Crockpot VS Pressure cooker

[Indigo]

Hi all...

I am in the market for a new Crockpot. One of my relatives recently told me that she is doing alot of cooking these days with a pressure cooker.

Personally I have never tried cooking with a pressure cooker. Her saying is that pressure cooker is same as crockpot but just does it in less time.

Is that actually true? Does the chicken fall off the bone like it does in a crockpot after cooking?

FYI... I use the crock pot mainly for things like chicken cacciatore, meatballs, stews etc...

Thanks for the advice...

 

[jennyema]

Crockpots and pressure cookers are 2 totally different ways of cooking and, IMO, not interchangebale.

But, sure, you can cook chicken 'til it's fallinf off the bone pretty quick in a pressure cooker.

You can also cook chicken till it's falling off the bone on the stove or in the oven in less time than in a crockpot.

Crockpots are a "set it and forget it" concept. A pressure cooker needs constant attention.

 

[BigDog]

And some things were just meant to be cooked slowly!

 

[ironchef]

A crock pot uses the same basic concepts as slow braising in an oven. Slow and low.

A pressure cooker uses steam and pressure, and also increases the boiling point of liquids to create more heat. The more steam that's created, the more the pressure builds up and the combination of steam, heat, and pressure goes into the food, cooking it and tenderizing it at a much more accelerated rate than normal braising or simmering.

Personally, I prefer neither. I'd rather braise on the range top or in the oven.

 

[Crash]

If you must have one or the other, I'd pick the crockpot for its versatilety. I can think of many more complete meals that can be prepared in one than what can be done with a pressure cooker (usually used as a tenderizer of tough cuts of meat which are subsequently used in the preparation of a meal). However, as the others have mentioned, you can do anything a crockpot does with your existing oven.

 

[Corey123]

I think they're BOTH good!!

Pressure cookers will shave a considerable amount of cooking time off things like dried beans, beef stew, short ribs and pot roasts.

Slow cookers, on the other hand, allow you to slow-cook your favorite roasts, stews and soups all day while you are out. You then come home later to a mouth-watering tasty room-smelling home-cooked meal.

I got both. Actually, I got two pressure cookers and two slow cookers!!


~Corey123.

 

[bobngreen]

pressure cookers will neutralize some viamins. But they sure make short work of a pot of dried beans.

my mother used hers daily - she was 4'11 I grew nto 6'4". I guess the vitamin deal is no big deal.

 

[Billdolfski]

Both are indispenable. They both serve different purposes.

 

[Corey123]

Both are indispenable. They both serve different purposes.

Yes they do!

It all depends on your own personal preferences.

~Corey123.

 

[Cammy]

Pressure cooker!

The pressure cooker is great! You can come home late and still have dinner on the table in an hour at the most. Even if you forgot to start the crock pot.

We use ours for Pot Roast with the carrots, potatoes and parsnips added in the last 5 minutes, Stroganoff in 20 minutes, made with stew meat, (no cutting up the meat and it's so tender!!) with noodles added the last 5 minutes, Pasta with meat sauce cooked in one pot, risotto, stew, and lot of other dishes. It saves a fortune because you can cook with cheaper cuts of meat..... saves money on energy because you can reduce the heat to low as soon as you reach pressure and cook for a shorter period of time....... and saves even more money because you aren't eating out as often. You know you can prepare a great meal quickly once you get home. One pot meals absorb the cooking juices in pastas and vegetables and are delicious and satisfying. I've also read that vitamins are retained better.

I admit it, I'm a fan of pressure cooking. The cookbook by Lorna Sass, Pressure Perfect is helpful when learning.

I've never really cared for the flavors that developed in a lot of crock pot dishes. Not to mention the dried out, over cooked meats. And the worry of leaving an appliance plugged in all day while no one is home but the pups.

Anyway that's my vote!

 

[Charlotte]

I use both and love them both. I always cook potatoes in the pressure cooker when it's for mashed potatoes - I do beans of all kinds in it also.

A crockpot is great to leave on all day or all night, depending on what one is cooking.

 

[Chief Longwind Of The North]

I too use both. And I have found that though they both cook must about the same things, they are different. And they both have stregths and weaknesses. Here are a couple of examples to illustrate.

I had prepared a rack of baby back ribs with a dry rub. I put it in the fridge, in a sealed plastic bag, overnight. The next morning, I place the ribs into my slow cooker with some water, covered, and set on low. My wife is a stay-at-home housewife by preference, so I don't have to worry about appliances burning up the house. I came home expecting a wonderful meal. What I got was an overcooked, dried out, and very tough bunch of ribs, even though they were in liquid all day. The heat of the slow cooker, on its lowest setting, brough the ribs to boiling temperature, which dried them out.

I ended up taking the ribs and puting them in the pressure cooker and cooking them an additional 30 minutes to make them tender.

On the other hand, I have never had a tough piece of meat from the pressure cooker. But I have seriously burned veggies, and even meats by allowing the water to evaporate completely in the pressure cooker.

You can monitor a crock pot more easily than you can with a pressure cooker. The latter cooking vessel requires careful attention, while the former requires little. If I'm making a soup, or chili, or something like that, I use the slow cooker. If I'm making something that requries the tenderizing/softening ability, as with beans, brown rice, tough meat cuts, etc., then I use the pressure cooker.

Both are valid and useful cooking tools, and are in some ways interchangeable. But they both have difrerent capabilities and are more suited to particular cooking requirements.

If you aren't going to purchase both, you will need to determine which best suits your cooking style and needs.

Seeeeeeya; Goodweed of the North

 

[Hungry]

Pressure Cooker

I don't believe you csn beat a pressure cooker for "Porcpine Meat Balls". Country style spareribs and saurkraut w/potatoes are GREAT also.

Enjoy,
Charlie

 

[Paint]

I too have 2 pressure cookers and 2 crockpots. I prefer using the pressure cooker for chicken dishes and low-fat cuts of meat, as it retains its moistness in a pressure cooker, whereas slow-cooking (especially of skinless, boneless chicken breast meat) tends to dry out the meat a lot. It's also great for making stocks and quick soups.

For me, the choice of whether to use a crockpot or a pressure cooker lies mostly with how organized I've been - I rarely plan meals in advance as I like to eat 'what I fancy, when I fancy it' - so to be able to cook a wonderful Beef Bourginon, or the filling for a steak & ale pie in just 20 minutes is a great attribute of the pressure cooker. On the other hand, if we are going out all day, or are having a busy day decorating - then being able to put dinner in the crockpot in the morning and have it cooked ready for when I get home is wonderful too!

If you can afford it, I'd consider getting both

Paint.

 

[Corey123]

Yes, and they both have their advantages!

If you want to take your time and want a slow-cooked meal, the slow cooker is the way to go. But if you're in a hurry, then the pressure cooker can get you out of a pinch and still give you speedy cooking that still tastes like it's been slow cooked all day!!

Having two each also gives you flexibility in the kitchen when you cook.


~Corey123.

 

[Hopz]

I vote for the crock pot. We have all the time there is.... Can't save it, can't bank it.

Besides I can serve in my Crock Pot- not too cool to put the pressure cookers on the table...

then the safety factor...

 

[Corey123]

Pressure cookers are completely safe as long as you use them according to the instruction manual's directions.

I should know. I've been using them for many years and haven't even had one problem with any of them.


~Corey123.

 

[Pressure Cooker]

Being a Pressure Cooker freak. I have to say I perfer a Pressure Cooker for most things. Last night I had a great Pot Roast in 55 minutes. Probably could have done it in 40 minutes, but I almost always do the natural release method. As for Slow cookers, I'll keep mine thank you Slow Cookers, just do somethings so much better.

 

[AZ Annie]

Crockpot! I had a good pressure cooker, but it does take constant watching. Cooking for just 2 of us it was overkill. I love my crockpots (2) for things like whole turkey breast (literally falls off the bone tender), or a beef or buffalo roast with mushroom soup and onion dry soup mix (great over mashed potatoes), or just about anything I really want tender. Then I portion it out and freeze half - the crockpot is a good way to warm up the frozen half also. Love it like I love my breadmaker! To each his own.

 

[Pressure Cooker]

I just remembered a new Slow Cooker product on the market, well new to me anyway. I think its made by Hamilton Beach. Its a crock pot that comes with 3 different bowl sizes. And I think it also had the drop back to warm mode via a timer, but you'll have to confirm that.