I’ve noticed the debate about the pressure cooker vs slow cooker (sometimes called a crockpot) – but didn’t really understand the difference.
Although I’d had a slow cooker for years, and remember Mum using one when I was a kid, the pressure cooker was pretty much an unknown animal to me.
A friend had been raving about hers – as a busy working Mum, she loved the speed at which the pressure cooker enabled her to produce tasty, nutritious meals.
I began wondering whether a pressure cooker would be useful in my kitchen too.
The hubster does love a gadget or two, so when he saw a Tramontina pressure cooker on special he proudly brought it home for me.
I Must Confess: it sat in it’s box for about a month.
I was scared of it!
We’ve all heard the horror stories of pressure cookers exploding, but I am reliably informed by my good friend the internet, that this only happened with the old generation of pressure cookers, back in the 40’s and 50’s. Yes, they really have been around that long.
I read the instruction manual that came with my Tramontina pressure cooker, but it was slow going and sounded terribly complicated. So my pressure cooker remained as an attractive (?!) ornament on my kitchen bench.
When my friend heard this, she promptly lent me the book “A Pressure Cooker Saved my Life” by Juanita Phillips. (If the name seems familiar, that’s because she’s an ABC reporter).
As well as being a good yarn, Juanita explained the technicalities of pressure cooking in a way that was both practical and interesting. I plucked up my courage and gave it a whirl.
I don’t know that it’s “saved my life”, but now I’m converted: a pressure cooker is definitely a welcome addition to this Middle Aged Mama’s kitchen.
Pressure Cooker vs Slow Cooker
- You have to think ahead to use a slow cooker, and have the meal prepped and ready to cook in the morning. This is not so great for people like me, who habitually get to 5 or 6 o’clock in the evening before skidding into the kitchen going “What on earth shall I cook?!”
- The slow cooker is well, slow. A pressure cooker means you can have a meal on the table within half an hour from start to finish – including prep time.
- I found that a lot of slow cooker meals, no matter what the ingredients, tasted much the same: like they’d been cooked in a slow cooker. Whereas food cooked in a pressure cooker has a much better flavour.
- You can brown your meat in a pressure cooker, before using it as a pressure cooker. This means only one pot/pan to clean up, unlike with a slow cooker. Score!
- Both are a pain to wash up!
- Both are a great way to cook and seal in the nutritional goodness.
I’m so glad the hubster surprised me with the Tramontina Pressure Cooker – I’m even thinking of retiring my slow cooker for good!
Which one would be your choice?
Linking up with My Home Truths for another Monday morning confession!