6 Best Stainless Steel Air Fryers: Honest Reviews for Different Kitchens

Stainless steel air fryers appeal to shoppers for several reasons. They look more substantial than glossy plastic models, usually fit better beside other stainless steel appliances, and often combine air frying with baking, roasting, toasting, broiling, and pizza cooking.

However, the term “stainless steel air fryer” can be misleading.

In most cases, it means the appliance has a stainless steel exterior or stainless steel oven cavity. It does not necessarily mean that every surface touching your food is uncoated stainless steel. Air-fry baskets may still be chrome-plated steel, enameled steel, or coated metal, while drip trays and baking pans can use their own finishes.

That distinction matters if you are specifically trying to avoid nonstick coatings.

After comparing capacity, cooking layout, controls, cleaning requirements, counter space, and everyday cooking versatility, these are the stainless steel air fryers I would consider:

1. Breville Smart Oven Air Fryer Pro — Best overall
2. Cuisinart TOA-70 — Best value for most families
3. Ninja Flip SP151 — Best for limited counter space
4. KitchenAid KCO128 — Best for pizza and baking
5. Instant Pot Omni 18L — Best affordable digital oven
6. Hamilton Beach Sure-Crisp 31403 — Best compact budget option

The Breville is the most capable overall, but it is not automatically the best purchase for everyone. A small household may be happier with the Ninja Flip, while someone primarily cooking frozen snacks may get better value from the Cuisinart or Hamilton Beach.

[IMAGE 1 — Place immediately after the introduction]

Image: All six stainless steel air fryer ovens arranged on a bright kitchen counter, shown at realistic relative sizes.

Alt text: Six stainless steel air fryer toaster ovens compared on a kitchen countertop

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Stainless Steel Air Fryers at a Glance

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Before Buying: What “Stainless Steel” Really Means

A stainless steel exterior is useful, but it does not automatically make an air fryer safer, longer-lasting, or easier to clean.

You should check four separate areas:

• The exterior housing
• The interior oven walls
• The air-fry basket or rack
• The included pans and drip tray

For example, KitchenAid identifies the KCO128 as a stainless steel appliance with steel interior walls, but its air-fry basket is chrome-plated steel. Hamilton Beach specifically describes its Sure-Crisp model as having a stainless steel exterior and includes a separate metal air-fry basket.

This is not necessarily a problem. A well-made coated or plated basket can be practical and easy to use. The important point is to understand what you are actually buying instead of assuming that the entire appliance is bare stainless steel.

Anyone mainly concerned about coatings should examine the manufacturer’s current material information and care instructions before ordering. You may also find our discussion of whether air fryers are toxic useful when separating legitimate material concerns from exaggerated online claims.

Basket-style versus stainless steel oven-style air fryers

Most stainless steel models are air fryer toaster ovens. They use a wide mesh tray inside a countertop oven rather than a deep pull-out basket.

This gives you more room for:

• Pizza
• Toast
• Open-faced sandwiches
• Fish fillets
• Casseroles
• Sheet-pan meals
• Baking dishes
• Whole chickens

The trade-off is that basket air fryers generally circulate air more aggressively around a smaller cooking area. Independent testing by RTINGS has found that basket-style air fryers usually produce crispier results in less time, while air fryer toaster ovens offer greater versatility.

Read our full basket versus oven-style air fryer comparison before choosing based only on appearance.

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1. Breville Smart Oven Air Fryer Pro

Best overall stainless steel air fryer

The Breville Smart Oven Air Fryer Pro is the model we would choose for a household that wants one countertop appliance to replace several others.

It has enough room for nine slices of toast, a 13-inch pizza, a standard 9-by-13-inch baking pan, or a surprisingly large roast. Breville rates the interior at one cubic foot and says it can accommodate a 14-pound turkey and a five-quart Dutch oven.

That makes it meaningfully larger than most basket air fryers.

What it does well

The Breville’s strongest quality is not simply air frying. It is the range of foods it can cook without feeling like a compromise appliance.

Frozen fries can spread across the mesh basket instead of piling into a deep container. Chicken thighs can cook on one level while vegetables roast below. A 12- or 13-inch pizza fits without folding, cutting, or cooking it in sections.

For frozen fries, I would start around 400°F for 18 to 22 minutes, turning or stirring once. The broad basket helps with browning, but overcrowding still creates pale spots.

Bone-in chicken thighs usually need approximately 25 to 35 minutes at 380–400°F, depending on size. Check the thickest part with a thermometer instead of trusting a preset.

For a whole chicken, the large chamber is much easier to work with than a compact basket. Start with our whole chicken air fryer guide for seasoning and temperature guidance.

Breville’s controls are also easier to understand than a panel filled with small preset icons. You select a function, adjust the temperature or shade, set the time, and start cooking. The display communicates the selected mode clearly.

RTINGS currently lists the Breville Smart Oven Air Fryer Pro as its top-tested air fryer toaster oven, highlighting its spacious chamber, fast and even air frying, and versatility.

Where it falls short

The Breville is large enough that it should be treated almost like a small second oven.

Measure your counter before buying it. You need space not only for the body but also for ventilation, the power cord, and the front door when fully open. Our guide to where you should place an air fryer explains why it should not be pushed tightly under a low cabinet while operating.

It also creates more cleaning work than a basket air fryer. Grease can land on the basket, lower rack, drip tray, door glass, walls, and heating elements. Cooking wings directly over an unprotected lower chamber is a reliable way to create smoke during the next use.

A pull-out crumb tray helps, but it does not collect everything.

The price is also difficult to justify if you mainly cook single servings of fries, nuggets, or reheated leftovers. You are paying for oven capacity, baking ability, controls, and overall versatility—not only crisping performance.

Best for

• Families of four or more
• People who frequently cook pizza
• Home cooks who bake and roast
• Anyone replacing a toaster oven and air fryer at the same time
• Kitchens where the appliance can remain on the counter

Not ideal for

• One-person households
• Very small countertops
• Shoppers seeking the least expensive option
• People who want dishwasher-simple cleanup
• Anyone who only wants the fastest possible fries

Bottom line

Choose the Breville when you want a countertop oven first and an air fryer second—but still want one of the better air-frying performances available in an oven-style appliance.

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2. Cuisinart TOA-70 Air Fryer Toaster Oven with Grill

Best value for most families

The Cuisinart TOA-70 is a more approachable alternative to the Breville. It combines air frying, convection baking, broiling, toasting, warming, and grilling in a stainless steel countertop design.

Cuisinart describes it as an eight-in-one appliance with a reversible grill and griddle plate.

It is a good fit for someone who wants oven-style versatility but does not want to pay premium Breville prices.

What it is like to use

The controls are traditional mechanical dials rather than a touchscreen. Some shoppers will see that as dated, but it has practical advantages. You can glance at the dial position, adjust the temperature without navigating a menu, and operate the appliance with wet or lightly greasy hands.

The downside is precision. A mechanical timer and temperature dial do not provide the same exact feedback as a digital display.

The Cuisinart tends to feel powerful for its size. Foods often brown faster than beginners expect, especially on the top surface. Frozen fries may be ready in approximately 15 to 20 minutes at 375–400°F, but the exact timing depends on the quantity and rack position.

Check the food early during your first few uses. Do not assume a package instruction written for a full-size oven will transfer directly.

Chicken wings develop good surface browning when spread in one layer, but grease management is important. Place the correct pan below the basket and clean it after cooking. Old grease near the heating elements is one of the common reasons an air fryer starts smoking.

The grill plate is useful for burgers, vegetables, and sandwiches, though it does not reproduce the flavor of outdoor grilling. Think of it as a convenient ridged cooking surface rather than a replacement for charcoal or gas.

Cleaning experience

The stainless exterior looks attractive but shows fingerprints and cooking splatter. A damp microfiber cloth followed by a dry cloth usually handles the outside.

Inside, the shallow oven is easier to reach than the Breville, but grease can still collect around corners and above the top heating elements. Never spray cleaner directly toward an element.

The basket requires soaking after fatty foods. For stuck seasoning and crumbs, follow our guide on how to clean an air fryer basket instead of scraping it with metal utensils.

Limitations

The Cuisinart is not the best choice for unattended cooking. Because it can brown quickly, it rewards cooks who check food and rotate trays.

It also lacks the spacious interior and refined digital control of the Breville. Large casseroles and tall foods are more restrictive.

Toast performance can take some experimentation because rack position and dial settings have a noticeable effect. Once you learn your preferred shade position, the manual controls become less frustrating.

Best for

• Families wanting a versatile mid-priced appliance
• Cooks who prefer simple mechanical controls
• Frequent toast, wings, vegetables, and frozen-food preparation
• People who want a grill plate
• Buyers upgrading from a basic toaster oven

Not ideal for

• Anyone wanting precise digital controls
• People who frequently cook tall roasts
• Users who tend to start cooking and walk away
• Households needing the largest possible capacity

Bottom line

The TOA-70 offers the best balance of recognizable brand, practical capacity, stainless steel design, and reasonable pricing. It is less polished than the Breville, but it covers more everyday needs than a basic basket air fryer.

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3. Ninja Flip SP151 Toaster Oven and Air Fryer

Best stainless steel air fryer for small kitchens

The Ninja Flip solves a problem most air fryer ovens ignore: what happens when you are not using it.

The oven can rotate upward and rest against the backsplash, reducing the amount of counter surface it occupies between meals. Ninja says this flip-up position saves 50% more counter space. The SP151 has eight cooking functions and a stainless steel construction.

That feature makes it one of the most practical choices for apartments, galley kitchens, and crowded counters.

Real-world strengths

The Ninja heats quickly and works especially well for flat foods:

• Pizza
• Toast
• Quesadillas
• Fish fillets
• Chicken cutlets
• Fries spread in a thin layer
• Roasted vegetables
• Open-faced sandwiches

A 12-inch frozen pizza fits, which is much more useful than the small round pizzas that fit inside many basket air fryers.

For readers who make pizza frequently, compare it with our best air fryers for pizza and our guide to air fryer versus oven pizza.

Frozen pizza typically cooks faster than in a full-size oven because the Ninja’s cavity is small and the heating elements sit close to the food. Begin checking several minutes before the package’s conventional-oven time.

The digital panel is clearer than the Cuisinart’s manual dials, particularly when setting short reheating times. It is also a good toaster replacement for households that do not want separate appliances.

The shallow-chamber trade-off

The same shape that makes the Ninja compact also limits height.

A tall whole chicken, covered casserole, Dutch oven, or large loaf may not fit comfortably. Foods placed too close to the top elements can brown before the center is ready.

The wide tray encourages people to load it fully, but airflow still matters. Twelve ounces of fries spread loosely will cook more evenly than a thick mound covering every available inch.

The flip-up function is helpful only when the area behind the oven remains clean. Crumbs and grease should be removed before rotating it upright. Otherwise, debris can shift into areas that are harder to reach.

Make sure the appliance has cooled before flipping it, and keep the storage area clear of utensils, paper towels, and cords.

Cleaning

The interior opens widely and is relatively accessible, but the shallow roof can develop grease spots quickly.

Wipe the chamber after cooking bacon, wings, or oily sausage. Periodically inspect the upper element area and use our instructions for cleaning an air fryer heating element.

Do not wait until accumulated grease produces odors or smoke.

Best for

• Apartments and small kitchens
• Couples and small families
• Pizza, toast, and flat foods
• People replacing a toaster oven
• Anyone who values clear digital controls

Not ideal for

• Tall foods and large roasts
• Deep casseroles
• Large-batch meal preparation
• Buyers who want a traditional deep basket
• Kitchens without backsplash clearance

Bottom line

Choose the Ninja Flip when counter space is more important than vertical cooking capacity. It is one of the smartest layouts in this category, but its shallow chamber should be treated as a deliberate trade-off—not a minor detail.

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4. KitchenAid KCO128 Digital Countertop Oven with Air Fry and Pizza

Best for pizza and baking

The KitchenAid KCO128 is the most appealing model here for someone who sees air frying as one function among many.

It has ten cooking settings, a 360-degree air-fry system, steel interior walls, and a dedicated pizza cycle. KitchenAid includes a 12-inch pizza stone with this model.

That combination makes it better suited to pizza nights and baking projects than a typical pull-out basket air fryer.

Pizza performance

The stone is the main reason to choose the KCO128 over the less expensive Cuisinart or Instant Pot.

A preheated stone helps pull moisture from the underside of fresh dough, improving crust structure. It is especially useful for thin and medium-thickness pizzas.

Do not expect an authentic 800°F Neapolitan bake. This is still a countertop electric oven, but it can produce a drier and firmer bottom than cooking pizza on a cold metal tray.

For frozen pizza, the stone may not always be necessary. Follow the manufacturer’s instructions, and avoid placing a frozen pizza on a very hot stone unless the pizza and stone instructions permit it. Sudden temperature differences can damage some baking stones.

Our guide to cooking frozen pizza in an air fryer explains how crust thickness and toppings affect cooking time.

Air-frying ability

The broad basket provides plenty of surface area for vegetables, chicken tenders, and fries. KitchenAid markets it as a no-flip air-fry basket, although turning or stirring food can still improve consistency when the tray is heavily loaded.

Expect oven-style air frying rather than the aggressive crisping of a compact basket appliance.

Breaded chicken cutlets come out well because they can lie flat without overlapping. Fries cook reasonably evenly when spread in one layer, but small batches in a powerful basket air fryer will often finish sooner.

The KCO128 makes more sense for a cook who alternates among pizza, baking, roasting, toast, and air frying than for someone whose diet revolves around frozen snacks.

Cleaning and usability

The pizza stone should not be treated like a normal washable pan. Avoid soaking it or coating it with soap unless KitchenAid’s current care instructions specifically allow that. Stains on a baking stone are normal and do not mean it is dirty or unsafe.

The mesh air-fry basket needs prompt attention after breaded or sugary foods. Burned sauce is much easier to remove when the basket is still slightly warm—but not hot enough to cause injury.

The digital controls make repeat cooking simpler than the Cuisinart. Once you learn the pizza and air-fry programs, it is easy to reproduce the same settings.

Best for

• Homemade and frozen pizza
• Bakers who need a supplemental oven
• Households cooking varied meals
• People who prefer digital settings
• Anyone wanting a pizza stone included

Not ideal for

• The fastest possible air frying
• One-person households
• Buyers who rarely bake
• Kitchens with very limited counter depth
• People wanting simple basket cleanup

Bottom line

Buy the KitchenAid when pizza and baking matter as much as air frying. Do not buy it solely because it includes an air-fry setting; less expensive models can handle fries and nuggets adequately.

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5. Instant Pot Omni 18L Air Fryer Toaster Oven

Best affordable digital stainless steel oven

The Instant Pot Omni 18L sits between basic manual toaster ovens and premium digital models.

It offers seven functions: air fry, bake, broil, roast, toast, warm, and convection bake. Instant Pot says the 18-liter chamber fits six slices of bread or a 12-inch pizza.

It is a sensible choice for buyers who want digital operation and family-friendly capacity without paying Breville prices.

Everyday cooking

The Omni handles frozen foods, roasted vegetables, toast, fish, and small pizzas well enough for routine use.

For salmon, begin checking around 8 to 12 minutes at 375–400°F, depending on thickness and starting temperature. Sauced recipes may need a small baking dish rather than the open mesh basket. Our salmon with lemon cream sauce recipe is better suited to a contained pan because cream sauce dripping into the bottom of an oven creates unnecessary cleanup.

Chicken drumsticks and potatoes can be cooked together, but cut the potatoes into small, even pieces. Large potato chunks often remain firm after the chicken is ready. See our chicken drumsticks with potatoes air fryer recipe for a practical cooking sequence.

The digital controls are easier to reproduce than manual dials, although presets should be treated as starting points. Food size, tray position, load, and refrigerator temperature all affect the actual time.

Use a thermometer for poultry and thick cuts.

Where it compromises

The Omni does not feel as refined as the Breville. Controls, accessories, door action, and cooking adjustments are more utilitarian.

The 18-liter capacity sounds large, but usable cooking space depends on food height and tray position. A 12-inch pizza fitting inside does not mean there is room for a tall covered baking dish.

Like other oven-style units, the Omni creates multiple dirty surfaces. Crumbs fall through the mesh tray, while oil can reach the pan and oven walls. Parchment can reduce mess with certain foods, but it must be secured by food and kept away from heating elements. Read whether you can use parchment paper in an air fryer before placing loose paper in a preheating oven.

Best for

• Budget-conscious families
• Buyers wanting digital controls
• Pizza, toast, frozen food, and simple meals
• People who dislike manual temperature dials
• Households replacing an older toaster oven

Not ideal for

• Premium build expectations
• Very large casseroles
• People who want minimal cleanup
• Users who only need a small air fryer
• Anyone seeking the strongest possible crisping

Bottom line

The Omni is a practical middle option. It lacks the Breville’s polish and the Ninja’s space-saving design, but it offers useful capacity and straightforward digital cooking for a more approachable price.

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6. Hamilton Beach Sure-Crisp 31403

Best compact budget stainless steel air fryer oven

The Hamilton Beach Sure-Crisp is the simplest model in this comparison.

It has four functions—air fry, bake, broil, and toast—a stainless steel exterior, 1,500 watts of power, and room for four slices of toast or a nine-inch pizza. Hamilton Beach also says it can fit a three-pound chicken in an appropriate pan.

This is not a direct competitor to the Breville. It is a budget toaster oven with an air-fry function.

What it does well

The small cavity heats quickly and is suitable for:

• One or two servings of fries
• Chicken tenders
• Toast
• Reheating pizza
• Small fish fillets
• Roasted vegetables
• Frozen snacks

For one person, the limited capacity can be an advantage. There is less empty space to heat and fewer accessories to manage.

It is also easier to understand than a multifunction digital appliance. Select the function, temperature, and time. Beginners who feel overwhelmed by 12 or 13 presets may prefer this arrangement.

Our guide to using an air fryer for the first time provides a useful initial burn-in and cooking checklist. New appliances can produce a mild manufacturing odor during early use, but a strong persistent odor should be investigated using our guide to why an air fryer smells like plastic.

Where the low price shows

Capacity is the main limitation.

A nine-inch pizza is much smaller than the 12- or 13-inch pizzas accepted by the other models. Four slices of bread may fit, but spacing and bread shape influence the result.

The manual timer is less exact for short cooking jobs. When reheating a single pastry or cooking a small quantity of nuts, a difference of two minutes can matter.

Temperature recovery may also be slower after opening the door compared with a higher-end oven. Avoid repeatedly checking food with the door open. Use the window whenever possible.

This is also not the right model for family batch cooking. Filling the basket edge to edge reduces air circulation and eliminates much of the speed advantage.

Best for

• One or two people
• Dorms or small apartments where permitted
• Occasional air frying
• Toast and reheating
• Shoppers with a strict budget

Not ideal for

• Families
• Large pizzas
• Meal prepping
• Precise digital cooking
• Tall or bulky foods
• Anyone replacing a full-size oven

Bottom line

The Hamilton Beach is best understood as an affordable toaster oven that can air fry—not as a high-performance dedicated air fryer. For light use, that may be exactly enough.

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Which Stainless Steel Air Fryer Should You Buy?

Choose the Breville if you want one appliance to do almost everything

The Breville Smart Oven Air Fryer Pro is the strongest overall choice for a family that bakes, roasts, air fries, and cooks pizza regularly.

Its price makes sense only when you will use its capacity and multiple functions.

Choose the Cuisinart if you want the best balance of price and versatility

The Cuisinart TOA-70 is the easiest general recommendation. It is large enough for family food, powerful enough for crisping, and substantially less expensive than many premium ovens.

Be prepared to monitor browning and learn the manual controls.

Choose the Ninja Flip if counter space is your biggest concern

The Ninja SP151 offers the smartest storage design. It works especially well for pizza, toast, cutlets, fries, and other flat foods.

Avoid it when you frequently cook tall dishes.

Choose the KitchenAid if pizza and baking come first

The included pizza stone and dedicated pizza setting make the KCO128 the most specialized choice for pizza lovers.

Its air-frying function is useful, but it is not the main reason to buy it.

Choose the Instant Pot Omni if you want digital controls on a moderate budget

The Omni offers more precision than a manual oven without reaching premium pricing.

It is a good family all-rounder with few standout features and few major weaknesses.

Choose the Hamilton Beach if you need something simple and inexpensive

The Sure-Crisp makes sense for small portions, toast, reheating, and occasional frozen snacks.

Do not expect it to handle the same meals as an 18-liter or one-cubic-foot oven.

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Are Stainless Steel Air Fryers Better Than Basket Air Fryers?

Not automatically.

A stainless steel oven-style model is generally better for:

• Pizza
• Toast
• Baking
• Casseroles
• Flat foods
• Larger pans
• Replacing a toaster oven

A basket air fryer is generally better for:

• Faster frozen fries
• Smaller servings
• Easier shaking
• More concentrated airflow
• Simpler daily cleanup
• Taking up less width

Understanding how an air fryer works makes the difference easier to understand. Both designs use heated moving air, but chamber size, fan strength, basket shape, heating-element placement, and food spacing affect how quickly moisture leaves the surface.

People who mainly want crisp fries and chicken wings may be happier with a traditional basket model, even if it has more plastic on the exterior.

People who want toast, pizza, fish, vegetables, baking, and family meals may gain more from a stainless steel oven.

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Cleaning and Maintenance Considerations

Stainless steel air fryer ovens are not difficult to maintain, but they usually take longer to clean than basket air fryers.

After each greasy cooking session:

1. Let the appliance cool completely.
2. Remove the basket, rack, pan, and crumb tray.
3. Wipe loose grease before it hardens.
4. Wash accessories according to the manufacturer’s instructions.
5. Wipe the door and reachable interior walls.
6. Inspect the area around the heating elements without bending or soaking them.
7. Dry all parts before reinstalling them.

Avoid covering the entire crumb tray or oven floor with foil unless the manual specifically permits it. Foil can alter airflow, reflect heat toward sensitive components, or block grease drainage. Read whether you can put aluminum foil in an air fryer before using it.

A small amount of smoke from fatty food can occur, but repeated smoke during normal low-fat cooking indicates that the interior, tray, or heating area may need attention.

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Common Buying Mistakes

Buying based on external dimensions alone

An oven can look large but have a shallow or awkwardly shaped interior. Check pizza diameter, rack positions, pan dimensions, and usable height.

Assuming stainless steel means coating-free

Confirm the materials of the basket, pan, racks, interior walls, and accessories individually.

Choosing too much capacity

A large oven is convenient, but it occupies permanent counter space and creates more surface area to clean.

Choosing too little capacity

A small oven becomes frustrating when every meal requires two or three batches. Use our air fryer basket size guide to estimate how much cooking area your household realistically needs.

Treating presets as exact recipes

Presets cannot account for the thickness, moisture, starting temperature, or quantity of your food. Use them as starting points and adjust based on results.

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Frequently Asked Questions

Final Verdict

The Breville Smart Oven Air Fryer Pro is the best stainless steel air fryer overall because it offers the most useful combination of capacity, control, baking ability, and air-frying performance.

The Cuisinart TOA-70 is the better value for most households. It gives up some precision and interior space but covers everyday cooking well.

The Ninja Flip SP151 is the most practical option for small kitchens, while the KitchenAid KCO128 is the best match for pizza and baking.

The Instant Pot Omni 18L is a solid affordable digital option, and the Hamilton Beach Sure-Crisp works best for one or two people with modest cooking needs.

The correct choice depends less on which model has the longest feature list and more on what you actually cook:

• For fries and nuggets only, buy a basket air fryer.
• For pizza and toast, choose the Ninja or KitchenAid.
• For varied family meals, choose the Cuisinart or Breville.
• For occasional use on a budget, choose the Hamilton Beach.
• For affordable digital operation, choose the Instant Pot Omni.