Instant Pot Duo Crisp 11-in-1 Air Fryer/Electric Pressure Cooker Combo Review

Instant Pot Duo Crisp is both an air fryer and a pressure cooker all in 1 appliance. Can Instant Pot Duo Crisp perform both tasks just as well single purpose appliances or is it a jack of all trades, master of none?

Cooking with Instant Pot Duo Crisp Air Fryer/Electric Pressure Cooker Combo

Pressure cooking works wonderfully – just like with regular Instant Pot pressure cookers. It doesn’t dry out the food and makes it have rich flavor.

For air frying Instant Pot Duo Crisp uses rapid air circulation to crisp and cook food. You also get air fryer lid and multi-level air fryer basket accessories.

Air frying works pretty well however the very best air fryers do perform better. Still, Instant Pot Duo Crisp does a fairly good job of giving food that crispy texture we all enjoy. You can even combine pressure cooking and air frying with some dishes to achieve outstanding results. For example pressure cook chicken for juiciness and rich flavor and then air fry it for crispy skin.

Admittedly the design is not as convenient as it’s on conventional air fryer. If you use both levels in the basket then flipping the food in the bottom one is complicated as you have to fully remove the food in upper level (and some grease might drip as well).

It also doesn’t have a window so you can’t see the food being cooked but this also applies to most air fryers (but not all).

Overall Instant Pot Duo Crisp works quite well despite some of the minor drawbacks.

Smart Programs

Instant Pot Duo Crisp has two lids: pressure cooking lid (for pressure cooking smart programs as well sous vide) and air fryer lid (for air fry smart programs). Instant Pot Duo Crisp has 11 smart programs:

• Pressure cooking smart programs:
  • Pressure Cook
  • Sauté
  • Slow cook
  • Steam
• Air fry smart programs (uses rapid air circulation to crisp and cook food):
  • Air fry
  • Roast
  • Bake
  • Broil
  • Dehydrate
• Other:
  • Sous vide
  • Keep Warm

If you use the wrong lid display screen will say “Lid” so you can’t start cooking with the wrong lid.

Instant Pot Duo Crisp will automatically enter “Keep Warm’’ mode after using pressure cook, slow cook and steam smart programs. If you do not want it to keep food warm after it finished cooking you can turn this feature off.

Noise

Instant Pot Duo Crisp does beep every time you press a button, when the lid seals, when it finished cooking (5 times), etc. If you do find this annoying you can turn them off.

Pressure release

There are 3 ways to release pressure after pressure cooking:

• Natural Release – You do nothing – just wait until float valve descends into surface of the lid which indicates that pressure has been released to safe levels. The flaw of this method is that it can be time consuming and food might keep cooking past perfection as temperature is decreased slowly.
• Quick Release – Hold quick release button until it clicks and locks into Vent position. Steam will be rapidly released from steam release valve and therefore pressure as well. Since steam is hot and can scald you make sure that none of your body parts are in the way of steam release valve.
• Timed quick release – A mix of natural and quick release. You set 10 minute reminder and let it release some of the steam naturally during that time. Once 10 minutes passes you can quickly release rest of the pressure. With some meals you can experience spatter if you use Quick Release method so in some cases letting some of the pressure to be released naturally is a good idea.

Possible issues

Some consumers have reported receiving damaged (dented) units so make sure you check the appliance once it arrives so you can return it in time if there’s an issue.

Some also have had issue with coating of air fryer basket being scratched after washing or coming off after not that much of use.

With that being said most consumer feedback is positive!

Verdict

Instant Pot Duo Crisp isn’t perfect however it works well for the most part and is very versatile for its price.

Instant Pot Duo Crisp AF 8 11-in-1 Air Fryer/Electric Pressure Cooker Combo Specifications:

• Voltage/Frequency: 120V~60Hz
• Power: 1500W
• Capacity: 8 quarts (7.6 liters)
• Dimensions:
  • With pressure cooker lid:
    • In inches (L x W x H): 4.76” × 13.58” × 14.17”
    • In centimeters (L x W x H): 37.5cm × 34.5cm × 36.0cm
  • With air fryer lid:
    • In inches (L x W x H): 14.76” × 13.58” × 15.28”
    • In centimeters (L x W x H): 37.5cm × 34.5cm × 38.8cm
• Weight: 22.18 lbs / 10.06 kg
• Model: DUO CRISP AF 8
• Accessories:
  • Pressure Cooking Lid
  • Air Fryer Lid
  • Inner Pot
  • Multi-Level Air Fryer Basket
  • Air Fryer Basket Base
  • Protective Pad and Storage Cover
  • Multi-functional Rack