Pampered Chef Pressure Cooker vs Instant Pot

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If you are tempted by the pressure cooker craze that has been sweeping the country and shows no sign of letting up, it can be hard to decide which type of pressure cooker to buy.

The Instant Pot is the USA’s favorite, but buying a Pampered Chef Pressure Cooker offers the customer a personalized experience that may help you if you are new to cooking in this way.

To be clear, both appliances are pressure cookers that offer other cooking functions, such as searing and slow cooking.

Pampered Chef comes only in a 6-quart model, while Instant Pot comes in a variety of sizes. We have compared the 6-quart for Pampered Chef Pressure Cooker vs Instant Pot in this article.

Pampered Chef Pressure Cooker vs Instant Pot

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While Instant Pot hasn’t released its sales figures, an independent survey done in 2019 showed that 21% of adult Americans own an Instant Pot.

That’s around 53 million people! We knew that it was a popular appliance, but that’s huge! It’s probably because Instant Pot offers a more efficient cooking method for today’s busy workforce.

It’s not only faster to cook with, but it also saves on washing up since it can make a whole meal in one pot.

That said, a Pampered Chef Pressure Cooker offers the same advantages. However, it’s difficult to ascertain how popular these appliances are, as there are no figures to be found for how many people own one.

Pampered Chef Quick Cooker (6 quarts)	Instant Pot (6 quarts)
1-year guarantee	Warranty can be requested from the manufacturer
6-quart size only	3, 6, and 8-quart sizes
Heavier	Lighter
Sold via network marketing	Sold online and via various retailers
Costs $249	Cost $99.95 for Duo Nova, $120.00 for Duo Eva
Accessories sold separately	Accessories sold separately
16 functions	7 to 9 functions
Steam release halfway down handle for safety	Steam release by touching the valve

Let’s Look at the Pampered Chef Pressure Cooker First

The Pampered Chef Quick Cooker is a 6-qt pot that offers an impressive 16 pre-programmed settings. These include Sear, Steam, Slow Cook, and a Stay Warm function.

Despite the 16 function claims, most of the functions are standard on all pressure cookers.

Which include White Rice, Brown Rice, Whole Grains, Chicken/Poultry, Beef/Pork, Fish/Seafood, Soup/Stock, Beans, Stew/Chili, Dessert, and Custom.

The cooker comes with an inner stainless-steel pot. The appliance is the same size as the 6-quart Instant Pot, but it’s almost a pound heavier due to its different shape.

It has built-in side handles, making it easier to move, but these also add to the appliance’s weight. So, there isn’t anything here that is particularly revolutionary.

This pressure cooker does not function as a yogurt maker, for example, and it is not suitable for canning. However, it is an attractive unit that would look good in any kitchen, and the control panel is well laid out and simple to use.

Pampered Chef is on sale via its official website and direct marketing, sometimes known as network marketing or multi-level marketing. This is a sales model that recruits “ordinary people” to sell a product, usually via party planning or demonstrations.

This means that you can host your own party if you are interested in buying this appliance, receiving a discount on your own purchases. You can also move up the chain and become a consultant yourself. Besides, one can do an online party instead of in-person.

The downside to all this is that the Pampered Chef Quick Cooker is not very straightforward to buy. You can’t simply pick it up from a shop or order from an online retailer such as Amazon and have it couriered to your door.

However, if you do attend a party or host a party yourself, you will be able to learn all about the pressure cooker and how it works. Presumably, you will taste some of the food prepared in the cooker too!

Tips: You can find a consultant and order if you want it quick. 

This is an advantage for those unfamiliar with pressure cooking methods and is, in a sense, “free cooking lessons.”.

As with all products sold via direct marketing, the Pampered Chef Quick Cooker is not cheap. Prices start at $249 for a 6-qt model.

Any accessories such as steamer baskets or cake tins must be purchased separately.

Accessories such as a springform pan cost in the region of $23, and a set of steamer baskets are $21.

The company offers a “Starter Kit” for $295, which includes the cooker, a glass lid to use with the slow cooking setting, a ceramic pot that allows you to cook a side dish at the same time, and a pair of mini oven mitts to prevent burning your hands.

A good point about the Pampered Chef Quick Cooker is that it is covered by a year’s guarantee as standard. Customer feedback is mainly positive.

Pros:

• It comes with a 1-year guarantee
• Stylish design
• 16 pre-set functions
• Feedback mainly positive

Cons:

• Very expensive
• Not straightforward to buy

Now Let’s Look at The Instant Pot

The Instant Pot is the USA’s number #1 pressure cooker brand and is the make that most people are familiar with from social media and marketing.

It is on sale from many different outlets, including Walmart and Amazon, and is available in a choice of sizes from 3qt up to 8qt.

The Instant Pot company has sold many, many units, so it is undoubtedly a good deal according to customers.

The Instant Pot is available in a couple of model choices. There is the Instant Pot Duo Nova or the newest model, the Instant Pot Duo Evo Plus.

Both models advertised seven functions (nine with the Duo Evo Plus), which include; pressure cooker, slow cooker, rice cooker, steamer, sauté pan, yogurt maker, and warmer.

The Duo Evo Plus also has additional functions of Sous Vide and Bake. There are also numerous pre-set functions to make cooking easier. You can set the cooker to make Soup/Broth, Rice, Bean/Chilli, and Porridge.

 You can choose between Steam, Sauté, Slow Cook, Yoghurt, and Pressure Cook function. There are a high-pressure setting and a low-pressure setting. There is also a manual function that will enable you to regulate pressure.

The Instant Pot is straightforward to use.  The control panel offers you numerous options so you could cook a wide range of dishes without ever deviating from the pre-set function.

More experienced cooks can regulate pressure yourself, so the Instant Pot is very adaptable for all types of cooks; you don’t have to be an experienced cook to use it.

The simplicity of design has made this pressure cooker practically idiot-proof.

Price-wise, the Instant Pot is far less expensive than the Pampered Chef Quick Cooker. The Instant Pot 6 qt Duo Nova costs around $99.95 from Amazon.

The 6qt Instant Pot Duo Evo is slightly more expensive at $120.00.

Customer feedback is overwhelmingly good. Most people have been satisfied with this pressure cooker.

Although there are only a few negative comments on Amazon, these are a tiny percentage compared to the thousands of users who love this pressure cooker. It’s mostly getting between 4- and 5-star ratings.

Pros

• The USA’s #1 Pressure Cooker Brand
• On sale from a wide choice of outlets
• Available in a choice of pot sizes
• An affordable price

Cons

• There are some customer complaints about reliability
• It does not come with a guarantee as standard
• Accessories are not included but can be purchased separately

So, should you get the Pampered Chef Quick Cooker or the Instant Pot?

While both are attractive accessories that will do a great job of creating delicious meals easily and quickly, we don’t feel that the Pampered Chef cooker’s price is justified.

Add to this the difficulty in obtaining it when most people today prefer the safety and convenience of online shopping, our choice is clear.

Although a home party/demonstration can be enjoyable and gives you a way to learn about the pressure cooker, with the social distancing required for Covid-19, do we really want that?

Besides, Instant Pot is so well known that there are tons of free online instruction videos and recipes for you to take advantage of.