Instant Pot Pro Multi-Use Pressure Cooker, 6 qt review

The Instant Pot Pro 6QT Multi-Use Pressure Cooker (112-0123-01) is a six-quart multicooker with a documented, separate, unpressurized Slow Cook program. Its strongest slow-cook distinction is flexible local programming: the exact R26 U.S. manual lists five named Slow Cook programs and allows each to run as long as 99 hours 30 minutes. The same manual also shows five programmable Favorite keys, so this is a useful alternative to a basic dedicated pot when you want pressure cooking and several other programs in the same base.

Five editable Slow Cook programs, with a long ceiling

Custom defaults to four hours, Chicken to four, Beef to six, Soup to six and Beans to eight; High is the default temperature for all five. Each can be adjusted from 30 minutes to 99 hours 30 minutes. Keep Warm switches on automatically after Slow Cook unless you turn it off. That 10-hour warming limit is a control limit, not advice about how long a particular food should be held. Delay Start is a separate countdown from 10 minutes to 24 hours; the R26 manual makes it available for Smart Programs except Sauté, Yogurt, Steam and Sous Vide, so it is available for Slow Cook. It delays the beginning of a cycle rather than setting a finish time for dinner.

These are the manual’s defaults and permitted control range, not recipe recommendations or cooking test results. The cooker does not measure doneness in Slow Cook with a food probe. The manual says this program does not use pressure and directs the user to set steam release to Vent or use a glass lid with a venting hole. Follow that model-specific lid routine; a pressure lid that locks in place is not a travel clip for carrying a filled pot.

Favorites are a practical difference from the Pro Plus

The front panel uses a control dial and display, with five physical Fav keys. The manual says a user can save a custom program to each key for one-touch access. This is genuinely different from merely counting the Pro’s 28 customizable program choices: the keys save settings you choose. The exact Pro Plus manual does not document the same Favorite keys and instead emphasizes the Instant Connect phone app for its guided recipes and remote control. If you want an appliance that starts, monitors or adjusts programs from a phone, the exact-model Pro Plus page documents that feature; an equivalent remote-control capability is not established for this 112-0123-01 configuration.

There is no need to use the cooker’s other modes just because they are on the menu. The maker lists ten functions, including pressure cooking, Rice/Grain, Steam, Sauté, Sous Vide, Yogurt, Bake and Keep Warm. In-base Sauté can brown ingredients before a separate Slow Cook cycle. Sous Vide is another non-pressure routine with its own bags, water bath and time/temperature plan; the manual says to set steam release to Vent or use a glass lid with a venting hole. It is not a slow-cook preset, and its timer and temperature limits should not be borrowed from the Slow Cook table.

Check the vessel and kitchen space, not just the program count

The exact page lists a six-quart stainless-steel inner pot, 1,200 watts, 120 volts at 60 Hz, and a one-year limited warranty. Its closed dimensions are 13 inches long, 12.7 inches wide and 12.8 inches high; the manufacturer does not list appliance weight or open-lid clearance on this page. The manual identifies six- and eight-quart stainless pots for the shared Pro series manual, but the observed product page identifies this exact SKU as the six-quart model. Do not transfer the eight-quart configuration’s capacity or accessories to 112-0123-01.

The product page says the inner pot and lid are dishwasher-safe. It does not establish that this exact removable pot can go on an external burner or in an oven. The manual’s countertop-only warning applies to the powered appliance, and in-base Sauté is not proof of direct stove use. The stainless surface is not a nonstick coating. Expect a more involved clean-up than with a one-pot slow cooker: there is a pressure-capable lid and sealing system, release parts, a cooking base and the removable pot. Follow the exact manual when washing or disassembling the lid and its parts.

When the Pro is the better fit—and when it is not

This model suits cooks who want local digital controls, the five Favorites, a six-quart stainless pot and a long selectable Slow Cook ceiling alongside pressure, steaming, sautéing or other programs. It is not the choice if a removable pot confirmed for direct stovetop or oven use is essential; that capability remains unestablished for this exact configuration. It is also not a promise of meal-ready scheduling, and its digital control process, locking lid and cleanup routine are more involved than a dedicated slow cooker.

Compare the Pro Plus 6QT if phone-based control is the key requirement and a 24-hour Slow Cook maximum is adequate; that model’s R13 manual documents app control, while this Pro’s exact manual does not establish it. Compare the RIO Wide Plus for its seven-and-a-half-quart vessel and on-cooker guided display, or a dedicated slow cooker if you want a simpler slow-only routine. Read the exact manufacturer page for 112-0123-01 and the linked R26 U.S. Pro manual before assuming the shared 6QT/8QT guide means every product-code detail is interchangeable.