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CHEF iQ Smart Cooker iQ Cooker 6Qt

CHEF iQ Smart Cooker iQ Cooker 6Qt

By CHEF iQ · Pressure Cookers · Kitchen & Cooking

  • 6 qt / 5.67 L cooking capacity
  • 1000 watts, 120V AC
  • 13 in L x 13 in W x 13 in H
  • 7 cooking functions: sear, saute, steam, pressure cook, slow cook, ferment, sous vide

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Problems, parts and running costs

Summary

A 6 qt multicooker that weighs ingredients in its base and walks you through video recipes from a free app. Buy it for the scale and guided cooking — and check the app ecosystem’s trajectory before paying full price.

Strengths

  • The four-sensor scale in the base weighs ingredients straight into the pot, so cook-by-weight skips the measuring cups.
  • Guided video recipes send time, pressure and release settings to the pot with one touch.
  • Automatic quick, pulse and natural release, triggerable from the app, keeps you clear of venting steam.
  • 300+ on-device presets let the cooker run standalone, without the app.
  • Reviewers and owners praise the results: tender chicken, pull-apart pork, solid browning.
  • CNET’s reviewer, nearly two years in, still called it her favorite multicooker.

Weaknesses

  • CHEF iQ lists it at $199.99, and price was the most common complaint in every review.
  • Guided cooking and cook-by-weight depend on CHEF iQ’s app and servers; the cooker works alone, the smart features don’t.
  • r/CHEFiQ users report fewer new recipes and firmware updates as CHEF iQ focuses on the iQ Sense and MiniOven.
  • As of PCMag’s 2021 test it could not start cooking remotely, and there is no Google Assistant, Alexa or Siri support.
  • The nonstick pot is a wear item; owners report buying replacements, and metal utensils are off limits.
  • Long-term reliability data is thin: one two-year owner report and a paywalled Consumer Reports score.

Verified specifications

ModelRJ40-6-WIFI, sold as the CHEF iQ Smart Cooker / iQ Cooker.
Capacity6 qt / 5.67 L nonstick pot.
Power1000 W, 120 V (US).
Cooking functions7 — sear, sauté, steam, pressure cook, slow cook, ferment, sous vide.
Presets300+ on-device presets, plus 1000+ in the app’s Cooking Calculator.
Guided recipes500+ video recipes in the current app; Tom’s Guide counted about 160 in December 2020.
Built-in scalefour sensors in the base weigh the pot; cook-by-weight with liquid-measurement guidance; doubles as a standalone kitchen scale; units switch between kg/g and lb/oz.
Display2.83 in full-color LCD touchscreen (measured by Tom’s Guide) with capacitive touch buttons and a push-to-select dial.
Pressure releaseautomatic quick, pulse and natural release, triggerable from the app.
ConnectivityWiFi and Bluetooth pairing with the free CHEF iQ app; firmware updates over the air.
Dimensions13 × 13 × 13 in; 10.4 lb (manufacturer).
Weight varianceConsumer Reports’ spec table lists 12 lb and a 10 in exterior height, disagreeing with the manufacturer — apparently a different measurement method.
Materialsaluminum body with plastic top and bottom; stainless-steel lid with plastic handling parts; nonstick cooking pot.
In the boxsteam rack and steam basket per the manufacturer; Tom’s Guide also lists a silicone potholder, measuring cup, spatula and ladle.
CertificationsETL, FDA and FCC certified; BPA-free accessories.
Warranty1 year; CHEF iQ’s warranty page requires proof of purchase from the US, Canada or Mexico.
Full research notes and sources

Guided cooking and the scale

The pitch is software as much as hardware. The free CHEF iQ app holds 500+ guided video recipes that send time, pressure and release settings to the pot with one touch, and the four-sensor scale in the base weighs the pot as you add ingredients, with liquid-measurement guidance and units that switch between kg/g and lb/oz. The scale also works as a standalone kitchen scale.

WIRED’s 2020 test found cook-by-weight half-finished: the app could weigh beans but not water — only the pot’s own display could weigh water — and CHEF iQ said the gap was being addressed. Owner-made custom presets were the workaround.

App support and connectivity

Guided cooking and cook-by-weight need CHEF iQ’s app and servers; the cooker itself runs standalone from its own screen and 300+ presets. Wi-Fi setup friction is common enough that CHEF iQ publishes a dedicated setup and FAQ page, and its support docs describe guided-cooking failures that were mostly dropped connections, fixed by re-linking the device.

Owners report worse. A Reddit user described a guided recipe stuck on Sear/Sauté with no way to advance, forcing manual cooking. The bigger question is support: r/CHEFiQ users say new recipes and firmware updates have slowed as CHEF iQ pushes the iQ Sense thermometer and MiniOven. Treat that as a support-longevity caution, not a hardware defect.

Cooking performance

Independent coverage is positive but dated. WIRED rated it 7/10 in May 2020 after pressure-cooking marinara and bolognese, searing a strip steak, and working through pulled pork, whole chicken and carbonara — everything tasted good, most in an hour or less. Tom’s Guide made it Editor’s Choice in December 2020, praising the intuitive screen, fast heat-up, browning and app-triggered pressure release; its cooking calculator returned 45 minutes at high pressure with pulse release for 1-2 lb of cubed brisket. PCMag was cooler in March 2021, listing bulk and the lack of remote start as cons. Consumer Reports runs the model in its multi-cooker lab program but keeps its scores behind a paywall.

Maintenance, parts and running costs

Routine care is simple: wipe the pot, keep the gasket clean, and keep metal utensils out of the nonstick coating. CHEF iQ’s own dos-and-don’ts blog warns against heating an empty pot and overfilling past the top line, and the lid goes on the dishwasher’s top rack with the gasket and venting knob removed.

The nonstick pot is the wear item. Owners report buying replacement pots, consistent with ordinary nonstick wear, and CHEF iQ sells a replacement pot and other parts through its parts channel. There are no pods or proprietary consumables and the app is free, so running costs come down to food and an eventual pot or gasket. The warranty is one year, and CHEF iQ’s warranty page requires proof of purchase from the US, Canada or Mexico.

Is it worth it?

CHEF iQ’s own page lists the iQ Cooker at $199.99, and price was the most common complaint in every review — at review time, mainstream pressure cookers sat under $100. It has sold for less: Tom’s Guide noted 2020-2021 street prices often about $50 under $199, PCMag’s 2026 smart-kitchen roundup lists it at $139 (a $60 saving from $199), Reddit owners report deals often bringing it under $140, and Consumer Reports’ shop panel shows it from $149.99 across four retailers. One Chefman storefront snapshot from March 2026 had it at $82.70, marked down from $159.99.

At $139 or less, the scale and guided recipes earn their premium over a plain 6 qt pressure cooker. At $199.99 the same money buys air-fryer multicookers or well-tested mainstream models — CNET’s Instant Pot Pro Plus is $170 and still less beginner-friendly — and the app-ecosystem slowdown argues against paying full price.

Which model this is

This page covers the CHEF iQ Smart Cooker, model RJ40-6-WIFI, marketed as the CHEF iQ Smart Pressure Cooker with WiFi and Built-in Scale and, in retailer copy, a 10-in-1 Multicooker — the manufacturer’s own function list is seven. CHEF iQ’s about page says the Smart Cooker debuted in 2019; a BusinessWire release dates the launch to March 2020. As of October 2026, CHEF iQ still lists the iQ Cooker at $199.99 as the current model with no announced successor.

The US Amazon listing for this model is ASIN B0863JB424.

Sources

Manufacturer:

Independent reviews:

Owner reports:

Parts and stores:

Buying guides for this category

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