Cuisinart CPC-600 vs Instant Pot Duo: Which one is better?

In the world of pressure cookers Instant Pot and Cuisinart are two well-known names. This article will be comparing two of their pressure cookers, the Cuisinart CPC-600 and the Instant Pot Duo.

I’ll start out by giving an overview of both pressure cookers, then I’ll go over the significant similarities and differences between the two.

Hopefully by the end of this article you’ll be able to decide if this is just a popularity contest, or if there are real differences that will help you decide which one of these two pressure cookers would be right for you.

Overview of the Instant Pot Duo

The Instant Pot IP-DUO60 is a 7-in1- Multi-functional pressure cooker meant to take the place of several small kitchen appliances. Along with being a pressure cooker, it functions as a slow cooker, Rice Cooker, Sauté/Browning pan, Yogurt Maker, Steamer, and Warmer.

The IP-DUO60 comes in a 6-quart capacity with a stainless steel inner cooking pot. A few accessories that accompany the DUO60 are a stainless-steel steam rack with handles, a rice scooper and a measuring cup.

This pressure cooker also comes with a large easy to read digital screen where you can start anyone of the 14 presets which include: Soup, Meat/Stew, Bean/Chili, Poultry, Sauté, Steam, Rice, Porridge, Multigrain, Slow Cook, Keep-Warm, Yogurt, Pasteurize and Fermented Rice.

In addition to the presets you can manually program recipes by selecting either high or low pressure and time. The IP-DUO60 is equipped with a microprocessor that monitors your food as it cooks and makes adjustments to time, pressure and temperature to ensure consistent results.

The cooker also has a pressure sensor at the top and bottom of the pot to keep pressure at the same level throughout the pot and ensure your food is cooked thoroughly and consistently.

The IP-DUO60, like all Instant Pot pressure cookers, has 10 safety features built in throughout the pot to ensure your experience with pressure cooking is a safe one. The features are meant to prevent malfunctions related to over-pressurizing.

Overview of the Cuisinart CPC-600

The Cuisinart CPC-600 is meant to be a dedicated pressure cooker. With this appliance, you do have the option to sauté food to prepare for pressure cooking, and simmer to finish dishes, but it lacks the multi-functionality common in pressure cookers. It doesn’t have the slow cook, steamer, or yogurt maker options.

It has cool-touch handles and comes with a 6-quart nonstick inner pot that is BPA free and dishwasher safe. It also includes a trivet for preparing meat.

Cooking with the CPC-600 is meant to be as simple as possible. It doesn’t have the many cooking presets seen with the IP-DUO60. To cook with this appliance, you simply select high or low pressure, enter the time, and press start. It has an automatic keep warm feature that will activate for up to 12 hours after pressure cooking is complete. Another feature that is absent in the CPC-600 is a time delay option

The attempt at simplicity is thwarted with the time programming procedure. The display has only a 2-digit LCD display so when adding time to the cooker anything from 0 up to 40 minutes are in one minute increments, and time entered from 40 to 99 are in 5 minute increments.

Major Similarities Between the Cuisinart CPC-600 and the Instant Pot Duo

1. Both are 6-quart capacity, although the IP-DUO can also be purchased in a 5-quart and a larger 8-quart size. If you are looking for a bigger pot, the Instant Pot Duo Nova has a 10-quart version.
2. Both allow manual programming.

Major Differences Between the Cuisinart CPC-600 and the Instant Pot Duo

1. The Cuisinart CPC-600 is about 30% cheaper than the IP-DUO60.
2. The IP-DUO60 has 14 presets while the CPC-600 does not have any presets.
3. The IP-DUO60 has 10 built-in safety features and the CPC-600 does not.
4. The CPC-600 is not a multi-cooker, while the IP-DUO60 has 7 functions.
5. The IP-DUO60 has a microprocessor to monitor and improve the cooking process.
6. The IP-DUO60 has a 24-hour delay timer and the Cuisinart CPC-600 does not.

Which Pressure Cooker is right for you?

Let’s start with the Cuisinart CPC-600. Basically, if you only need a pressure cooker this would be a reasonable choice. Maybe you already have a slow cooker and rice cooker and you’re not looking to downsize. The CPC-600 gets the job done when it comes to pressure cooking.

The CPC-600 is also a good choice if price is of concern. Its considerably less expensive than the IP-DUO60. If you are looking to get started in pressure cooking then this is a good choice. It’s simple enough to program once you get a handle on how to enter cook time.

You could start with the CPC-600 and once you’re sure that you want to continue pressure cooking and want to expand your options, you can upgrade to a more expensive pressure cooker with more features like the IP-DUO60.

If you want a pressure cooker with all the bells and whistles, then you should go with the Instant Pot IP-DUO60.

One of the advantages to this pressure cooker is the additional functions it performs. Maybe you’ve been thinking about getting both a pressure cooker and a slow cooker. This appliance can do both. You could also get this to replace, a slow cooker, rice cooker and dedicated pressure cooker you may already own.

If you are interested in experimenting with new and different recipes the IP-DUO60 would be the way to go as well. The 14 presets will make it easy to cook foods that you may have never prepared before in a pressure cooker. Also, the dual pressure sensors will ensure your experiments come out well-prepared.

Another thing to consider that may influence you towards the IP-DUO60 is the safety features. The extensiveness of the safety features of this pressure cooker will give you peace of mind when cooking when you may not be around to monitor it.

The bottom line is, if you are looking to get into pressure cooking, want something inexpensive and don’t need a ton of features, then go with the CPC-600. If you don’t mind spending a little more money for an amazing amount of versatility in cooking with safety as a main concern, go with the IP-DUO60.