Instant Pot Duo Crisp 6.5QT with Ultimate Lid Multi-Cooker and Air Fryer review

The Instant Pot Duo Crisp 6.5QT with Ultimate Lid (140-0068-01) is for a kitchen that wants pressure cooking, slow cooking and air frying in one countertop body, with one top lid that changes setup between programs. Its most important distinction from the similarly sized 140-0060-01 is not the Slow Cook program: the 140-0060-01 page and R16 manual confirm app control, while the 140-0068-01 page and R15 manual do not establish it. Treat phone control as unconfirmed for this SKU rather than assuming it is either present or deliberately disabled. This model has its own exact page, R15 U.S. manual and manufacturer-linked image; do not transfer the smart SKU’s claims to it.

One top lid, not a second Air Fry lid

The 6.5-quart figure describes the main stainless-steel cooking pot, not a promised serving count or the volume of a separate fryer basket. Instead of storing a second air-fryer lid, this package uses the single Ultimate Lid for the pressure, Slow Cook and Air Fry programs. For Slow Cook, the manual says to place the removable pressure-cooking cover inside that lid, close and lock the lid, and select Slow Cook. For Air Fry, it uses the same lid in a different configuration with the included Air Fry/Cooking Rack. So it can make a sequential slow-cook-then-crisp workflow possible, but it cannot perform both steps at once and it does not have the separate Air Fry lid asked for by some multicookers.

The exact product page lists 13 named functions: Pressure Cook, Air Fry, Slow Cook, Steam, Sauté, Roast, Bake, Broil, Dehydrate, Sous Vide, Yogurt, Proof and Warm. It lists 1500 watts at 120 volts/60 Hz, a one-year limited warranty, a stainless cooking pot, and a dishwasher-safe pressure cover, rack and pot. Keep those package facts separate from the powered base: the manual says to operate the appliance on a stable countertop, not a stove or oven. The page’s size fields give numbers but do not state a unit, and I could not establish empty weight or useful open-lid clearance; do not use those values as a fit guarantee.

A real Slow Cook program with a known 24-hour ceiling

The linked R15 manual calls Slow Cook non-pressure cooking. It gives two temperature choices, Low and High, a High default and a four-hour default time. The time is selectable from 30 minutes through 24 hours. That explicit ceiling matters if a long programmable cycle is essential; it is not a recommendation to cook every recipe for 24 hours. Keep Warm is on by default after a timed cycle, and its display counts up to ten hours. That is a control counter, not food-safety or recommended holding guidance.

Delay Start is supported for this program. The manual’s settings section gives a 10-minute-to-24-hour delay and names programs that cannot use it; Slow Cook is not on that exclusion list. The Wi-Fi R16 manual linked to the 140-0060-01 says even more directly that Delay Start is available on Slow Cook. A start delay is not the same as choosing a dinner-ready time: this model has no documented meal-finish schedule. If Medium heat is a must, choose another model; R15 offers only Low and High. The default is High, so selecting a Low cycle is a deliberate choice.

Sauté first, then cook; crisping is a later step

For a pot-based braise, the R15 manual’s Sauté instructions allow browning in the cooking pot with the lid open, followed by canceling that program, deglazing and choosing Slow Cook. This is a convenient one-appliance sequence, not a claim that Sauté and Slow Cook run together. After slow cooking, the manual’s Air Fry section permits a crisp finish as another stage. The operator changes the inner-cover setup, adds the rack as directed and starts a separate Air Fry cycle. Follow the manual’s lid, steam and ventilation instructions; a hot, pressure-capable lid is not a transport handle.

This one-lid arrangement can be easier to store than a two-lid Duo Crisp, but the Ultimate Lid still occupies space above the base while open and the cooking rack and pressure cover need a place when removed. The manufacturer page does not publish the vertical open-lid clearance or appliance weight, so measure your counter location and storage route rather than guessing from the listed capacity. A traditional ceramic slow cooker with a lift-off glass lid is simpler if these pressure and air-fry functions would sit unused.

When to compare another configuration

Compare the app-connected 140-0060-01 if controlling, monitoring or adjusting a cooker program through Instant Connect is essential: that feature is documented for that exact SKU, while it is not confirmed for 140-0068-01. Compare the Duo Crisp 6QT 112-0120-01 or 8QT 140-0021-01 if you specifically want a separate Air Fry lid; those are different two-lid configurations with different manuals and pot capacities. Check their own Slow Cook settings rather than transferring the Ultimate Lid’s 30-minute-to-24-hour timer ceiling.

For this 140-0068-01, the strongest fit is a cook who wants a 6.5-quart stainless pot, a documented Low/High non-pressure Slow Cook program, Delay Start, automatic Warm, Sauté in the same pot and built-in Air Fry without a second large lid. It is a poor fit when Medium heat, an at-the-appliance-to-finish-time schedule, known open-lid clearance, or confirmed app control is essential; unknown phone connectivity must not pass that last requirement. Use the finder’s capacity and required-feature choices to decide whether those tradeoffs suit your own routine.

Compare the Wi-Fi Duo Crisp Ultimate Lid 140-0060-01, or check your requirements in the finder.