the machine, making for a more difficult cleaning process.

The DUO Nova's control panel makes navigating its multiple cooking features and settings quite easy. There is a dedicated button for each of its cooking presets, making it easy to quickly dial in rice or soup settings. A large LCD display clearly displays feedback if you want to cycle through some of the advanced features, such as adjusting the pressure level, programming in a delayed start, or adjusting the cooking time.

One thing we've always liked about Instant Pot models is that the lid can be stored upright in either of the handles on either side of the machine. This allows you to put the lid out of the way, no matter which hand you like to stir with, without setting it down on a potentially dirty countertop.

Cooking Performance

For the most part, we found the differences in cooking abilities to be very minor between the pressure cookers that we've tested. That being said, we thoroughly enjoyed the food made by the DUO Nova, with it earning superlatives in most of our cooking tests.

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. In our opinion this ability is crucial, as being able 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.

The DUO Nova was able to easily saute a variety of veggies in our testing.

Credit: Michelle Powell

We also had great luck prepping a variety of grains, including rice and quinoa, in the DUO Nova. Things generally came out a bit more moist and sticky rather than fluffy, but we generally enjoyed the texture.

The DUO Nova also performed well in our meat cooking tests, successfully rendering a tough cut of brisket into a tender and enjoyable feast. If we really split hairs, there are other models we've tested that are able to create a bit more tenderness in meat, but the differences are minor and would likely only be noticed by the most discerning barbeques aficionados. Additionally, we found that many meat-based pressure cooker recipes suggest significantly longer cooking times than Instant Pot suggests for the same cut of meat. In those situations we generally found Instant Pot's recommendations to be more on point, with the longer cook times bringing about slightly drier and tougher results.

We enjoyed the rice we made in the DUO Nova.

Credit: Michelle Powell

Ease of Cleaning

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.

First off, the rubber gasket on the lid is easily removable, and the lid itself is a single piece. This makes for much easier cleaning and drying than some other models that use two-piece lids designs that introduce nooks and crannies where water and gunk can hide.

The cooking pot itself is stainless steel. This makes it a bit harder to scrub clean than many of its non-stick counterparts, but also means it can unequivocally go in a dishwasher. There is a bit of a debate as to whether stainless or non-stick pressure cooker pots are easier to clean, and that debate largely centers around whether or not the non-stick pots can go into a dishwasher. Many people, and some manufacturers, maintain that it's completely fine to put non-stick cookware in the dishwasher, while others find that blasphemous. Stainless steel, on the other hand, has a long and proven pedigree of being dishwasher safe, and thus doesn't elicit the same debate. Instant Pot has come down firmly on the "stainless is better" side of the conversation, using stainless pots in all of their pressure cookers.

The large display and multitude of buttons makes navigating the DUO Nova's settings easy.

Credit: Ian Pearman

The one thing keeping the DUO Nova, and all of the other models we've tested, from getting a higher score in our ease of cleaning metric, is the gully between the actual pot and the body of the machine where the pressure lid latches on. This gully almost inevitably gathers some crumbs or condensation or whatnot during the stirring and serving process, and can be a bit difficult to clean. That gully is likely a necessity of a pressure cooker's functionality, but we're still waiting for someone to find an innovative solution to this issue before we award a higher score in this metric.

Cooking Features

The DUO Nova provides most of the basic pressure cooking functions, along with some more advanced options as well. Essentially, unless you're looking for some specific specialty functions like air fry or dehydrate, the DUO Nova will likely meet your needs.

A Full List of The Instant Pot DUO Nova's Cooking Functions

Soup/Broth, Meat/Stew, Bean/Chili, Poultry, Slow Cook, Saute, Rice, Multigrain, Porridge, Steam, Yogurt, Pressure Cook

Value

In the world of pressure cookers, the Instant Pot DUO Nova sells for a relatively reasonable price, but leads the pack in terms of performance. Sure, you can find some models that sell for less, but those models generally lack a saute function and thus sacrifice quite a bit of the convenience that makes pressure cookers so attractive. In our opinion, the DUO Nova is one of the best values on the market.

Conclusion