Best Pressure Cooker 2021 – Buyer’s Guide

The Ninja Foodi is an air fryer, pressure cooker, and slow cooker all in one. When the Ninja Foodi was released, it got a lot of buzz. People were excited that there was a new kid on the block. They hoped it was just as good as the other two. The fact that it pretty much sold out instantly shows it was even better than anyone expected.

When we tested it, we loved everything about it. The instructions and guide made it so easy to get used to, and it was a breeze to handle as well. The sheer amount you can do with the Foodi is extraordinary, from boiling an egg to slow cooking a ragu and air frying potato wedges. Because it is such a unique and high-quality appliance, we did not think a short review would suffice, so we dedicated a much more comprehensive review below:

You can read our dedicated in-depth Ninja Foodi Pressure Cooker Review in full for more details by clicking HERE.

An appliance which can happily do the job of several of your other devices, making it perfect for smaller kitchens or those who like to get adventurous in the kitchen.

The Instant Pot is the top-selling brand in America, so the fact they are now available in Europe has proved a very popular release indeed. There are 14 programmes, including porridge, yoghurt, rice and soup, so no matter what you fancy for your dinner you can make it from scratch.

Little effort is needed from you, either. Simply choose which function you’re after and leave it to work its magic, returning to it when your meal is ready. There is a 24 hour delayed timer option so you can plan well ahead and get the dinner ready for tomorrow night, and if you happen to be stuck in traffic on the way home, an automatic keep-warm can hold it all for up to ten hours until you’re ready to serve.

This is all done safely, too. There are ten safety functions, and no heat or steam is released, so the danger is kept at a minimum. It is silent, too, with hissing being a thing of the past. The function panel is a nice size to keep you in control, and everything is nicely labelled.

The ‘Instant’ name doesn’t mean it is any quicker than other pressure cookers, because it still needs to preheat and then release the pressure at the end of the process which adds time onto the cooking period. For instance, porridge oats can take over twice as long as they would in a jug in the microwave, but it is still a great option for anyone who doesn’t have the time to watch over it in the morning.

But there are some nice extras available, such as a clear lid for slow cooking and an additional inner pot if you need to cook something else without emptying and cleaning what you’ve just prepared.

Everything feels strong and robust, and we like how the handle on the lid is suitable for both right and left-handed users. You get a good recipe book and cooking time sheet with it too, which is perfect for both complete beginners and pros.

One of the most popular pressure cookers on the market, and we are not surprised given how easy and simple it is to set up. It is seen as the closest rival to the Instant Pot in terms of ability and quality, yet comes in at almost half the price for anyone who can’t justify spending over £100.

Simply press which function you are after, and the temperature, times and pressure levels are all automatically selected on your behalf. Choose from meat, rice, stew and fish amongst others, with everything cooked perfectly in the end.

There are the standard delay timer and keep warm functions which make life much easier, but there is also the addition of a third function. Fast reheat will boost the temperature of any food before you serve while maintaining flavours. No need to serve everything and then give it a quick go in the microwave if you like your food piping hot.

We have to say that even though it is pretty fab at everything it does, cooking meat is where it really excels. No matter whether it is a whole chicken or some gammon, it comes out moist and perfect, in around half the time it would have taken in the oven.

We were disappointed by the instruction leaflet, and the recipe booklet was also poor for an item of this quality. Even though the latter includes over 60 recipes, some are just completely illogical to make in a pressure cooker. It also takes a while to get to pressure. But to say these are the only negatives we have, we can safely say that we would highly recommend it.

A generous 6-litre capacity and 25 pre-programmed settings make this a great cooker for small families or anyone who likes to batch cook for the week ahead.

There is a delayed start function up to 24 hours in advance so you can take your forward planning ahead to the next level.

It is a great size, and will likely take up less room than a slow cooker so is great if you want something which can do all the tasks you could possibly want yet doesn’t fill your kitchen. We like the DIY function, which puts control in your hands. This is perfect for anyone who is eyeing up a stovetop model for this reason but would actually prefer to stay away from their hob.

The lid is also hinged which makes things nice and easy to remove and pop back on. It is simple to add extra ingredients without faffing about, and you don’t have to plan ahead and get your benches ready to place the lid.

The instructions aren’t great. In fact, they’re very poor and basic with no mention of most of the extras. But if you are starting simple and building up to more adventurous cooking, then it is easy to get the hang of quickly. What is great is the little recipe book which comes with it. There are 30 options in there, from chilli con carne to curry, or even chocolate-vanilla marble cake. Risotto fans will love the fact a basic mushroom recipe can be ready in just six minutes.

Once you are done, the steam basket, trivet and spatula are all dishwasher safe for ease. Our only niggle is that the hinged lid can cause condensation to drip over your worktops when it is opened, but this is an issue commonly found with products of this type and is nothing which can’t be wiped away within seconds. It certainly wouldn’t put us off using it every night.

Sage is a name associated with clever, helpful and pretty game-changing appliances, and this pressure/slow cooker is no different.

The cleverness is mostly down to the dual sensors at the top and bottom of the bowl, which constantly monitor the food and adjust temperature and pressure accordingly. A hands-free steam release function automatically lets out any excess depending on the food too, so it is perfect each and every time in terms of moisture and cooking levels.

Thanks to the six functions, you can sear, sauté or reduce ingredients ready to cook. There are also 12 dedicated programmes to pick from, such as Bolognese, risottos or puddings. The twelfth is a custom option, so you can cater everything to your preferences if you know that the automatic settings don’t get it quite right for your tastes.

Once everything has been cooked and eaten, a lot of the inner components can be popped in the dishwasher if you’d rather put your feet up than wash them by hand. The removable pot makes it easier to clean too, which is ideal if you’ve made something very saucy.

It is nice and quick with a lot of foods. Potatoes are perfect in ten minutes, as is rice. Stews are done in an hour, and meats are incredibly tender despite being done quicker than they would in the oven. There is also the option to slow cook, so it is great as an all-in-one.

Crockpot is a name mostly associated with slow cookers, but seeing as they are pretty much at the top of their game when it comes to those, we had high expectations for this item.

From the twelve settings available, eight of these are pressure cooker orientated. This will help you cook meats quicker but still keep them tender, and risottos and curries can be perfect in well under half an hour. There are also other functions which could come in handy when making stews and soups, such as sauteing for vegetables.

A delay timer will allow you to plan ahead and ensure your dinner is ready for when you get home, which is ideal if you are usually far too tired to start cooking when you get through the door. Cleaning up everything at the end is also nice and easy, as most components are dishwasher safe and the pot is removable so can be cleaned by hand.

All of the settings are clearly labelled on the control panel, so it couldn’t be easier to get things going. A handy countdown timer will let you know how long you have to wait, and you can fine tune the temperature and pressure levels if you like things a little more done than standard. The only other thing you need to do is switch the vent at the back between pressure and no pressure, and empty the condensation collection tub.

It is on the bulkier side if you’re going to be storing it, and it doesn’t cope well if you adapt your recipe for one or two people using smaller amounts. The keep warm and delay timer functions also only work for up to four hours, so may not be ideal for anyone who is a ‘prepare the night before’ kind of person – twelve hours is usually the standard.

But still, it is nice and easy to use and gives you pretty much all the options you could want. It comes in nicely under £100 too, which is good for the adaptability.

Priced near the lower end of the scale, this is a pressure cooker for anybody who wants to keep things basic and use it only for the intended function.

There is a six-litre capacity which makes it great for families, and the 1100W of power makes things so much quicker than using the oven or microwave. The 12 functions include pasta, steam and yoghurt, and there is also a keep warm option if you aren’t quite ready to sit down and eat yet.

Three accessories – a measuring cup, rice spoon and steaming rack – allow both flexibility and ease, no matter what you are preparing. It is nice and easy to choose your option thanks to the large buttons, LED display and indicator lights. The keep warm option will hold for 24 hours which gives you plenty of scope to enjoy your meal if life is a little busy.

Tower has an Alexa Recipe Skill, so if you have an Echo, you can ask her for some inspiration, and she will let you know exactly what you have to do depending on your model of cooker. The power cable is rather short, so make sure you have the space to use it near a power socket. There is no time delay, but the 24 hour keep warm could replace this if you adjust everything accordingly.

All in all, for the price it is a fab product to have in the kitchen and make your dinner times run much smoother. It is a great entry appliance if you’ve never used a product of this type before, too.

Able to cook meals in around a third of the time of conventional cooking, this Kuhn Rikon model also uses much less energy – without any loss in quality or taste.

First of all, the 8L capacity is brilliant for anyone who likes to cook a lot at any one time. Perhaps you need to prepare around ten portions for both dinners and lunches the next day, then freeze some too.

It is suitable for all heat sources, including induction hobs. The 18/10 stainless steel material transfers heat really well, and the solid aluminium Superthermic sandwich base allows this heat to spread over the entire base area, so you don’t have to worry too much about it being bang on the centre of the hob. It does this by expanding the area.

The Duromatic incorporates several steam release valves into the design, which is ideal for ensuring there is never too much pressure in the chamber automatically. We were pleasantly surprised at how quiet it was when working, especially compared to those of previous years we were used to hearing working away.

The overall feel of the cooker is sturdy and well-built, so it should last for a good few years without as much as a hint of wear and tear. The material is well-known to be chip and rust resistant.

Price-wise, it is almost twice as much as some of the top electrical ones. As seeing as you have to put in more work, this could well feel very imbalanced for some out there. But there is no denying that you get quality and an item which should last decades (and that is no exaggeration). There is a ten-year guarantee to put your mind at rest.

Perfect for all of that day to day cooking which is usually nothing short of a real task in the evenings, this cooker is ideal for mealtimes thanks to a nice capacity which isn’t too overwhelming.

It is made from hard anodised aluminium, which is twice as hard as stainless steel, so it should easily be up to the task and survive in the most haphazard of kitchens. Two pressure settings, 8lb and 12lb, make it nice and flexible. There is a directional pressure indicator too, ensuring the steam is directed away from you once it is released.

The materials should mean it lasts for years, but there is a handy lifetime guarantee for those ‘just in case’ moments. We love the simple design, which makes it a solid choice for anyone who has never used a product of this type before. Even if you are a seasoned expert, it is still perfect – it really takes the hassle out of cooking. Just bear in mind that it isn’t for anyone with an induction hob, though.

Seeing when it has reached pressure is easy as a little red button popped out of the handle. Steaming results are also incredibly effective, with veg ready in just a few minutes.

Cleaning has to be done by hand as it isn’t dishwasher safe, and while this is generally an easy task thanks to the non-stick coating, a few foodstuffs such as thick stews and porridges did get a little stuck on. But cleaning is easy, and this is similar to what would happen in an ordinary pan really. The price is nice enough to give it a go, too.

A nice purse-friendly option, but that isn’t to say it is any less capable than the ones which retail for twice the price.

There are two cooking programmes depending on what you are preparing and the desired result, so you have a nice level of control without having to get overworked. The two are vegetable mode or the meat and fish mode, so you get the right amount of cooking and moisture locked in. A list of different ingredients and the best level of pressure is in the user guide.

An auto-lock lid closes with an audible noise too, so you know when it is safe to start. Ideal if your kitchen is usually the hub of the entertainment and household. Both handles are nice and easy to hold and control the pot.

The material is stainless steel, which should remain pretty intact throughout the years. Internally, this helps with the non-stick properties. All hobs are compatible, including induction, which is good for anyone struggling to find a suitable option for a good affordable price. A nice thick base helps hold the heat and prevents your food from burning as it can regulate the heat nicely, too.

It is nice and quiet in operation, so if the huge monster sitting on the hob when you were growing up put you off owning a pressure cooker yourself, then think again. They are much more modern, friendly and usable now, and this one will make a real impact on your kitchen.

Before you use for the first time, it may be best looking online for some user tips, however – the instructions seem a bit more tailored towards those who are familiar with the products of this type as opposed to newbies.