Even though I test multi-cookers in our test kitchen as part of my 9-5 as Ideal Home's Kitchen Appliances Editor, I've never taken the plunge on installing one in my own (small) kitchen. That's because they're often big, bulky and not the prettiest. That's all change with the launch of Instant Pot's Classic Multi Cooker in mini size (via Instant for £79.99) in a fresh wave of colours.
Now notably available in 'Daydream Blue' and 'Seasalt White' (as well as the standard black), this petite version of the ever popular Instant Pot that's often lauded as the best multi-cooker is designed with cosier kitchens in mind. But despite it's smaller profile on your worktop, it still has a capacity of 3.8 litres which is enough to feed four people comfortably. Here's what else it can do.
This delicate blue shade is my favourite of the lot.
If you'd prefer to keep things classic, opt for Black Pepper!
White kitchen appliances are becoming more and more common and this is a great pick to tick that box.
The big selling point with this is the compact size – it's perfect for kitchens that are on the cosier side, like mine. It measures just 25.6cm in height, compared to something like the Instant Pot Pro (which we've reviewed) that stands 32.5cm tall.
For me, it's a big selling point as I've never been able to justify a large multi-cooker on my worktop but I'm picturing that this Mini version can fit neatly into a corner.
Despite the smaller size of this cooker, there are still plenty of settings to try out. It has 7 different functions in total: pressure cook, slow cook, sauté, steam, make yogurt, boil eggs, and keep warm.
Within the pressure cooking setting there's a 'safe steam' feature, so if you're wary of this style of cooking then that can offer some reassurance. If you're looking to make family dinners a very short affair on a weeknight, pressure cooking can cut down meal prep by a huge amount.
One of the biggest draws of a cooker like this, which is something I found when I tested out the new Ninja PossibleCooker, is the ability to throw ingredients in and get on with other jobs as you dinner cooks for you.
And even though it's Mini, family meals are still possible with the 3.8 litre capacity – it can feed up to four comfortably, according to Instant.
I'm going to be testing out this cooker to see how it performs for easy midweek meals. Is there anything you particularly want me to test with it? Let me know!
