I was all excited when I got my Instant Pot IP-Duo 8 quart pressure cooker. It pushed my IP-DUO 6 quart out of the location of honor, under my kitchen island, ready to be pulled out at a moment’s notice. My IP-DUO 6 moved to the basement, on the shelf of backup pressure cookers. (Next to the Fagor Lux 8 quart, the Instant Pot Smart, the Kuhn-Rikon, and the Cuisinart.) I loved the extra space in the 8 quart; I didn’t mind that it barely fit under the kitchen island. That’s how things stayed for a few months. The IP-DUO 6 quart would come upstairs when I needed a second pressure cooker for a side dish, but otherwise was relegated to the minor leagues.
Then, one night, the kids did not clean out the 8 quart pot. (Darned kids!) It was crunch time, and I had to get dinner started right away. I don’t have a spare pot for the 8 quart yet - Instant Pot says they are coming, but keeps pushing off the date - so I went downstairs and grabbed the IP-DUO 6. When we were cleaning up the kitchen, out of habit, I put the 6 quart back under the island, and moved the 8 quart downstairs.
That was it. Without really paying attention, I switched back to my old standby, the 6 quart cooker. Turns out, for a family of five, I don’t really need the 8 quart size, except for special occasions. The 6 quart does fine, and slightly smaller size, and availability of spare pots and a lid, make it a more versatile cooker day to day. I still bring up the 8 quart when I need it - large batches of stock, or chili for a crowd - but the 6 quart is back as my regular cooker.
Now, I’m glad I have both - I love the day-to-day usability of the 6 quart, with the size of the 8 quart available if I happen to need it. And, it’s great to have a second cooker. If I want a main course and a side dish, both under pressure, I can pull out my backup. Now, the fact that I also have a third, fourth, and fifth pressure cooker available? I may have a problem. (And I’m thinking about the high-end Breville Fast-Slow Pro pressure cooker. I want to try the auto-pressure release, but I can’t get over the lack of a stainless steel pot. Ok, Ok. I admit it. I definitely have a problem.)
Why am I sharing this? Because, I have been asked in the comments a lot recently: 6 quart or 8 quart? If you can only have one, the 6 quart is more than enough to cook for my family of five. If you have bigger needs, the 8 quart is also an excellent cooker - and they’ve got to have spare pots eventually, right? - but I don’t think most people need the extra size. Stick with the 6 quart to start, and when you fall in love with pressure cookers and have to get a second one, go for the 8 quart for the extra space and versatility it adds.
In the end, there can be only one. (Or, in my case, five.)
What do you think?
What is your go-to pressure cooker? Talk about it in the comments section below.
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Rita
Interesting web site i just came across. We picked up two instant pots on Black Friday. 6 quart and 8 quart. Just done some googling but can't figure out, which one of the two we should keep. Hubby wants the bigger one. I think the smaller one will do just fine. We have picky eaters. What would your recommendation for a family of 4 with almost 2 teenagers in the house? Any help on this topic would be greatly appreciated. With thanks
Mike Vrobel
That's a tough choice. You're right on the line. The "2 almost teenagers" makes me lean towards the bigger one for you.
Ed
Hi Mike,
Just got the IP duo80 for $73 during Black Friday at Amazon, I find it to be humungous. I'm not sure if I will ever need this much space. For the same amount of food, do you notice more water coming out of the steam outlet more in the duo60 since it is smaller?
Mike Vrobel
No - they work about the same for me.
Ron
Is the only difference between the duo60 and duo80 size/capacity? Do they both have identical fetures?
Mike Vrobel
Yes, they are essentially the same cooker, just with different sizes.
Debora Cadene
Hi Mike...so glad I found this page. I too, am in the midst of the 6 duo vs 8 duo. Is the ONLY difference the size? Can the 6 do exactly the same things as the 8? Can you make yogurt? In the picture above, the 8 looks like a monster next to the 6. There are only 2 of us at this time, and I don't generally do alot of cook ahead meals. What is benefit of the 8 over the 6? thanks for all your help.
debora cadene
Mike Vrobel
In my experience, the only real difference is the size. It has a Yogurt button, just like the 6-quart model, so it can make yogurt. (At least, I assume so - I've never tried.) If there are only two of you, I'd get the 6-quart. It's big enough for my family of five almost all the time; I only need the 8-quart for jumbo ingredients, like a turkey carcass.
Bonnie McIntyre
Did you find it takes longer to start the pressure cooking phase in the 8qt than the 6qt? I am totally new to these and went right for the 8qt because I have a big family and want it for making stock and thinking of turkey carcasses. Some of the recipes I have tried take longer than posted and so wondering if that is why...bigger pot, more space to fill with steam, etc.
Mike Vrobel
I did not notice a difference. (Unless I’m loading up the pot with more, so it takes longer.)
Lee Davis
In my slow cooker when cooking beans like navy or great northern I usually cook the whole poound of dry beans with some other stuff added like 1 lb sausage, 1 whole onion, 8 or so carrots, a few greens, etc. If I buy an IP will all that stuff fit in a 6 qt or will I need an 8 qt?
Mike Vrobel
It will fit in the 6 quart.
Janelle
Hi Mike. Thanks for all this info! It has helped me make my choice. I love your videos.
Mike Vrobel
You're welcome!
Koa Wu
Which size, 6Q or 8Q, works better to cook 1-week food (2 meals a day) for one person? Also is it practical to use IP for reheating food instead of using microwave oven? I am considering ditching my old MO and getting a new IP to replace it. Currently I use MO to heat food in about 4 min every time. How do I use IP to do the job in a comparable time (e.g., 5 min)? Or completely out of luck? Thanks for your advice and help.
Mike Vrobel
1 week of food: I don't know - I don't have a feel for how much food that is.
Reheating: it will not reheat food anywhere near as fast as a microwave. More like 15 to 20 minutes, with a fair amount of stirring.
David Goshorn
I've never visited your page before, but now, thanks to your Highlander reference, I am a fan!
I came here wondering if I should get the 6 or 8.
So far, I haven't seen any disadvantages about the 8. So, why not just go for the 8 if you have the extra $30 and the room to store it? Is it slower? Are there items that can't be cooked in it that can be cooked in the 6? If there are no disadvantages than why not just get the 8 and have a pot that can cook from the smallest to the largest amount?
Thank you!
-David
Mike Vrobel
In general, you're right - no reason not to get the 8 if you have the $30. Using both, I rarely need the size of the 8, and the 6 is more convenient to use, so it is the one I reach for. (More details here: https://www.dadcooksdinner.com/longer-term-testing-notes-instant-pot-duo60-vs-duo80/
Erik
Mike, I agree with you. To my surprise, my Duo60 definitely greats more work than my Duo80.
Perhaps it's because I've not taken the time to get use done to how they cook differently. The Duo80 has a higher pressure rating, 70 vs. 80kPa. Maybe that has something to with it.
Jean
Hi I have a family of 6 - 2 adult and 4 small children, would I need the 6 or 8 quart? and I understand that you can only fill it up to a certain point? Does you still get 6 or 8Q by filling to this point or would that only be if the pot was full? Thanks
Mike Vrobel
You probably want the 8 quart. You can only fill a pressure cooker 2/3rds full - it needs headspace in the pot to build up pressure - so the listed sizes are 1/3 larger than what you can actually use.
Jean
Thanks a million that has made my mind up 🙂
Patricia Sadler
Hurray! The dates are showing up now!
Patricia Sadler
I own the DUO-60 I.P., an 8qt+ stovetop All-Clad p.c.and a couple of older stovetop p.c.'s one stainless and one nonstick, 8 & 6 qts respectively.
Until a few days ago, I also owned the Breville Fast-Slow Pro. I absolutely loved everything about it-until it died on me during the 8th month of ownership. Additionally, even though it has what they refer to as a dishwasher-safe cooking vessel, there is a coating on the exterior that came off little-by-little during the 8-month period. If it were possible to post photos here, I'd show the difference between the dishwasher-worn old pot, and a new one that I bought as a replacement or secondary unit, but never used. The only problem with the interior was that it was impossible to remove odors, no matter what I used. The ceramic pot never did bubble, chip, or peel, unlike every multicooker appliance I've tried.
Breville customer service has been wonderful-to a point. They emailed a return label for the defective unit and with them being so nearby, they received it the next morning. On Monday, I'll call them to request a replacement unit (they gave me the option of a replacement or a Breville.com store credit to use toward something else that equaled the full purchase price of the F-S Pro, including tax.)
I will go ahead and accept the replacement unit, but if it's brand new in the box (as opposed to a refurbished model), I'll simply put it up for sale.
The current line of I.P. DUO's have additional features lacking in older models. The I.P. website has a section where the I.P. Lux and DUO models' features are compared, and the specifications differ from the older models.
I am in my mid-60's and my first electric pressure cooker was made of aluminum with nonstick coating and had a plug-in thermostat. It lasted for decades and was still working great when I sold it. Sometimes I wish I'd kept it if for no other reason than these modern electronic models seem to be unreliable. I read a lot of reviews about display failures and failure to operate after only a short period of time!
Dad, your website is very nice, but the one thing that seems to be missing are dates, so I have no idea when your articles were written or when your readers responded. I hope that is something that can be corrected.
Gail Steinke
Hi – my name is Gail and I had purchased and used a power pressure cooker XL 10 quart thinking it could be used for canning. I've read some articles to challenge that and recommend that I do not because it does not adequately do some things necessary to ensure safety and removal of any botulism or any other bacteria's as a result of not getting hot enough for long enough. I don't know if you know anything about this or not. I'm strongly feeling like I need to return this power pressure cooker XL and get an instant pot. I am a one person household so I guess that the 6 quart will suffice?
Mike Vrobel
The Power Pressure Cooker XL, Instant Pot, and all other electric pressure cookers are not safe for canning, according to the USDA. Go to my Instant Pot Frequently Asked Questions page: https://www.dadcooksdinner.com/instant-pot-frequently-asked-questions/ and look for the question: "Q: Can I use the Instant Pot for pressure canning?"
Janice Rounsaville
I have the 6 Qt but the 8 Qt is coming tomorrow. I will only keep one. If I keep the 8, I'll give the 6 to my daughter-in-law. The reason I ordered the 8 even though there are just two of us is that I frequently fill a six or 7 Qt crock pot with large batches of chili, stew, black-eyed peas, goulash etc. my purpose is to have enough for two meals one week and freeze the remainder in individual meal containers. I don't want to cut my recipes down but am afraid that there simply isn't enough room in the 6. Please advise. Also, can you use the same recipes in the 8 Qt that you would use in the ) Qt without increasing the ingredients by 1/3? Many recipes I don't want to freeze.
Mike V
For 8 quart vs 6 quart - sounds like you want the 8 quart for the extra space. (If you're filling a 7 quart crock pot, you'll need the space the 8 has.)
For the recipe size- you do not need to scale up recipes for the 8 quart; it works just fine with smaller batches.
Wayne
Hmm..
If making small /
Std portion recipe in 8Qt would it take longer to come to pressure or ook in the larger IP ?
Mike Vrobel
Not that I’ve ever noticed.
Carolyn
In the endless debate over 6- vs. 8-quart . . . I have Presto PC's (stainless) in both sizes, & the IP specs show that IP's inner pot, though nominally 6- or 8-quart, is actually a little smaller than my Prestos. I'm leaning toward the 8-quart IP but my husband thinks it's massive; however, when I've made small-batch chicken stock, I've maxed out my 6-quart slow cooker (big-batch stock from Thanksgiving turkey simmers all day in my 15-quart stockpot, so that's not a concern). Would love to ditch the old-tech 6-quart slow cooker for the 8-quart IP; any further thoughts on storage ability (esp. w/ lid off, which would help), weight, height during use, or other size/weight concerns? Thanks (plus thanks for all your detail on these pots)! (Oh--we cook for 3 most of the time, but entertain a lot, enjoy leftovers, & have all the family here for holidays/vacations.)
Mike V
8 quart is bigger than the 6 quart in every direction - taller, wider, deeper. Not a lot, but a couple of inches in each direction - it's enough to be noticeable. Weight isn't that different between the two, though - neither the 6 nor the 8 weigh all that much.