Instant Pot dishes up Wi-Fi for remote cooking control

Instant Pot's latest model comes with Wi-Fi connectivity to control your multicooker remotely. 

The Instant Pot Smart WiFi includes the programs and functions of the popular Duo series multicookers. Buttons for beans, chili, meat, rice, yogurt and cake are all there. You'll also get saute, pressure cook, steam and slow cook options.

This Instant Pot model includes a half marker and max marker for adding foods and liquids in your recipes. 

Like other Instant Pot models, the Instant Pot Smart WiFi includes two options for releasing pressure. A natural release slowly lets pressure out, preserving the shape and texture of your dish. For more liquid dishes, venting the pressure manually is a quick way to wrap up your cooking. 

The one issue with Instant Pot's pretty stainless steel inserts is the stickiness. Cooking rice means you'll also need to soak the insert afterward to remove some burnt-on grains. It's easy enough, but something to consider when other brands offer a nonstick option. 

We cooked 1 pound of dry, unsoaked black beans using Instant Pot's beans program. The results were tasty and flavorful but a little on the mushy side.

We seared a NY strip steak and a ribeye in the Instant Pot Smart WiFi using the sear function. The sear wasn't perfect, but it covered most of the steaks' surfaces and had a nice crust.

We cooked 1 cup of long-grain white rice in one cup of water using the Instant Pot Smart WiFi's rice program. The resulting rice was fluffy, just a little sticky and cooked just right. 

Brisket was the most disappointing of the dishes we tested. Instant Pot suggests 20-25 minutes for a 1-pound brisket, and 70 minutes wasn't enough to get our 2-pound cut tender enough to be truly tasty. 

We tested out Instant Pot's beef and black bean chili recipe from the Instant Pot app. We had red beans on hand and skipped the green chilis, but the dish was tasty nonetheless.