Slow Cookers and Pressure Cookers (2024)

Pressure cookers are great in a pinch, they let you braise or stew at the last minute on busy weeknights and most dishes are done in under an hour from start to finish. On the other hand, slow cookers do the dirty work for you, braising all day, allowing you to come home to a fully cooked meal. But when it comes to time, texture, and taste, which vessel prepares a superior dish? To find out, we cooked identical batches of beef stew in a pressure cooker and a slow cooker, then compared the results.

Time: Both vessels required the same amount of prep time for chopping veggies and browning beef. The slow cooker was set to low and cooked 8 hours, during which time nobody had to tend to it. The pressure cooker was done in about 50 minutes, taking 15 minutes to come to pressure, 16 minutes to cook, and about 20 minutes for the pressure to drop naturally, but someone had to stay nearby the entire time.

Texture: Cubed beef emerged from the pressure cooker moist and tender while the slow cooker meat tasted dried out and overcooked. Veggies were a different story however. Carrots from the pressure cooker came out soft and mushy while those from the slow cooker maintained their shape, even bordering on being too crisp. Small white potatoes came out tender but not overcooked from both.

Taste: For overall taste, the pressure cooker was the hands-down winner. Beef, carrots, and potatoes all retained their rich flavors. After 8 hours in the slow cooker, they emerged bland and seemed to need salt. However, the gravy from the slow cooker was much richer and tastier than that the gravy from the pressure cooker.

The Verdict: While the pressure cooker prepared a superior tasting dish, it all comes down to how you want to spend your time. The slow cooker is great for hands off cooking. The pressure cooker is fast and provides a better result, but you need to be in the kitchen the entire time it's on the stove.