Instant Pot Pro Plus 5.7L review: A considered purchase

After weeks of testing, I finally have a verdict on the Instant Pot Pro Plus 5.7L for my review, and it's not what I expected.

Instant Pot Pro Plus 5.7L review: A considered purchase

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Scores

  • Design: 8.5/10
  • Performance: 7.5/10
  • Overall: 8/10

Pros

  • Well built, stylish design
  • Silicon handles on inner pot
  • Integrated slots for standing the lid

Cons

  • Placement is really restricted
  • App isn't overly useful
  • Cooking results vary

I have never been so intimidated by a kitchen appliance as I was when I first set up the Instant Pot Pro Plus 5.7L for this review. 

Part of the reason for that was the fact that despite cooking for over two and a half decades, I had never used a pressure cooker before. I’ve used rice cookers and slow cookers and electric frypans – all functions included in the Instant Pot Pro – but never a pressure cooker (though technically this is a multi-cooker).

Things got more intense when I read the manual. There are literally six pages of safety warnings. There is lots of bold text proclaiming 38 different things you DO NOT do when using the appliance.

I broke into a sweat reading them, concerned I was going to severely injure myself, burn down my house, or both.

Of course, safety is paramount – I'm not suggesting six pages of warnings is a bad thing. It's just... a lot.

And as it turned out, it was nigh on impossible for me to actually use the product in my kitchen without breaking some of those rules. I was extremely careful about it, though.

Despite my initial intimidation, using the Instant Pot Pro Plus 5.7L turned out to be a reasonably painless affair, with varied cooking results. Its smart connectivity is a let-down, though. It’s still a long way from automating the cooking process.