Update: The pressure cooker has launched and we reviewed it! Take a look at the Breville Fast Slow Pro Pressure Cooker Review!
In October, Breville will debut a new electric pressure cooker “the Fast Slow Pro™” in the U.S. We got a paper preview of the new model and the opportunity to be the first to share the details of this new electric pressure cooker.
It’s got more sensors, more pressures, more features and it’s easier to clean, too.
Here are the new features listed in the marketing materials and specs:
- Dual sensors at the top and bottom of the bowl monitor the ingredients for more accurate pressure and temperature control
- 8 pressure levels range from low (1.5 psi) to high (12 psi)
- Color changing LCD tells you when the cooker is pressurizing, cooking or releasing steam
- 2 slow cooker settings (high and low)
- keep warm function turns on automatically after cooking
- PTFE and PFOA free ceramic coated inner pot
- Dishwasher safe inner pot and lid
We carefully read an early version of this pressure cooker’s instruction manual and spotted two more features that we think will change the landscape of electric pressure cookers for the better.
This new pressure cooker releases pressure by itself and also adjusts cooking according to your altitude.
It’s a game-changer.
Hands-off Pressure Release
This cooker can do normal, intermittent (equivalent to slow normal) and natural pressure release. Choose the opening method right after punching in the cooking time or, if you forgot, release pressure manually by pushing the release button in the front panel – no need to touch the valve on the lid.
This is a handy feature because even though electric pressure cooking is already hands-off it still requires the cook to be there to release pressure (for quick-cooking foods). Now, all you have to do is show-up to serve dinner when everything is really ready.
read more: Pressure Cooker Release Methods
We’ve already seen automatic pressure release from Groupe SEB/Moulinex’s Cookeo (only sold in Europe) and Everycook (in development), but this is the first time this feature is available to cooks in the U.S.
Altitude Adjustments
The Fast Slow Pro™ adjusts the cooking settings based on the altitude of your current location (up to a maximum altitude of 6,500 ft). All the cook has to do is input this setting once and the pressure cooker will remember the altitude (even after being un-plugged). The Altitude can only be un-done by pushing a special combination of buttons to re-set the cooker to factory settings (sea level).
We’re looking forward to finding out more about how this feature actually works, since adapting cooking times for higher altitudes is often confusing for those new to pressure cooking.
read more: Pressure Cooking at High Altitudes
Oh, yea .. we’ll be reviewing it
A sample unit is on its way to the hip pressure cooking test kitchen, and we will be posting a review of this new pressure cooker as soon as we get our hands on it. Stay tuned, and sign-up for our totally awesome newsletter so you don’t miss our review of Breville’s Fast Slow Pro™ pressure cooker!
read more: Pressure Cooker Reviews
In the meantime, enjoy this video demonstration of the Fast Slow Pro™ from Breville’s UK Affiliate, Sage Appliances (using a non-stick insert, the U.S. version will have a ceramic insert):
where to get it
The Fast Slow Pro™ will initially be sold exclusively through Sur La Table currently on pre-order with a 10/13/15 expected ship-date for $249.95.
This electric pressure cooker is already available for purchase in Australia and the UK (under the brand name Sage Appliances).
Wow. Just when I was getting bored with pressure cooking.
I was talking to Instant Pot support regarding the 2+ month delay in shipping my Instant Pot and was told they did not respond to comments on their home page.
I said I thought that that was a mistake and would take less than 5 minutes a week. It is their public face on the world after all. Apparently if you don’t prefer scrappy disjointed facebook pages you aren’t worth the bother of a reply. Company Policy. We are still customers with possibly more money to spend IMO. I told him there was some serious competition coming up and it seems I was right.
It’s definitely fun to watch the evolution of pressure cooker features – certainly Instant Pot was the first to break the mold and start introducing completely new features. I’m glad to see lots of movement in this category for the better – and that this manufacturer hasn’t copied Instant Pot (no yogurt feature) but decided to go their own direction to offer new features.
Ciao,
L
P.S. I think you got stuck in scrappy-land. Instant Pot hired a very nice lady to manage all of their social media and she answers all questions in the Instant Pot Facebook Group. Either way, if you ever want SPECIFIC information about YOUR order/replacement it’s always a good idea to contact the company’s customer service directly. They are the only ones that can really look it up!
Looks interesting. And we saw it here first ;)
A few disappointments:
Only a non stick pot. No stainless steel insert.
No barometer to automatically adjust for altitude. (I know I know but it would be neither hard nor expensive to do)
Only 12psi
It lacks the temperature control of the IPS
Its not exactly cheap here. But then nothing is. Sigh.
Breville do some quite brilliant products. We have their automatic tea maker (http://www.breville.com.au/beverages/tea-makers/the-tea-kettle.html) and I wouldn’t be without it. I played for a while and now get what I consider to be a perfect cuppa EVERY time.
BTW Laura, I am with Helen on FB. I do not and WILL NOT use it. If any company insists I go there, I will go elsewhere. After telling them in my most acerbic style of course.
OMG Greg, I’m so jealous. I’ve been lusting after Breville’s robotic tea maker for a while! This Christmas it’s either that or some red light collagen-producing light therapy thingamajig (not for cooking). I’m a little concerned about the durability of the kettle, and the fact that replacing a broken glass container would mean buying a whole unit (I have very curious kids).
Back to the pressure cooker: I’ll be able to get you more details on the Fast Slow Pro when I have it in-house and can shoot questions to their engineers. Even a careful read of the manual doesn’t describe EVERYTHING – playing with it will be the only way to figure out it. Also, the UK version has a non-stick inner pot (mentioned in the video) but the US version will have a ceramic-lined pot. I’ve only used ceramic-lined saute’ pans and even though the coating is thin, it does retain more heat – a big win for the slow cooking purists as this will more closely emulate the environment inside a crock pot than a non-stick or stainless steel liner.
Ciao,
L
Laura, in comment to your want of the robotic tea maker, I’ve had mine for 3ish years and I have dropped it and it’s fine, flew in/out of country a few times with it and it still works as good as the day I bought it. I use it frequently throughout the day, every day. Imho a great buy.
Thanks Alisa! Glad to hear that it is so rugged and appreciated!!!
Ciao,
L
I am on my second Breville teapot. My husband broke the pot. But it did last 3 years or so. We can’t live without it anymore, not replacing it wasn’t an option.
Thank you Jeanette, for letting me know. This year I’m going to get a less expensive Mr. Coffee -like machine that has a timer, dribbles the water down in a chamber with tea where it infuses until it is released to the heated pot, below. Still dreaming of that Breville Tea Robot, tho!!
Happy Holidays!!
Ciao,
L
Hmm, I had to contact support as customer service did not reply to my emails or messages on any of their pages. But once I got the right guy was very fast and pleasant response.
I personally don’t care for Facebook. I do it when necessary but avoid it when I can, I do look at their page occasionally and find it disjointed and ‘scrappy’ as it looks like a messy scrapbook.
Donna does seem to be a nice lady though and I guess if that is her preference well more power to her.
Me, I prefer a nice shiny organized website like this one. Still Donna does get a lot of action:)
BTW I do like the look of the Breville. And I am pretty sure you will be able to make yoghurt in it. That control panel looks as if t was made in this century. Pretty sure I will be getting one of these ASAP. I envy you your review model but you deserve it.
Well… it’s not here yet. This was a “paper preview” – though they will have a unit out to me as soon as they ship docks in the US. ; )
Ciao,
L
Here is another video for it. This time from Breville Australia
Love all the cooking tips he gave with the recipe, but I have a hard time understanding him. I haven’t fully developed my ear for Aussie accents. ; )
Ciao,
L
That was interesting, but I’m really happy with my Kuhn Rikon….. however, being an Australian, and living in Australia, I was really impressed that it was an Australian on the promotional video!! We get so much American stuff here, I can’t imagine having any difficulty understanding any of the wide range of US accents, so it’s funny to read your comments, Laura! Thanks for all the interesting articles you write – you certainly helped me make my decision. Even though Kuhn Rikon no longer have an agency here, I weighed up the possibility of needing help and decided it was worth the risk. So far, I’m really happy and the recipes I’ve cooked have turned our better than I’d hoped! Cheers
Being an Australian I can tell you that this is a well known Irish chef who lives and works in Australia! Lol
Hmmm, if you are at sea level, I wonder if you could tell it you were at 6500 feet and get a higher pressure and thus a higher temp? Then again, they could limit temp in pressure cooker mode to control max pressure.
I will address how the Altitude Adjustment mechanism works in the review. However, you can never make this pressure cooker go over 12 psi – except for the initial heat-up time (which peaks at 15psi).
Ronald and Greg, unfortunately they will keep making 12 psi electric pressure cookers as long as they sell. That’s pretty much what a couple of electric pressure cooker manufacturers told me.
Ciao,
L
I read the manual twice and am even more impressed. I may have to preorder one tomorrow. Pretty pricey with the current USD exchange rate but it seems like all of my current things to snivel about have been addressed.
i didn’t notice any communications features. the fact that it can release pressure by itself would seem to make it very ideal for remote use.
btw, did you notice the smart model was on sale at amazon for $185 today?
?guy
No communications, but you can setup the release type and disable keep warm from the control panel. So theoretically you don’t need to control it remotely.
Of course remote/app/recipe programming would be nice but I am still managing just fine without it with the IPS.
Good deal on the Instant Pot Smart. In Canada they want $259 USD which is$ 346 CAD. What is up with that? as the Company HQ is about 10 miles away. They will eventually run out of feet to shoot themselves perhaps:)
I almost ordered the Breville, but by the time I got the US billing address set up, sanity prevailed. Dammit.
Now, this is more like it. Thanks for sharing details from the manual, Helen. No compulsory keep-warm cycle, and no need to match a smart phone/pad to the product — I would rather all the functions were available in the unit itself — so this is good. I like that it has the dials instead of many buttons for each customized function.
I’m not sure about the ceramic-coated pan, though. The frypans I’ve seen had thin metal bottoms prone to scorching, so that’s a wait-and-see. And wouldn’t a ceramic lining be prone to chipping when dropped? And am I missing something? Why do you need a bunch of different pressure cooking levels when you need only “low” and “high” on a stovetop?
I’m also wondering if this a brand-new product for Breville, or a new version?
It’s a happening, for sure.
It has been available in Australia for a while. Breville are just bringing out a 110V version. They also have a couple of cheaper “buttons for everything” style.
I had a look at one in a shop today. I really like the lock mechanism. Really really simple.
However, after I left the thought crossed my mind that it might be weight controlled. It looked like it uses a motorized lift mechanism to raise a weight to release pressure. I’ll head back. To have a closer look in a few days.
Laura. Why don’t you get them to send you the 220/240V version? It is already available and it would be more convenient in Italy.
Actually, all electric pressure cookers have this float valve – which is a bit of a cross between a spring and weighted valve. It’s like a spring valve because the pressure cooking is controlled by regulating heat (not pressure via the weight). And it’s a bit like a weight-valve because similarly to weight-controlled cookers if the pressure inside exceeds the weight it lifts to release pressure.
Ciao,
L
Looks like this one may meet the needs of an electric pressure canner.
I wish I had the cash to buy an RFID temperature pressure monitor chip to test it in a canning cycle to see if it stays at temperature long enough. The Phase IV sensors are more than the cooker though. $279
Keith, what are you showing us in the photo?
Ciao,
L
Actually the first one is a lot more than that as you need to get the RFID reader and the computer software as well as the sensor. It adds up to well over $1000. $1700 for the kit including three sensors.
http://www.phaseivengr.com/product-category/data-loggers/
Given that you can set it to adjust pressure cooking time to your altitude, I wonder if it would be feasible to input a higher altitude than is true, to prompt a longer cooking time that would compensate for the 12 psi. Then once you had that setting in, you could use the standard times for stovetop cookers that cook at 15 psi. Then you’d have one less thing to factor in when you determine or follow from a recipe the length of time to pressure cook a dish.
Seriously — I know I asked this before, but I buried it in Helen’s comment — will having pressure cooker levels additional to Low and High result in better PCed food?
Well, I can’t comment on how the altitude adjustment works yet but I can answer the additional pressure question.
Right now recipes are only written for “high” and “low” pressure. There are no cooking times or use-case-scenarios written for any pressures between those that I know of. I think that additional pressures will be a fun challenge for the experimental cook but it’s too early to say how they will be useful for dump-and-go or just-give-me-a-tested-recipe-that-works cooks.
BTW, all of their pre-set pressure cooking programs use “high pressure” – including the one for custards.
Ciao,
L
Apologies I misspoke – as my assessment of the Breville pressure cooking programs was based on what was written in the manual and next to each program there is a very uninformative “Range 1.2 -12psi”.
I got the pot in-house a day ago and finally pulled it out of the box today. The “Custards” program is now called “Desserts” and it defaults to 3psi. “Vegetables” and “Rice” are 7.5psi, “Risotto” (inexplicably, because it IS rice) 6psi, “Soup” and “Poultry” 9psi, “Chili & Stew” 10.5 psi, and the other programs (Stock, Beans, Meat, Bone-in-meat, and Custom) are 12psi (the equivalent of “high pressure”). Once you select the program you can alter both the cooking time and recommended pressure.
I don’t know, the alternate pressure assignments seem kind of random. Three programs (Vegetables, Rice and Desserts) make sense logically.
Myself and others have always recommended steaming veggies at low pressure if you want to preserve some of that crunch (except maybe potatoes and winter squashes). So that’s OK.
The rice cooking program reflects a new trend – Instant Pot lowered the pressure on their rice cooking program on the SMART to “low pressure” which would be 6-7.5psi. Before all of that, I found out that it doesn’t even matter WHAT pressure the rice cooks the time is always the same. I presented my findings to Instant Pot two years ago and I got a big lecture on how the Chinese factory knows how to make rice better than anyone else in the world (even Italians). When I saw the program changed I got a little satisfaction knowing that someone in China eventually arrived at the same conclusion. Of course, that was back when pressure cookers could only cook a minimum of 7psi. I’ve never been able to test even lower pressures (say 1.2psi) to see if the rice would still be fully cooked without changing the time. Now, I can!
Desserts cooking at very low pressure also make sense – especially custards and flans which only benefit from the STEAM of pressure cooking since they already set at temperatures even below “boiling” (without pressure).
The rest seem kind of odd – why assign a different pressure to “Poultry” vs. “Meat”? How does a chili or stew benefit from 1.5psi less than max?
These are all questions I’m curious about and will pose to Breville as well – some manufacturers have their own test kitchens staffed by chefs and curious cooks (like me) so perhaps they’ll share their reasoning for the alternate pressure assignments.
Ciao,
L
The manual I originally downloaded was the Australian one which does not have a dedicated poultry button. I downloaded the US one today and it is roughly the same except PSI instead of Kpa and lamb shanks and risotto being cooked longer in the US:)
What seems more random to me than the pressure assignments is the release methods. Why have meat different from meat stews or bone in meat. And the risotto at 6 PSI and 6 minutes in the US or 40 kPa for 7 minute in Australia seems a bit odd at best. Most of our risotto type rices come from Italy:) and maybe our sheep are more robust. Can’t see it but…
Of course if I get one I will have to try it and see.
nice that you got it before the release date. Obviously they hold you in high regard.
Odd that Instant Pot would give you the big lecture. Lotta cultures cook rice, And as far as pressure cooking rice I think India may have a head start in pressure cooikng overall. I have had some pretty abysmal rice in Chinese restaurants and some excellent rice in Italian restaurants. Pretty sure the Instant Pot tech guys would have a hard time boiling water and are ashamed to admit it:) and are quick with the denigrating remarks and or ignoring questions..
I am especially interested in the questions you will be asking regarding the various pressure settings. I have tried low on most foods and really can’t tell the difference with time being constant. Same with NPR and QR with meat. Basically they all heat above the temperature where meat fibers are pretty well unable to reabsorb more than 2-5% of moisture (170-180 degrees) so I have given up on that approach. But there are other ways around it and some of them Chinese:)
So do you love it/hate it and will you be making a video or two? I don’t always agree bu7t overall you are the best pressure cooker resource out there and certainly a leadig rice expert IMO.
I am not understanding the many pressure cooker levels either. It still has to be pretty hot to get pressure. But again I don’t know and better to have the option than not.
Breville’s U.S. rep came to watch a demo and meet me in NY last year – I thought that was a nice personal touch!
I took a quick video of the intermittent pressure release to show you how it works – it’s really neat. A little pin comes up and moves the valve up. Cute!
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=C4XvT_UdAhU&feature=youtu.be
You’ll have to wait for the review to know more – otherwise this will be a very long comments section! ; )
Thanks for your confidence I work hard to earn it and hope to keep it. I try not to make any declarations unless I’ve studied it, experimented with it, and (if it exists) educated myself on the science behind it
Ciao,
L
Nothing wrong with a long comments section IMO but as I won’t be getting one until they hit Canada if I get one I am in no rush.
You had my confidence months before I even had a pressure cooker. When I finally got my IPS I was able to use it with confidence right out of the box. Still learning of course but aren’t we all. The risotto video and the roast potatoes made me a fan for life and then then I got a stovetop as well and was able to use it successfully right away for reasonably sophisticated dishes.
Watched the video. Wondering what makes the neat little pin go up and down.
Uh oh, I just went through the trouble of importing an Instant Pot to Australia… and there was a decent local alternative all along? From a bit of Googling it looks like almost every electronics store near me sells these. I’m very happy with my Instant Pot for now, anyway :)
I am seriously thinking of getting an Instant Pot but on the other hand I love Breville products. So, I decided to wait and make a decision until Laura has written and I have read her review. Question though: when might we see a review of the Breville?
Working on it, in a couple of weeks the Instant Pot SMART review will debut, and shortly after that (hopefully before the end of November) the Breville review should come out. Other than the app, and automatic opening methods, the biggest difference between the two is that the SMART has a delay timer and the Breville does not. I thought it would be worth mentioning because that is a function that is important to me – I need to set-up dinner to be ready when we get home late from activities 3x per week – but it’s not an important feature for everyone!
Ciao,
L
Question for Laura – at this time, do you think it is worth the extra money to buy the Bluetooth enabled IPS? On Amazon Canada it is an extra $80.00. I am retired and home all day if that makes a difference. Plus, the reviews I have read are not very complimentary about the app.
Question for Helen – I get the impression from your comments that you live in Ottawa? I ask because that is where I live as do the IP people.
Elsie, what you can do is download Instant Pot SMART the App right now to see what you think of it. If you like to tinker and be able to set the pressure cooker to ANY non-pressure temperature then you should get the pressure cooker with the app.
If tinkering is not important to you, and you don’t typically use a timer to delay cooking or make Yogurt. then you should get the Breville Fast Slow Pro. Friday I will publish a comparison table between the newest pressure cookers which should make the differences between these two clearer. And then, in December, I will publish a full review of the Breville Fast Slow Pro.
Breville has been fantastic about answering questions and clarifying details so I’m sure you’ll find the review of this new pressure cooker informative!
Ciao,
L
P.S. Instant Pot updated the app about two weeks ago. Any reviews that mention the app before then do not apply to the current app. They have fixed many of the things that were criticized, specifically, the ability to add instructions, ingredients and photos to a custom script.
Laura, in your opinion, is the bluetooth enabled IP Smart in it’s current rendition worth spending the extra money on? The reviews I have read on the Bluetooth version app are mixed. Some say the app is a disappointment while others are okay with it. It seems like a lot of extra dollars to spend if the app is not really worth it. I really want an IP but I want to make sure I get the one that is right for me. I am retired and at home if that makes any difference. Thank you.
this is re the instant pot smart and its bt app, just to be clear.
imo, the app is worse than a ‘disappointment’, even after the recent ‘update’. but bear in mind i’ve been in computer support for 40 years and my standards are most probably higher than normal as i know how much can be done and how much is not done or done slipshod due to budgets and clueless managers and laziness and lack of programming ability.
the version before this one was as least minimally useful because i could monitor the progress from about 15-20′ away with a thin trailer house wall in between.
after the update, i have to be in the same room (kitchen) as the pot and less than 15′ away or the pot data just fades in and out.
the last version ‘locked’ the app on your iphone screen so that the screen didn’t time out. some hated this, but i liked it better than having to wake up the iphone to see the status. the new version lets the phone go to sleep and this might be the source of the bt connection problem–perhaps they listened to the complainers and fixed the ‘locked in’ feature for them and broke something else in the process.
at the rate that team pushes out updates i suspect it will be 5 years before they actually get it working and hopefully fix the user-hostile interface somewhere in that time.
sorry @laura. i hope you appreciate me being more honest than polite. i stretched donna’s patience with my analysis of the app as well. i know you guys would be more comfortable with the puppies and rainbows and unicorns review! /guy
Guy, I’m going to move your comment about the APP to the bottom of the Instant Pot SMART review – and then I will answer you there. I think that it’s important that anyone looking at the review to make a purchasing decision see it.
Ciao,
L
I just wanted to let everyone know that I just posted the review for the Breville Fast Slow Pro – you can see it here:
http://www.hippressurecooking.com/breville-fast-slow-pro-pressure-cooker-review/
Enjoy!
L