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Instant Pot alternative: This 6-quart pressure cooker is just $42.50

That's 50% off the regular price of this versatile appliance, a must-have for every quarantined kitchen.

Rick Broida Senior Editor
Rick Broida is the author of numerous books and thousands of reviews, features and blog posts. He writes CNET's popular Cheapskate blog and co-hosts Protocol 1: A Travelers Podcast (about the TV show Travelers). He lives in Michigan, where he previously owned two escape rooms (chronicled in the ebook "I Was a Middle-Aged Zombie").
Rick Broida
2 min read
elechomes-pressure-cooker

Cook all the things, fast and cheap.

Elechomes

Before the coronavirus, I don't think I realized how much we dined out and carried out. Now, many of our favorite restaurants are closed, meaning we've been cooking at home way more than usual -- and trying out more recipes that involve our pressure cooker.

Don't own one yet? If you're looking for a family-size model, you've probably eyeballed the insanely popular Instant Pot Duo 6-quart, which is currently on sale for $80 (though occasionally goes as low as $50). But here's an even better deal: For a limited time, and while supplies last, the Elechomes 6-quart pressure cooker is $42.50 with promo code 50COOKERS.

If you've never owned one of these, you might be amazed by its versatility. (Check out this story on why your kitchen needs a pressure cooker.) It not only pressure-cooks foods, but also steams, sautes and slow-cooks. Indeed, if you're short on counter space, you can swap this in for your Crock Pot.

Beyond that, it offers an impressive 14 presets for things like rice, beans, yogurt and meat. In addition to the standard pressure-cook lid, it comes with a tempered glass lid, something that's not included with most other cookers I've seen (but something you definitely want if you're slow-cooking). 

Read more: 10 cookbooks to get you through quarantine  

There aren't a ton of user reviews, and as I see frustratingly often these days, Fakespot and ReviewMeta are totally at odds regarding the legitimacy of those reviews. My advice: Read them for yourself.

Although pressure cookers can be a little intimidating at first -- that steam-release valve! -- I can definitely understand the popularity. Do yourself a favor and start with Instant Pot spaghetti with meat sauce, which is actually on the healthy side. We make it using precut spaghetti and it's absolutely fantastic.

Your thoughts?

Read more: The best Instant Pots compared

Watch this: 8 essential Instant Pot tips

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