Pressure Cooker

• As its name suggests, a pressure cooker cooks food under pressure. The pressure cooker sometimes resembles a large cooking pot, which heats on the stove's burner. It has a lid that locks onto the pan, with a pressure value and pressure regulator on its top. Yet, there are also electric pressure cookers. When using a pressure cooker, never open the lid before the pot cools down, as the food can literally explode out of the pressure cooker. The intense pressure of the cooking process significantly reduces the cooking time. Never leave the pressure cooker unattended, while in use.
  
  

Slow Cooker

• A typical slow cooker is a countertop-cooking appliance that plugs directly into an electric outlet. Unlike the pressure cooker, consumers often leave the appliance unattended while the food cooks. While pressure cooker recipes use precise cooking times, due to the fact food cooks so quickly and can overcook, the slow cooker is less exact. Depending on the temperature setting, which is usually a high or low setting, food might take 4 or 8 hours to cook. Yet, some cooks leave the cooker on for several hours after the food is ready, without doing significant damage to the recipe. Consumers often use slow cookers as warmers when serving food.
  
  

Pros and Cons

• While carrots burst with flavor when cooked in a pressure cooker, there is little room for error when it comes to cooking times. If the carrots cook for just a couple minutes over the correct cooking time, they become mushy. Depending on the model of pressure cooker used, it is sometimes difficult to calculate the correct cooking time. Yet, a pressure cooker is able to cook food quickly, while a slow cooker requires advanced cooking time.
  
  

Calculating Cooking Times

• Because pressure cookers models vary, with some being electric with digital controls, and others are cooking pots used on the stove, refer to the manufacturer's recommendation when calculating cooking times. For example, with a stovetop pressure cooker you might begin calculating the cooking time when the pressure regulator on the lid begins to rock, while an electric model might have a timer. Cooking times when using a slow cooker depends on if you use the high or low setting. When preparing the food in the morning, and leaving for work, consumers usually select the low setting, if they want the food ready for dinner.
  
  

Cooking Time Conversions

• When making soup, it is possible to make soup in less than 30 minutes in the pressure cooker, while it takes between 4 to 9 hours to make soup using a slow cooker. Depending on the recipe, it might take between 20 minutes to an hour to cook meat using a pressure cooker, compared to 4 to 8 hours in a slow cooker. Cooking times for vegetables in a recipe, such as in stews, take less than 5 minutes in a pressure cooker, yet 4 to 8 hours in a slow cooker.