A small and seemingly unimportant plastic bit will render your Instant Pot's pressure cooker lid useless if it snaps off, as mine did. David Watsky/CNET I found the dials and controls simple to use, but I'm not used to air fryers that require preheat time. David Watsky/CNET How it performs as an air fryer RETHINK COOKING METHODS WITH PRESSURE COOKING, SLOW COOKING, STEAMING, SOUS VIDE AND SAUTE FUNCTIONS TOO – pressure cooked meals ready 70% faster than traditional methods, or cook low and slow for tender warming dishes The Instant Pot Duo Crisp with Air Fryer is the best of all possible worlds. With 11-in-1 functionality, it does everything a regular Instant Pot does, but swap out the pressure cooker lid for the air fryer lid, and you’ve got a whole new set of cooking techniques available – all fast, easy and at the touch of a button.

The tray came in handy for double-layered cooking, when we cooked some breaded frozen fish filets on the top of the tray with some leftover potatoes warming below.Halfway through cooking, the lid beeps and “turn food” appears on the display as a reminder to flip the food or shake the basket for more even cooking. If the lid isn’t lifted, cooking continues after 10 seconds. To operate the air fryer lid, it just needs to be placed on top of the Instant Pot and plugged in. The air fryer plug has a shield affixed to it that makes it impossible to plug it into an outlet next to another plug. This offers some protection from overloading a circuit, but it’s still possible if there are other outlets on the same circuit and they’re being used. The Air Fryer Lid turns your existing Instant Pot into an air fryer enabling you to Air Fry, Broil, Bake, Roast, Reheat, & Dehydrate food.This air fryer is great if you have a regular Instant Pot already as the lid comes separately along with an air fryer basket that goes inside the pot. This depends on the type of air fryer. Instant Pot has a basket + air fryer crisp lid version or a stand-alone oven air-fryer. Both have adjustable temperatures and time with the technology of circulating hot air evenly around the food. The Instant Pot® Duo Crisp™ + Air Fryer is fast, versatile, and convenient, with 2 innovative, removable lids to help you to cook and crisp your favorite meals all in one pot. All it takes is cook, switch, crisp!

The original Duo Crisp requires a separate basket insert for air frying which diminishes the overall capacity. On the upside, it was far easier to clean. Instant Pot How it performs as a pressure cooker There’s no more guessing how your air fryer lid works compared to a basket or air fryer oven. These directions and recipes are made JUST FOR YOU!

Air Fryer Accessories:

The design of air fryers has significantly evolved in recent years. While more options are great, a consumer can get lost in the decision-making process. Instant Pot has a great line offering different models of air fryers to meet different needs. INSTANT POT AIR FRYER LID Anything fried tastes better but is not necessarily healthier. Air fryers have given many households the option to make delicious fried comfort food with less guilt. While the foods are still able to be crispy, they aren’t submerged in a bath of oil. Air fryers use less oil (if any) and rely on the circulation of high heat similar to a convection oven. WITH 6 AIR FRYER FUNCTIONS, AIR FRY, GRILL, BAKE OR ROAST YOUR WAY TO SPEEDY WEEKDAY MEALS– Preheating in minutes, cook up to 50% faster than a traditional oven and save up to 80% on energy bills* EXCEPT AS EXPRESSLY PROVIDED HEREIN AND TO THE EXTENT PERMITTED BY APPLICABLE LAW, INSTANT BRANDS MAKES NO WARRANTIES, CONDITIONS OR REPRESENTATIONS, EXPRESS OR IMPLIED, BY STATUTE, USAGE, CUSTOM OF TRADE OR OTHERWISE WITH RESPECT TO THE APPLIANCES OR PARTS COVERED BY THIS WARRANTY, INCLUDING BUT NOT LIMITED TO, WARRANTIES, CONDITIONS, OR REPRESENTATIONS OF WORKMANSHIP, MERCHANTABILITY, MERCHANTABLE QUALITY, FITNESS FOR A PARTICULAR PURPOSE OR DURABILITY. SPACE TO COOK FOR THE WHOLE FAMILY – 5.7L capacity when pressure cooking means you can cook up to 6, and the multi-tier air fryer basket gives you extra space for air frying

In the replacement lid that I was sent, the small plastic protuberance that snapped off didn't seem particularly shoddy. That said, I'd caution anyone with this model to be gentler than I was in trying to secure and remove the lid. Who should buy the Duo Crisp with Ultimate Lid?

The controls are simple and should be familiar to anyone who has an Instant Pot. Start and cancel buttons are obvious, and the programs include air fry, broil, bake, roast, reheat, and dehydrate. Pressing those programs offers a default time and temperature, while plus and minus buttons allow adjustments for some of the programs. The lid also makes sounds that Instant Pot owners will find familiar. The manual notes that the broiling tray shouldn’t be used for pressure cooking but doesn’t mention that restriction for the fryer basket. We liked using the basket for pressure steaming potato wedges for 8 minutes, then air frying them to brown and crisp them. It took about 20 minutes, but it was worth the wait. They were crisp on the outside and creamy on the inside. EvenCrisp technology ensures tender, juicy meals with a crisp, golden finish every time using 95% less oil On the low side of the temperature scale is the dehydrate mode, which can go as low as 105 degrees. However, the fryer basket—even using the tray to cook on two levels—wouldn’t hold more than a handful of fruit slices so we weren’t fond of this feature.

GET THE BEST OF BOTH WITH THE AIR FRYER AND INSTANT POT AND AIR FRYER IN ONE – Simply swap between pressure cooking and air frying with the switch of a lid The lid doesn’t twist on, but simply sits on top of the pressure cooker body. However, it has to fit properly for it to sense that it’s okay to heat up. Because of that, it’s not compatible with all models (more on that below). A handle on top flips up to make it easy to move the lid and flips down when not in use. Both Instant Pots and air fryers can come with advanced features, such as smart connectivity, which lets you control and monitor the progress from your phone. Certain air fryers also have two baskets rather than one, so that you can cook at two different temperatures at the same time, such as the Ninja Foodi Two Basket Air Fryer. Instant Pot vs air fryer: PerformanceInstant Pots and air fryers are often similar in size, but there are more compact air fryer designs out there which can help you save surface space. Plus, if you opt for an Instant Pot with the ability to air fry, bear in mind that you will need to store the additional lid as well. Air fryers tend to weigh less than Instant Pots on top of this, making them more maneuverable. I also made one of my go-to pressure cooker recipes: pulled pork shoulder. I followed a recipe I've used several times in other Instant Pots: dredging the 3-pound pork shoulder in flour and spices, searing in the Instant Pot and pressure cooking for 45 minutes. The Duo Crisp turned out a near mirror image of the fork-tender pork shoulders I've made before in the same amount of time. The first pressure cooker lid broke, rendering it unusable