• Recipes
  • Contact
  • Work with Us
  • Privacy

Chattavore

What I ate, plate by plate.

  • Start Here!
    • Contact
  • Easy Recipes
    • Air Fryer
    • Drinks
    • Easy Baking
    • For the Grill
    • Freezer Friendly
    • Instant Pot
    • No-Bake Desserts
    • One-Pot Recipes
    • Salads and Cold Dishes
    • Sheet Pan Recipes
    • Slow Cooker Recipes
  • Videos
    • From Scratch
    • Recipe Videos
    • Techniques
    • Tools
  • How-To
    • How to Cook From Scratch
    • How to Get Organized
    • How to Make Ahead and Meal Prep
    • How to Use Tools and Techniques

Instant Pot Duo Crisp – My Review

April 13, 2020

a photograph of an Instant Pot Duo Crisp with the pressure cooker lid

The Instant Pot Duo Crisp is a pressure cooker and an air fryer in one. Is it worthy of the hype? What can it do? Would I buy it again? Here’s my honest review.

a photograph of an Instant Pot Duo Crisp with the air fryer lid

Instant Pot + Air Fryer

I haven’t made it much of a secret that I am obsessed with my Instant Pot. Well, Instant Pots – I have three! I have quite a few Instant Pot recipes on here, and I’ve been teaching Instant Pot classes at The Chattery for a few years now. I also have a pretty passionate love for air frying as well. 

Not too long before Christmas, I noticed a new Instant Pot product – the Instant Pot Duo Crisp. The Duo Crisp was, for all intents and purposes, Instant Pot’s answer to the Ninja Foodi, a pressure cooker/air fryer combo that I’d looked into but ultimately decided to forego just because I did not need one more gadget in my tiny kitchen.

The Duo Crisp, though, was pretty tempting. I could get rid of an Instant Pot and my air fryer, actually freeing up a little bit of space in my kitchen. It didn’t exactly work out like that (more on that in a minute) but I was still sold. I didn’t talk myself into it before Christmas, but in January I caught a sale on the Duo Crisp on the Kohl’s website so I decided to take the leap.

a photograph of an Instant Pot Duo Crisp with the pressure cooker lid

What are the Parts of the Instant Pot Duo Crisp?

The first thing that you notice about the Duo Crisp (or, at least, the first thing that I noticed) is that the box is freaking huge. It’s twice the size of a regular Instant Pot box, and when you open it up you realize why: the Duo Crisp has more parts than a regular Instant Pot. Here are the parts of the Instant Pot Duo Crisp:

a photograph of showing the air fryer parts of the Instant Pot Duo Crisp

  • Instant Pot body
  • Inner pot 
  • Pressure cooker lid (including the sealing ring, float valve, steam release handle, and anti-block shield)
  • Air fryer lid + base (you set the lid on the base when it is hot)
  • Air fryer basket
  • Dehydrating/broiling tray to add a second level to the air fryer basket
  • Condensation collector

How Big Is It?

Another reason that the box is so big is that, well, the Instant Pot is big. The Duo Crisp is an 8-quart Instant Pot, presumably to make it large enough to hold a decent-sized air fryer basket. My air fryer was a 5 1/2 quart air fryer, so I was okay with the size of the 8-quart Instant Pot.

I was concerned, however, that the large size of the 8-quart Instant Pot might be a little much for me. I typically recommend that attendees in my classes get a 6-quart Instant Pot, as, unless you have a very large family, the 6-quart should be plenty big enough to accommodate your needs.

There are only two of us in my house, so I definitely don’t need a gigantic Instant Pot. I worried that the 8-quart pot would be too large for my recipes, which were tested in a 6-quart pot. I needn’t have worried. I have not had any problems with recipes burning or not cooking correctly using the amounts or times that I tested in my original (6-quart) recipes.

What are the Settings on the Instant Pot Duo Crisp?

The Instant Pot Duo Crisp does not have as many settings as my Instant Pot Duo 7-in-1 or my Instant Pot Ultra, but that’s fine with me. Honestly, the only settings I use are: Pressure Cook, Sautè, Steam, and, on rare occasions, Slow Cook or Yogurt. The settings that are available are:

Setting Default Temperature Suggested Use Which Lid?
Air Fry 400 degrees Smaller foods: fresh or frozen fries, shrimp, frozen snacks, chicken tenders and smaller cuts of chicken. Air Fryer
Roast 380 degrees Larger cuts of meat: pork or beef roasts, lamb, whole chicken, potatoes Air Fryer
Bake 365 degrees Cakes, breads, pastries Air Fryer
Broil 400 degrees Melting cheese, browning tops of foods Air Fryer + broil/ dehydrate tray
Dehydrate 125 degrees Dehydrating fruits and vegetables, making jerky Air Fryer + broil/ dehydrate tray
Pressure Cook and Steam Lo Pressure Fish and seafood, rice, soft vegetables Pressure cook lid
Hi Pressure Hard vegetables, chicken, meat, soups and stews
Sautè Lo Simmer, reduce, thicken, caramelize No lid
Hi Pan sear, stir-fry, sautè, brown
Slow Cook Lo (comparable to low on a regular slow cooker, suitable for all-day cooking) Soups, stews, roasts Pressure cooker lid
Hi (comparable to high on a regular slow cooker, suitable for quicker slow cooker – usually about 3-4 hours) Appetizers, chicken, sauces
Sous Vide 133 degrees Various dishes Pressure cooker lid

What are the Pros and Cons of the Duo Crisp?

Pros Cons
  • Eliminates need for separate Instant Pot and air fryer
  • Can use air fryer to brown/crisp foods pressure cooked in the Instant Pot
  • If you are familiar with using an Instant Pot and an air fryer, easy to use; easy to learn to use if you are not familiar
  • Several functions that allow multiple types of cooking (pressure cooking, steaming, slow cooking, sous vide, sauté, air fry, baking, roasting, dehydrating, broiling)
  • Much quicker to heat up than conventional oven
  • Air fry functions reduce time required for baked/roasted foods
  • Easy clean-up
  • Very large
  • Air fryer lid must be stored separately and therefore takes up additional space
  • When trying untested recipes using air fryer settings, must check the food frequently to avoid overcooking
  • Size/shape of air fryer basket may limit the size/shape of food that can be cooked in the air fryer
  • Doesn’t have the yogurt setting, which is the only setting from the popular Instant Pot Duo that cannot easily be replicated using the pressure cook setting

Would I Buy It Again?

I’m not going to lie, I haven’t tested the full capability of the Duo Crisp. I have used it for sautéing, pressure cooking, slow cooking, air frying, broiling, and baking. I have not yet used it for steaming, roasting, or dehydrating. It has worked perfectly in all of the applications for which I have used it, including baking banana bread in 3/4 of the time of the regular recipe. It doesn’t take up less space per se than my Instant Pot Duo and air fryer did, because of the separate air fryer lid, but I am okay with that. It has worked just as well as my traditional air fryer did for all air frying functions, including cooking bacon, making fries, and heating frozen snacks. Of course, the pressure cook settings are super-handy and I have not found any difference between how this 8-quart model cooks and how my 6-quart Instant Pot cooks. So, yes – I would definitely purchase the Instant Pot Duo Crisp again.

I could go on for days talking about how to use the Duo Crisp, but I won’t do that here. Instead, keep an eye out for recipes that include tutorials of how to use the different settings.

Note: Instant Pot also sells a stand-alone air fryer lid that converts 6-quart models to an air fryer. For more information, check out the listing on the Instant Pot website.

This post contains Amazon affiliate links. This means that if you click the link and make a purchase, I will make a small commission. This does not affect the cost to you.

Want recipes from scratch & restaurant reviews in your inbox weekly?
Subscribe below to get Chattavore's weekly newletter AND a free set of recipe cards to help you learn to cook from scratch!
Your information will *never* be shared or sold to a 3rd party.

You might also like...

  • Instant Pot Lemon Cheesecake With Animal Cracker CrustInstant Pot Lemon Cheesecake With Animal Cracker Crust
  • Instant Pot Hardboiled EggsInstant Pot Hardboiled Eggs
  • Air Fryer Baked PotatoesAir Fryer Baked Potatoes
  • Instant Pot French Dip BowlsInstant Pot French Dip Bowls
  • Instant Pot Cauliflower SoupInstant Pot Cauliflower Soup
  • Instant Pot Chicken Tacos (Freezer Meal)Instant Pot Chicken Tacos (Freezer Meal)

Filed Under: How to Use Tools & Techniques, How-To Tagged With: air fryer, Instant Pot By Mary // Chattavore 2 Comments

Classic Deviled Eggs (Quick and Easy!)

Salted Brown Butter Rice Krispie Treats + Video

Comments

  1. Celeste Le Berthon says

    October 13, 2020 at 5:12 pm

    Thank you for this review! I was contemplating buying a ninja foodie then I saw this post. I absolutely love my instapot and my family thinks I'm crazy wanting another one but this instapot that air fries and makes things crispy is what I need. I think I may be obsessed as well!
    Reply
    • Mary // Chattavore says

      October 13, 2020 at 6:58 pm

      Yea! I know it was a Prime Day special on Amazon, if you hurry maybe you can catch it!!!
      Reply

Thanks for your comments, but remember that Chattavore is a positive site. I reserve the right to delete any comments that contain unnecessary negativity! Cancel reply

This site uses Akismet to reduce spam. Learn how your comment data is processed.

About Chattavore

Hi, I'm Mary! Welcome to Chattavore, a destination for people who want to feed themselves and their families well every day! Life can be crazy, which means that getting dinner on the table can be a challenge (more often than not!) and my mission is to take all your favorite recipes and figure out how to serve them on a Tuesday.

Follow Chattavore!

  • Twitter
  • Pinterest
  • Facebook
  • Bloglovin
  • Instagram
  • Email
  • RSS

Categories


Copyright © 2023 | All content property of Chattavore and may not be reproduced without permission | Cha Creative Clique

Want recipes from scratch & restaurant reviews in your inbox weekly?
Subscribe below to get Chattavore's weekly newletter AND a free set of recipe cards to help you learn to cook from scratch!
Your information will *never* be shared or sold to a 3rd party.
 

Loading Comments...