One of the issues most homeowners face is whether to go in for a pressure cooker or a slow cooker. Granted that both versions come with their own distinct advantages and disadvantages, which is why it is essential that you check out the pressure cooker reviews as well as the various slow cooker reviews as that should give you a better idea on what to opt for.
Additionally, you can check out the rest of the article and hopefully, it would help you make up your mind as to what cooker to opt for.
Pressure cooker
- Use: Pressure cooker comes in various shapes and sizes; you now have pressure cookers designed to boil milk and then, you have the normal sized ones which you can use to cook just about anything from rice to mutton. Pressure cookers basically work by heating the moisture contained within it (usually water), converting it into steam and which in turn, helps to cook the food evenly and much faster than any other version and that includes a microwave. Once the food has been cooked, or all the moisture has been converted to steam, it lets out a whistle which indicates that the cooking is done. The whole process takes a few minutes at most.
- What to watch out for: It is essential that you do some research before using your pressure cooker. You need to know exactly how much water is required to cook a certain dish otherwise the dish in question is going to be under cooked. And too much water can result in a soggy one at that. And equally important is the fact that you need to switch off the cooker once it starts whistling. If not, the steam build up can cause the cooker top to explode rather dramatically.
- Tip: do remember to turn off your cooker once the whistles start to come out. Do note, that for some food items, you may require at least 5 whistles instead of the usual one or two, as is the case when cooking chickpeas or mutton.
Slow cooker–
- Use – a slow cooker basically uses a slow build-up of steam to slowly cook the food to perfection. If you were looking to cook food which traps in the flavour perfectly, then a slow cooker is just what you need. While it is true that a slow cooker can take hours to cook your food, you can use it to slowly cook your favourite meat, fish and vegetable dishes to perfection. The one drawback is that these cookers slowly heat the moisture and convert the same to steam, and this process can take a while. The one advantage is that you can preset the cooking temperature with certain slow cookers, which can help you cook your food at the right temperature.
- What to watch out for: One of the things that you need to be aware of is to determine exactly how long your food would take to cook and to make sure that you are nearby to turn off the stove on time. Most slow cookers operate on a low flame but that does not mean that you can leave them on for the whole day. So make sure that you determine the correct cooking time for your dish and set a timer as well.
- Tip: Do remember to add fast cooking food towards the end; for example, let’s say that you are cooking a prawn dish. Then you may want to add the marinated prawns towards the last hour of cooking since that would entail that the prawns along with the rest of the dish are cooked to perfection. The same logic holds true for other dishes as well.
Conclusion
A pressure cooker seems to be a better option as it can help you cut back on your energy bills by cooking foods, 80% faster than a slow cooker. Given this, you may want to opt for a pressure cooker than say, a slow cooker. But if you’re preparing a gourmet dish, one that you need to be cooked to perfection, then a slow cooker is exactly what you need.