More recently, a set of kitchen appliances was limited to a stove, oven, a simple food processor and a pressure cooker. But the situation has changed dramatically: bread machines, hot grills, double boiler and slow cookers have taken their positions on the kitchen shelves. Pressure cookers have been used successfully for a long time, but crock-pots appeared in Russia only a few years ago. Few can afford to buy both devices at once, so the question often arises of which is better - a slow cooker or a pressure cooker. Indeed, each of them has its own advantages.
Which is better - a slow cooker or a pressure cooker? Cooking time
The speed cooker is the undisputed leader. Indeed, due to the pressure pumped into it, a lot of time can be saved. So, you can cook beef broth not in one and a half to two hours, but in forty minutes.
The slow cooker cannot boast of such speeds. It is made according to a different principle, which many lovers of a healthy diet so praise, namely slow cooking. Food in a slow cooker is languishing. And, of course, cooking time is seriously increasing due to this. So in the case when something needs to be done quickly, most likely, you will have to use a stove or a pressure cooker already mentioned. But it's not just about speed.
Which is better: slow cooker or pressure cooker - the need for presence during cooking
Over time, everything is clear: a pressure cooker in this case is preferable. On the other hand, the multicooker can turn itself off, which means that during the process you can not only be present in the kitchen, but also not at home. If you follow this logic, what's the difference, an hour or two cooks a slow cooker, if it does not require human presence? After all, she herself will turn off at the end of the process, and at this time you can do things and take a walk.
A pressure cooker, alas, will not provide such an opportunity. Have to sit at home and watch.
Which is better - a slow cooker or a pressure cooker? What can be cooked in them?
Separately, it is worth mentioning the spectrum of use of each device. A slow cooker allows you to do everything: fry, cook, bake and so on. Moreover, during cooking, you can look under the lid and adjust the process, add the necessary ingredients or mix the contents.
The range of dishes that can be prepared using a traditional pressure cooker is not so diverse. This is largely determined by the high pressure that is pumped up during operation inside the pan. So you can’t open it and see what's inside. Therefore, milk porridges, which many people love to cook in slow cookers, are too much for a pressure cooker.
Is there a way out?
It would be great to combine the useful functions of the two devices in order to be able to cook all the variety of dishes and at the same time choose the cooking time! Recently, it has become possible thanks to the advent of multicooker pressure cookers. These miracle devices have a number of advantages. They can be cooked both in a pressure cooker (due to high pressure) and in a multicooker (the whole range of its functions). Moreover, they are equipped with such modes as “Heating” and “Delayed start”.
There are more and more such "pots". One of the brightest representatives is the Redmond multicooker-pressure cooker. One device is the functionality of two devices, not to mention space saving. A growing number of manufacturers are already producing or preparing to release such kitchen appliances.
The only drawback is the price, which, undoubtedly, is higher than that of the average multicooker or pressure cooker. On the other hand, their cost separately will be comparable to the cost of a universal device, but at the same time they will occupy twice as much space.
Separately, it is worth saying that finding recipes for a multicooker-pressure cooker is not difficult. In addition to numerous forums, manufacturers publish their cookbooks. The recipes in them are adapted for a specific model of the device, so it’s almost impossible to “miss” with the cooking mode.