Dinner time is all too often a sprint. You get home from work, take care of business around the house and, all of a sudden, you have 30 minutes to make dinner. It’s no wonder why electric pressure cookers have been dominating the cooking world for at least a decade. They come with the guarantee that they expedite dinner, minimize cleanup and deliver flavor-packed food without much effort.
In a sea of choices, the Instant Pot brand rises to the top as your go-to market leader. They very nearly invented it, at least for the modern era home cook. The original Instant Pot Duo has long been the crowd favorite, but recently the brand dropped an even user-friendlier version: The Instant Pot Duo Nova.
The Duo Nova is frequently advertised as the best entry-level model for novice pressure cookers. It encapsulates what people loved about the original best seller, but smoothes out rougher edges with redesigned lids, clearer displays and smarter steam releases. But is it worth investing in? Does it really replace seven other countertop appliances?
We’ve dissected the Instant Pot Duo Nova 7-in-1 Electric Pressure Cooker (model B07M8NLC37) in this full review covering features, performance and overall value to determine if it’s a good fit for your kitchen.
A Closer Look at the Duo Nova Features
The Instant Pot Duo Nova is the latest version of the Duo series, and promises a few evolution compared to its predecessor. It keeps the same base features that helped make the brand popular, but improves various aspects to accommodate general user gripes.
The “Easy Seal” Lid
The biggest change in the Duo Nova is the lid. With older models, you manually had to position a steam release valve to “Sealing” before initiating the cook. (If you forgot to push it a step — which happened all the time — your food would boil away, never reaching pressure, and you’d ruin dinner.)
This is realized with the Easy Seal Lid of the Duo Nova. What happens is that as soon as you close the lid, it triggers to auto seal the pressure valve. You don’t have to touch it. When the cooking cycle is complete, you use a dedicated push-button to release the steam, ensuring your hand stays safely away from the hot steam valve. This minor shift in approach makes you feel safer and the whole thing more instinctive.
The 7-in-1 Functionality
This appliance lives up to its name: It is a shapeshifter. It combines seven kitchen gadgets into one compact footprint:
- Pressure Cooker: Cuts cooking times by up to 70% compared to traditional methods.
- Slow Cooker: For when you want to achieve that low-and-slow dutch oven vibe.
- Rice Cooker: Specialized logic for cooking white and brown rice.
- Steamer: I use mine for everything including vegetables and fish.
- Sauté Pan: Brown meat or simmer sauces right in the pot before pressure cooking.
- Making yogurt: Keeps temperatures consistent so you can produce homemade yogurt.
- Warmer: Food retains serving temperature after cooking is finished.
Updated Display and Control Panel
Duo Nova control panel The interface on the Duo Nova got some cosmetic surgery compared to its predecessors. It’s got a large backlight so you can see it easily even in the dark of night.
One of the coolest things added to the display is “Status Indicator”. This visual bar tells you where the pot is in your cooking cycle: Preheating, Cooking and Keep Warm. For beginners left wondering “Is this thing doing anything?” the pot quietly pressurizing, this by-sight comfort is needed.
The Inner Pot
The cooking pot is also food grade 304 (18/8) stainless steel. The Instant Pot’s stainless steel bowl is far more durable than the non-stick coatings used on most other multi-cookers. You can use metal tools with out fear of scratching and is dishwasher safe. It also has a heavy-duty, tri-ply bottom to aid in even heating and searing.
Safety Mechanisms
Newcomers to pressure cooking are often afraid of this. The Duo Nova is equipped with over 10 safety features and has been carefully designed to provide you peace of mind.
Why upgrading to the Duo Nova is worth it
Why would you surrender your precious counter space for this appliance? The advantages are more than mere speed.
Massive Time Savings
The headline benefit is speed. Because it traps steam and raises the boiling point of water, it cooks tough cuts of meat (including turkey breast) dried beans, and grains in a fraction of the time that’s needed on a stove top. A pot roast that normally takes 4 hours to cook in the oven can become tender in just 60 minutes. Dried beans that typically require an overnight soak and hours of simmering can be on the table in 30 minutes.
Energy Efficiency
Because the cooking chamber is sealed and insulated, not much heat gets released from the Instant Pot at all. And it takes far less electricity than heating a huge electric oven. In summer, that’s a big bonus because you don’t warm your entire kitchen to cook hot food.
Flavor Infusion
When you pressure cook, you’re essentially pushing liquid and moisture inside of your food. This has the effect of allowing marinate and seasonings to penetrate meat, vegetables quickly and deeply. The sealed environment also traps volatile aroma compounds so that they can’t escape the pot, which means you end up with deep, rich flavor that tastes as if it’s been simmering for hours.
One-Pot Cleanup
Cleanup is also a breeze, thanks to the Sauté function. You can brown your onions, sear your beef and then deglaze the pan all in one stainless steel insert before switching to pressure cook mode. This makes it so you don’t need a separate frying pan, and only one pot to wash afterwards.
How to Use for the Home Cook
It’s useful, too, to have a sense of exactly where this machine fits in within the context of a weekly routine. Below are some instances where the Duo Nova really shines.
The “Forgot to Thaw the Chicken” Tuesday
We have all been there. It is 5:30 p.m., and the chicken breasts are like rocks in the freezer. With the Duo Nova, you never have to worry. You can put frozen chicken breasts straight into the pot with a cup of salsa or broth. In 15 to 20 minutes (plus time to build pressure), you’ll have fully cooked, shreddable chicken for tacos or salads.
The Weekly Meal Prep
For those who prepare Sunday lunches ahead, the Duo Nova is a workhorse. You can boil as many as a dozen eggs in 5 minutes (the shells slide off like magic), cook up a big batch of quinoa or brown rice, steam a mountain of broccoli — one after the other.
Homemade Yogurt
Store-bought yogurt can be packed with sugar, not to mention thickeners. The Duo Nova’s own “Yogurt” setting means you can produce liters of the make-whatever-you-want kind at a fraction of the price you’d pay for single-serving cups. You heat the milk, cool it, stir in your starter culture, then let the Instant Pot keep it at that perfect fermentation temperature for 8 hours.
Bone Broth
Preparing the nutrient-rich bone broth often requires leaving a stockpot on the stove for 24 hours —making you nervous to leave it unattended. The Duo Nova can coax collagen and nutrients from bones in just 2 to 3 hours under high pressure, resulting in a mouthcoating broth with an unattended cooking time of zero.
Also Read: Unlocking Efficiency: The Ultimate Guide to Novcizpimkunot
What to Consider Before Buying
That said, the Duo Nova is a great appliance, but no kitchen gadget is flawless. Here are trade-offs you’ll want to weigh.
Pros
- Easy Lid: The lid is easy to use and removes user error.
- Stainless Steel Pot: No chemical coating, strong and durable. Safe to clean in dishwasher.
- Quiet: The Duo Nova is equipped with not one, but two pressure release valves to automatically expel steam for a quick and safe pr4%.Safe and Convenient: 25 Steam removing auto pressure valve comes programmed “Steam Release” under normal regular sensorst release.
- Community Support: Everyone has an Instant Pot, so there are millions of recipes, forums and Facebook groups for it. You will never run out of cooking idioms.
- Sizes Available: Available in sizes 3, 6, 8, and 10 quarts with options for singles and big families.
Cons
- The Sealing Ring Smell: The silicone ring under the lids is not sealed, please take out the smell stuff to ventilate. Unfortunately, silicone absorbs odors. So if you cook a spicy curry one night, your cheesecake may now taste faintly of cumin the next unless you keep separate rings for sweet and savory dishes.
- Learning Curve: Easier than older models, but pressure cooker cooking does require an adjustment to your style of thinking. You cannot taste as you go. cordcut You have to figure out the difference between “Natural Release” and “Quick Release.”
- Not a Canner: While the Duo Nova uses high pressure, it should not be used for canning low-acid foods (such as green beans or meats) to store over the long term. It also doesn’t get to the maintained temperatures needed to kill botulism spores for canning.
- Air Fryer Is Sold Separately: The Duo Nova, unlike the Ninja Foodi or the Instant Pot Pro Crisp, doesn’t air fry without an additional purchase. You’d have to purchase a separate air fryer lid attachment.
Comparison: Duo Nova vs. The Competition
How does the Duo Nova compare with other models?
Duo Nova vs Instant Pot Duo Original
The Duo is the iconic model that has taken up residence in millions of kitchens. The lid and the display are essentially the only two differences. The original Duo comes with a manual steam release valve (that it must be closed, don’t forget!) and a more simplistic LED display that lacks the progress bar.
Verdict: You’ll want the original Duo only if you can find it far cheaper than the Duo Nova. The auto sealing lid is worth the slight price difference for convenience and safety.
Duo Nova vs. Ninja Foodi
The Ninja Foodi is the biggest one. Its main (and only) draw is that it’s a pressure cooker and an air fryer in one machine, using “TenderCrisp” technology to cook things.
Verdict: The Ninja Foodi is best if you’re roasting a whole chicken and you want crispy skin — in the same pot. But the Ninja is much bigger, heavier, and more expensive. If you already own an air fryer, or don’t put much stock in the crisping aspect of it generally speaking, the Instant Pot Duo Nova is a bit more compact and easier to store.
Duo Nova vs. Instant Pot Duo Evo Plus
And finally, the Duo Evo Plus is the “premium” edition. It has a flat-bottomed inner pot that can be used on the stove, handles to lift out the inner pot and an upgraded screen.
Decision: The Evo Plus is great — and also more expensive. For the majority of home cooks, the functions on the Duo Nova will be plenty. The handles of the Evo Plus pot are good but not strictly necessary for delicious food.
Review and Conclusion
The Instant Pot Duo Nova is best multi-cooker for most people. It walks a delicate line: advanced, providing the contemporary comforts of the auto-sealing lid and the digital progress bar, yet simple enough not to overwhelm a beginner.
It is not some gadget that will sit and collect dust in the war chest cabinet.” Since it takes the place of a rice cooker, steamer and slow cooker, it earns its keep on your counter. It is made of sturdy stainless steel that will last for years, and there are so many types from which to choose, you’ll always be able to use it.
For cooks who know what they’re doing, it accelerates all the “boring” parts of cooking (stocks, beans, grains). For the harried parent, it’s a lifeline that gets healthy food on the table when time is running out. If you’ve been tempted to start pressure cooking, the Duo Nova B07M8NLC37 might just be the smartest entry point on the market right now.
Frequently Asked Questions
Are Instant Pot Duo Nova safe?
Yes. It’s UL certified and comes with 10+ safety features. The critical features that you’re looking for are the lid lock that keeps the pot from opening when it’s under pressure and overheat protection, which means the unit will shut itself off if ever its internal temperature exceeds safe levels.
What size should Duo Nova I get?
- 3 Quart: Perfect for families (3-4 people), dorm rooms, care packages, or side dishes.
- 6 Quart: The standard size. Great for families of 3-5. This is the size that most recipes are written for.
- 8 Quart: Ideal for large families(6+ people) or those who are frequently batch cooking.
- 10 Quart: If you cook for very big events, community, or really large batch cooking.
Are the lid and liner dishwasher safe?
Yes, the Duo Nova lid is top-rack dishwasher safe. You need to take off the sealing ring and the steam release valve cover for them to get a thorough clean. It also features dishwasher safe stainless steel inner pot. It’s very important to never submerge the cooker base (the part that has the plug) in water; just wipe it down with a damp cloth.
Does the Duo Nova include any extras?
Most often the cooker itself and inner stainless pot, lid, 2 sealing rings (1 installed 1 extra) steam rack (trivet), measuring cup are included in the box.
How long to pressure release?
This will also vary on how much food and liquid is in the pot. “Quick Release” (manual release of steam) is 1-2 minutes. A “Natural Release” — allowing the pot to cool down without turning off or releasing pressure from the valve — can take 10 minutes or as long as 40.
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