Pressure cooker or slow cooker? That is the question!

Among the variety of automated assistants designed to simplify the routine “cooking” process for their owners, the most popular in the modern home appliance market are pressure cookers and multicookers. Today we offer to consider the basic features of these devices, as well as find out what their main differences are among themselves and what determines the current popularity of each of them.

All about the slow cooker

The multicooker externally is a plastic case with a functional removable bowl inside, the coating of which is traditionally made from Teflon or ceramic. The operation of such a gadget, as a rule, occurs through electronic control.

Manufacturers supply modern models with a large number of automatic programs that allow not only cooking, frying and stewing food using the “automated assistant” under consideration, but also making yogurt, canning, baking various confectionery bakery products, steaming and so on. Built-in modes allow the user to go about their business, fully entrusting the preparation of even the most exquisite multicooker dishes, without worrying about the possible burning or boiling of cooked foods.

The basic configuration of the device in question traditionally includes:

• recipe book;
• plastic spoon and spatula;
• measuring cup;
• wire rack for “steaming”;
• instruction manual illustrating the operation algorithm of each of the automatic programs proposed by the manufacturer.

Among the most significant differences of multicookers from other household "helpers" can be identified:

1. Multifunctionality with external ease of use. Resorting to the help of the same device, the user has the opportunity to both cook ordinary porridge and prepare delicious lasagna or jelly dessert.
2. The ability to maintain a predetermined temperature for a long time, both after the completion of the “cooking” process until the user removes the functional bowl, and in the event of an emergency power outage, is an equally important unique characteristic of the device in question.
3. Easy to care for the key elements responsible for the smooth operation of the multicooker. So, upon completion of cooking, it is enough to remove the functional container with non-stick Teflon or ceramic coating and wash it in running water with detergent without first soaking, thoroughly “wiping” burnt food debris and so on.

In addition to the features listed above, the multifunctional gadget also has other advantages, the mention of which is advisable in the context of comparing multicookers with other devices similar in their characteristics.

1. The safety of using the type of household devices in question is due to the tightness of their design. Manufacturers maximally protected their consumers from possible burns due to oil splashing or “ejection” of a hot air stream due to careful selection of the material used and well-thought-out technology for the production of multicookers themselves.
2. The option “delayed start" allows the user of modern development to independently program the start time of the "cooking" of food. So, thanks to the function under consideration, you can “order” porridge for breakfast in the evening, just by loading the necessary ingredients in the right proportions into the multicooker bowl and choosing the appropriate mode, entrusting the “smart cook” with cooking it for the rest.
3. The speed of cooking dishes of increased complexity in the multicooker is extremely high.This advantage will be especially felt in practice when “cooking” culinary “masterpieces”, which include products such as beans, beans, bulgur, pearl barley and so on, requiring themselves a long time to bring them to “edible condition”.

However, the slow cooker is not as ideal as it might seem at first glance. Among the objective disadvantages of its use in everyday "cooking" of food it is worth highlighting:

• the impossibility of intervention or influence on the final result of the operation of the household appliance (except for disconnecting the appliance from the power supply if it is necessary to terminate the running process);
• “Lean” taste of some products (due to the identity of the cooking algorithm applied to all dishes of the same type, for example, borsch and mushroom soup);
• time "cooking", spent on cooking simple dishes;
• the cost of a quality gadget with an optimal set of functions from a trusted manufacturer.

The average cost of a quality multicooker of a famous brand varies from 5 to 10 thousand rubles. You should not save on the purchase of this type of household appliances, as the budget options, as a rule, are either of poor quality in their assembly, or simply cannot provide the user with the basic functionality necessary for daily cooking.

All about pressure cooker

The external design of the pressure cooker is traditionally a familiar pan or plastic container, hermetically sealed with a special lid. Due to the tight fit of the lid to the "sides" of the tank, increased pressure is created inside the structure, which leads to an increase in the boiling point of the liquid. Due to the lack of air penetration into the bowl, food in such an “insulating” device cooks much faster than when it comes into contact and, as a result, oxidizes when it comes in contact with oxygen.

In some cases, due to the lack of an electronic component of the gadget, the process of “cooking” the pressure cooker is controlled exclusively “manually”, which, as a rule, requires additional effort and time on the part of the user. But, unlike the multicooker, the device in question is as simple as possible to use and can be used even by novice users or older people.

A distinctive feature of the device of the segment under consideration is the presence of valves (“working” and “emergency”) that regulate the pressure level and, as a result, the “forcing” of the temperature inside the device itself. So, when the required indicator is exceeded, the design of the pressure cooker “bleeds” hot steam, releasing it through the “working” valve. In the event of individual malfunctions in the functioning of the main "outlet" or a sharp significant excess of the maximum allowable pressure specified by the manufacturer, an "emergency" valve opens and "discharges" hot air until the temperature inside the device normalizes.

The objective advantages of “cooking” products in a pressure cooker are appropriate:

1. The minimum level of energy consumption, due to the short duration of the cooking process of almost any dish complexity.
2. Preservation of useful properties, vitamins, nutrients contained in the used food products during their "processing" in the functional bowl of the pressure cooker. This advantage is due to the lack of “interaction” of food with oxygen, which is considered the strongest oxidizing agent, and its heat treatment exclusively by means of a circulating liquid and hot air vapor.
3. A well-thought-out system of "pressure relief", entailing a sharp boiling of the liquid in the bowl. This process leads to a sharp and instant softening of some products, impossible to achieve with any other cooking method.

When forming your own opinion about the functional characteristics of a pressure cooker, it is best to analyze not only the advantages, but also the most popular negative aspects of its use. Such disadvantages, first of all, it is advisable to include:

• the inability to assess the readiness of the dish directly in the cooking process, in view of the "inhibition" of the "cooking" process when opening the lid of the pressure cooker;
• possible burns during the illiterate operation of the device in question;
• impressive dimensions of the design of the pressure cooker;
• the need for regular thorough cleaning of the "bleed" valves in order to avoid possible explosions if it is impossible to "bleed" the pressure inside the functional tank through the "clogged" hole.

The average cost of a quality pressure cooker from a trusted manufacturer will be no less than 5 - 7 thousand rubles.

What to choose

To make an informed decision about which device will be most suitable for a particular buyer - a pressure cooker or multicooker, it is important to formulate the answer to the question, what is the main difference between them.

A multifunctional gadget differs from a traditional quick-cooking device, first of all, with a wide range of its functionality, as well as a significantly higher cost. To illustrate the other distinctive properties of the household appliances under consideration, we suggest that you refer to the table below.

So, based on the information presented in the article, we can conclude that it is advisable to opt for a pressure cooker only if there is a large budget allocated for the purchase of the gadget of the segment in question and the need for frequent “cooking” of familiar dishes in large volumes. A slow cooker, on the contrary, is more suitable for buyers who rarely cook gourmet food and “at once”, who are ready to devote a considerable amount of time to the “automated assistant” to create the desired culinary “masterpiece”.

Each of the household appliances considered in the article, a slow cooker or a pressure cooker, has its own strengths and weaknesses. However, having carefully studied the above information and relying on it in deciding on the purchase of the most suitable device, the user will undoubtedly be able to make the right choice in favor of a gadget that best meets precisely his needs and the needs of his family.