You’ve seen it sitting there on the Costco pallet or glowing in a targeted Amazon ad. The Instant Pot Duo Crisp Air Fryer looks like a beast. It’s bulky, it’s shiny, and it promises to basically fire your stove, your oven, and that dusty toaster sitting in the corner. But honestly? Most people buy this thing and only use about 20% of what it can actually do. They make a batch of chili, maybe some dry-ish chicken wings, and then it becomes a very expensive counterweight in their pantry.
That’s a waste.
I’ve spent years messing around with multicookers—back from when the original Lux series was the only game in town—and the Duo Crisp is a different breed. It’s not just an Instant Pot with a fan. It’s a legitimate attempt to solve the "soggy food" problem that plagued pressure cookers for a decade. But it comes with a learning curve that most manuals just don't explain well. You have two lids. You have a massive stainless steel inner pot. And you have a bunch of settings that sound the same but act totally different.
The Two-Lid Paradox: Why Your Counter Space is Vanishing
The first thing you notice when you unbox the Instant Pot Duo Crisp Air Fryer is the "Extra Lid." It’s huge. It’s heavy. It feels like a piece of industrial machinery. This is the air fryer lid, and it’s the reason this machine exists.
Basically, the standard Instant Pot lid handles the "wet" heat—pressure cooking, steaming, and slow cooking. The air fryer lid handles the "dry" heat. It has a heating element and a high-velocity fan built right into it. When you swap them, you’re fundamentally changing the physics of the pot. But here’s the kicker: you can’t store both lids on the machine at once. You’re always going to have one giant, plastic-and-metal disk cluttering up your kitchen.
If you have a tiny apartment? This might be a dealbreaker. But if you’re trying to consolidate? It’s a godsend. You’re trading three appliances for one footprint, plus one extra lid in a drawer.
What actually happens during the swap?
Imagine you’re making a whole chicken. In a traditional oven, that’s a 90-minute commitment. In the Duo Crisp, you pressure cook that bird for about 24 minutes. It’s cooked through, juicy, but let's be real—it looks gray and unappealing. This is where the magic happens. You vent the steam, pop off the pressure lid, and lock on the air fryer lid.
Five to ten minutes of "Air Fry" at 400°F and that gray skin turns into golden, shattered-glass-crispy perfection. You get the speed of pressure with the texture of roasting. It’s a specific kind of culinary sorcery that standard Instant Pots just can't touch.
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The Stainless Steel Problem (And the Solution)
One major point of contention with the Instant Pot Duo Crisp Air Fryer is the inner pot. Most dedicated air fryers, like those from Ninja or Cosori, use non-stick baskets. They’re easy to clean but they peel over time. Instant Pot sticks to their guns with a heavy-duty stainless steel pot.
New users hate this at first.
Everything sticks. You try to air fry some breaded shrimp and half the breading stays on the bottom of the air fryer basket. You try to sauté some onions before pressure cooking and you end up with a burnt layer (the dreaded "Food Burn" notice).
Here is the secret: Heat the pot first.
Seriously. If you’re using the "Sauté" function, let that pot get hot before you drop a single drop of oil in. When the oil shimmers, then you add the food. For the air frying side, you have to use the multi-level rack. Don't just throw things on the bottom of the pot. The air needs to circulate under the food. If there's no airflow, you’re just baking, not air frying.
Pressure Cooking vs. Air Frying: The Settings That Matter
The Duo Crisp usually comes with 11 programs. Most are fluff. You really only need to master four:
- Pressure Cook: For the tough stuff. Pot roast, dried beans, bone broth.
- Air Fry: For the crunch. Frozen fries, wings, Brussels sprouts.
- Sauté: For the flavor base. Browning meat or reducing a sauce after cooking.
- Sous Vide: This is the "sleeper" hit of the Duo Crisp.
Most people ignore the Sous Vide button because it sounds fancy or intimidating. It’s not. You put a steak in a Ziploc bag, squeeze the air out, and drop it in water. The Duo Crisp holds that water at a precise temperature for hours. You get a steak that is edge-to-edge medium-rare, then you sear it in the pot using the Sauté function. It’s better than most steakhouses.
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Why the "Bake" and "Roast" buttons are confusing
Honestly, "Air Fry," "Bake," and "Roast" all do the same thing: they turn on the top element and the fan. The only difference is the default fan speed and temperature. "Air Fry" is the most aggressive. If you want something crispy, just use Air Fry. Don’t overthink the "Roast" button unless you’re doing something delicate like a lemon cake.
Real-World Performance: The "Frozen Food" Test
Let’s talk about the Tuesday night "I don't want to cook" scenario. This is where the Instant Pot Duo Crisp Air Fryer earns its keep.
If you take a bag of frozen chicken nuggets or fries and put them in a regular oven, you’re looking at 20 minutes plus preheat time. They’re usually okay, maybe a bit soggy on the side touching the pan.
In the Duo Crisp, the chamber is small. It heats up almost instantly. Because the fan is so close to the food, it strips away moisture way faster than a big oven can. You get fries that actually crunch. You get nuggets that feel like they came out of a deep fryer.
But there is a capacity limit.
This is the big "Aha!" moment for new owners. You cannot crowd the basket. If you stack fries three inches deep, the ones in the middle will be mush. You have to do smaller batches or be prepared to shake the basket every five minutes. It’s a trade-off.
Maintenance and the "Stink" Factor
Every multicooker has a dark secret: the silicone sealing ring. It absorbs smells. If you make a spicy curry on Monday, your cheesecake on Wednesday is going to taste like cumin.
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The Duo Crisp is no different.
In fact, it’s worse because the air fryer lid has its own heating element that can sometimes bake those smells in. My advice? Buy a two-pack of extra rings. Use one for savory (meats, stews) and one for sweet (yogurt, cakes).
As for the air fryer lid, you can't submerge it in water. It’s an electrical component. You have to wait for it to cool and wipe the heating element guard with a damp cloth. If you let grease build up on that guard, the next time you turn it on, your kitchen will smell like a burnt-out muffler.
Is the Duo Crisp Actually Worth the High Price?
At the time of writing, you can find the Duo Crisp anywhere from $130 to $200 depending on the size (6-quart vs 8-quart) and current sales. Is it worth it compared to a $60 basic Instant Pot?
If you already own an air fryer? No. Keep your separate units. The overlap isn't worth the cost.
If you are starting from scratch or replacing an old, dying pressure cooker? Yes. Absolutely.
The ability to do "One Pot" meals—where you cook pasta and sauce under pressure, then throw cheese on top and air fry it into a bubbly crust without moving the food to a different dish—is a game changer. It cuts down on dishes. It cuts down on the mental energy of timing different parts of a meal.
Common Misconceptions to Ignore:
- "It can replace a toaster." Not really. It’s hard to get bread in and out of the deep pot, and it’s overkill for one slice of sourdough.
- "It's totally silent." The air fryer lid sounds like a loud hair dryer. It’s not deafening, but you’ll definitely hear it in the next room.
- "You don't need oil." You need a little oil. If you don't spray your food with a bit of avocado or grapeseed oil, it won't brown properly. It'll just look dry.
Actionable Steps for New Owners
If you just picked one up or you're about to hit "Buy Now," here is how you actually master the Instant Pot Duo Crisp Air Fryer without the frustration:
- The Water Test is Mandatory: Don't skip the initial test run in the manual. It sounds boring, but it teaches you how the steam release works and ensures your unit isn't a "dud" before you waste $30 on a roast.
- Get a Quality Oil Spritzer: Avoid the aerosol cans like Pam; they contain lecithin which can leave a gummy residue on your stainless steel. Get a refillable bottle and use high-smoke-point oils.
- The "Tongs" Rule: Buy a pair of long, silicone-tipped tongs. The air fryer basket gets incredibly hot, and trying to fish out a hot potato with a fork is a recipe for a burn.
- Don't Toss the Steam Rack: That little metal tripod is your best friend. Use it for "Pot-in-Pot" cooking (making rice in a glass bowl above your beans) or to keep meat out of the grease while air frying.
- Dehydrate Something: One of the best features of the Duo Crisp is the low-temp fan setting. Slice some apples thin, sprinkle with cinnamon, and run the dehydrate setting. It takes 6-8 hours, but the results are better than anything you'll find in a plastic bag at the store.
The Duo Crisp isn't a magic wand, but it’s probably the most versatile tool in a modern kitchen if you stop treating it like a simple crockpot. Master the lid swap, respect the airflow, and you’ll actually use the thing every single day.