If you’ve been looking at any Black Friday Instant Pot deals, you know that Instant Pots are a godsend in the kitchen. The company’s pressure cookers make cooking stews and soups not only much easier but quicker as well. They can also handle other types of meal prep whether that’s cooking rice, warming up food, or even handling some sous vide cooking. But, Instant Pot also makes multi-functional air fryers as well as a number of other products.
No matter what you’re hoping to get out of an Instant Pot, you need to consider a few things before snapping up one of the many Black Friday Instant Pot deals. After all, they’re not all equal as they vary wildly in capacity, come with different sets of cooking functionalities, and fit into different price ranges. You might be on a budget or want to get the best one on the market.
While we recommend that you take a look at our best Instant Pot and Air Fryer guide, we’ll walk you through all the things to consider before jumping on one of the best Black Friday deals available. And, make sure to keep an eye out on our deals pages as we’re constantly checking all the retailers for any potential sales.
1. Decide on what kitchen appliance you need
The words “Instant Pot” might bring up mental images of pressure cookers but there are also Instant Pot air fryers, coffee makers, electric dutch ovens and even air purifiers. Your first task then, if Santa didn’t tell you already, is to figure out what you need or want to add to your kitchen when shopping for Black Friday Instant Pot deals.
Pressure cookers and air fryers are both multi-functional for all but the most basic of models. The Instant Pot Ultra 8 Qt 10-in-1, for example, comes with ten different cooking functions. Beyond pressure cooking, it can do slow cooking, rice, yogurt, steamer, and more. Or, consider the Instant Vortex Plus 6QT Air Fryer Oven which has six different functions, such as bake and roast. Yet, they don’t quite overlap.
Consider what kind of food you want to cook but need to streamline. If you want to make a lot of soups and cook a lot of rice, go with a pressure cooker. If chips or fries are your life, or more realistically, you want an easier way to fry or bake food, then an air fryer is the way to go.
2. Figure out your price range
Unfortunately, many of us are limited by what we can afford. With that in mind, you’ll want to figure out how much you can set aside for an Instant Pot. Since so many are getting solid Black Friday Instant Pot deals, you should be able to move up a price bracket as long as you don’t wait too long.
For instance, if you’re on a budget, you might see a more mid-range model discounted to below $100 / £100. The Instant Pot Pro 10-in-1 is currently going for $99.95 instead of its usual going rate of $169.99. Or, you can pocket the savings on budget models to spend on other gifts.
Regardless, you’ll want to factor in your budget range first so that you’re not figuring that out when you come across a sale. Many of the best deals won’t last long, especially once the big shopping day comes around, so you don’t want to lose time checking your bank account while the last couple units are being snatched up by people that aren’t you.
3. Get the right size
Who are you cooking for? If it’s for just one, maybe the most budget model will do. You might just need a small amount of capacity to make dinner. Something like the Instant Pot Duo 3 Mini 2.8L Multi Cooker will do the trick for bachelors and bachelorettes trying to save money while still offering various functionalities. Sure, you sacrifice capacity but you’ll save in the process, not to mention a smaller capacity unit will also take up less space, perfect if you’re looking for something to use in a dorm or cramped space.
More likely, you’re either cooking for a family or doing meal prep for a week. In that case, you want around six quarts or more for a single dish. That way, you can make a large chuck roast or goulash and portion it out for several meals throughout the week. The Instant Pot Pro 10-in-1 8qt, as the name suggests, has an eight-quart capacity which is about 7.5 liters.
4. Consider what secondary functions you want out of your appliance
Lastly, we suggest taking into account all the secondary functions you’re hoping to get out of your newest addition to the kitchen. As mentioned earlier, many come with multiple functions but they range from having a few to having up to eleven. And, some with the same amount of functions don’t have the same ones.
For example, the Instant Pot Pro models can sous vide which is great for steak aficionados but probably wasted on most people. Meanwhile, the Instant Pot Pro Crisp 8qt with its eleven functions can also air fry. In comparison, the Instant Pot Duo Plus 9-in-1 6QT is pretty packed with its nine functions but comes with neither sous vide nor air frying capabilities. Air fryers are no different as you’ll find some like the Instant Vortex Plus 6-Quart Air Fryer Oven which can rotisserie a chicken while others, typically with a pull-out basket, can’t.
The idea of getting the most functions you can is enticing but, if you’re on any kind of budget, consider first what you’ll realistically be interested in cooking before you start picking out models when shopping for Black Friday Instant Pot deals.
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