I have had a cheap Tower pressure cooker from Argos. It’s been excellent and I have no complaints at all! I use it most weeks as a pressure cooker and also the large pan size is useful for cooking other things.” (Tried and tested by Mumsnetter MissingFriendandSad) Our verdict

We also take note of how speedily each cooks beef stew, although we haven't spotted much difference among pressure cookers of the same type. Electric pressure cookers take around 35 minutes to cook our stew, whereas stove-top pressure cookers take 15 minutes on an induction hob. The Instant Pot Pro is the best Instant Pot you can buy right now. It sets out to replace ten kitchen appliances including a pressure cooker, slow cooker, saute pan, rice cooker, steamer, yogurt maker, and warmer, and has 28 cooking modes for preparing different dishes. There's also a version that can air fry too, known as the Instant Pot Pro Crisp. As the name suggests, multi cookers excel at more than one kind of cooking. They function as slow cookers, pressure cookers, soup makers rice cookers, yoghurt makers or even steamers. Some can even do ultra-slow sous-vide cooking, while others have smart lids which mean you can use them as air fryers too.Put simply, if there's a specific way you want to cook something, chances are a multi cooker can do it. Simple to use, it offers six cooking functions and you can either choose from a range of presets for dishes including stew, risotto and rice, or manually adjust the time and temperature to ensure the meal is cooked to perfection.

Which brand of stainless steel pressure cooker is best?

Happy customers report that their Lagostina pressure cookers are still going strong after more than 30 years, which is a testament to their quality. Energy-efficient and cost-effective, our recent independent study has revealed that cooking with an Instant Pot uses 4.4 times less energy required than in the oven, saving energy and costs.* A pressure cooker's cooking pot is inevitably going to face some wear over repeated uses, so we use a lab-calibrated scratch pen to test how resistant to scratching the cooking pots are. It’s important to remember that while multi-cookers offer a multitude of cooking methods, many of which means you no longer need to use an oven or a hob, they can’t cook everything. For example, they’re not an option if you regularly prepare pasta, noodles, or stir-fries. And while some do come with lids that can air fry, we found making fries in a multi-cooker wasn’t as good as using one of the best air fryers.

The Ninja Foodi Max doesn't have presets with defined temperatures and times for different dishes, as Instant Pots do. Instead, you'll need to refer to the cooking charts that come bundled with the multi-cooker and we found these to be comprehensive and very helpful. Take The Chore Out Of Cooking – your favourite dishes made simply by pressing a button: Features 15 smart programmes – Pressure Cooker, Rice Cooker, Slow Cooker, Steamer, Sauté Pan, Sous Vide, Soup/Broth, Bean/Grain, Meat/Stew, Cake Maker, Egg Cooker, Sterilizer, Yoghurt Maker, Porridge and Food Warmer. That said, the results of what the Instant Pot Duo Plus can do, whether it’s rice, Thai curry, or chili, are as good as its price tag is low.Instant Pots and other multi-cookers come in an array of different capacities ranging from 3 litres right up to 8 litres, so knowing which size multi-cooker is best for you can be confusing.

We also liked the fact that it’s available in multiple sizes, so different sized households can make the most out of this model’s combination of price and performance. However, we do find it a bit light on presets compared to a lot of Instant Pots, though at least they’re easily customizable. Also, be aware that there’s no air fryer functionality on here. So, if you want a multi-cooker to replace all your other kitchen appliances, this might not be the one. A key factor in our tests is assessing the control of the steam release once the food is ready. Some pressure cookers open their pressure valves automatically once they're finished, but others need to be toggled by hand. While some smoothly let the steam out, others let it fly out rapidly and spit droplets of water all over the kitchen countertop.

7. Best pressure cooker for smart features: Ninja Foodi 9-in-1 Multi-Cooker 6L OP350UK

If both sound appealing but you don’t have the budget or the space for two devices, then this pressure and slow cooker combination from Sage is just what you need. Soup/Broth, Meat/Stew, Sauté, Rice, Porridge/Oatmeal, Steam, Slow Cook, Yoghurt, Keep Warm, Steriliser, Egg, Pressure Cook, Sous Vide, Cake and Bean/Grain

The inner pot can be used on the stovetop to sear food before cooking, too, and has handles, so you can take the pot straight to the table. On top of that, the steam release switch is one of the easiest and safest steam release methods we’ve used when testing the pressure cook function on a multi-cooker and the steam valve has a cover to reduce splashes and noise too. With nine different cooking methods and 13 programs offering pre-defined cooking times, it’s very similar to the Instant Pot Duo (above). However the pot and lid are dishwasher safe, and it even comes with an additional sealing ring too.If we’ve piqued your interest in a stovetop pressure cooker but you’re looking for something a little more high-end than the Tower 4L Stainless Steel Pressure Cooker, then take a look at this gem from Lagostina. This makes them far more energy efficient than other ways of cooking. The least energy-efficient pressure cooker we tested costs around 13p an hour to use, whereas an oven costs roughly 30p an hour. Are pressure cookers healthy? I love my Instant Pot. I love that you can start a ragu by sautéing the soffritto then adding the meat and then the tomatoes before pressure cooking it. No other pots and pans needed unlike a traditional slow cooker. One pot wonders are a staple in our house!!"(Recommended by Mumsnet user LadyCampanulaTottington) We've tested stove-top and electric pressure cookers from bestselling brands, such as Instant-Pot, Ninja, Prestige, Tefal, Tower and more. We've found three Best Buys, one of which also earned our Great Value recommendation. And the overall best pressure cooker from our tests might surprise you. The best pressure cookers