A pressure cooker is something every busy mom/dad can appreciate. You can follow your grandma’s secret recipes and achieve the same delicious, nostalgic flavors but in half the time. Pretty cool, right?
In fact, we’ve all begun to depend a LOT on pressure cookers, so it’s essential to choose the right one when it comes to making purchases.
This post will review the Instant Pot Duo Evo Plus, which is a cult favorite among thousands. However, we’ll be reviewing it critically so you can make an informed decision.
So read on! What are its features? How well does it perform in the kitchen? What are its downsides? We’ll discuss all of that in this comprehensive review.
The Duo Evo Plus Features
The Duo Evo Plus is a refined and improved version of the previous models, and this isn’t just a marketing gimmick. You’ll see for yourself that the added features cover previous shortcomings:
Design
Right out of the box, the Duo Evo Plus looks like a high-tech kitchen gadget. It has a large 3 x 3 inch blue LCD at the front, along with 12 buttons and a dial, which is a button itself.
The lid is plain black, and the overall look is nothing special, just like most electric pressure cookers. Its pot is made of stainless steel, and it feels sturdy when you hold it.
But the best part about the new model is that the inner pot has a flat bottom, which means you can place it on any stovetop and cook manually. Currently, it’s available in two large sizes – the Instant Pot Duo Evo Plus 6 Quart and the Instant Pot Duo Evo Plus 8 Qt.
Apart from this, the handles are cool to touch, so you can easily use them to hold the pot while stirring or sauteing, or removing the inner pot. Plus, the handles fit into the outer pot snugly, so nothing moves around while you’re stirring.
When it comes to safety, the Duo Evo Plus has all the necessary features. There’s steam release, anti-block shield, overheat protection, auto lid lock, leak detection, and lots more.
To know more about its safety mechanisms, check out the Instant Pot Duo Evo Plus manual. (Click here to download it.)
The lid itself has impressive, updated features, but we’ll talk about that later in detail.
9 Cooking Modes with Excellent Performance
If you’re a kitchen gearhead, you’ll want to make the most out of your new pressure cooker. Luckily, the Instant Pot Duo Evo Plus offers nine whole cooking modes. Yep – nine different options for you to experiment and enjoy with your cooker.
You can use it as a:
- Pressure cooker
- Rice/grain cooker
- Steamer
- Sauté pan
- Slow cooker
- Sous vide machine
- Yogurt maker
- Baking oven
To no one’s surprise, the Duo Evo Plus does pressure cooking like a champ. Its 1200W heating element ensures that preheating time is cut short, and the cooker gets the rest done without breaking a sweat.
You can also use it as a steamer, yogurt maker, or grain/rice cooker for rice, lentils, and beans. In fact, you can make countless dishes with this super versatile, high-tech bad boy, be it a dessert, beef/ poultry/pork, chili, risotto, ribs, soups, stews, and whatnot.
But the best part? You can now use this multi-cooker as an oven – press the bake mode, choose your settings, and voila! Your cooker is now a cake maker. Talk about versatility! However, do note that baking in this cooker will often take longer than in an actual oven.
48 Preset Settings
When we said the Instant Pot Duo Evo Plus is versatile, we meant it. It comes with a whopping 48 preset settings, including brown rice, white rice, quinoa, broccoli, ferment, proofing, and pasteurizing. These are some presets you won’t find on most pressure cookers.
While presets aren’t useful for everyone and may not fit every recipe, it’s good to have these options, especially if you’re new to cooking.
Easy Steam Release Lid
The Duo Evo Plus’ lid has an interesting set of features as well. The most notable one is the addition of the steam release valve, which simplifies the pressure release process. Just flip the switch, and the valve will release steam a safe distance away from your hand.
However, we would have liked it if the switch was placed on the opposite side of the lid and not right beside the steam release valve. You can never be too safe, right?
You also get a cover for the steam release valve, which not only reduces the amount of spitting and sputtering but also lowers the noise level.
Apart from this, the Duo Evo Plus’ new easy seal lid locks by itself when you click it into place, unlike the Instant Pot Duo.
Moreover, the valve switch automatically goes back into sealing mode as soon as you open the lid, so you don’t have to remember to seal it for your next cooking session.
Controls
When it comes to controls, you’ll either love or hate the ones on the Duo Evo Plus. While you get lots of different modes and customizable preset options, it can get complicated to use the controls.
Apart from the eight cooking mode buttons, a start button confirms that the cooking process has begun. The cancel button lets you stop the cooking at any time, and the delay start option allows you to start the cooking process at a set time without being physically present.
There’s also an option to use the pot as a food warmer – press the keep warm button, and your food will receive continuous low heat till you’re ready to serve.
These are all handy and easy-to-use controls with clearly labeled icons. However, the dial is where things can get cumbersome.
To choose or customize the presets, you’ll have to rotate the dial and press on it to select the correct option. After that, you’ll select the level of heat/pressure using the same dial and press it once again to select your preference.
Just reading doesn’t sound very easy, so there’s definitely a learning curve for using the controls and the menu. However, you’ll get the hang of it eventually – it’s nothing too complicated.
On the bright side, the display shows the cooking progress clearly, so you know exactly what’s happening inside the pot from the moment you close it.
Available Sizes
The Duo Evo Plus is available in two sizes – six and eight quarts.
Instant Pot Duo Evo Plus 6 Quart Specifications
- Dimensions: 13l x 12.7w x 12.8h (inches)
- Weight: 13.01lb
- Ideal for: families of 4-6 members
Instant Pot Duo Evo Plus 8 Qt Specifications
- Dimensions: 14.37l x 13.9w x 14.2h (inches)
- Weight: 15.82lb
- Ideal for: large batches of food for 6-8 people
Reasons to Buy
- Inner pot can be used on stovetops
- Cool-to-touch easy-grip handles
- Steam release valve and valve cover
- Automatic sealing lid
- Customizable settings to make adjustments
- 48 presets and 9 cooking modes
- The inner pot is dishwasher safe
- Quick cool technology to quickly release pressure naturally
- Updated and easy to read Instant Pot Duo Evo Plus manual
- Large and bright display
- Extra sealing ring included
- UL and ULC certified with more than enough safety features in place
Reasons to Avoid
- Expensive than previous models
- Complicated menu and controls
- Short warranty (1 year limited)
- Quick cool tray not included in accessories
Instant Pot Duo Evo FAQ
Here are some FAQs we answered to clear any doubts further:
What is the difference between Instant Pot Duo and Duo Evo Plus?
The Duo Evo plus features a flat-bottomed inner pot, easy-grip handles, a backlit display, a cooking progress indicator, an easy steam release lid, lots of customizable settings, and more. All of these aspects are missing from the Duo, which is pretty basic.
What’s the difference between the Duo Evo Plus and the Duo Nova?
The Duo Nova is more suited for beginners, so it lacks some of the advanced features of the Evo Plus. For instance, the sous vide, and the baking option isn’t included in this model.
Moreover, the Evo Plus has far more presets and a bigger and brighter display than the Nova.
What is included with Instant Pot Duo Evo Plus?
Two sealing rings, a steam rack, a user manual, and a guide to get started.
Which model of Instant Pot is best?
There are 13 different Instant Pot models, so you have lots of options to choose from. The Duo Evo Plus is best suited for those who have some know-how of electronic pressure cooker controls.
Conclusion
The Duo Evo Plus is neither too simple nor too high-tech – it sits right in the middle with enough bells and whistles to impress most home chefs.
Overall, it’s quite a bargain, especially considering the moderate price range. It’s jam-packed with features and does an impressive job in most of its cooking modes.
So if you’re into modern, multi-tasking pressure cookers that make cooking quick and easy, you’ll love the Duo Evo Plus. But if you want something simpler and cheaper with lesser fancy controls, you may want to look into the Instant Pot Duo instead.
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