Instant Pot and Slow Cooker Recipe Ideas for your Get-Together - 365 Days of Slow Cooking and Pressure Cooking (2024)

FAQs

Can I pressure cook something that has been slow cooking? ›

Update the cooking time: Instant Pots are designed to cook much faster than slow cookers, so you'll need to adjust the cooking time accordingly. As a rule of thumb, you can cook most slow cooker recipes in an Instant Pot on high pressure for one quarter of the slow cooker time.

Due to a shorter overall cooking time, the Instant Pot (pressure cooker) turns out to be the most energy-efficient way to achieve that tender, slow-cooked result.

Just like with a regular slow cooker, your Instant Pot will maintain a low, steady temperature to cook your food over the course of several hours, so you can go about your daily business while your meal cooks itself.

Traditionally cheaper cuts of meat always slow cook better. Slow cooking breaks down the connective collagen in meat, which turns into unctuous gelatine. This creates that soft and tender mouth feel we all crave.

If you enjoy prepping your meal in the morning and letting it cook all day so that it's ready by dinner time, go with a slow cooker. Conversely, a pressure cooker might be the better option if you want an easy way to make healthy meals without much planning.

What temperature is 'Low' on a slow cooker? Most slow cookers have two slow cooker temperature settings. The 'Low' cook setting reaches temperatures between 164-182°F (reaching a peak of around 205°F after 4 hours).

It is best to thaw meat or poultry before putting it into a slow cooker. Frozen pieces will take longer to reach a safe internal temperature and could possibly result in foodborne illness. Frozen or partially frozen foods can also cool everything else in the slow cooker.

Tenderises Tough Cuts: Slow cookers excel at turning tough cuts of meat into fork-tender delicacies.

According to the Energy Saving Trust, a slow cooker is one of the most energy efficient kitchen appliances. On average, a slow cooker draws about the same amount of energy as a standard electric light bulb. This means that despite being on for a longer period of time, a slow cooker actually uses very little energy.

What do Americans call slow cookers? ›

A slow cooker, also known as a crock-pot (after a trademark owned by Sunbeam Products but sometimes used generically in the English-speaking world), is a countertop electrical cooking appliance used to simmer at a lower temperature than other cooking methods, such as baking, boiling, and frying.

However, Crockpots generally have ceramic or porcelain pots, while most slow cookers have a metal pot. As with a lot of cooking appliances, the biggest difference comes from the distribution of heat.

Is it safe to leave a slow cooker on for 12 hours? Yes, you can use your slow cooker for longer than eight hours, as long as you keep an eye on it. Many slow cookers do have an automatic shutoff after 24 hours.

It's no surprise that pressure cooking is faster than slow cooking, but did you know that you can get the same fall-apart tender results using a fraction of the energy too? Here's an infographic with side-by-side comparison of slow cooking in the crock pot or braiser vs.

In fact, there are a handful of foods that just shouldn't be pressure-cooked. Among them are dairy and fried foods, as well as burgers and steaks.

According to the Crock-Pot website, Crock-Pot low temp to high conversion times are: Twelve hours on low equals eight hours on high. Ten hours on low equals six hours on high.

Generally, if your slow cooker meat, soup, or stew recipe calls for 8 hours on the low setting or about 4 hours on the high setting, it should be fully cooked in about 25 to 30 minutes in the Instant Pot. For chicken or turkey, use the 15-minute poultry button.