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Instant Dutch Oven Review 

The Instant Dutch Oven is combination electric Dutch oven and a standard enameled cast iron Dutch oven. It is sometimes listed or sold as the Instant Pot Dutch oven, Instant Precision Dutch oven, or Instant Gourmet Dutch Oven. I recently purchased one for review and have put it through multiple tests.  See the Instant Dutch Oven here on Amazon.

The short version of my overall review is that this is a great appliance for anyone who wants a quality Dutch oven for standard stovetop or oven cooking with the added bonus of being able to sear, braise, and slow cook with the product plugged in as a kitchen appliance. It does those extra things much better than the Instant Pot and honestly better than my slow cooker as well. As a standard Dutch oven it is high quality and rivals my Le Creuset. So, I wholeheartedly recommend the product. 

So, with that said, here is my full Instant Pot Dutch Oven Review. My first tests of the product were done making this Instant Dutch Oven pot roast and Instant Dutch Oven apple dump cake.

Instant Dutch Oven Review Pin

Instant Dutch Oven Features 

The Instant Dutch Oven is both an electric Dutch oven that cooks plugged into electricity or the cast iron pot can be removed and placed in your oven.  Note that, while my product was labeled as the Instant Gourmet Dutch Oven, it is the same product as the Instant Precision Dutch oven. It appears Instant Brand is just tinkering with the name a bit.  

Instant Gourmet Dutch Oven box

Cast Iron Pot 

The Instant Pot Dutch Oven includes a 6-quart, heavy-duty, enameled cast iron pot and self-braising lid. The lid is oven safe. 

Instant Dutch Oven lid

This is a sturdy pot! It weighs as much as my Le Creuset and Lodge cast iron Dutch ovens. Thus, I expect it to be just as heavy duty and durable as my other Dutch ovens. It is also dishwasher safe. The durable enamel coating is a great non-stick surface, which allows for easy cooking and cleaning.  It has a tight-fitting and self-braising lid, which is perfect for locking in flavor.  The lid is also oven-safe.

The pot can be used in the electric cooking base, on the stovetop or in the oven.  In theory you could even use this over a campfire if so desired, although personally I’ll stick with my lodge Dutch oven for that. Campfire cooking gets pretty messy and I like a more traditional pot for that. This one is a bit on the fancy side for sticking over a fire.

The product currently is available with pots in red, blue, or black.

The Electric Base

The electric base is sturdy and accommodates the pot well. It has a heating element and electric control panel that allows for various modes of operation along with  manual temperature controls for precise cooking. I found using the appliance very intuitive. There is a touch screen and a turn knob for setting manual controls, and the panel is bright and easy to read. 

Instant Precision Dutch Oven base

The base and electric heating element is designed to maintain even temperature when braising and slow cooking. If you have an instant pot it will look pretty familiar. It is also energy efficient.  

One thing I did note is that the bottom of the pot can cause items to stick when baking using the electric functions, despite the enamel coating. Be sure to grease the pot well or line it if you bake in it. Honestly you should do that with any other type of baking in other pots or pans anyway. 

Added Accessories

The Instant Dutch oven comes with silicone handle covers for safe serving, a silicone protective pad to protect your countertop or cooking surfaces, a set of silicone cooking utensils, a getting started user manual, and a small recipe book.  

Be sure to use silcone cooking utensils so as to not scratch the enameled surface of the pot.    
Instant Dutch Oven manual and silcone accessories

Instant Dutch Oven Functions

The Instant Dutch Oven has multiple functions and uses, which is what makes it a nice product to have over a standard Dutch Oven.  It basically is multiple products in one. 

 Sear and Sauté 

The sear and sauté function replaces the need for a separate pan to brown your food. The pot preheats quickly and made searing my test pot roast easy. In my case it came to full heat within a mater of just a couple of minutes. The default temperature is 400 degrees, which is a good enough high heat for a good sear. You can adjust that temperature as as well. This function is also great for tasks such as sautéing vegetables. Overall, the function allows for one-pot meals, whereas in other instances I would end up getting an extra skillet or sauce pan dirty. Take my roast for example, If using a standard slow cooker or Dutch oven I would have normally seared my roast in a skillet. Here, I seared it in the Instant Dutch oven instead in about the same amount of time. The roast seared nicely, and I had no complaints about the function whatsoever.      

Braise

The braise function has a higher heat function for browning and a bit lower heat setting for simmering. As with the sauté function, you can adjust those as desired.  The function allows for a maximum cooking time of four hours.  This function is perfect for soups and stews and effectively braises food just as well as placing a standard Dutch oven on the stovetop or in the oven.  

Slow Cook

The slow cook function is very much akin to your standard crock pot/slow cooker. This function is ideal for cooking for a longer time at lower temperatures. Oddly though, unlike most slow cookers, which almost always have a low and a high setting, the Instant Dutch Oven has just has one default setting, which I found essentially equated to a low setting. However, this can be remedied by using the manual setting to fine tune your recipes.  I made my pot roast using the slow cook function, which worked out fine for a long slow cook.  

Manual Settings  

The manual function allows for manual time and temperature adjustments and it has two default starting points, that I found equate pretty well to that missing low and high for slow cooking. Each of those manual settings can also be adjusted to a custom temperature and time.    Use the Manual 1 setting for a long slow time at low temperatures and the an manual 2 setting for a higher temperature and faster cook times. It does top out on cook time at 3 hours, which is a shorter time than the 12  hours for the slow cook function, although that time is in line with higher temperature slow cooking. Still, I would have liked to see 6-8 hour options. That is not a deal breaker for me recommending the product though.
I used the manual settings for my dump cake to test baking in the pot using the electric functions as opposed to baking with the pot in the oven. It worked well and the product baked evenly. However, I do recommend lining the pot when baking. I made cornbread a few days after making the dump cake and lined the pot with foil.  That too baked evenly, but the foil made clean up much easier.   

Keep Warm

The Instant Dutch Oven also has a keep warm function, which is perfect for keeping dinner warm once it has been cooked.   

Instant Precision Dutch Oven control panel

How to Use the Instant Dutch Oven

Becasue of its multiple functions, you can use your Instant Pot Dutch Oven for a variety of dishes.  It is easy to convert any slow cooker or standard Dutch oven recipe for use in the Instant brand product.  Overall, the Instant Precision Dutch Oven can be used for the following:

  • Slow Cooking: Use the oven for anything you would normally make in a slow cooker. This makes it perfect for soups, stews, pot roast, pulled pork, chicken etc.
  • Proofing Dough and Baking: The manual low function is great for proofing bread dough. You can also bake in the Dutch oven, either using manual electric functions or by placing the cast iron pot in your oven. It works well for casseroles, especially since you can slow cook with the electric base and then quickly brown the top in the oven if so desired.
  • Stir Frying: Stir frying is possible with the pot using the sauté function, and you can also oil fry with the pot as well. 
  • Roasting: The cast iron insert is the perfect size for roasts. This is a great product for pot roast and whole chickens, which you can cook either using the electric base or in your oven. 
  • Soups and Simmering: The pot is perfect for preparing and simmering soups. It also is great for sauces..

Who Should Buy the Instant Dutch Oven?

The Instant Precision Dutch Oven is perfect for anyone who will benefit from having a multi-use kitchen appliance. In particular, it is great for people with limited stovetop space, including those in apartments, dorm rooms, or RVs. It is also nice for large gatherings when you need additional cooking methods.
If you live where the weather is hot, the appliance allows you to cook a variety of recipes without heating up your kitchen. The Instant Pot Dutch Oven is also great if you are looking to save space for appliance and cook wear storage. It can replace both your conventional Dutch oven and your slow cooker. It can also replace skillets for searing and browning and soup pots.     

Who Should Not Buy the Product?

This product is really not for those who already have it all. If you have a quality slow cooker and a quality Dutch and prefer to always use your Dutch oven on the stovetop or in the oven, the Instant Brand’s Dutch oven is going to be rather redundant for you. With that said, you still might appreciate the electric functions in varying circumstances.   

In my case I have it all, and still foresee using the Instant product quite a bit as I like to avoid heating up the oven and I also like to have many things cooking at once.  So, with the Instant Dutch oven, I can have a roast in that and have bread baking in the oven etc.  

Overall Rating and Review 

As previously noted, I initially tested the oven by making a dump cake and a pot roast. Both came out perfect. The oven baked my dump cake using the manual electric functions as well as my slow cooker and as well as making the same recipe in the Dutch oven in the oven.  I later made chili and cornbread that also came out quite well. 

Instant Dutch Oven Review

My pot roast seared nicely and cooked to perfection using the slow cooking functions. I was extremely pleased. My only complaint would be that I would like a low and high slow cooker setting, but the settings are so easy to change that this is not a deal breaker by any means.   You also will want to monitor things closely when baking so as to not overcook the bottom of your baked goods. 

Below are my overall ratings: 

Versatility (5/5)

 The Instant Precision Dutch Oven is not just an ordinary Dutch oven; it’s a multi-functional kitchen appliance. Whether you’re in the mood for braising, searing, sautéing, or slow cooking, this appliance has got you covered. The ability to detach the cooking pot and use it directly on the stovetop or oven offers a versatility that traditional Dutch ovens lack.

Material and Durability (5/5)

 Made from heavy-duty cast iron, this Dutch oven promises longevity and durability. The enamel coating is aesthetically pleasing and also ensures protection from wear and tear . Most important, it allows for easy clean up.

Design and Aesthetics (4.5/5)

The design is practical and the Pot is attractive. Overall it is easy to use. I gave it slightly less than a score of 5 because of that lack of a low and high default setting for the slow cooking functions.  I also would like to see the manual settings go to longer hour settings.

Performance (5/5)

 The electric precision control feature ensures consistent results by maintaining exact temperatures and cooking conditions, and does so better than my slow cooker. The product performed wonderfully for me both in baking and roasting tests. 

 

 

pot roast in Instant Dutch Oven

Conclusion

This is a Dutch oven that can replace several products and has extra functions, including precise temperature control.  Its combination of versatility, durability, and precision makes it a valuable addition to any kitchen. Those qualities also make the Instant Dutch Oven a recommended kitchen appliance for those who have a use for its functions. 

Buy the Instant Dutch Oven on Amazon

View My Ongoing List of Instant Dutch Oven Recipes
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