21 Duo Nova Instant Pot Recipes In fact, other machines place their buttons on the main control panel, even farther away from the assault of steam that accompanies depressurizing a pressure cooker. However, the DUO Nova is undoubtedly still in the minority, offering a pressure release button. The steam function uses pressure cooking to steam and again, we struggled to find a good recommendation for timings and plumped for four minutes with one cup of water in the bottom of the pot. The steam rack provided isn’t great for this purpose and some of the broccoli pieces fell through the gaps. On the other hand, stainless steel has a long and proven pedigree of being dishwasher safe and thus doesn't elicit the same debate. Instant Pot has come down firmly on the "stainless is better" side of the conversation, using stainless pots in all of their pressure cookers. The control panel makes navigating its multiple cooking features and settings quite easy. A dedicated button for each cooking presets make it easy to quickly dial in rice or soup settings. A large LCD clearly displays feedback if you want to cycle through some advanced features, such as adjusting the pressure level, programming in a delayed start, or adjusting the cooking time. If you’re a fan of the ‘set it and forget it’ style of cooking, the handy keep warm function means your food won’t go cold if you do actually forget about it. The delay start button allows you to postpone cooking for up to 24 hours, but be sure not to leave anything perishable in the pot if you’re using this function. It comes with a steam rack, but this is only really useful for larger foods, smaller vegetables will fall straight through the rack into the water below which is frustrating. With a familiar design, the Duo Nova is instantly recognizable as an Instant Pot and as we’ve said in previous reviews, multi-cookers are not the most attractive of the kitchen counter appliances. For each category, we’ll let you know the strengths and weaknesses of both products and which one we think performed best during our testing. This Instant Pot Duo vs Duo Nova article pits two of the brand’s latest and greatest cookers against one another. By the end, you’ll hopefully have a good idea about which cooker is going to be the best for you and your lifestyle. When you click on links to buy products we may earn money to support our work. While it isn’t a budget appliance, this Instant Pot is a great price when you take into account all the different uses and the other appliances it can replace. NOVA California accepts returns in new, uninstalled condition and original packaging within 30 days of receipt, unless otherwise notes on the product page. Once your return request has been authorized, you will receive a shipping labels by email. Print and attach to the box and drop off at your local UPS/Fedex store. You may use your own shipping account to return an item, simply provide us a tracking number. For example, some Instant Pots include a rice cooker, whereas others swap that out for a yogurt maker. It’s important to think about which features and cooking modes you are going to use when choosing which is best for you. This isn’t necessarily a big disadvantage if you know that these features are going to be worthwhile to you. Moreover, some of the extra cost is recuperated by the additional measuring cup and sealing ring that are included in the Duo Nova package. The Duo Nova also comes with extra accessories, some of which aren’t included with the standard Duo. You can expect the usual measuring cup, paddle spoon, and ladle, but Instant Pot throws in an extra sealing ring with the Duo Nova. This success is no doubt down to the ease of use, quality of cooking, and affordability that Instant Pot manages to pack into their devices. If you’re new to Instant Pots, extra sealing rings are a must-have accessory and newer models are starting to come with two sealing rings instead of one. The new Duo Nova has an auto sealing lid as an added safety feature that’s available on the Ultra. Have you ever forgotten to flip the sealing knob to the closed position when starting to cook? The smart programs in the Duo Nova vs Duo side by side are pretty much the same. And as you’ll notice with the other mini 3 quart models, it has a few fewer smart programs compared to the larger models. The DUO Nova provides most of the basic pressure cooking functions and some more advanced options. Essentially, unless you're looking for some specific specialty functions like air fry or dehydrate, it will likely meet your needs. Learn how we create the most in-depth and scientific tech reviews on our About page. Our experts test thousands of products each year using thoughtful test plans that bring out key performance differences between competing products. And, to assure complete independence, we buy all the products we test ourselves. Unfortunately, the lamp was damaged, but the company was incredibly responsive and refunded my money. I bought a different lamp from them previously, and everything went smoothly. This may sound nit-picky, but the styrofoam they use gets everywhere; best to open the boxes outside. As a result, it can be hard to find the Duo Nova when you’re shopping online. As the popularity of this product increases, it’s probably going to get even more difficult to get your hands on one. The last category we’ll investigate in this Instant Pot Duo vs Duo Nova showdown is their designs. Both of the Instant Pot models have the classic design that the brand is known for and there aren’t that many noticeable differences. In summary, it’s clear that the Duo Nova has some advantages over the Instant Pot Duo when it comes to extra features.