Best Electric Pressure Cooker Instant Pot
Top choice
Rio is a versatile time saver in the kitchen. It’s one of the most basic and affordable Instant Pot models, and it does everything you need to make it easy.
The Instant Pot Rio 6-quart, an updated version of our long-time favorite, the Instant Pot Duo 6-quart, offers excellent performance for its price. It performs basic cooking functions as well as expensive instant pot models, and performs much better than cookers from other brands.
The control panel is intuitive, and it’s one of the easiest cookers to clean. A solid metal pot will last longer than a non-stick coating, and replacement parts are readily available.
It has a straightforward interface. Despite its many buttons, the Instant Pot Rio (like most Instant Pot models) is easy to use. We were cooking beans within minutes of scanning the instructions.
The Rio now has a start button, which is especially useful for first-time owners, as well as dedicated temperature and timer controls. In contrast, the Duo starts automatically once you set the program, and you have to press the same program button to switch between temperatures.
A progress bar on the screen lets you know if the Rio is preheating, cooking, or warm. You can also turn off beeps (although security alerts will still sound).
The inner pot stays in place. The Rio has four rubber stoppers inside the cooking base, which keep the inner pot from turning while you are stirring or stirring.
The lids don’t restrict movement and the handles hold the pot in place on our upgrade choice, the Instant Pot Pro, but the pot remained stationary while we sautéed onions and beans.
Unless you’re moving something with a lot of resistance, rubber stoppers work best.
It has three heat levels for precise sautéing. We like that the Rio has three sautéing heat settings, while other similarly priced cooktops only offer one or two.
You can make a sofrito for the base of the soup using a low heat setting, for example, or caramelize onions and garlic on high.
It has a variety of cooking skills. The Rio’s programs include presets for making rice, stew, and yogurt, as well as manual programs for sautéing, slow cooking, and pressure cooking, as well as a warming setting.
You can also adjust the time between scheduled tasks, and the machine will remember that adjustment the next time you turn it on.
The inner pot of stainless steel is strong. All Instant Pot electric cookers come with a stainless steel inner pot with a tri-ply disk underneath to help distribute heat evenly.
Most cookers from other brands have sealed inner pots that do not brown food efficiently and do not last as long.
Even if you’re careful not to scratch the nonstick coating, it will eventually wear off in just a few years of use. On the other hand, a stainless steel pot will probably outlast the machine itself.
Steam release is safer. Like all Instant Pot models from 2021 onwards, the Rio has an easy-to-use steamer if you want to pressure pot quickly.
In older Instant Pot models, you needed to open the valve to release the pressure and quickly remove your hand from the blast of steam. Now, you can simply slide the switch next to the valve.
This makes it safer to use, although you should still keep your hands and face away from the valve. The steam blast is still strong and loud, and may be a bit of a puzzle to first-time owners.
The lid also automatically closes the steam valve once you’ve locked the lid in place, whereas on older models you had to remember to adjust the valve in the closed position.
It is strong. Some Wirecutter employees have had their instant pitchers for more than half a decade, and say they still work well even after being dropped or handled by their roommates.
The Rio has a one-year warranty, and replacement parts are available online.
The 6-quart Rio is the most useful size for home cooks, but if you’re not sure what size you need, we break it down here.
Flaws but not dealbreakers
It has tricky places to clean. Every Instant Pot has certain parts that require extra effort to clean. The depression around the outside rim of the pot kept out the salt, crumbs, and gunk, but we wiped it off with canned air and a damp cloth.
Although the silicone sealing ring of the lid can retain the smell, you can eliminate the smell or buy an extra one (many people like to use one sealing ring for cooking savory dishes and another for cooking sweet dishes).
It has many buttons. All of the Rio’s programs come with an array of buttons on the front of the pot, which is a bit unnoticeable (and annoying if you don’t use them). If you’d prefer a more streamlined control panel, we recommend our upgrade option, which has fewer buttons.
The lid is heavy and can get hot. The Rio lid weighs about 2.5 kilograms, which is just over a liter of milk. The metal finish on top of the lid will also get warm during cooking, so if you’re worried about touching it, we’d recommend the Pro, which has a plastic top on the lid.
Like all Instant Pot lids, the lid on the Rio must be twisted to lock in and out of place.
Heat is not expensive. The electric heating element in the Instant Pot cannot sear the meat and the stove modes (a problem with all electric stoves). To make a deep brown, sear the meat in a separate pan on the stove, glaze, and add the meat and drippings to the electric stove.
This process may kill your pot-pot-dinner thoughts, but sometimes life is a compromise. If you want more flexibility, our inner pot selector is designed to work in many cooking areas.
It has only one pressing option. This is the only change in performance we noticed between the Rio and Duo models. The Duo (and Pro) offer low and high pressure cooking, while the Rio only offers high.
But while it’s nice to have more options, most pressure cooker recipes are designed for high pressure. Even the Wirecutter staff who use their Instant Pots every week couldn’t think of a time they used them for low-pressure cooking. Eggs, seafood, and vegetables can all be cooked at high pressure, and in less time, too.
