I use my pressure cooker more than my crock-pot, but I think the answer depends on what type of food you tend to cook.

I use the pressure cooker for cooking dried beans, soups and stews, I and don't go to many potlucks, where a crockpot might be somewhat more useful. Also, a slow cooker is a good idea if you are sufficiently organized (I'm not) to plan your meals a couple of hours ahead.

In short, I like to have both and wouldn't suggest choosing one above the other. I would probably put the one I used least right at the back of the cupboard, because it's bound to be useful one day.

Congrats - I recently did away with my crockpot, and I use my pressure cooker all the time. I live at high altitude (utah), and without the PC, beans (even lentils) will never get cooked. So - I think it depends on where you live, and how much you like legumes!

Interesting dilema. As you point out, they are polar opposites in cooking times, so i'd say they're both gonna be very useful assuming you cook a lot. It your more of a passive cook, or not that confident a cook, i'd say ditch the pressure cooker for now. I've had one for 5 years, and only just begun to use it within the last year. But it's been a godsend when i need to get dinner on the table quickly, and the meal i want is more of a long cooking one. So basically when i'm disorganized, which is often. The slow cooker will benefit you most if your a plan ahead type of person so you can set it up in the morning, and come home to a great meal.

If at all possible, i'd look for something besides these two to ditch. For example, i've gotten rid of the counter top coffee maker by learning to use a stovetop espresso maker. They are very inexpensive ($30 tops, though cheaper if you look at discount stores), and very quick (less than 10 minutes). They are also versatile in terms of the types of coffe drinks you can make.

Sadly, I use my pressure cooker only 2-3 times a year and my crock pot at least 15-20 times. However, you can't can fresh vegetables like tomatoes with a slow cooker so I'm doomed to have both forever. If I didn't want to can veggies I'd likely not need a pressure cooker at all.

Those are 2 totally different ways of cooking. Ones a slow cooker and ones a much faster than normal cooker. So as others have said, its not a one or the other type thing. Just depends how you cook.

I personally use my crock pot tons and never even bought a pressure cooker. My parents have one and I think my mom used it a dozen times since I was a baby. It's definitely not (for most people) an everyday piece of cookware.

it really does depend on what you eat. we eat a tonne of beans, being mostly (80%) vegetarian, although my husband has made his amazing chicken stock in the pressure cooker and it was stellar. in fact, when we first got it and started to read about all the things we could with it, we started to think that pretty soon we'd get rid of everything BUT the pressure cooker.

having said all that, i've never used a crock pot; it seems more like a stew type thing and we eat very little of those.

I've been considering getting a pressure cooker so that I can do some canning, as was mentioned above, but I definitely wouldn't get rid of my slow cooker if I did. I use my SC at least once or twice a week during the winter and sometimes nearly as often during the summer when I get tired of salads. I always plan my meals on Sunday before I head to the market for the week, though, so I think slow cookers work better for folks like me than they would for someone whose cooking style tends toward stopping at the market on the way home from work each day and buying what looks best.

Advantages of a slow cooker--you can throw everything for soup/stew/etc. in in the morning, turn it on, go to work, and when you get home dinner is ready.

Advantages of a pressure cooker--when you forget/don't have time to put everything in the slow cooker in the morning, you can fix the same meal in a pressure cooker in under an hour.

I have made most of the same meals in both--for me it's mostly a matter of scheduling.

The two are completely different.

Keep the crock pot only if you use it. The pressure cooker will not replace it.

I'm surprised you registered for a pressure cooker if you've never used one. I'm curious why you think you want one?

Cheers, and best wishes!

Get rid of the waffle iron, bread maker, juicer, toaster -- or whatever just sits there. Then you'll have room. If you find you favor the pressure cooker over & seldom use the slow cooker, pitch it. You're thoughtful to be concerned about the space and how your fiancee will react...

I don't see why they'd be mutually exclusive. Have both if you have the room for them and think you'd actually use the pressure cooker. I've personally never seen the need for a pressure cooker, just not my cooking style I guess. My mother got one as a wedding gift and I have never seen her use it; it's collected dust for at least 22 years (when we moved to Texas).

Has anyone tried the 3-in-1 products (rice cooker, pressure cooker, and slow cooker in one)? I think Fagor makes one, and I've been thinking of getting one.

Thanks

If you do decide to get a pressure cooker, perhaps you might want to get a pressure canner instead. All pressure canners can be used as pressure cookers. Pressure cookers should not be used as pressure canners. If you think you might be interested in canning soups, meats or vegetables, then a pressure canner would be the better investment.

I'm inclined to suggest that you hold off with the pressure cooker and put money towards getting good quality basic cookware items right now. Then, if you find out that you are using (or not using!) the slow cooker or find out that there is a gap in your cookware that a pressure cooker would fill, you can decide what to keep or toss or buy.

I was looking at pressure cookers not long ago, and those things have gotten huge! I had one many years ago that I used quite a lot, but I wouldn't bring one of those monstrosities into my not-very-big kitchen now.

Of course, I work from my home office most days, so I don't have a problem babysitting a pot of beans or soup on the stove. I might look at the small appliance situation differently if I had a long work day away from home or had a long commute.

@luxbath: I don't know that I would trust a 3-in-one gadget like that. It could certainly save you some space if you want/need all 3...but that's if it works. Things like that don't usually work all that well, and almost never as well as the stand-alone.

Also, do not forget, that when you are not using the pressure cooker, you just need to stow away the top and can keep using the pan! My mother-in-law kept insisting I get one, I finally caved in and I love it! I can boil potatoes in 15 minutes! I wrote this blog post to help neophytes with their pressure cooker:
http://lapsushumanus.blogspot.com/2008_11_01_archive.html

OK, there is one thing I will go back an correct in my blog post. You CAN make Italian-approved, creamy, no-fuss risotto in the pressure cooker. The portions are 4:1, broth:arborio rice. Just start making risotto the usual way: soften onion, toast rice, add and evaporate a dash o wine... and when it's time to start adding the broth add it all at once and close the top immediately. Start counting 6 minutes from the "whistle" and open in the sink by running cold water on the top to quickly bring down the pressure and unlock the top - then, depending on how liquid it is either let it sit for a couple of minutes or heat a little more to evaporate. Also, adjust for when you add very liquid veggies. For four people I use 1 Liter of broth for 250g of Arborio rice.

Buon Appetito and best wishes for your wedding!

L

P.S. You've just inspired me to start typing the recipies I've found and adapted from Italian websites into my blog!

P.P.S. I wish I could find a SLOW cooker in Italy!

LIke some other said, I think it depends on what and how you cook.

I use both my pressure cooker and slow cooker on a regular basis and love both equally well. I would be hard pressed to give either of them up.

Crockpots work great for cooking dried beans, by the way. We put in beans and a lot of water at night, and presto! they're ready in the morning.

I do not have a toaster, microwave, or bread machine but I LOVE and would give up neither my pressure cooker nor my crockpot. The crockpot is great for weeknights if you don't want to cook for an hour after work (get one with a timer or plug it into a light timer). Some of our favorites are roast chicken, pulled pork, black bean soup, guiness stew. Using the crockpot also saves us from the opressive heat our apartment oven puts off in the summer.

The pressure cooker, as others have pointed out, doesn't have to just be a pressure cooker - don't tamp down the lid and it serves as a really big pot, which I can easily justify keeping around. I use mine for making chicken stock from our roast chicken remains, steaming artichokes (MUCH faster), popcorn/kettle corn, and well any other large pot dish.

I guess in the end either one is worth it, if you're willing to take the time to find recipes that work with that pot.

I just bought my first pressure cooker 2 days ago, mostly for canning purposes. I've never really used a crockpot except a couple of times for stew or oats but honestly, I'd rather be an active cook than a passive cook, and the idea of leaving something on its own to cook kind of freaks me out (I have images of food splattering everywhere or burning the house down).

Trust me you can't make quick Caramel Sauce in a Crock Pot, the way you can in a Pressure Cooker.

I have both and now find that I use the pressure cooker all of the time. It is a rather large appliance as others have said but I wouldn't want to be without it now.

Thank you all for your thoughts! I will keep both and see how much each is used. I don't use my crockpot as much as I like, but I'm newly motivated to pull it out- pulled pork! And I am thoroughly excited at the prospect of risotto in the pressure cooker. Thanks again.

Hi Bev, I just wanted to thank you for posing this question and getting me started on doing a blog just about pressure cooking! I have included a detailed, photographed, step-by-step recipe of the risotto as well!

http://hippressurecooking.blogspot.com/