The Best Pressure Cooker
The Instant Pot Rio nails the fundamentals at a fair price, making it the easiest pressure cooker to recommend for almost everyone. · Updated June 29, 2026
Instant Pot Rio
Instant Pot Rio 6-quart
$100Buy on Amazon
★star.shop pickWirecutter pick
Pros
- Reliable, consistent pressure cooking with intuitive one-touch controls
- Versatile multicooker — pressure cooks, slow cooks, steams, sautés, and makes rice and yogurt
- 6-quart capacity suits most families and batch cooking
- Affordable at around $100 with a huge ecosystem of recipes and accessories
- Easy to clean with a dishwasher-safe stainless steel inner pot
Cons
- Stovetop pressure cookers reach higher pressure and cook faster for purists
- Bulky footprint that takes up significant counter or storage space
- Takes time to come up to pressure before cooking actually begins
Minor nitpicks
- Electronic control board can fail and is not user-replaceable, unlike a simple stovetop model
- Silicone sealing ring absorbs odors over time and needs periodic replacement
The other picks
- WirecutterInstant Pot Pro 6-quart — Wirecutter's upgrade pick for its sturdier build, quieter steam release, and more refined controls