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Instant Pot IP-DUO Plus60 9-in-1 Multi-Functional Pressure Cooker, 6 Qt – I’ve wanted a PC for a long time and have done a lot of research. I was originally leaning towards the PPCXL because that’s what my cousin has, but I did some more research and ended with this one, waiting until the Duo Plus came out. So, since I’m the 4th reviewer, here’s some of the thought process I went through in deciding to get the DUO Plus and also some thoughts on the IP vs the PPCXL and also other considerations on accessories, size, etc. So far, I’ve only had it a few days, but overall satisfied and plenty of online support for recipes and helping you decide the post PC for your needs.

**Why I went with the Instant Pot (IP) duo60 Plus –
Three new preset buttons – cake, egg, sterilize. It also had the yogurt function which other IP do, but not some of the other makes.
Large LCD Screen with Digital Display
Mute button for those beeps in the night when cooking yogurt etc.
Plus / Minus button for both time and pressure
Keep Warm Selector can be selected to on or off at anytime.
Delay start of 24 hours and keep warm for 10 hours.
Lid rest (right or left side)

**Why I went with IP vs PPCXL –
Food Grade 304 (15/8) stainless steel pot vs stainless steel with teflon coating. I felt I could scrub and treat the pot however I wanted and not worry about scratching and what utensils to not use. Yes, you can buy a replacement inner pot for a Teflon pot, but after I spend $100+ I really don’t think I should have to buy a replacement inner pot. Some of the FB group users are fine with the Teflon pot, but there are also a lot of complaints, so it might be in the handling, but every Teflon pan I ever had eventually got tossed out because of the coating coming off.
IP came with some of the accessories you pay for on the PPCXL. It had the trivet with handles, condensation collector, Rice Paddle & spoon and a couple intro guides/cookbooks.
Free shipping for IP. PPCXL site wanted $29.99
Buttons weren’t quite clear on PPCXL site so it made me think they were hiding lack of selection on preset buttons. Also, confusing on what you were buying – regular PPC or PPCXL. A lot of their verbiage refers to PPCXL, but not necessarily when you go select your items for your shopping cart.
Yogurt Button – The IP has this and the PPCXL doesn’t. The IP allows you to bring the milk to 185 in the IP, cool to 120 (I will be using the quick cool method in the sink) and then put in yogurt mode for incubation (8-12 hours). The PPCXL doesn’t have this and you wrap it and put it in the oven.
Warranty on IP is 1 year and I went with the Square Trade Warranty for 4 years for an additional $14.37. No deductible, no hidden fees, no shipping, transferable. PPC has 60 day money back/replacement. After that up to one year you have to pay $24.99 for shipping. Their extended warranty if $15 for 3 years.
Slow Cooker Mode had a low, medium and high heat button.
IP has a + and – sign to increase or decrease the time. Others you have to select a preset and keep pressing to increase, you can’t decrease time.
Overall ratings – IP 4.7 and PPCXL 4.1. I read through a lot of comments by verified buyers and the PPC owners seemed a lot more upset with customer service. I looked through a lot of Reviewers who do this for a living or at least blog and they leaned towards the IP.
I messaged with the PPCXL people online and you can tell they’ve been coached for answers knowing what their down faults are and not really answering the question or referencing what you know is a negative.
There are more IPs on the market and most recipes are geared towards it from a “preset button” perspective.
IP has a left and right handle that will hold your lid tilted.
I belong to a Pressure Cooker group – there are a lot of complaints about other manufacturer’s instructions, quick start guide, etc. Lots of issues with lids locking, not pressurizing etc and I really don’t see this for the Instant Pot family of PCs.

**Sizing –
I measured my crock pot which was 6 quart, so that’s what I ordered. It’s an OK size for 2 people, but since you can only fill it 2/3 full when cooking under pressure you should take that into consideration. I figure on a roast, I will do the meat first, then veggies. The 6 quart will hold four pint canning jars for sterilization.

**Accessories –
What else to buy? I got the OXO Good Grips steamer with extendable handle and a pack of 3-IP Rings color coded (dark for savory meats, orange for desserts and I will use the clear for yogurt). I had read they were dishwasher safe, but not 100% as they might keep flavors.

On my next order I’m looking at 2 cookbooks (IP Electric Pressure Cooker Cookbook for $9 and IP Obsession for $12). There are plenty of Facebook Group pages you can join for recipes too and online reviewers. Just type in what you are making followed by “in a pressure cooker” or “in an IP”. I’m also buying IP Silicone Mitts for easy removal of a hot pot since I will be making yogurt ($10).

The only negative of the Instant Pot is you can’t get a 10 quart and if I had a REALLY big family that would be the only reason, but based
on the above, I would probably just buy a 2nd Instant Pot.

I hope this is helpful. I did a lot of research and felt the need to share it. I will update this as I use it and get additional questions.

8/9/2017 update – I’ve been using my IP for a few months now. I use my steamer basket and trivet a lot. I make a “bowl” out of heavy duty foil and put on the trivet when making a whole chicken and it makes trivet clean-up easier. I bought an IP plain glass lid for slow cooker & yogurt mode. I don’t use my extra rings cause I use my plain lid for yogurt, so no use to swap rings. I didn’t get the silicone mitts. I realized I didn’t need them. My inner pot doesn’t get that hot on yogurt mode. I like the 2 cookbooks. I use Bar Keeper Friend to clean the pot. Still really happy with my IP-DUO Plus 60. I’m part of a FB PC group and I don’t see complaints on the IP. Very happy with my purchase.

12/29/2017 update – So on Black Friday I bought the 3 qt Instant Pot because I felt like I need to have twins. It’s a great size and great for
sides and especially my 2 quart of yogurt I make at least weekly, so it doesn’t tie up my 6 qt IP. We winter in FL and I was able to “sneak” the
6 qt into the truck and now I have the 3 qt here too. I made an entire Thanksgiving dinner for Christmas (Irma got in our way last month repairing) in the 2 pots. In future years, I’ll prob just bring the 3 qt cause it fits better in my cabinets in the mobile home.

LOVE my Instant Pot! It is definitely one of the best kitchen purchases I have made. I use it almost daily. Soups and other meals that take more time traditionally are ready in a half hour or less, and yet they taste like they’ve been cooking all day! You know how leftover spaghetti always seems to taste better the second and third day because the pasta has been marinating in the sauce? One pot spaghetti in the Instant Pot tastes like that (but even better!) right from the pot on the first night! I love being able to cut down on how many pots I’m using, especially during the work week when time in the evenings is sparse. So why the 4 stars? My only complaint is the seal. Oh my god it stinks to high heaven no matter what you do after you cook something with a savory spice like curry or chili powder. It made my oatmeal almost inedible after cooking tortilla soup. After doing some searches on the internet I found that others had solved this by purchasing extra seals. I purchased a two-pack of seals that were different colors. That way you cook savory foods with the savory seal and sweet foods with a separate seal. Just make sure to store the savory seal FAR away from the sweet one or you’ll end up in the same situation. Hopefully they can come up with a seal eventually that doesn’t absorb so much of the odor.

I deliberated about buying one of these for so long (over a year). I regret all of this deliberation, because now that I have it, I’m not sure how I lived without it. I have *always* sucked at making rice. I can’t even make instant rice turn out correctly. We had a tiny rice cooker that finally completely died, and that’s what prompted me to make this purchase. Ohhh the rice. It turns out perfectly every time. I can even make brown rice now. It’s amazing. I push a button and walk away and end up with edible rice every.single.time.

I have made a big pot of polenta without having to constantly stir. This is a big deal for someone with two little kids and an arthritic thumb. My multi-grain (oat groats, wheat berries, millet, sunflower seeds, chia seeds, steel cut oats) cereal is amazing, and I can make a full pot or an individual serving, and they both come out perfectly. I love that when my kids request oatmeal (we eat steel cut) for breakfast, I can now make that happen. It used to be a weekend thing, because who has time to stir oats on the stove for an hour before school? Not me!

I love that this has so many uses in our combined vegetarian/omnivorous household. The instant pot produced the only pork dish (carnitas) that my husband had ever liked. I made a completely amazing vegan curry. I’ve never made dairy yogurt, but I’ve made soy milk, almond milk, and cashew milk yogurts, and they’ve all been fantastic. I’ll never “boil” an egg any other way, ever again. These turn out perfectly every time, and they are soooo easy to peel.

I suppose the biggest testimony to how I feel about my instant pot is that it has earned permanent space on my countertop. Aside from the coffee pot, there have only been two other (large) appliances that have *ever* earned a place on my counter. I like order. I even put away the toaster! Stop deliberating and buy this now!

We loved this at first but after about a month of use we are having problems with the lid sealing properly. We always put the lid on the same way, according to the manual instructions, and this has now happened twice. The problem is that the lid appears to be truly sealed, but after the unit gets hot, steam starts pouring out of the top lid sealing component. When the cycle is eventually finished and we open the pot, the water inside is completely gone (and yes we are using the proper amount of water) and the bottom of the pot is all burned and brown. Today a simple batch of har boiled eggs resulted in this and an egg explosion inside the pot. We have only had it a little more than a month. The Amazon return window appears to be over and we are at a loss for what to do with this now. This is pretty much a disaster.