You might be a fan of Breville kitchen gadgets. Does Breville produce an electric pressure cooker? Yes, it is called the Fast Slow Pro BPR700. Our Breville Fast Slow Pro review considers its features, controls, settings, menu options and included accessories. We discuss problems with its lid and if it is suitable for making yogurt and oatmeal porridge.

Introduction

The main benefit of cooking food under pressure seems to be the ability to cook much faster while still retaining moisture and flavor. The steam is trapped inside the pressure cooker, which raises both pressure and temperature for quicker cooking. Another benefit is that you can do multiple cooking methods to create a wide variety of dishes with a single countertop appliance.

The Breville Fast Slow Pro offers you pressure-cooking, slow cooking, steaming, searing, sautéing and sauce/stock reduction.

Breville Fast Slow Pro: Key Features

The Breville Fast Slow Pro has a cooking pot with a non-stick ceramic coating. The coating is free from PFOA and PTFE. However, we dislike non-stick coated pots because it never lasts as long as a stainless steel pots. Still, a non-stick coating is probably easier to clean.

The cooking bowl has a 6-quart (6-liter) capacity. However, you should never fill the pot completely. Too much liquid in the pot might cause unsafe cooking conditions and appliance malfunction. The maximum capacity that is safe to fill is 4.5 quarts (combination of food and liquid). The maximum fill level for dry foods such as beans or rice is about 3 quarts. The minimum fill level is 1 quart.

The lid of this pressure cooker is removable. It has a pressure release valve, safety valve, silicone gasket and sealing nut. A safety locking pin is pushed upward by internal pressure and acts as a safety feature. The locking knob located on a lid arm is used to lock and unlock the lid. Excess moisture is collected by a condensation moat and a condensation drip cup.

The control panel has three dials and three buttons underneath an LCD screen.

Controls

The LCD screen has two different lighting modes. The screen turns orange while preheating and pressure-cooking. It returns to blue once the steam release cycle has finished releasing pressure. The LCD also shows various settings, menu programs, psi pressure and cooking time information.

The TEMPERATURE/PRESSURE dial has two heat settings for slow cooking and three heat settings for sauté and reduce. It also has eight different pressure settings from low to high.

The START/SELECT dial is used for selecting one of the six available cook settings: Pressure Cook, Slow Cook, Steam, Sear, Sauté or Reduce. You can combine the Pressure Cook or Slow Cook setting with one of the available menu preset programs. The TIME dial adjusts the cooking time.

The KEEP WARM button can be selected to keep the cooked food warm for a maximum of 4 hours. Use the START/CANCEL button to pause or cancel the keep warm cycle.

The Breville Fast Slow Pro can release steam pressure without burning your fingers. It has a hands-free automatic steam release system. Press the RELEASE button on the control panel to select one of the three different steam release methods.

The AUTO QUICK method releases pressure very quickly to decrease the chance of overcooking. AUTO PULSE releases steam in short bursts to prevent starchy foam from spraying out of the steam release valve. The NATURAL method does not release steam: the cooker cools down naturally.

Settings

The Pressure Cook setting speeds up the cooking process by a lot when compared to cooking on a stove. The maximum pressure-cooking time is two hours. The following menu programs are available for the pressure-cooking mode:

• Vegetables
• Rice (all rice types, up to 4 cups)
• Risotto (no need to stir!)
• Soup
• Stock (chicken, beef or vegetable)
• Beans (beans, lentils, other legumes)
• Poultry
• Meat
• Bone-in Meat
• Chili & Stew
• Dessert (cakes, cheesecakes and custards)
• Custom (store a custom setting in the cooker’s memory)

The Slow Cook setting runs for a minimum of 2 hours up to a maximum of 12 hours. It also has its own menu programs to choose from:

• Soup
• Stock
• Beans
• Poultry
• Meat
• Bone-in Meat
• Chili & Stew
• Dessert
• Custom

The Steam setting is used in combination with the included stainless steel rack and steamer basket. Use this setting to steam vegetables, fish or chicken.

The Sear setting is made for browning and searing meat while the lid is open. Food can be seared for up to 45 minutes, but you would probably never sear food that long.

The Sauté setting is good for lightly browning food such as onions. It also has a maximum time limit of 45 minutes.

The Reduce setting can thicken or reduce sauces and stocks. It has three possible temperature settings: low, medium or high.

Accessories

The Breville Fast Slow Pro is shipped with a stainless steel rack and basket for steaming food. A recipe book with 41 recipes is also included. The electric pressure cooker is covered by a one-year warranty.

Breville does not sell a stainless steel pot for the Fast Slow Pro. Do not use a stainless cooking pot from a different brand in this cooker for obvious safety reasons. Breville sells replacement non-stick pots for the BPR700 if you need a new pot.

Put a Lid On Breville Fast Slow Pro Lid Problems

The Breville BPR700 instruction manual has a few troubleshooting tips for problems with closing the lid. For example, if the lid does not want to open after the food has finished, you should use the RELEASE button. Let all the steam escape safely before trying to open the lid. The lid should open easily after all the pressure and steam is released.

You should check if the lid components are assembled correctly if steam is escaping from the lid. Check that the sealing nut is screwed tight and not loose. Also, make sure that the silicone gasket is clean, undamaged and inserted correctly.

What if the safety locking pin will not rise or the cooker does not build pressure? Well, check if the locking pin is not being obstructed by something. It should move freely up and down. Also, make sure that the safety locking pin is properly aligned with its hole in the lid arm. Another thing to check is the pressure release valve: make sure it is in the right position.

Refer often to the information in the Breville BPR700 instruction manual if you are unsure of what to do. The Breville Fast Slow Pro is a little more complicated than other cheaper electric pressure cookers. It has a steep learning curve, so study the manual before you start pressure-cooking.

What are its power needs?

The Breville Fast Slow Pro BPR700BSS is made for the American market. It is a 1100-watt kitchen gadget that runs on 110/120VAC.

Can it make yogurt?

There is no menu option for making yogurt with the Breville Fast Slow Pro. However, the Instant Pot IP-DUO60 electric pressure cooker has a menu program for making yogurt.

Can it cook oatmeal?

The Breville Fast Slow Pro is not recommended for cooking oat porridge. Oatmeal produces too much foam and froth, which might clog the pressure release valve and cause malfunction. Pearl barley, split peas, noodles, macaroni and spaghetti are more examples of food that should never be cooked in this electric pressure cooker.

Can it cook sous vide?

Sorry, it is not intended for sous vide cooking. The TEMPERATURE dial cannot be used for setting an exact temperature. The LCD screen does not display the precise temperatures.

If you want an electric pressure cooker that might duplicate the sous vide method, then read our review of the Instant Pot Ultra. Its “Ultra” program might be customized to achieve the sous vide cooking method.

Who should buy the Breville Fast Slow Pro?

This Breville electric pressure cooker is more expensive than other electric pressure cookers. It also seems more complicated when compared to a cheaper pressure cooker. You have to use the recipes that were written for the Fast Slow Pro. Recipes from other pressure-cooking appliances or pressure-cooking books might not work in this cooker. Some people like non-stick pots, while others prefer stainless steel pots.

Therefore, do not spend money on the Breville Fast Slow Pro if you are new to electric pressure-cooking, have a small budget and dislike non-stick pots. The Fast Slow Pro cooks fast, but its learning curve is slow. It is only recommended for experienced users.

Nevertheless, the design and materials are of a high quality. The control panel offers many settings, and the dials and buttons look good and work well. The LCD screen changes to an orange color when it is busy cooking, so you can instantly see whether the cooker is working or not. The hands-free steam release button is also a nice touch.

To conclude, you may buy the Breville Fast Slow Pro electric pressure cooker if you are a fan of Breville appliances, have used pressure cookers before, like non-stick pots and have the money to spend (check price on Amazon).