This Instant Pot Duo Mini 7-in-1 Pressure Cooker Review introduces the newest member of the Instant Pot family of Programmable Electric Pressure Cookers.
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Instant Pot Duo Mini 7-in-1 Pressure Cooker Review
Instant Pot Duo Mini 7-in-1 Pressure Cooker Review
Meet the new addition to the Instant Pot Family. Introducing the new Instant Pot Duo Mini 7-in-1 Multi-Use Programmable Pressure Cooker!!!!!
It’s a 3 Quart Baby and I LOVE it. I was so thrilled to receive and be asked by the Instant Pot Company to do a review on their new Instant Pot Duo Mini 7-in-1 Electric Pressure Cooker.
This Instant Pot Duo Mini 7-in-1 Pressure Cooker Review, is not your normal review. But then again, I am not your normal Blogger!
Back to School Alert – Moms, Dads, I bet your college student would love an Instant Pot Mini in their Dorm room.
The Instant Pot Mini is small enough to easily fit on your Recreational Vehicles and Boats.
As a Floridian (born and raised in Miami) where Hurricanes happen, the Instant Pot Duo Mini 7-in-1 would be handy to bring to a Hotel (assuming they have power), as it would be easier to maneuver.
Its also great for Small Kitchens. But after playing around with this Mini for a while, I realized, this Instant Pot Mini has all kinds of potential for everyone and every family.
One Day Amazon Sale April 25, 2018. Click here to grab yours now!!!
It is great for large families too! Read on and I will tell you why you need an Instant Pot Duo Mini 7-in-1 in your life.
Cheesecake in the Instant Pot Duo Mini 7-in-1
But first, before I go into detail and tell you all about the Brand New Instant Pot Duo Mini 7-in-1, let’s get the most important question out of the way.
CHEESECAKE
Yes, you can make my standard Pressure Cooker New York Cheesecake in this Instant Pot Duo Mini 7-in-1, without any modification whatsoever!
Look at the above photo. What do you see? That’s a 6 inch Cheesecake Push Pan sitting on the included Trivet.
Pressure Cooker New York Cheesecake
All my recipes are written for a 6 inch Cheesecake pan! Many of you know by now, that my favorite Cheesecake Pan to use in my Instant Pot DUO-60 is the 6 inch Push Pan.
Of course, if you own an Instant Pot DUO-80, you can use an 8 inch Cheesecake Pan and just double the recipe.
Now that this whole super important Cheesecake issue is out of the way, let’s begin the review of this marvelous machine.
Instant Pot Duo Mini 7-in-1 Pressure Cooker Review
Instant Pot Duo Mini 7-in-1 (Mini *Plus* to me)
Besides being adorbs, as I said above, this Instant Pot Duo Mini 7-in-1 is the perfect size for Dorm Rooms, Recreational Vehicles (“RVs”) and Boats.
But, the reason I love it for my RV, is not because of the ease of storage.
It’s not because of the small amount of counter space.
Can you guess?
Instant Mini is Great for RV and Boat SINKS!!!
As with all Instant Pots, the Cooking Pot for the Instant Pot DUO Mini 7-in-1 is Health Food Grade 18/18 Stainless Steel. The larger IP Cooking Pot in the photo above, is a 6 Quart Cooking Pot, so you can see the difference.
The Instant Pot DUO Mini 7-in-1 Inner Cooking Pot Dimensions are 7.8 x 5 inches/19.8 x 12.7 cm.
My first Instant Pot was an Instant Pot LUX. It was purchased back in 2011, specifically to use on my Recreational Vehicle (“RV”) to save room and take the place of my slow cooker, rice cooker, steamer and more.
The Instant Pot LUX was the perfect answer and saved me all kinds of room. Well, it would have saved me room, had I not decided to pack up extra appliances anyway.
But, there was just one teeny issue. The RV sink. It is not easy to wash a large pot in an RV sink.
It’s so small!!!! Even with the tall faucet we installed to make cleaning large pots easier, it was still a challenge.
Instant Mini is Great for RV and Boat SINKS!!!
Okay, so if you have not guessed by now, the best news for RV owners, the 3 Quart Stainless Steel Pot, easily fits into RV sinks. You know what that means, right?
No more fighting with the sink. No more water splashing all over the place!!!!!!! No more aggravation. I am sold! There is even room to spare!
For more RV talk, check out my RV Life – Recreational Vehicles, Motorhomes, 5 Wheels, Travel Trailers Facebook Group.
Size Comparison – 6 Quart v 3 Quart
Besides RV’s this new Instant Pot Duo Mini 7-in-1 is perfect for apartments and kitchens with limited space. The 3 Quart Instant Pot DUO Mini, is also great for any size family.
The Mini, does everything the Instant Pot DUO60 does and more!
For larger families, the Mini size is great for side dishes, such as my Pressure Cooker Green Bean Casserole, Homemade Barbecue Sauce (serve right from the Pot), Cranberry Sauce, my Simple Sweet ‘N Sour Dipping Sauce recipe, desserts, like my Slow Cooker Apple Crisp Recipe and more.
As shown above in the Cheesecake photo, you can even cook recipes using the Pot in Pot method.
Upgraded Performance Buttons
More good news. The Instant Pot Duo Mini 7-in-1, is not JUST a smaller DUO. In my opinion, it is a smaller Instant Pot DUO-60 PLUS, (just without the egg, poultry, multi-grain and cake preset buttons).
The Instant Pot 7- DUO Plus Mini is more user friendly than the Instant Pot DUO60/80 Models.
Just one button for Yogurt!!!! Press it once and it says “Boil.” Press it again and you will see the More, Less or Normal Settings! No more confusing Adjust button.
You can easily use one-half gallon of milk and make your own Homemade Instant Pot Greek Yogurt.
I’ve added instructions for using the buttons on the Instant Pot DUO Plus / Instant Pot Duo Mini 7-in-1, as both models work the same.
Another similarity to the Instant Pot DUO Plus, is the Sauté button. At any time while Sautéing, you can adjust to Less, Normal or More, without first turning of the Pot!
Which leads me to the next cool upgrade. All the preset buttons have Low, Normal, High with various preset time, which you can see by pushing the button over and over again.
For instance, push the Meat button and it displays Low/20 minutes. Push it again and it displays Normal/35 Minutes. Push it once more and it displays High/45 minutes. I love this option.
It is great for recipes like my Pressure Cooker Beef Stew with Root Vegetables, which cooks for less time than my Pressure Cooker Classic Pot Roast recipe, which would use the longer time setting.
The Pressure Level button adjusts between High and Low Pressure.
The Pressure Cook button takes the place of the Manual button.
The Poultry preset button was removed, which I feel is a good thing. The cook time for Poultry is very little and it is easy enough to push the Pressure Cook button and set the time.
The Timer Button is now called “Delay Time,” which makes it more clear to users of its function.
The One-Touch Button operation, remembers the way you cook and each program remembers your last customization.
One feature unique to this Model (and not covered in the instruction manual), is that you have a choice to engage or not engage the “Keep Warm” feature when you press the “Pressure Cook” button (which replaced the “Manual” button).
When the Pressure Cook button is pressed, the “Keep Warm” button will illuminate. After the cook time is complete, your Instant Pot Duo Mini 7-in-1 will automatically go into the Keep Warm mode and the “Natural Release Pressure” (“NPR”) begins. Most of my recipes, like my Instant Pot Carnitas (Mexican Pulled Pork) recipe and my Pressure Cooker Hard Boiled Egg Loaf recipe, calls for NPR, meaning, do nothing and let the pot release on its own. This allows the food to slowly finish cooking.
If you press the “Keep Warm” button, after pressing the Pressure Cook button, the light goes off. After the cook time is complete, the Instant Pot Duo Mini 7-in-1 will turn itself off and the “Off” button will illuminate.
With either option, you can begin a “Quick Pressure Release” (“QR”) by gently pushing the Pressure Valve towards you. Using controlled intermittent movements is best, so that you don’t make a mess all over the counter. For recipes like my Pressure Cooker Picnic Potato Salad, this is a great feature.
As is standard with all Instant Pot models, there are 10 Safety Features built in.
Stuff that Comes with the Instant Pot Mini
You will get in the box with your Instant Pot Duo Mini 7-in-1, the following:
Rice Cup
Rice Paddle
Soup Ladle
Short Legged Trivet
Condensation Collector
Detachable Power Cord
User Manual
Quick Reference Guide
Recipe Booklet
Condensation Cup Installation
The Condensation Cup is to collect excess liquid and steam.
All Pressure Cookers and Instant Pots work on Steam. The Steam powers the cooking.
You’ll want to use enough liquid to so that Pressure (steam) will build to cook your food.
But, you don’t want to use excess and boil your food….unless of course you are making Soup or Stew.
Even then, if converting your own Slow Cooker or Stove Top recipe, the amount of liquid will be less.
Remember, the food in your Instant Pot Duo Mini 7-in-1, cooks in a tightly sealed vessel and will not cook down and lose liquid, like other methods.
The Sauté feature is for reducing liquid to achieve a thicker sauce or gravy.
Condensation Collector Snaps into Place
With a quick snap, your Condensation Collector is attached.
Make sure to remove it often and wash it out.
Mold will grow, if you let it sit for a while with the accumulated gunk excess liquid.
Instant Pot 7-1 DUO Mini Heating Element
This is the Instant Pot Duo Mini 7-in-1 Heating Element. Do not put any food directly on the Heating Element.
Your Instant Pot Duo Mini 7-in-1 will have an Orange sticker over the element.
Remove it right away.
Always Use the Cooking Pot
Folks, this is not negotiable.
Always, use the Cooking Pot to cook ANYTHING in your Instant Pot Duo Mini 7-in-1.
The Cooking Pot goes directly over the Heating Element.
RV’ers and Boaters, your Stoves usually come with Marble or Wood Covers.
Never put your Instant Pot Duo Mini 7-in-1 directly on the Burners of your Stove. Make sure your Covers are in place.
Also, a good idea is to pull the knob off the Stove, so you don’t accidentally turn on your Stove!!!
For those wanting a cover for your home Stove, these wood covers do double duty as Burner Covers and Cutting Boards.
Markings for Locking the Lid
When you go to Lock your Lid in place, note the Arrow on the front of the Lid. That indicates that your Instant Pot Duo Mini 7-in-1 is locked in place.
In order to Lock the Lid, you will need to place the Lid on the Instant Pot Duo Mini 7-in-1 at about 10:00, and then twist the lid to the right.
Some people use Nail Polish and paint over the Arrow to make it easier to see.
Instant Pot Duo Mini 7-in-1 Pressure Valve and Pin
The Instant Pot Duo Mini 7-in-1 Pressure Valve needs to be in the sealed position in order for your pot to reach Pressure.
The Pressure Valve toggles and easily pulls off for cleaning. It is important to clean the Value after every use.
Use your fingers and push the Valve away from you to seal.
If you are Slow Cooking, push the Valve towards you, so that excess steam will escape.
When the Instant Pot Duo Mini 7-in-1 reaches Pressure, the Float Valve (the little silver pin, to the right of the Pressure Valve will pop UP.
The Float Valve is held on with a tiny silicone gasket. It is important to keep the pin and gasket clean. The Float Valve and gasket are easy to remove from the Lid.
Never, ever try to force open your Pot when the Float Valve is in the UP position. Never! There are safety features built in, so that you cannot open the lid, so don’t try to force it. Instant Pot took all the precautions to make their products very, very safe. 10 separate safety features!
Parents of college kids, fear not. These 10 Safety Features will keep everyone safe!
- 1. Pressure Regulator, ensures working pressure below the safety limit
- 2. Anti-Blockage Vent, prevents food debris from blocking the vent
- 3. Safety Lid Lock, prevents accidental opening of the cooker while it is pressurized
- 4. Designed with a sensor for lid position detection, monitors whether the lid is in an unsafe position for pressure cooking
- 5. Automatic temperature control, regulates temperature based on the type of program being selected
- 6. High Temperature monitoring, avoids burning food
- 7. Automatic Pressure Controller, keeps pressure always in the safe range
- 8. Electrical current and temperature fuse cuts off power if the current or internal temperature exceeds safety limits
- 9. Excess Pressure Protection, releases excess pressure into internal chamber in a dangerous situation
- 10. Smart detection of leaky lid (e.g. steam release is in the open position)
When the Float Valve has dropped and it is time to release the Steam after Pressure Cooking, use controlled jiggles, so that a little bit of Steam escapes slowly from the Pressure Valve.
Don’t be afraid. Use your fingers on the side of the Pressure Valve, like you see in the above photo, not on top. Make sure your face is away from the top of the Pressure Valve.
Instant Pot Duo Mini 7-in-1 Lid Holder
As is standard with the DUO models, the handles of the Instant Pot Duo Mini 7-in-1, doubles as a Lid Holder!
This is especially great for people with small kitchens and limited counter space.
Condensation will drip from the Lid and guess where it will end up?
Yep, in the Condensation Collector. Keep it clean. 🙂
It is 2 quarts!!
This is great or Instant Pot Mashed Potatoes, Pressure Cooker Potato Salad, Pressure Cooker Hard Boiled Eggs and more.
RSVP 2 Quart Stainless Steel Strainer Basket
Three “Rice” Cups of Rice, Fluffed
You could easily cook five “Rice” cups of rice in this Mini Pot. That would yield about 10 servings of rice.
Remember, a “Rice” cup is 3/4 of a cup, which is 6 oz (dry).
You don’t need many accessories, if any at all, really, for this Instant Pot Duo Mini 7-in-1.
You will want a Bowl to heat up leftovers and to steam Vegetables, like Broccoli (so they don’t fall through the Trivet.
If you are making my Mashed Cauliflower, you can just put the Cauliflower on the included Trivet or use the Smaller Colander Bowl.
This 1.5 Quart Stainless Steel Bowl is perfect for Pot in Pot Cooking. It’s the one I recommend on my Instant Pot Favorite Accessories Page, so you may already own the Bowl! However for steaming Veggies, I recommend the Smaller Colander Bowl.
Pot in Pot Cooking
For Broccoli, I set the Pressure Cook time to “0” minutes. For my preference, it is over cooked. For my husband’s preference, it was perfect.
Timing is a personal preference and what is good for one, isn’t necessarily good for the other.
Instant Pot Duo Mini 7-in-1 (Mini *Plus* to me)
In conclusion, this Instant Pot 7-1 DUO Plus Mini is great for everyone, not just Students in Dorms, RV’ers and Boaters.
You can cook for one person, or you can cook for two or more. For larger families, this 3 Quart size is perfect for side dishes and desserts.
I didn’t mention much about the specs, because everyone else always does that, right?
But, in case you are wondering, the Instant Pot Duo Mini 7-in-1 is 3 Quarts and 700 watts. It is 11.4 x 10 x 11.2 inches and weighs 8.2 pounds.
I hope you have enjoyed my Instant Pot Duo Mini 7-in-1 Pressure Cooker Review and that I was able to answer any questions you might be wondering about this cute little model.
Feel free to post questions in the comment section below and I will be happy to answer.
The Instant Pot Duo Mini 7-in-1 is now available, so if you want one, click here to buy yours.
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Instant Pot Duo Mini 7-in-1 Pressure Cooker Review
Hi, I got a Instant Pot 3 quart as a Christmas present and have been looking at different blogs etc for recipes for this size. No one seems to address what changes need to be made using this size instead of the 6 quart which seems most recipes are written for. . Would you pass on any advice about this? a lot of your recipes look delicious!! Merry Christmas from Iowa
I am confused on how to adjust the less, normal, more modes. There is no adjust button. Also, when I use the rice program with 1 to 1 water to rice as advised, it comes out unevenly cooked and quite a lot of it dry and undercooked as well as stuck to the bottom of the pot. What am I doing wrong?
Just keep pushing the button and it will cycle through the temps. Jill
I have duo 80 instant pot and I want to make cake how can make send me information
Thank you very much
I’m very interested in getting a 3qt Instapot. There are only 2 of us to cook for, so I wondered if this would be adequate or do I need the 6 qt?
Hi Denise. I feel a 6 quart is nice to have for yogurt and soup and larger recipes, when you want leftovers. A 3 quart for smaller recipes and also great or sides and desserts. Jill
Would a 3quart hold a chicken? I thought I bought the 6quart. Debating about returning it or keeping it. I’m single and live alone
It would hold a Cornish hen. Maybe a small chicken. I like my 3 quart very much for smaller recipes. The 6 quart is good for every day. Jill
Hello. I bought the 6 in 1 mini at walmart and had saved your review to see what size accessories to buy. Your review is on the 7 in 1. I think the major difference in the 2 is the yogurt function, which I would like to try. Can it be done in the 6 in 1 Mini? I already have and love the 6qt duo which is similar to the mini. I am comfortable with all the buttons on it, so just wondering your suggestion. Thanks and keep the recipes coming!
I sure enjoyed reading your introduction to the 3 qt IP. It’s my first one. I am most curious about proportions of ingredients when looking at larger pot recipes.
1/2 as much? Is there a rule of thumb? I’m 70, an experienced cook. I’ve used pressure cookers all my life, like my mother and grandmother before me. I collect cookbooks too as you do.
I don’t want to overload this smaller device. But I’m alone now and don’t want to cook for 6 or 8.
I’d love your advice.
Marion, some recipes, like the risotto, can be made in full. Others like the Zuppa Toscana, would need to be cut in half. Jill
I have not been able to find a silicone ring for the mini. Where can I get one?
This is the absolutely best review of the 3 quart IP Duo, that I have ever read, well, I haven’t read many, but this answers all my questions. A friend, who won’t fess up, left it at my house, and I still haven’t found out who it is, so I’ll just leave it and enjoy it. I’ll see if I can find your recipes, as that’s what I was looking for on Google, when your revue came up, thank you so much.
Thank you so much, Jenny. I use mine all the time, so I am very familiar with the workings of the 3 quart. Jill
I ordered my mini today for the amazing price of $44.19 after watching the price during Cyber week/Black Friday. It was $49, then $51,99, then down to what I paid, then way up to $59.49 within 2 hours of my purchase! Wow! So I feel pretty lucky to be adding this li’l guy to my collection. (I now have a 6, 8, and the 3 on the way.) So…on to my question. Do you have any idea if they will be making a glass lid for this model?
Hi Stephanie. I a not sure, but will ask the company and get back to you. I hope you will enjoy all your pots. I really like the Plus models. Jill
Help !!!!! I thought I bought the 6 quart but I bought the 3 quart model – I have a family of four —— I keep reading review after review and I’m more confused now than ever . Is a 3 quart big enough for a family of four ? I know all the recipes are for the 6 qt . Should I just return it and get the 6 quart ? Help meeeeee ?
Hi Sherry. I would keep the 3 quart to use as sides, desserts and smaller recipes, like risotto. A six quart would be nice to have. I suggest the DUO Plus. Jill
Amazon now has mini Duo and Lux. Lux has ‘egg’ button. I already have a 6qt duo. Lux is a bit more money than duo for the mini. Not sure which to get….
Just ordered one and looking forward although a little worried as my mother blew her oldie up with beets!!!!! when I was a child and have been afraid of them ever since and never owned one. I`m an elder senior now and alone so thought for my limited cooking it would be ideal. Thanks for the great writeup and advice.
Great review! I got my Mini duo just the other day and love it! I have a 6qt LUX which I also love. I took the LUX along on a three month RV trip and was really happy to have it. One of the reasons I wanted the Mini is that I think it will be much easier in the camper than the larger 6qt. was.
My Mini didn’t have an orange sticker over the heating element but did have a circular orange paper which covered the whole bottom of the pot. I can imagine the problems that would cause if someone doesn’t remove it/or the sticker!
Need to buy one to go with my 6qt.
Thank you! This is exactly the information I’ve been looking for. I have a small Class B camper van with limited cabinet space. I think the 3 qt will be perfect. And I’ve saved this review…so many helpful tips!
Kat
So glad it was helpful. Jill
Excellent! Thank you for this excellent review. You answered all of my questions about this cooker, and gave me a resource for when I start using it and am looking for recipes.
Hi Jill, When I click on the link for the 3 quart stainless steel strainer basket, it takes me to the link for the larger basket that fits in the 6 quart. I tried to do a search on Amazon, but I couldn’t find the smaller size. Help!
Hi Jade. Thanks for letting me know about the link. I have made the correction. Jill
Very helpful review! You’ve already said that we can cut recipes in half for the Mini. Will this affect cooking time?
Karl, the cooking time should be the same. Jill
I wondered how the cooking time would be same, though. As we will halve the recipe from the 6 qt recipes, but the wattage is also 300 lower. 700 for the mini versus 1000w for the 6 qt. that will make a difference in cooking tie. Don’t you think so?
Thanks!
No difference, as the smaller model takes longer to come up to pressure, which evens it all out.
Hi I want to be sure I am getting the right size accessories for my mini. Are the links all for the mini? Thanks!
Hi Nancy. The items in this post will fit the Mini. Towards the end of the page, you will see photos of a couple of items in the Mini. Jill