Our Place Dream Cooker review: $199 buys four modes, not six, and a pot you hand-wash

A panel with no presets. “An all-new intuitive, simple, no presets control panel” is Our Place's description: a mode, a time and one of three settings — low, medium, high. The page's FAQ mocks “the mysterious ‘yogurt’ button you've never pressed.” If an Instant Pot's 13 or 28 one-touch programs put you off, this is the answer.

A ceramic nonstick pot. “Aluminum with a toxin-free ceramic nonstick coating” — the Always Pan's family of surface. Our Place's comparison table says of other multicookers: “Many are stainless steel, and food will stick to the surface” — a fair description of the Instant Pot Duo's 18/8 stainless pot. Whether a coating beats bare steel depends on how you wash it: chapter 02.

Hands-free release and nine safety features. “Automatic, hands-free steam release” is on the page, plus a manual button. The page claims “nine safety features” without naming them; the getting-started guide names eight, from a pressure limit valve and safety lock to temperature and pressure sensors, and the manual release makes nine.

Four colourways and a “stay-cool while cooking exterior”. Blue Salt, Char, Spice and Steam, all $199; Instant Pot's Duo is silver, its Pro black. The 100-day trial matches the pans'; terms on Our Place warranty and returns.

Four modes on the page, six in the title. The title tag reads “Dream Cooker | 6-in-1 Pressure, Slow & Multi Cooker”, counting steam and rice. The page says “4 Modes to Do It All” and “Includes 4 cooking modes: pressure cook, slow cook, saute/sear, and keep warm”. Rice and steam are done under pressure — the guide says low pressure “is better for rice, pasta, and eggs” — not with a button. Instant Pot counts both among its Duo's seven functions.

“NOT dishwasher safe.” Our Place's capitals. The guide is specific: the inner pot is “hand wash only”; the lid and sealing ring avoid the dishwasher; only the condensation collector may go on the top rack. Instant Pot's Duo and Pro pages both say “the dishwasher-safe lid and inner pot make clean-up a breeze”. It is the biggest practical difference on the page.

No pressure figure. “Low (good for slow cooking)”, “Medium (moderate pressure)”, “High (high pressure yielding faster results)” — no PSI or kPa anywhere. Instant Pot's pages state none either, so neither maker lets you compare.

Keep Warm: 12 hours or 8? The page's timer table gives “00:30–12:00”; the guide says it “counts up to 8 hours, then the unit shuts off automatically”. Two Our Place figures for one setting.

One year, not three. “We offer a limited one year warranty in the US for this product.” The ceramic Always Pan and Perfect Pot get three. Instant Pot's Duo and Pro get one too — par for the category, but a third of the pans' cover on the product with a gasket and a pressure sensor.