What Is The Best Instant Pot For You in 2023? (A buying guide for families)
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After getting home tired from work, you are busy preparing dinner for the whole family.
But you are too tired and don’t want to do anything, not even cook.
What will happen if your husband and kids get home, but dinner isn’t on the table?
Can we agree that there would be tears and whining involved? Well.. everything would be under control if you owned an instant pot!
You are looking to buy an instant pot but feel confused by the variety of designs and functions of this item on the market and do not know which product to choose.
Join us to find out what is the best instant pot products – learn which are worth buying on the market today!
Especially if your family has 4 to 5 people, our best instant pot for a family of 4 products will help you a lot.
Let’s find out more!
What To Consider When Buying An Instant Pot?
Pot capacity
The capacity of the pot will depend on the number of people in your family. For families with 3-4 people, choose a pot with a capacity of 2-3 quarts. For 4-6 people, a pot over 3-4 quarts is suitable. As for big parties, it is necessary to have a pot of over quarts liters.
Choosing the wrong pot capacity will consume a lot of electricity, affecting the hot pot’s boiling time and the cooking time of the food. So you need to consider carefully before choosing to buy the product. If your pot is too big for example, it may take extra long for your pot to come to pressure making the cooking time longer than you’d like.
Cooking functions
In addition to the ability to process hot pot dishes, the Instant Pot is very versatile. For example, many of the Instant Pots on the market have extra functions like, slow cook, yogurt maker, broil, and even air fry!
Material
The pot’s material determines the heat transfer efficiency, the product’s longevity, and affects health, so choosing the inner pot is what women are most concerned with.
You should choose products made from alloy, aluminum, stainless steel, porcelain, ceramic, glass, etc. These materials have a high bearing capacity and heat resistance.
Especially the anti-stick enamel-coated alloy is the preferred material for everyone because it offers high efficiency and is easy to clean when used.
What Is The Best Instant Pot For A Family Of 4?
1. Instant Pot Ultra 6: Best For A family Of 4
Owning a pressure cooker Instant Pot Ultra 6, is like having a versatile cooking tool that can support all cooking tasks in the kitchen.
Instant Pot Ultra 6 has up to 10 different functions, including pressure cooking, cooking rice, porridge, stir-frying, steaming, reheating or even sterilizing ingredients, making yogurt, and baking.
You don’t have to worry about difficult-to-use problems with these functions because this Instant pot is incredibly intuitie and easy to use.
Just put the ingredients in and press the program selector button. The modern processor inside will automatically adjust the temperature intensity and cooking pattern to best suit.
Instant Pot Ultra is packed with additional features for home chefs who love experimenting with new and unusual dishes with loads of customization options. It offers 21 preset temperature settings, more than any other Instant Pot model.
This instant pot even helps make converting non-instant pot recipes into instant-pot recipes easier!
Unlike other Instant Pot models that feature only buttons, the smooth dial makes programming a breeze. You can cook by pressure for up to 6 hours (2 hours longer than Duo Plus). Equally important, the Instant Pot Ultra also has a steam release button to make the cooking process safer.
Pros:
- 21 temperature levels can be adjusted until your dish is cooked well
- Replace the work of 10 devices
- Integrated 16 smart programs
- Digital control for easier programming.
Cons:
- Most expensive compared to other models of the same manufacturer
2. Instant Pot Duo 7-in-1: Best Selling pressure cooker
As the # 1 best-selling product on Amazon (at the time thhs post is being written), the Instant Pot Duo 7-in-1 offers all the standard Instant Pot features with additional settings for making yogurt at home.
This multi-function cooker has 3, 6, and 8 quart options and can replace 7 common kitchen appliances such as pressure cooker, slow cooker, rice cooker, steamer, and warmers. The pot’s material is made of stainless steel and has a 3-layer bottom that helps distribute heat evenly.
Besides, the Instant Pot Duo also has the necessary extras like a cook delay tool and a keep-warm function. You can also adjust the cooking pressure to a low level (other models usually only have high pressure), so you will have more control over the cooking temperature, and won’t have to worry about it overcooking.
Another advantage of this series is that the pot’s design has a large handle at the top for quick and easy opening and additional slots on both side for handles. The side of the machine can be used to lift the lid when not in use.
Plus, the detachable pot wire makes it more convenient for you to clean and store.
Pros:
- The multipurpose pot replaces 7 other common kitchen appliances
- 14 intelligent integration programs
- Easier to control with the ability to adjust cooking pressure low and high
Con:
- There are no settings for disinfection, making eggs, or baking
3. Instant Pot Lux 6-in-1: Best for basic cooking
If you just need to cook basic dishes that are not too fussy, Instant Pot Lux 6 in 1 will suit your needs. This model both saves you money and does not have to spend a lot of time using the machine.
The Instant Pot Lux versatile pressure cooker can meet your 6 cooking needs in one machine: pressure cooking, slow cooking, rice cooking, pan-frying, steaming, and keep warm settings.
The main feature that the Instant Pot Lux lacks is the ability to cook at low pressure. The Instant Pot Lux can only put high cooking pressure on, but this won’t interfere with your meal preparation for casual home dishes. Just be sure to use the built-in timer to avoid overcooking or burning like food.
This pot will save you a lot of time when cooking dishes like chili sauce, stew, or hearty meat dishes. Please note that if your own yogurt-making idea is part of what drives you to buy Instant Pot, you’ll be disappointed to learn that this model doesn’t include that setting.
Pros:
- A simple control interface, fewer bells, and whistles that is easy to use.
- Multi-purpose pot with 6 cooking modes
- Integrated 12 smart programs
- Affordable price
Con:
- The pot can only cook at high pressure
What is The Best Instant Pot and Air Fryer Combo?
While Instant Pot has become a phenomenon in the US, Air Frying is also huge right now and for good reason!
The air fryer is loved for bringing healthier dishes and for its safety and convenience in each design. Food fried with an air fryer has much lower calories than the conventional frying method because it uses little to no oil.
Also, these Instant Pot and Air Fryer combos make for some amazing dishes! Imagine a perfectly cooked whole chicken (cooked using the instant pot) that you then crisp up with the air fryer! All without having to get multiple things dirty or so much of anything manually!
Let’s also take a look at the top 3 best instant pot air fryer combos in the section below!
1. Ninja FD401 Foodi Deluxe XL Cooker & Air Fryer
As a busy person, you always want to find equipment to aid in the quick cooking process. The Nina Food is definitely a top choice for any busy parent!
This is 100% one of my favorites and the one I currently use! Almost daily actually…
The front panel is integrated for easier user use and the functions on the Foodi are pre-programmed. You just need to select the mode and control the time and temperature to get the desired dish. Moreover, using air-frying technology reduces fat by 75% for better health protection. This product does not degrade or dehydrates food while retaining its natural taste.
PLUS…The Ninja Foodi comes with so many extra optoions including a dehydrator and yogurt setting! Two of my favorites! We love to make apple chips with the dehydrator and it’s delicious!
When we renovated our kitchen and didn’t have an oven to cook with, we made everything including homemade tomato soup in our Ninja Foodi!
2. COSORI Smart WiFi Air Fryer
Cosori is a well-known brand specializing in providing kitchen appliances from the US. The oil-free fryer is the company’s best-selling standout product!
This Cosori fryer comes with 11 modes to help users process many different dishes such as egg cakes, fried meat, desserts, etc. The control panel is integrated with led lights to help users use easily with just one touch. It takes only a few minutes to cook food. Thus, using the fryer will save time in cooking.
This pot is equipped with a keep-warm function to keep food delicious after a period of processing. The removable frying pan and frying tray make food collection and cleaning easier.
3. Dash Compact Air Fryer
If you are in need of a fryer with a compact design and unique color, the Dash Compact Air Fryer is the right choice. The product possesses a compact size and has a variety of colors to bring many choices for users.
This product uses Air Crisp technology to reduce fat from food up to 80% but guarantees the dish’s taste. Time to make crispy foods quickly gives you more time to do other things.
The product is integrated with an auto-off function, helping to ensure the user’s safety and limit overcooked dishes.
A compact design like a slow cooker does not take up too much space. At the same time, the product also has a very beautiful appearance that enhances the space’s aesthetics.
So, Which is the Best Air Fryer For You?
Are you interested in delicious but easy-to-make dishes at home? Why not try one of these Instant Pots or even get an Instant Pot and Air Fryer combo!
I did lots of research and shared the best air fryingers on the market today – including my perosnal favorite! I hope you’ll give one of these a try!
It will forever change how you prepare dinner!
Once you get your new Instant Pot, be sure to give one of these recipes a try – they are delicious and so fast and easy!
- Healthy 30 Minute Instant pot Chicken & Avocado Salad
- Instant Pot Sweet and Sour Meatballs – Made With 3 Ingredients
- Best Asian Cabbage Salad Recipe with Spicy Peanut and Ginger Dressing
So which one did you pick/ Comment below!
