Bella - Pro Series 6.5qt Digital Multi Cooker with Air Fryer - Stainless Steel

Verdict: In our experience preparing two meals with this, it is a capable machine that can do a lot of things well, but it is not the best machine we own for each individual task. To be fair, I don’t think any all-in-one machine could ever outperform every specialized machine at their specialized task. Initial impressions. It is heavy! At about 25lbs it is the heaviest machine we own besides the commercial grade tilt-head stand mixer. And it is big! Luckily, we have some lower cabinet space in the kitchen that will accommodate it. However, the size could be a problem for some. Setup. Setup is minimal. The quick-start guide provides everything you need to know to get started. Besides initial cleaning and plugging it in, you just have to decide which upper plate to use for the type of cooking you want to do (pressure cooker plate or air fryer plate). Jack of all trades. This machine is quite impressive in its abilities! It is a pressure cooker, air fryer, slow cooker, steamer, rice cooker(!), dehydrator, and more! So interestingly, if you have a small kitchen and you are not particularly tied to a specific machine you already own, this one could replace three or four of the machines you have and just leave one beautiful machine on your countertop. While it is big, to me it makes the most sense in a kitchen where space is a premium because you can do literally everything with just this one machine. Master of None. The machine does a lot, and it does these things pretty well, but it did not outperform our dedicated machines. We air fried some plantains and yucca, and they turned out pretty good, but not quite as good as we expected. This may just take some getting used to the machine to fine tune our timing. We also pressure cooked a full rack of ribs side by side with our regular pressure cooker pot. The Bella machine produced fall-off-the-bone meat that was delicious but the meat was not as tender and juicy as our other pressure cooker. I think that this is due to the fact that the Bella releases more steam than the other machine; after cooking, there wasn’t much moisture and sauce left in the Bella, whereas the other machine retains everything inside. I am nitpicking here… because if we hadn’t perfected our ribs with our regular machine, we would have fallen in love with the ribs the Bella delivered. So again, maybe we just need more practice with it. For a fact, the Bella machine makes fantastic dishes, but I don’t think it outperforms dedicated machines. Ease of Use. The machine is very intuitive to use: turn it on, select what you want to do, select the temperature (if applicable), select the time, and hit start! The plate handle is also a nice touch to make it easy to switch the plates when hot. However, I did have an issue getting the lid open after pressure cooking. I reviewed the manual to figure out how to unlock the lid but did not find my solution in the book. After pressing the “pressure release” button and waiting for three minutes (and hearing the beep that it is safe to open) as instructed in the manual, the lid would still not open. I was able to get the lid open by pressing the manual pressure release button all the way down while I unlocked the lid, and that worked very well. Perhaps this is a designed safety feature to make sure that all the pressure is out? And did I miss this step in the instructions? This happened both times we pressure cooked, so if you can’t get the lid open after pressing the pressure release button AND waiting three minutes (there should be no more steam coming out at that point), hold down the manual pressure release button on the lid (you will need a small object to push it in) while you unlock the lid. Things I like: - All in one convenience; just keep this machine and get rid of four other machines if you need to reclaim space in your kitchen. - The included bowl is of ultra-high quality; nothing sticks to it! - It is beautiful! - While the lid is not removable, the pressure cooker plate and air fryer plates are removable, which makes cleaning much easier. - Wide pot! There is more surface area for air frying or fitting wider foods. - It easily fits under 18" cabinets (see picture) Things I don’t like: - I had a hard time figuring out how to open the lid after pressure cooking. The instructions didn’t help. - Our cook off against another pressure cooker resulted in the Bella producing less tender ribs (but still fantastic fall-off-the-bone ribs) than the other machine. - It’s heavy and it’s big, so it may not fit in every kitchen. Overall, this is a fantastic machine, particularly if you want to get rid of four other machines and retain one capable device. We are very happy with it and we will continue to improve our technique with the Bella Multi-Cooker.

I love, love, love this machine! I’ve used it everyday since I’ve gotten it. It is so easy to switch between pressure cooking and air frying. The machine it’s self is big but when you think about it, it saves you from needing a pressure cooker and air fryer separately so it really does save space. It is super easy to clean compared to a normal air fryer also so that is a plus! This really is a great buy! I had gotten the crockpot version as well and returned it to keep this one because the Bella was so much better. Another plus that I like it when pressure cooking the steam release is a simple button on the front so you don’t have to burn your fingers trying to release the steam! Another plus is that the bowl locks into place so you don’t have the bowling spinning around when you’re trying to stir food!

We love it! So many cooking options I can't wait to try them all. So far I used the pressure cooker, dehydrator, broiler and the air fryer. LOVE. Yes it's large but worth it if you have the space. Can't wait to make a cake!

I was going back and forth on whether I wanted to give this appliance a 3 or 4 star rating. If i could I would give it 3.5 stars. This unit does it all. It is a pressure cooker, air fryer, broiler, slow cooker, dehydrator and much more. So far I have tested the air fryer, pressure cooker, broiler, saute and dehydrator functions. All functions worked as intended! The first night I made a lasagna in the pressure cooker and finished it off by broiling the cheese on top. This came out great. The only concern we had here was that the top did not want to unlatch completely, it kept getting caught and took us 5 mins to get it open. This only happened this one time, however it was stressful as we had just used the pressure cook function. The next function I used was the dehydrator. I made some apple chips for the first time. When making these I used the delayed start timer as well. These came out splendid! We ate them all before we could even bag them! On to the pros and cons of this unit: Pro's: This unit can do it all. It can replace the need for several appliances. The function plates are easy to change and remove with the included tool. This unit comes up to pressure in a quarter of the time of other popular pressure cooker brands. The pot and basket are non-stick, making cleaning a breeze. The pot has handles on each side that stay outside of the unit during cooking. These stay fairly cool making removing the pot safe and easy. It also eliminates the problem other pressure cookers have with the inner pot rotating and moving around when using the saute function. I also really appreciate the steam release button. No more knob turning trying to avoid being burned by the initial steam. This also has many safety features to ensure it is not opened or unlocked with pressure in it. I have an 8qt pressure cooker also. Dispite this being a 6.5qt the pot is far wider (but shorter), allowing bigger objects to be placed in the pot. For example, a spring form pan for making lasagna or cheesecake. It also has a nice area that all of the moisture collects that is convenient and easy to clean. Also, when you lift the bowl out of the unit it shuts the heat element off. It does also come with several useful accessories too. Cons: This unit is HUGE! Unfortunately it does not fit in any of my cabinet. I can fit it on my counter however trying to open the unit it scrapes my cabinet doors. I have to use it on my kitchen, or have it hang over the edge of my counter and open my cabinet door. It is too heavy (25lbs) to put on the fridge or anywhere else up high. It is also EXTREMELY loud in comparison to other units. When it is on any of the functions with the air fryer plate it has a fan that sounds like a vaccum cleaner. It was loud enough to wake my husband who was sleeping in our room with the door closed on the other side of the house. For short periods of time this may be tolerable; but not for the times needed to use the dehydrator. Also, the plate for the pressure cooker has a silicone sealing ring(as all pressure cookers do). This ring is fixed to the plate and cannot be removed for cleaning or replacement. As most silicone rings tend to hold savory scents or flavors; this could be problematic down the road.

Bella Pro Series 6.5 Qt Air Fryer & Cooker This is a great multi-fryer/cooker! I try to eat as healthy as I can and before getting the Bella Pro Series, primarily used air fryers for chicken, frozen fries, pork, steak and some veggies. In addition to an air fryer, I also had one of the other popular pressure cookers but ended up NEVER using it! The great thing about the Bella is I air fry 80-90% of the time but there are times I want a cooker but don’t want a cooker taking up a lot of valuable kitchen counter space for only using it 10% of the time!!!! Bella solved that problem and does an incredible job at air frying and pressure cooking! As an Air fryer: When I got the Bella, I ran to the store and got two filets of salmon. One thing I noticed about the Bella was due to its size and the dual nature of a pressure cooker and air fryer, it didn’t mention having to “shake food” half way through cooking like most other fryers. I was interested to see how air fried brown the filets would be considering I just locked the lid and left the salmon to cook. It turned out amazing!!! Better than my other high end fryer!! (see pictures) I followed up with some chicken tenderloins the next day and some boneless pork chops the day after and they were perfectly browned and delicious. The way Bella designed the basket it reminds me of a turbine jet engine. The basket air flow vents are designed to really get the hot air flying around the food and so the top, bottom and sides get a consistent cook all over! No “shaking” needed! Fast and delicious! As a Pressure cooker: I steamed some cauliflower and broccoli and followed the handy cook guide Bella provides and it came out perfect. Just the right amount of firmness and tenderness! Changing out the pressure plate for the air fry plate is super easy and is easier to clean than my old other pressure cooker! Which leads me to the other thing I really like about this Bella, how easy it is to clean! It’s dishwasher safe!!!! Excellent! It’s also a little quieter than my other air fryer but they all have to make some noise as the fan pushes the heat around the food! I also really loved the one tough pressure release!!! I didn't have to put on welding gloves and volcano suite to release the pressure like my old pressure cooker!!! Way to go Bella! It can also be used as a dehydrator, slow cooker, baking, broiling… It can do it all! I never dehydrated anything in my life before but thought about doing so with the Bella for this review… but 9 hours of listening to the fan blow in my kitchen…. decided to pass. But if it dehydrates as well as it air fries and steams then I’ sure you’ll love dehydrating as well! It’s a great unit and beautifully designed! Easy to use and easy to clean! Perfectly cooked food! Less kitchen counter top space taken up!!! WIN WIN WIN!

I think we can all pretty much agree that this is quite the versatile cooker — as a pressure cooker, slow cooker, steamer, yogurt maker, rice cooker, air fryer; for searing, baking, roasting, broiling, sauté-ing, and as a dehydrator. Whew! But, will it fit with your current kitchen setup? This cooker is a beast…and its weight matches that description — just under 22 pounds. Granted that’s not a weight that would bother most of us, but as we get older and more frail, this becomes an issue. Most may find that because of its size and weight, it’s easier to simply find a home for it out on a countertop. In our kitchen, there’s only one cupboard that is high enough to accomodate it’s height if we want to hide it away. Unfortunately, that cupboard is down low, so if we choose to store it there, I’ll be expected to get it out whenever it’s needed. And that brings up one of the issues with this cooker — it’s capable of doing so many things (outside of microwaving), you probably won’t want to store it away. So, that being said, you would need to be aware of the space it takes up. I’ve tried to include some photos showing the height of the Bella both closed and opened. You’ll want to take this into consideration if trying to store it, and also knowing if you have enough space for it to fit under your wall-mounted cabinets. I’ve also shown it side-by-side with a 6 quart Instant Pot, just to give you some perspective. Finally, some photos of some pork chops our son prepared using the air-fryer function. I’ve never had chops this tender and juicy. (Sorry about the color saturation. The meat really was more white than pink.) BTW, cleanup was a breeze. All of the cooking surfaces (except for the steamer rack) are coated with a non-stick application, as compared to the Instant Pot with its stainless steel. Personal preference comes into play here, but, as I said, cleanup was much easier. Overall, when taking into consideration its size and weight, this really is an amazing machine, and we look forward to using its many functions over the next few months. The build is quality and sturdy. (Is that a sentence?) The only reason I’m dinging it by taking away one star is because of its size.

Having jumped on the 'instapot' bandwagon a few years ago I was pretty well prepared for that functionality, but I've been intrigued about the whole air-frying concept. Does it actually work?! Well the wife was asking about a 2nd instapot since she uses hers so much during meal prep, so when I saw the Bella air fryer/instant pot combo I jumped! First impressions: This isn't necessarily a time saver - cooking times aren't significantly reduced when air frying - it's a huge convenience to throw some veggies in the pot vs. preheating the oven, lining a pan, spreading out the veggies and hoping they don't burn! Our first batches of sliced zucchini, carrots, asparagus turned out great! Crunchy, evenly cooked, and just the right amount of char. Wife cooked french fries the next night and she loved them! Cleanup was a breeze. Everything just slid right off the bowl as she hand washed. Only concern is the size - it's pretty big. We're trying to figure out where we are going to store it so it's handy. Oh well...in the meantime it's on the counter and being used! 100% recommend!

Bella Pro-series is a powerful 1500 watt combo appliance that replaces multiple cooking appliances in kitchen with 11 cooking functions.  This appliance can replace your existing pressure cooker, slow cooker, Rice cooker and air fryer, since this one combines all in one convenient appliance that will save space in your countertop.  We have Instant Pot in 6 quart and was looking for air fryer and this Bella replaces instant pot in my kitchen. This cooker has options to Air Fry, Pressure Cook, Slow Cook, Steam, Rice cook, Sauté, Yogurt, Roast, Broil, Bake and Reheat.  Compared to competitors with similar features this model offers single lid design with interchangeable plates for pressure cooking and air fryer.  Looks very stylish unlike other competitor models which have bulkier lids in different colors, this all in one stainless steel design finish complements great on kitchen counter.   It has a cool touchscreen digital display for all functions in front with time and temperature control to increase or decrease and a power button.  All the removable accessories like lids are dishwasher safe.  It comes with 6.QT nonstick pressure cooking pot with handles, 4QT crisping basket, reversible steam rack, pressure cook plat, air fry plate and plate handle. Pros: Great looking design for combo appliance with easy swap lid attachments.  All stainless steel design, Perfluorooctanoic Acid (PFOA)/Perfluorooctane Sulfonate (PFOS) free nonstick coatings, dishwasher safe removable accessories, Touch screen display, Steam release button for added safety. Cons:  Handle to open lid is little smaller compared to Instant Pot.  Size is huge, weighs heavy and will take more space on kitchen counter and is difficult to access the lid opening under the cabinet on counter.