Consumer Reports

CR’s take: The 6-quart Breville Fast Slow Pro BPR700BSS is an ace in its pressure-cook mode. But it’s also the best we’ve tested at slow cooking, earning an Excellent rating in that test: Our beef stew turned out tender and ready to eat in 5 hours, and the chili was tender and delicious in 7 hours. Bonus: The ceramic nonstick coating is easy to clean and did not show any scratches after testing.  Spend a little less: We found the Instant Pot Max to be impressive. This multi-cooker also includes a sous vide feature.

CR’s take: The 6-quart Breville Fast Slow Pro BPR700BSS has a pressure-cook mode and—like all the cookers with that mode in this group—aces our test of that function. It’s also one of the best at slow-cooking, earning an Excellent rating. Our beef stew turned out tender and ready to eat in 5 hours, and the chili was tender and delicious in 7 hours. Steaming is top-notch because this 1,100-watt cooker doesn’t use pressure for that mode. (Unlike other models, the lid on this Breville doesn’t lock during steaming, so you can monitor your broccoli’s shade of green and avoid overcooking.) The ceramic nonstick coating is a cinch to clean and didn’t show any scratches after testing.

TechGearLab

The Breville Fast Slow Pro is one of our favorite pressure cookers. With a streamlined interface and a boatload of cooking features, it easily separates itself from the pack. It offers the most presets and cooking modes, almost to an overwhelming degree. Luckily the Breville provides an incredibly intuitive, three-dial interface that lets you cycle through all of these settings and fine-tune cook times and pressure levels with ease. We particularly liked the automated steam release valve on this machine. You can either set the valve to open automatically when the cooking is done or just open it with the push of a well-positioned button. It is nice to release the steam without putting your hand anywhere near the valve, although we didn't feel unsafe using any of the tested models. The Breville was also the only model that slightly stood out from the pack in cooking ability, mainly when it came to meat. The ribs we made with this machine had a somewhat more tender, fall-off-the-bone quality than the rest. 
This product's price is the one thing that might stop you in your tracks. It can list for nearly double the cost of most models. And while it is better than the rest of the field, or relatively minor improvements, you're talking about considerable extra investment. However, if you like the idea of not getting your hand anywhere near the steam valve or like to make ribs, this is an excellent machine that may be worth the additional cost. 

Best for Most

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CR’s take: This 6-quart Cuisinart Cook Central has preset functions for sautéing, steaming, and slow-cooking. The only preset it’s missing that most multi-cookers have is a rice-cooking setting. In our tests, it scores an Excellent rating for slow-cooking beef stew and bean chili, and Very Good ratings for sautéing onions and steaming vegetables. Unlike multi-cookers with a pressure-cook mode, this model is oval-shaped like most slow cookers, which is ideal for cooking large cuts of meat or racks of ribs. Plus, the tempered-glass lid lets you keep an eye on what’s cooking.

For a multi-function version, we love the Cuisinart 6-Quart 3-in-1 Cook Central Multi-Cooker. The interface is intuitive and user-friendly, thanks to dual screens that allow you to set time and temperature simultaneously without having to cycle options. Unlike the additional pressure cooker capability of the Lux 6-in-1, the other two functions of this model &mdash; Brown/Sauté and Steam &mdash; directly support the process required by many slow-cooked recipes, without any extra fluff. We could sear meat directly in this pot and then easily transition to adding the rest of our ingredients for slow cooking instead of browning a roast in a cast iron skillet first.
Although we appreciate the simplicity of cooking start-to-finish in one pot, that convenience still makes the cost of the Cook Central Multi-Cooker hard to justify. Additionally, after only a few uses, we experienced an issue during testing where the unit refused to turn on &mdash; while the problem corrected itself by the next day, it made us question the durability of this pricey model. Despite this incident, this model still may have taken the top spot if it weren't for the fact it costs nearly twice as much as the next most expensive unit.

America's Test Kitchen

This new "multicooker"—a slow cooker that can also brown/saute and steam food—produced perfect chicken, steaks, and ribs, with no scorching or hot spots. Its programmable timer can be set to cook for up to 24 hours and then automatically switches over to “keep warm." We liked its lightweight, easy-to-clean, unbreakable metal insert with extra-large, comfy handles, and its oval shape, clear lid, and intuitive controls. The brown/saute and steam functions both work as promised. A nice bonus is that the browning function, with adjustable temperature control from 150 F to 400 F, lets you sear food before slow-cooking, or reduce sauces afterward, without dirtying a second pan.

For a multi-function cooker, we love the Cuisinart 6-Quart 3-in-1 Cook Central. The interface is intuitive and user-friendly, thanks to dual screens that allow you to set time and temperature simultaneously without having to cycle options. Unlike the additional pressure cooker capability of the Instant Pot Duo, the other two functions of this model &mdash; Brown/Sauté and Steam &mdash; directly support the process required by many slow-cooked recipes &mdash; without any extra fluff. We could sear meat directly in this pot and then easily transition to adding the rest of our ingredients for slow cooking instead of browning a roast in a cast iron skillet first.
Although we appreciate the simplicity of cooking start-to-finish in one pot, that convenience still makes the cost of the Cook Central Multi-Cooker hard to justify. Additionally, after only a few uses, we experienced an issue during testing where the unit refused to turn on &mdash; while the problem corrected itself by the next day, it made us question the durability of this pricey model. Despite this incident, this model still may have taken the top spot if it weren't for the fact it costs nearly twice as much as the next most expensive unit.

Upgrade Pick

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The Breville Fast Slow Pro is one of our favorite pressure cookers. With a streamlined interface and a boatload of cooking features, it easily separates itself from the pack. It offers the most presets and cooking modes, almost to an overwhelming degree. Luckily the Breville provides an incredibly intuitive, three-dial interface that lets you cycle through all of these settings and fine-tune cook times and pressure levels with ease. We particularly liked the automated steam release valve on this machine. You can either set the valve to open automatically when the cooking is done or just open it with the push of a well-positioned button. It is nice to release the steam without putting your hand anywhere near the valve, although we didn't feel unsafe using any of the tested models. The Breville was also the only model that slightly stood out from the pack in cooking ability, mainly when it came to meat. The ribs we made with this machine had a somewhat more tender, fall-off-the-bone quality than the rest. 
The hefty price tag is the one thing that might stop you in your tracks. The Breville Fast Slow Pro can list for nearly double the cost of most models. While it is a better product than most of our test fleet, it's still a considerable investment. However, if you'd prefer to keep your hands away from the steam valve or if you love making pressure cooker ribs, you may find this model is well worth the additional cost.
Read more: Breville Fast Slow Pro review

Budget Pick

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This Instant Pot model offers more cooking control than our top pick does, and it has upgraded features such as a huge LCD screen, as well as a redesigned inner cooking pot with stay-cool handles for lifting the insert out or keeping the pot from spinning while you stir.

This Instant Pot model cooks the same as our top pick does. But this model has upgraded features, including a huge LCD screen, an inner cooking pot with stay-cool handles, and a quieter steam release.

This multicooker has the same great features as our winner, just in a smaller package. It’s a stellar pressure-cooker, and it also does an excellent job of searing and steaming food, cooking rice, and fermenting yogurt. As with the larger version, this multicooker does fall short in a few areas. It can’t be used for sous vide cooking, since it can’t circulate water or hold temperatures as accurately or reliably as a true sous vide machine. And unless you only want to make cheesecake, you can’t really bake in it either. It also isn’t great at slow-cooking large cuts of meat well. Ultimately, however, we think that these flaws are far outweighed by the machine’s significant advantages. If you have limited storage space, this multicooker is a fantastic option.

expert-review

Everything You Wanted to Know About the Instant Pot

CR’s take: The 6-quart 1,350-watt DeLonghi Livenza is another multi-cooker without a pressure-cook function, so fast cooking isn’t its promise. But its slow-cooking mode is top-notch, with the model earning a Very Good rating in that test. It also earns Excellent scores for sautéing and steaming, both tests that few models ace. This cooker has a baking function, too, which we tested with mixed results. Our chocolate chip bars were nice and chewy on top but burnt on the bottom around the corners of the pot. Like the Cuisinart above, this cooker’s oblong shape is useful for bulky roasts and racks of ribs.

At nearly half the price of our favorite multicooker, this inexpensive model produced excellent pressure- and slow-cooked food but had a busier, less intuitive control panel. Instead of a digital screen, the button-heavy panel was inundated with presets, making it tougher to navigate. It made excellent white rice and pressure- and slow-cooked beef stew and baked beans, though, yielding tender meat and beans within our recipe times. This multicooker’s nonstick cooking pot was easy to clean, but browning beef took longer. It reduced liquid efficiently and sautéed well, and we liked that it had a manual start button. Overall, this more budget-friendly model produced great results.

CR’s take: The 6-quart Zavor LUX LCD is the highest-rated model in our multi-cooker ratings—and for good reason. It receives perfect scores in our tests for pressure-cooking succulent, fall-off-the-bone ribs; steaming broccoli and carrots; and slow-cooking thick, tender chili. On top of that, its rice-cooking performance is Very Good. The 1,000-watt cooker has a stainless steel insert, which proved to be more durable than nonstick coated inserts in our tests.
For more information, see our multi-cooker buying guide. For more details on individual models, check out our multi-cooker ratings.

CR’s take: The 6-quart Zavor LUX LCD is the highest-rated model in our multi-cooker ratings—and for good reason. It receives perfect scores in our tests for pressure-cooking succulent, fall-off-the-bone ribs; steaming broccoli and carrots; and slow-cooking thick, tender chili. On top of that, its rice-cooking performance is Very Good. The 1,000-watt cooker has a stainless steel insert, which proved to be more durable than nonstick coated inserts in our tests.For more information, see our multi-cooker buying guide. For more details on individual models, check out our multi-cooker ratings.

Multi-Cooker Comparison