Introduction
There’s a reason the Duo Plus keeps coming up whenever people talk about entry points into pressure cooking — it takes the standard Duo formula and adds sterilizing capability plus a substantially larger recipe library through its companion app. Nine functions total, packed into a 6-quart pot, covering everything from pressure cooking to slow cooking to a few less obvious extras like yogurt culturing. This piece runs through what the Duo Plus actually offers, how each function tends to get used in everyday cooking, who’s likely to get genuine value from it, and a handful of practical points worth understanding before it takes up permanent residence on your counter.
As always with these breakdowns, this isn’t about crowning it the definitive best multicooker available — it’s about laying out exactly what it does so you can weigh it against how you actually cook.
Key Features
Nine built-in cooking modes. Pressure cooking, slow cooking, rice making, steaming, sautéing, yogurt making, warming, and sterilizing — a genuinely wide functional range packed into one pot.
6-quart capacity. A comfortable, middle-of-the-road size, generally suited to a small to medium household without eating up excessive counter space.
Pressure cooking as the signature feature. Still the defining trait across the whole Instant Pot line — sealed, pressurized steam cooking food dramatically faster than a conventional stovetop pot, especially valuable for dried beans, tough cuts of meat, or homemade stock.
A genuinely capable slow cook mode. Switch modes and you get a real slow cooker setup, well suited to dishes like stews or braises that benefit from a long, unhurried simmer rather than speed.
Rice maker function built in. A dedicated setting performs comparably to a standalone rice cooker, letting households skip owning a separate single-purpose appliance entirely.
Steaming via trivet insert. Steams vegetables, seafood, and similar foods using steam generated directly inside the sealed pot.
Sauté capability. Browning meat, onions, or garlic right in the pot before switching to pressure or slow cook removes the need for a separate pan during that first step.
Yogurt-making mode. Holds a low, consistent temperature over an extended period — a genuinely uncommon feature outside this category, appealing to anyone curious about homemade dairy.
Warmer and sterilizer functions. A warming setting for holding finished dishes, plus sterilizing capability generally used for baby bottles or canning jars.
Companion app with 800+ recipes. A substantial recipe library meant to help newer owners actually explore all nine functions rather than relying on the same two or three go-to recipes.
Stainless steel inner pot. Durable and free of the coatings found on some nonstick alternatives.
How It Can Be Used
Pressure cooking tends to be the most frequently used function, mainly because it dramatically cuts cook time on dishes that would otherwise take hours — dried beans skipping the overnight soak, a genuinely tender pot roast, a stew finished in a fraction of typical stovetop time.
Slow cooking serves a different purpose entirely, chosen when a longer, gentler process genuinely improves the result — pulled pork, chili, a soup simmering for hours while attention turns elsewhere.
The rice function frequently replaces a dedicated rice cooker outright, particularly appealing to households that would rather skip a separate rice-only appliance taking up permanent space.
Sautéing typically comes into play at the very start of a recipe, browning onions, garlic, or meat directly in the pot before switching over to pressure or slow cook, eliminating a separate pan for that step.
Steaming generally requires a trivet insert, cooking vegetables, dumplings, or seafood using steam generated inside the sealed pot, either standalone or as one stage of a larger meal.
The yogurt function draws a fairly specific audience — those genuinely interested in making homemade yogurt, relying on the pot to hold a precise, low temperature over an extended stretch.
The warmer setting sees constant use, mostly bridging the gap between when a dish finishes cooking and when it’s actually mealtime, while sterilizing shows up more occasionally, useful for parents sanitizing bottles or home canners prepping jars.
The app tends to get the most use from newer owners, offering guided recipes tailored to each of the nine functions, cutting down significantly on the guesswork involved in trying yogurt making or sterilizing for the first time.
Who It May Be Suitable For
Anyone hoping to consolidate several kitchen appliances into one. With nine built-in functions, the Duo Plus particularly suits households wanting to clear out a separate rice cooker, slow cooker, steamer, and yogurt maker simultaneously.
People genuinely interested in faster cooking. If dried beans, tough cuts of meat, or homemade stock have always felt like they consume an entire afternoon, pressure cooking changes that equation considerably.
Home cooks curious about trying new kitchen projects. Between yogurt making and sterilizing, this model opens up a few tasks beyond typical stovetop cooking.
Those who prefer guided, recipe-based cooking. The app’s large recipe library particularly benefits newer multicooker owners who’d rather follow structured instructions than experiment without guidance.
Small to medium households. The 6-quart size comfortably handles a couple or a small family, with reasonable room for batch cooking or leftovers.
Households cooking for a much larger group regularly, or those who genuinely just want one specific function without needing the other eight, might find a bigger-capacity multicooker or a simpler single-purpose appliance a better fit.
Important Things to Consider
Nine functions genuinely means a learning curve. Understanding pressure cooking safety, timing differences, and how each mode operates generally takes some initial trial and error, especially for first-time electric pressure cooker users.
Pressure cooking safety deserves real attention. Proper sealing, venting, and pressure release procedures matter, and reading through the included instructions closely is genuinely worthwhile before diving in.
Dedicated counter or storage space is still necessary. A 6-quart multicooker is a reasonably substantial appliance, and accessories like a steaming trivet need somewhere to live too.
No single function fully replaces a dedicated single-purpose appliance. Each mode is genuinely useful, but a standalone rice cooker, slow cooker, or yogurt maker built solely around one task will generally outperform the equivalent function here.
The app requires a smartphone for full access. The Duo Plus works fine without it, but skipping setup means missing out on the bulk of that 800+ recipe library.
The sealing ring retains odors over time. A near-universal Instant Pot complaint — the rubber ring can hold onto smells from strongly flavored dishes, generally resolved through regular cleaning or keeping a spare ring on hand for different cooking styles.
Comparison of General Categories
Multi-function electric pressure cookers — the Duo Plus’s broader category — generally aim to consolidate several individual kitchen appliances into a single unit, trading some specialized performance for considerably more overall versatility.
Dedicated stovetop pressure cookers skip the multicooker extras entirely, offering pressure cooking alone, generally demanding more hands-on attention but sometimes reaching pressure faster than an electric model.
Standalone slow cookers handle long, low-temperature cooking with more dedicated capacity than the Duo Plus’s slow cook mode, since it’s their sole purpose.
Standalone rice cookers are built specifically around rice and grains, often including more specialized settings than the general-purpose rice function found here.
Standalone yogurt makers offer more precise, consistent temperature control tailored solely to yogurt culturing, generally outperforming a secondary function bundled into a broader multicooker.
Which category actually fits best depends on how many separate kitchen tasks you’d genuinely want consolidated into one device, how much specialized performance any single function needs to deliver, and how much value you place on saving both counter space and the combined cost of several individual appliances.
Frequently Asked Questions
What’s actually included under “9-in-1”? Pressure cooking, slow cooking, rice making, steaming, sautéing, yogurt making, warming, and sterilizing.
Is pressure cooking genuinely safe for a first-time user? Generally, yes — provided the manufacturer’s instructions are followed closely. Electric pressure cookers like this one build in a number of safety mechanisms, though understanding proper use remains an important first step.
Is the companion app required to use this multicooker? No, the built-in controls function perfectly well on their own. The app simply unlocks access to a much larger recipe library, particularly helpful for newer users.
Can the rice function genuinely replace a dedicated rice cooker? For most households, yes — it works as a practical substitute, though anyone wanting highly specialized rice settings might still prefer a standalone unit.
What exactly is the sterilizer function used for? Generally used to sanitize items like baby bottles or canning jars using consistent heat, a useful extra beyond the appliance’s primary cooking functions.
Is the sealing ring difficult to maintain long-term? It’s a rubber component that can pick up odors from strongly flavored foods over time, so regular cleaning or keeping a second, dedicated ring for different cooking types is a common and simple fix.
Is the 6-quart capacity sufficient for a larger family? It generally suits small to medium households comfortably, though bigger families or those needing consistently larger batches might want to consider a bigger-capacity model instead.
Conclusion
The Instant Pot Duo Plus 9-in-1 builds on the standard Duo lineup by adding sterilizing capability, backed by a companion app and a genuinely substantial recipe library, all housed within a single 6-quart stainless steel pot. Its nine functions are aimed squarely at consolidating several separate kitchen appliances into one, while meaningfully cutting down cook time on a wide range of traditionally slow dishes.
Whether it ends up being the right choice for your kitchen really comes down to how many of those nine functions you’d genuinely use on a regular basis, how much counter space you can realistically spare, and how much you personally value guided, app-based recipes over figuring things out independently. For anyone looking to meaningfully reduce the number of appliances cluttering their kitchen while picking up noticeably faster cooking along the way, the Duo Plus covers a genuinely wide amount of ground.