pressure cooker

The kitchen is all about timing. Sometimes things happen fast; other times patience is required. The slow simmering of an all-day sauce combined with the quick heat of a fast sear on a choice cut of protein brings together flavor combinations that rally our taste buds into believing that anything is possible as long as we take the time to do them right. But it is not just time that has a monopoly on efficiency in the kitchen. It's also about versatility.

The Breville BPR600XL Fast Slow Cooker ($179.95) is capable of cooking up a storm or calmly … Read more

Electric pressure cookers can handle a variety of tasks. Traditionally used to speed up cooking time by increasing pressure inside the cooking vessel, the modern varieties are capable of much more. While they will always be a popular option for kicking out a pot roast in a minimum amount of time, some models can also brown, steam, slow cook, and talk. Yes, talk.

The Technique 6.5-quart Oval Voice Guided Pressure Cooker ($119) can not only cook up a meal, but it can also talk one up, too. The multicooker features convenient and versatile cooking settings that include steaming and … Read more

Browning creates flavor. It is a simple statement, but one with deep-toned implications. The effect is what is called the Maillard reaction and it is what occurs when amino acids and sugars get together with a heat source. The resulting party creates new flavor compounds, and that all equals delicious. Achieving this deliciousness is as easy as getting out a sauté pan. Or in this case, the multicooker.

The West Bend 82011 Pressure Cooker may be appropriately named, but pressure cooking is only one of its capabilities. The versatile countertop appliance is really a multicooker that combines five appliances … Read more

We expect a lot out of our electrical appliances, so much to the point that we take them for granted. In the kitchen, a press of a button can and does result in automatic meal preparation. With this type of convenience literally at our fingertips, it is no wonder that more archaic pieces of cookware often get buried in the back of the cupboard. Lost in that transition away from old-fashioned forms of cooking are the benefits that they can provide. That is, until somebody adds a plug.

The All-Clad Pressure Cooker is an electric model that updates the classic … Read more

Time is a friend to barbecue. While grilling up some burgers in the backyard will always be an activity that is enjoyable at any speed, real barbecue is an activity that moves at its own pace. The flavor that the "low and slow" cooking method imparts on meats is simply incomparable. But that doesn't mean it hurts to try to speed up the process--indoors.

The Only Indoor Pressure Smoker from Hammacher Schlemmer may eschew tradition when it comes to barbecue, but it can do so much more. All pressure cookers decrease cooking time simply by creating their … Read more

Convenience in the kitchen takes many forms. Sometimes it's all about multitasking appliances; sometimes it's about foods and ingredients that come prepped.  Speed, of course, is frequently a factor, as time is always of the essence. And sometimes it's a bit of all of the above.

The Fagor Futuro 10-Quart Pressure Cooker/Canner combines speed and convenience into one unit. Easy to use, the stovetop unit reduces cooking time by increasing pressure inside the pot. Just add your favorite liquid along with your ingredients, lock down the lid, and choose between a low and high setting. … Read more

If two is better than one, then three has to trump two, a concept that can be applied to kitchen appliances--certainly when it comes to their versatility. As far as kitchen appliances are concerned, design quite often determines utility, and the best ones are naturally capable of many different tasks. With sometimes the cookery in question being capable of vastly different tasks.

The Fagor 3-in-1 Electric Multicooker provides the versatility that is so important in the modern kitchen. With the ability to act as a pressure cooker, slow cooker or a rice cooker, the 6-quart countertop appliance is an everyday … Read more

The Fissler Pressure Skillet is a particularly versatile pan. With a 10.2-inch diameter and a 4.2-quart capacity, this skillet can be used to cook anything from an entire meal for two to a dish for a big dinner. It has a Novogrill surface, allowing you to grill and fry without adding oil. The surface also has a nonstick coating. The skillet comes with a pressure lid that allows you an alternative way to cook. The pan can saute, steam, and braise. The pan has all the safety features expected from a modern pressure cooker, such as an automatic … Read more

My husband loves to tell the story of how his mother blew up their kitchen with her pressure cooker many years ago. It's apparently the kind of story that's amusing when no one is maimed. But you can understand why I might not have wanted to welcome such an appliance into my own kitchen. I prefer to stick with things that don't blow up.

These days, though, there's a tendency to get back to basics. We're making more of our own food, and it turns out the pressure cooker was once popular for a reason: … Read more