The Instant Pot has a serious cult-following — fans actually say it's life-changing. In our tests, it earned high scores in nearly every test and it was one of the few we looked at that made rice that was well-cooked (ahem, not mushy). It aced our pressure-cooking and slow-cooking stew tests; controls are highly intuitive. Settings for making soup, meat, stew, beans, poultry, rice, yogurt and more are included.
If you're looking for an upgraded Instant Pot with more bells and whistles, this is the way to go. New features include altitude adjustment (you'll be grateful for this if you live above 3,000 feet), a manual steam release button, and pre-programmed settings for sterilizing, making cake, or cooking eggs. The dial and large LED screen streamline the user interface.
CHEF iQ pressure cooker made super tender beef and veggie stew under pressure and on the slow cook function. In addition to those two programs (which can be set on high or low), this six-quart model will sauté, steam, and connect CHEF iQ App via WiFi and Bluetooth. It also has a built-in scale if you're the type to cook by weight.
Yedi's pressure cooker lets you slow cook, pressure cook, pasteurize, sauté, and steam. It's made with a keep warm feature so you can hold your food at the ideal serving temperature until everyone in the family is ready to eat. If you're curious to try pressure cooking, but still consider yourself a slow cooker at heart, we promise you won't regret clearing your old-school slow cooker off your counter to make room for this more versatile newbie.
The Fast Slow Pro is swankier than most pressure cookers. It offers tons of customizable cooking settings: you can control the precise temperature, pressure level (from 1.5 to 12 psi), and choose between auto quick, auto pulse or natural pressure release. The sophisticated knob controls and LCD display make the interface a delight to use. Settings are included for vegetables, rice, soup, meat, bone-in meat, chili, stew, dessert and more.
Betty Gold is an experienced food writer and editor who worked at Good Housekeeping from 2013 to 2019. As the former Senior Editor & Product Analyst in the Kitchen Appliances Lab at the Good Housekeeping Institute, she tested and wrote about pretty much every type of cooking tool and food-related item on the market.
Sienna is a Deputy Editor at Hearst, where she oversees coverage of style, beauty, lifestyle, and more. She lives in California with her husband and two littles.
