ChefIQ Smart Electric Pressure Cooker

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You’ll receive the pressure cooker, 4 ft power cord, wire steam rack with handles, a pair of silicone hot mitts, plastic soup spoon and rice paddle, and an instruction manual and safety guide. The lid of the pressure cooker unlocks with a twist and inside are a steam basket and non-stick bowl. The pressure cooker also has a non-stick interior. The utensils can be stored on the right-hand side of the base. At the back of the unit you’ll find a removable condensation cup which collects any liquid that drains from the grooved rim which should be emptied and cleaned between uses.
The bowl has capacity marks from 4-20 cups in 2 cup increments and 1-4 liters in ½ liter increments. Note that the max fill lines for pressure cooking and slow cook are different. The lid can be stored in either of the handles on the side when not in use. When you plug in the unit for the first time, it will prompt you to download the CHEF IQ app to set up the Smart Cooker, so you will need a smartphone or tablet, as there is no way to bypass this screen. However, once initialized, you can use the Smart Cooker without the app through the onboard controls. Also note that there is no power button and once plugged in the unit stays on, though it will enter a sleep mode after a few minutes of inactivity. When you launch the app, you’ll need to register an account with Chef IQ and connect it to your WiFi network, so you’ll be able to control it over your internet connection. It’ll also update its firmware automatically. Once that’s done, setup is complete and you can use the Smart Cooker with or without the app.
The LCD is not a touch screen, however, to the sides of the screen are touch menu and mode keys: Pressure Cook, Sear/Sauté, Steam, Slow Cook, Favorites, and More. Use the control wheel to navigate selections on the screen and press it to select or change options. You can make adjustments to any of the pre-sets to suit your needs. Press the scale key just above the knob to measure the weight of ingredients added to the cooker. Press the knob to zero the scale before adding and measuring more ingredients.
For pressure cooking, you'll need to add at least 1/2 cup of liquid prior to starting this cooking program. Cook time can be set anywhere from 1 minute to 4 hours in pressure cook mode or 24 hours for slow cook mode. You can select low or high pressure settings, activate keep warm which keeps your food at 165 degrees Fahrenheit for up to 72 hours, choose a delayed start, in 15 minute increments up to 24 hours (be sure you follow food safety guidelines), and set the pressure release behavior: quick, pulse, and natural.
Turning the regulator knob sets it to the ‘Venting’ position or ‘Sealed’ positions. The small red float valve adjacent to the pressure regulator indicates whether or not the cooker is pressurized and when the unit is under pressure this indicator will rise up and seal the steam inside at the same time. For pressure cooking, the unit will pre-heat in order to come up to pressure and displays its progress as a percentage; this typically takes about 10-15 minutes. When the unit comes up to pressure, the red float valve next to the regulator pops up and the lid will be locked for safety. A cook timer will countdown on the screen while cooking. There’s also a ring shaped progress bar around the time. After the timer runs out, it will beep for 10 seconds to alert you that it is about to release the pressure. For the Quick release method, the steam will vent all at once, automatically, so there’s no need for you to manually turn the valve to venting. When all the pressure is released, you may open the lid.
From the app, you can look up recipes, browse for new ideas, and even mark your favorites for quick reference. Once you’ve found a recipe you want to make, you can view the video guided step-by-step instructions how to prepare and cook the dish in your Smart Cooker. It’ll even send the recommended settings to the machine over your WiFi, so all you need to do is add follow along. It’s like having a pro chef helping you out every step of the way. There’s a whole bunch of categories and daily recommendations to keep things fresh and interesting.
I use this cooker a lot and like that I can switch modes for different steps, like the sear/sauté mode to brown meat before switching over to slow cook, and make one-pot meals for fewer dishes and easy clean-up. It also makes great pasta, rice, hard boiled eggs, and even yogurt! It’s probably one of the most used small appliance I have in my kitchen due to its versatility and when it’s a great way to make one pot meals to cut down on the number of pot and pans used and is a lot faster and more energy efficient than using the stove.
Amazon Affiliate Product Link: geni.us/PeoauNu

[@minimalistcb]

Wow thanks for this! Just got mine, seems like a great machine but the manual is lacking the basics! Should come with a link to your video 😊

[@irishicks9262]

Is sous vide a function

[@BackatTheRanchSTX]

Good review. Would love to see how it holds up long term. I just purchased one of these and have been watching reviews on YT. So far reviews have been good, but I have seen at least two reviews where user did not like like it. Hope I love it as much as you do on your review. I may do a review of my own after using it for at least one month. Thx for sharing. Subscribed.

[@ReviewedByPhil]

Thanks for the positive feedback. I guess I should've mentioned that I've had my unit for 3 years already, so the unboxing footage in the video is pretty old but I just now got around to publishing it! I use mine pretty consistently and so far I haven't had any issues. Just don't use metal utensils in the non-stick bowl to avoid scratching its surface. The software updates itself regularly and they added a sous vide feature in the "More" menu which wasn't present when I first got the machine. I should note though, that I gave my parents one for Christmas last year and my mom's had an issue recently where the LEDs behind the touch panel stopped lighting up (the buttons still worked, they were just difficult to see); however, she contacted ChefIQ through the app and they were very responsive and after submitting a few photos and receipt details, they shipped her a free replacement unit within a few days. Now that's a warranty service done right!

[@BackatTheRanchSTX]

@@ReviewedByPhil thank you for the additional information. Very much appreciated. Looking forward to watching more of your videos. I am happy I found your channel.

[@brookemitchell2074]

Do you like your machine?

[@BackatTheRanchSTX]

@@brookemitchell2074 so far so good. It works well and like the fact that it lets me know when the food s ready via the app. The other day I set some pork to cook to make pulled pork, after setting it I went fishing and my phone alerted me the cook was complete. At which point it came back for lunch.

[@brookemitchell2074]

Awesome, thank you!

[@AirborneMOC031]

Had ours for three years now; we prefer the Instant Pot that is still here. Unless you need your hand held while following through on what they supply for recipes, this is essentially an Insta Pot with digital bling added, as the vehicle for a never ending Info-mercial for the products this company sells.
Example: you want to use the 'share this recipe' offer? What you end up sharing is a link to Chef IQ's website where they offer to sell you one of their machines - you DON'T get the recipe you wanted to share.
That said, it does function as a pressure cooker, so there is that. Ours now get used pretty much 100% strictly in Manual mode.

[@ReviewedByPhil]

I basically just use it like a manual Instant Pot too, creating my own recipes as I go. I don't really use the cloud connected features often if at all outside software updates. I did see that they added 'sous vide' as an option in the 'More' menu, and I've tried it and measured the temps which seemed accurate and stable enough for small batch sous vide, which is cool. I sometimes water bath can pint jars or smaller in it too (not under pressure), but only for stuff going in the fridge as I'm wary of the actual shelf stability of any final product.

[@kundanchhabra]

Thank you for review. How big is it? How many people can it serve?

[@ReviewedByPhil]

The inner pot has a max capacity of 6 qts. Depending on what you're making it can make a dish to serve 6-12 people comfortably.

[@lausdeandl]

Love mine. 2things: 1)I travelled with it and promptly lost the dial front. Easy fix, I attached a shortened wine cork.
2) The nonstick interior has already a couple of small chips. I am very careful with it. Will any six quart stainless inner pot fit?

[@ReviewedByPhil]

Yes, I would look for inner pots made to fit the instant pot, as I've found that they are the same size. I got a stainless steel version of the inner pot, so I don't have to worry about the non-stick coating getting scratched. I don't need non-stick for most recipes anyway.

[@lausdeandl]

@@ReviewedByPhil Thank you. I don’t need nonstick either. That’s what Dawn Powerwash is for.

[@ghostwriterinme5050]

Please explain how to wash and maintain this. Thank you!

[@ReviewedByPhil]

The inner pot is removeable and you can wash by hand or in the dishwasher. The only other part you'll need to clean is the drip cup which is also removable and dishwasher safe. The exterior pot with the electronics inside can be wiped down with a damp cloth (don't immerse it in water!).

[@VOLKANEG]

What is the lowest temperature that you can set for yogurt making? And longest time setting?

[@ReviewedByPhil]

When using the yogurt setting, the default fermenting temperature is 110°F and you should ferment for 8 hours at a minimum before removing and cooling down to let it set. If you find the yogurt is too runny, it's possible the temperature is too low for your bacteria culture and you'll need to use a higher temperature (up to 113°F), using the sous vide mode, a different starter, or simply more time. If I'm fermenting for longer, I try not to exceed 12 hours as over fermenting your yogurt can cause the curds to break, resulting in gritty or chalky textures and a very sour final product. I wouldn't recommend a lower temperature than 105°F, however, as yogurt cultured for longer periods at low temperatures can have a runny texture, lumps, or taste too sour, since most yogurt bacteria struggle to reproduce at low temperatures fast enough and may allow for the growth of unwanted yeast, bacteria, or mold.

[@MsKP-jg3kl]

Soue vide option ?

[@ReviewedByPhil]

Yes, they recently added a sous vide option through a software update. It can be found in the "More" menu options.

[@MrB-kf1mo]

Is there an option at checkout so you come along with it and cook too 🙂🙃🙂

[@ReviewedByPhil]

Yes, for the low low price of one plane ticket! 🤣✈️

[@MrB-kf1mo]

@@ReviewedByPhil 😂🤣😂

[@quinnwest3860]

So I need Wifi and a smartphone? Is there anyway to bypass the wifi connection?

[@MeowKitKatKitty]

Nope. Lol when I lost wifi signal it stops. That's one con with it. You have to make sure your wifi stay consistent and connected for it to stay connected to work. So if you lose wifi signal its out. Better to get one without wifi needed.

[@ReviewedByPhil]

You will need WiFi for the setup process and to use the Guided Cooking recipes. I don't believe there is a way to bypass this part of the setup process. After initial setup, however, you can use the Smart Cooker without WiFi for any built-in functions.

[@hulklu1]

Takes forever to build pressure. I returned it back.

[@ReviewedByPhil]

Pretty much every electric pressure cooker I've used takes at least 10 minutes to get up to 15 lbs pressure when using room temperature ingredients and 1-2 cups of water. This time can be longer if using refrigerated and frozen items and also increases when there is more liquid inside pot.