Meat cooked fast in pressure cooker vs. slowly in a slow cooker?

[Dover]

I've heard t.v. chefs complain that slow cooked meat is too mushy and lacks flavor. But
I've never heard any celebrity chef talk about pressure cooked meats. I don't really need
convincing one way or the other because I'm very happy with my pressure cooked meals and
though I've never used a slow cooker I can understand the advantages and I'm betting the
meat tastes just fine to most folks.

But has anyone here compared the two methods for flavor, texture,etc. of meat? And why don't
celebrity chefs ever discuss pressure cooking?

I made a Turkish Lamb Stew the other day in the pressure cooker. But unlike my usual routine
of browning the meat first and then throwing it and the veggies/broth in all at once, this time
I did it differently. After browning the meat I rubbed it down with spices and let it sit while
I sauted the veggies WITH the Turkish herbs and spices in the juices leftover from
the browned lamb (and added a little broth) and THEN tossed it all in the pressure cooker for 30 minutes. Holy Cow! Or should I say holy lamb! It was very noticably better - richer, darker broth and flavors. OMG - to die for. I wouldn't have guessed it could taste any better than the usual, but it CAN.

So I wonder if that same preparation would be helpful in the slow cooker as well?

[Warpy]

1. Because the pressure cooker is largely a closed system

with very little steam inside the pot being released even with a rocker valve arrangement, most of the flavor is kept in the pot instead of released out into the room.

I've found pressure cooked meat fall apart tender but intensely flavorful. A tough old stewing hen is a particular taste revelation in a pressure cooker.

About all I use a slow cooker for is beans.

[Dover]

4. Yes that makes sense. I suppose the steam escapes a bit with the crock pot.

Yep, fall off the bone. I've 'tenderized' many a tough cut of meat that way.

My beans always get cooked in my cast iron enamel dutch oven for 2 or more hours on low.

[Warpy]

7. I live at 6000 feet

so 2 hours on top of the stove doesn't do it. 16 hours in a crock pot does.

[MajorChode]

9. I think it's more a case of the flavor of the meat being released into the cooking liquids

I rarely use a slow cooker for cooking meats for that reason.

[Tesha]

2. Artichokes

are super-flavorful in the pressure cooker drizzled with italian dressing,
and so is corn on the cob that gets sprinkled with Old Bay before the top gets fastened.

You can "cook in" flavors like no other method.

[Dover]

5. Ooooooh...slurp! I've never tried that, but I'm going to now...n/t

[Dover]

8. Just wanted to thank you for planting this idea.

We had pressure-cooked artichokes tonight and they just melted in our mouths! Dipped them in a butter/lemon sauce and ohhhh....those hearts
were a spectacular reward at the end. Gonna do this again real soon!

[Tesha]

11. oh, try this...

and take it up a notch...:)

trim the artichokes
and make a flat bottom so they'll stand up in the pot

stuff capers and slices of garlic in between the leaves

drizzle into the leaves a Caesar style dressing (I use lower fat Newman's)


pressure cook for about 20 min and let cool just a bit.

If artichokes weren't 2 bucks apiece we'd have them every week.

[Dover]

12. Oh my! Well I might just pass out if they got any better...lol!

Thanks for the tip. I'll give it a go next batch.

[The empressof all]

3. I prefer the pressure cooker for stews and stocks

I have an old Nesco Oven that has a slow cook setting. I do sometimes make large pieces of brisket in it. If I'm making barbecue beef I sear it on the grill, apply a rub, wrap in double heavy duty aluminum and add a cup of liquid...seal well and let it cook all day. If I'm just doing the pot roast I don't even bother with the sear and just add the Lipton Onion Soup and the wine to the fail packet.

I put the standard size crock pot in the pantry last year and haven't had a reason to bring it out. The six quart electric pressure cooker gets a work out several times a week and sits next to the coffee pot.

[Dover]

6. Me too. My pressure cooker doesn't spend much time on the shelf..n/t.

[Warpy]

10. ..

[The empressof all]

13. I'm another fan of the pressure cooker

I have an electric one that sits on my counter. I use it pretty much 4 or 5 times a week for veggies and soups. It produces a far better flavor and is 100 times more convenient for me than the slow cooker. Seriously, I know the slow cookers are safe but the idea of meat or poultry sitting out that long before reaching a safe temperature kind of skeeves me out and I never liked running a cooking appliance if I wasn't home to supervise.

[The empressof all]

14. ROFL....

See what happens when you don't check dates...:rofl: Glad I got a chance to repeat myself ...

[Dover]

15. Soooo....just to be clear

you are a fan of pressure cooking?

hehehehehe!

[pengillian101]

16. There is an ELECTRIC pressure cooker?

Really? Wow! I am an old Presto cooker kinda gal - my first office job was at at Presto in my first real job.

[The empressof all]

17. The electric ones are great!

I have seen some of the new ones even have a "rice" button. Of course you can't Can in them but that's not something I do on a regular basis anyway.

It's nice to be able to just cook something and keep it warm when it's done. I just throw stuff in it...set it and it cooks and stays warm for as long as I want. It's terrific to keep a warm pot of soup on the counter on these chilly weekends.

I have the Cuisanart right now. I got it on Sale at Costco last year for 59.00

http://www.cuisinart.com/products/countertop/cpc-600.html

[eleny]

18. A pressure cooker thread, yay!!!

Thanks for the great tip about rubbing with herbs etc after browning the meat. I'm definitely going to try that next time. Over the years my hubby has finally developed a taste for lamb. He likes the garlic and rosemary treatment. So I can rub down the meat with my flavoring mixture using your method.

It's fun learning something new like this.

To give the crock pot its due, I'll add that I was wild for chocolate cake made in that pot. It's the recipe where you add some pudding mix to the chocolate cake mix. The house smelled terrific and the cake was so moist & delish. I used a broad flat type ice cream scoop to serve it out of the slow cooker.

:hi: