Instant Pot vs. Cuisinart Electric Pressure Cooker (CPC-600)

Stuck between an Instant Pot and a Cuisinart Electric Pressure Cooker? You’re in the right place. You’ll find everything you need to know in this Instant Pot vs Cuisinart Electric Pressure Cooker guide.

This guide will contains…

• A side by side comparison table of the Instant Pot Duo 60 and Cuisinart Electric Pressure Cooker.
• The pros and cons of each model.
• Some advice on making your final decision.

Let’s get started!

Comparison Table of Features

All of the main differences between these two units can be found in the comparison chart below:

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As you can tell, the Instant Pot Duo is a bit more user friendly when it comes to making specific dishes. For example, it has a preset program just for making rice, whereas the CPC-600 does not.

However, the Instant Pot does not have a thermostat like the CPC-600 does, nor does it have a browning setting. If you need your pressure cooker to do a lot, the Instant Pot is probably best for you. If you want an easy to use, classic pressure cooker without all the bells and whistles, the CPC-600 is a good choice.

Instant Pot Duo 60

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Top Features

• Delayed Start
• 14 Smart Programs
• Easy to set temperature settings
• Up to 4 hours of pressure cooking

Something unique to the Instant Pot is its 24-hour delay start timer. This means you can set a timer, for up to 24 hours, for when you want the cooker to turn on. This is great for having dinner ready when you get home from work. You can set the Instant Pot to turn on while you are at work, and then your food is ready when you are. This is not a feature of the CPC-600, you have to manually turn it on.

The Instant Pot 7-in1 also has 14 smart programs, including rice, soup, bean, and more. The CPC-600 does have a few smart programs, such as sauté, browning, keep warm, etc. But, the Instant Pot definitely has more, and more specific ones than the CPC-600.

The Duo 60 has easy, one touch temperature settings. There are 3 temperatures available in sauté and slow cook mode. This allows you to have greater flexibility in your cooking. The pressure cooker from Cuisinart does not have the same easy to set temperature controls. It has various temperatures for the different modes, but they are all preset.

The Instant Pot is definitely a durable pressure cooker, considering it can pressure cook for up to 4 hours. I honestly don’t know what you would pressure cook for 4 hours, but it is nice to know that this one can pressure cook continuously for so long, in case you do ever need it. The CPC-600 can pressure cook for a pretty long time as well, but no one near as long as the Instant Pot. The CPC-600 can pressure cook for up to 99 minutes.

Disadvantages

When comparing the two pressure cookers, one disadvantage of the Instant Pot is that it does not have a thermostat. This means you do not know the exact temperature the cooker is at. However, the built-in microprocessor monitors the temperature to keep it stable.

Related Article: Instant Pot 6-in-1 vs. 7-in-1 [The Two Major Differences]

We’ve also covered other instant pot models in our Instant Pot Comparison article.

Cuisinart CPC-600 Electric Pressure Cooker

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Top Features

• Simple
• Specializes in pressure cooking
• Nonstick inner pot
• Lightweight

Unlike the Instant Pot Duo, the CPC-600 only has a few buttons. A lot of buttons and options may be great for some people, but some people prefer the simple design of the CPC-600, with only a few buttons. Even without all the specific, preset programs, this pressure cooker still takes the guesswork out of cooking.

This electric pressure cooker is definitely made to pressure cook. While you can cook on low pressure, it does not do a great job as a slow cooker. However, if you already have a slow cooker, or just want a plain pressure cooker, this is one of the best ones on the market. It does a really great job of pressure cooking, speeding cooking up by 70%.

Instead of the stainless steel inner pot like the Instant Pot, the CPC-600 has a nonstick inner pot. As you can imagine, this can be incredibly useful when it comes to cleaning up. The nonstick pot allows you to cook pretty much anything without having to worry about it getting stuck and burned to the bottom of the pot. Which means when it is time to clean up, you won’t have to scrub the pot for 5 minutes trying to clean the bottom.

Compared to the Instant Pot, this cooker is pretty lightweight. This can be useful if you don’t feel like moving an almost 20-pound appliance each time you use it. This pressure cooker weighs only 12 pounds, which is light enough for anyone to carry, and taking it out and putting it away definitely won’t cause user fatigue.

Disadvantages

While the inner pot is dishwasher safe, the lid is not. The lid and rubber ring around it must be washed by hand. This can be a bit of a pain because you have to be sure to wash it very well to get any bits and pieces of food that are left over.

You Might Also Like: Instant Pot Smart vs. Duo vs. Duo Plus vs. Lux vs. Ultra | What’s the Difference?

Advantages of Pressure Cookers in General

While both the Instant Pot and CPC-600 have their unique features, they also have a lot in common. Some advantages of both of these pressure cookers include:

• Faster cooking time
• Good nutrient retention
• Easy to use
• Less liquid is needed
• Typically stainless steel housed

Regardless of which cooker you buy, you will be able to cook foods up to 70% faster than you would with conventional stove top methods. This means instead of taking an hour or two after work to cook dinner for your family, you can whip up an entire meal in 30 minutes.

When you pressure cook, the airtight steal and high pressure conditions preserve more nutrients than normal stove top cooking. Fewer nutrients are lost due to evaporation, which means pressure cooking is actually healthier. This makes pressure cookers a great way to make healthy, homemade meals for your whole family.

Both of these pressure cookers are also really easy to use. They both have button controls and large, easy to read LED displays. This is really helpful because it is almost impossible to mess up pushing a button. You really need no cooking skills to use either of these pressure cookers, especially with the included booklets.

When pressure cooking, much less liquid is needed. This is because the liquid is not lost to evaporation due to the airtight conditions. For instance, when making pasta on the stove, you have to use a whole pot of water because once it starts boiling it starts evaporating. However, there is no way for water to evaporate from the pressure cooker, so you do not have to use nearly as much. Also, since no evaporation can take place, the steam is forced back into the food which prevents nutrients leeching out into the water.

Both pressure cookers are housed in a stainless steel, finger resistant housing. This is extremely useful when you have kids. They seem to smudge and smear everything, so having something they can’t get their fingerprints all over is a nice reprieve.

Another competitor in this market that you may want to consider is the Power Pressure Cooker XL which has similar features, but specializes in canning.

Recommended Article: Instant Pot vs. Slow Cooker vs. Rice Cooker (The Key Differences)

Conclusion

Overall, the Instant Pot is more versatile than the CPC-600, and would be good for someone who plans on cooking a very wide range of dishes. However, if you just need a easy to use, classic pressure cooker, the CPC-600 is a great choice.

Further Reading: Power Pressure Cooker XL vs Instant Pot (Easy to Follow Comparison)

Joey Bruno

Hey, I’m Joey. I’ve been cooking since I was a little kid and love everything about it. You can find my writing about food, kitchen appliances (such as blenders) and much more. Thanks for stopping by!