Instant Pot Duo Evo Plus 10-in-1 Multi pressure cooker review

A steam rack and extra condensation collector are included with the 5.7L cooking pot. There’s an additional sealing ring that you can use for sweet dishes, too, but we had trouble attaching this as the fit is incredibly snug.

How easy is the Instant Pot Duo Evo Plus pressure cooker to use?

The intuitiveness of the controls allowed us to get stuck into using the Instant Pot Duo Evo Plus almost straight away. Functions are controlled via the buttons on the panel, or you can select other options on the screen using the dial.

The wide silicone handles on either side take the fuss and risk out of lifting the hot pot from the base – much simpler than fiddling around with oven gloves.

The float valve also locks into seal mode automatically when you secure the lid, which removes the hassle of having to lock it yourself. Just be sure to remember to release it again if cooking something that doesn’t require pressure.

We loved being able to adjust the heat levels when sautéing, which is something not offered by most of the multi-cookers we tested. The only gripe we had was that the pot spun in the base while stirring – annoying, but not a game changer.

Cooking results

We began with a beef stew recipe and set the pressure cook function on high for 30 minutes. Both the gravy and veg had the textures we were hoping for, but the meat was disappointingly tough and chewy. This may be because the chunks of beef were larger, so needed longer to cook.

Slow cooking was also slightly troublesome as the gadget seemed to stick on preheat for almost an hour, before eventually settling into cook mode (advice online suggests resetting the appliance if this happens). The outcome of our chicken korma was a mixed bag, producing dry chicken but a pleasantly thick and creamy sauce.

We also tested the cake-maker function with our gluten-free lemon drizzle cake recipe. We poured the batter straight into the pot, which sadly didn’t work – the cake was almost raw on top and in the centre even after 50 minutes of baking, while the underside was burnt and stuck to the base. It may be that this function performs better when using a separate cake tin rather than the pot (we didn’t test this method).

The cooking pot is made from stainless steel and dishwasher safe. However, drying is more difficult with pools of water collecting around the rim and lid.

How sustainable is the Instant Pot Duo Evo Plus pressure cooker?

As with the other multi-cookers we tested, this model comes wrapped in non-recyclable plastic packaging, including separate wrapping around the pot, cord and extra attachments, which seemed wasteful and unnecessary.

Regarding energy-efficiency, the Instant Pot Duo Evo Plus performed well, costing just 3.91p to pressure cook on high for 30 minutes (based on a variable tariff of 31.8p/kWh). This makes it the joint-cheapest model in our multi-cooker tests.

Conclusion

The large, bright screen is a fantastic addition to the classic multi-cooker design. Its adjustable heat levels and low running costs are also big wins. While our cooking results weren’t as positive as we’d hoped, a trial-and-error process may just be what’s needed for a few of the presets. Overall, Instant Pot Duo Evo Plus is a powerful, sophisticated piece of kit with solid user-friendly credentials.

Instant Pot Duo Evo 10-in-1 pressure cooker summary

Wattage: 1200W
Dimensions (cm): 33 x 32 x 33
Presets: 10
Materials: stainless steel
Guarantee: one year

All costs-to-run calculations were done against the variable tariff at the time of testing (31.8p/kWh), which may have since changed – read more on the current energy price guarantee rates.