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Breville Fast Slow Pro Review

Costly, but nearly flawless, especially for those who are particular about cooking meat
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Breville Fast Slow Pro Review (The Breville performed well across the boards, particularly when cooking meat.)
The Breville performed well across the boards, particularly when cooking meat.
Price:  $300 List
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Manufacturer:   Breville
By Max Mutter and Steven Tata  ⋅  Feb 3, 2022
84
OVERALL
SCORE


RANKED
#2 of 5
  • User Friendliness - 35% 9.0
  • Cooking Performance - 30% 9.0
  • Ease of Cleaning - 25% 6.0
  • Cooking Features - 10% 10.0

Our Verdict

Offering the most cooking functionality, the slickest interface, and the most delicious meats of all the models that we tested in our review of the best pressure cookers, the Breville Fast Slow Pro is our all-around favorite pressure cooker. Breville's signature interface with multiple selection knobs and a large LCD screen makes what otherwise would be an overwhelming amount of settings and options feel intuitive and easily navigable. It really shines when it comes to prepping meats. In our testing, all of the cuts we put into it come out more moist and tender than those from other machines. It was also more adept at searing meat than other models, though if you really want a good sear, you might want to quickly toss the meat in a pan instead. The only real qualm we have with this cooker is its price, which is double what most machines cost. However, depending on your goals, it could be the kitchen appliance you're looking for.
REASONS TO BUY
User friendly
Automatic steam release
Great meat
REASONS TO AVOID
Very expensive

Compare to Similar Products

 
Awards Editors' Choice Award
Runner Up Pressure Cooker
Editors' Choice Award
Best Overall Pressure Cooker
Top Pick Award
Best Versatility
 Best Buy Award
Best Bang for the Buck
Price $300 List
$299.95 at Amazon
$130 List
$129.95 at Amazon
$350 List$250 List$102 List
$82.99 at Amazon
Overall Score Sort Icon
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Star Rating
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Bottom Line This is an exceptional product across the board, but it comes at a high costContinual product improvement and great results in the kitchen are why this model is still our favoriteIt doesn't cook everything perfectly, but we applaud the effort and feel this product is worth buyingAn exceptional and effective pressure cooking and air frying multifunction deviceA good all-around pressure cooker that often sells for a bit less than most of the popular models on the market
Rating Categories Breville Fast Slow Pro Instant Pot Duo Plu... Ninja Foodi Smart XL Ninja Foodi Deluxe XL Presto 02141
User Friendliness (35%)
9.0
10.0
9.0
8.0
7.0
Cooking Performance (30%)
9.0
8.0
8.0
8.0
8.0
Ease of Cleaning (25%)
6.0
7.0
7.0
7.0
7.0
Cooking Features (10%)
10.0
9.0
10.0
10.0
9.0
Specs Breville Fast Slow Pro Instant Pot Duo Plu... Ninja Foodi Smart XL Ninja Foodi Deluxe XL Presto 02141
Pot Material Nonstick Stainless Steel Nonstick Nonstick Nonstick
Saute Yes Yes Yes Yes Yes
Capacity 6 quart 6 quart 8 quart 8 quart 6 quart

Our Analysis and Test Results

Performance Comparison


breville fast slow pro - the breville performed well across the boards, particularly when...
The Breville performed well across the boards, particularly when cooking meat.

User Friendliness


Breville knows how to design an intuitive interface, and the fact that navigating through the Fast Slow Pro's seemingly endless number of settings feels easy and streamlined is a testament to that fact.


The Fast Slow Pro uses three separate knobs to select its settings, the first to choose one of the cooking presets, the second to adjust the temperature, and the third to adjust the time. Then you can press start, and you're off and running. The large LCD also makes it abundantly clear which settings you've selected. We found this much easier than other machines that make you use arrow buttons to scroll through every option before locking in the one you want. The lid also opens on a hinge, so you don't have to hold it or lay it on the counter while serving and stirring. The lid is on the right side of the machine, so it does kind of get in the way for right-handed users.

breville fast slow pro - we love breville's interface and minimalist dials.
We love Breville's interface and minimalist dials.
Credit: Jenna Ammerman

The crème de la crème of the Fast Slow Pro's user experience is its pressure release button. This design lets you press a button on the front of the machine, a good 10 inches away from the pressure valve, to release all the pent-up steam. We found this far preferable to all of the other models, which require you to flip the valve yourself with your hand right next to the resulting tower of steam. While we never felt unsafe doing this (you'd have to try to get your hand in the way of the steam), the button felt much more convenient and a bit less stressful.

breville fast slow pro - the breville is the only model we've found that doesn't require you...
The Breville is the only model we've found that doesn't require you to touch the steam valve in order to release pressure.
Credit: Jenna Ammerman

Cooking Performance


Here again, the Fast Slow Pro was on top, earning a high score better than the pressure cooker competition.


The Fast Slow Pro really sets itself apart in meat preparation. It tended to lock in just a bit more moisture and tenderness than other models, especially when making ribs. It also was the most effective model we found for searing meat. However, even this machine can't duplicate the searing power of a good flame, so if you want a perfect sear, we would suggest doing so on the stovetop and then use the pressure cooker to lock in all that juicy flavor. The Fast Slow Pro also made the best rice in our testing, again keeping things a bit more moist and tender. However, the gap in rice quality between the Fast Slow Pro and the rest was smaller than that in meat quality.

breville fast slow pro - you really can't beat the streamlined interfaced presented by the...
You really can't beat the streamlined interfaced presented by the Breville's set of dials.

The Fast Slow Pro also offers more pressure settings than any other model. Most let you set the pressure to low, normal, or high, while this machine provides ten distinct settings. We didn't find this made a difference in cooking quality, but it is a helpful feature if you like to tinker with your recipes. Here again, it offers a small but noticeable improvement over the competition for a much bigger price tag. The other models we tested could still make great meat and good rice, so you'll have to consider if those minor improvements are worth the extra cost.

Ease of Cleaning


This metric was where the Fast Slow Pro didn't come out on top.


We did have some complaints about the messes it could make, but they were relatively minor. First off, its lid tends to spill out a lot of condensation when you open it. Most made it back into the pot, but some managed to get on the side of the machine and counter. This occurrence wasn't a huge annoyance, but other models have condensation cups that pretty much eliminate the issue. You also must unscrew the lid to remove and clean it, making the stray condensation issue a bit worse. Again, not a huge deal, but most models just have their lids lift right off, which felt a bit more convenient.

breville fast slow pro - the breville is fairly easy to clean but is not quite a top...
The Breville is fairly easy to clean but is not quite a top performer in this category.
Credit: Jenna Ammerman

The Fast Slow Pro's nonstick pot generally shed food well enough that hand cleaning was fairly painless. However, we didn't like that we couldn't use things like steel wool if we managed to burn some onions onto it. Also, we didn't feel comfortable putting the pot in the dishwasher, so hand cleaning was the only option. The manual is a bit confusing; it says the pot is dishwasher safe but that you shouldn't put it in the dishwasher.

Cooking Features


The Fast Slow Pro has more cooking presets than any of the tested models. In fact, it leaves most of them entirely in the dust.


On top of the general meat and grain functions, the Fast Slow Pro adds saute, sear, yogurt, and sterilize functions. It also offers ten different pressure settings, much more than any other cooker.

A Full List of the Breville Fast Slow Pro's Cooking Functions


Vegetables, Rice, Risotto, Soup, Stock, Beans, Poultry, Meat, Bone-In Meat, Chili/Stew, Dessert, Custom, Pressure Cook, Slow Cook, similar to what you'd experience using our favorite slow cooker, Steam, Sear, Saute, and Reduce.

Should You Buy the Breville Fast Slow Pro?


Providing everything you could want from a pressure cooker and then some, the Breville Fast Slow Pro is one of the best countertop cookers we've found. Though it is clearly superior to other models in our review of our favorite pressure cookers, it asks about double the price for maybe 10% better performance, so it is only a worthwhile purchase if you're willing to pay a hefty premium to get slightly more tender meats. Offering field-leading performance at a correspondingly hefty price, the Fast Slow Pro is the best choice for those that don't mind paying a premium for quality.

What Other Pressure Cooker Should You Consider?


The Fast Slow Pro's only real competition in the pressure cooker market is the Instant Pot Duo Plus V4. Depending on your food preferences, the Breville is 5-10% better than the Instant Pot but costs more than twice as much. That extra cost is really only worth it if you're picky about your meat or brown rice or if you really don't want to put your hand next to the steam vent when releasing the pressure. However, if you don't fall into one of those categories, the Instant Pot is a much better value.

Max Mutter and Steven Tata