The slow cooker
A slow cooker holds food at a gentle simmer for hours, which turns tough, cheap cuts such as chuck roast, pork shoulder and chicken thighs tender. The low setting takes about eight hours and the high setting about four, and both end at nearly the same temperature. Fill the crock between half and two-thirds full. Use less liquid than a stovetop recipe calls for, because nothing evaporates under the lid, and leave the lid alone, since each peek costs 15 to 20 minutes of heat.
Thaw meat before it goes in, because frozen meat spends too long warming through the danger zone. Boil dried red kidney beans for ten minutes first, because they contain a natural toxin that a slow cooker may not get hot enough to destroy.
The electric pressure cooker
A sealed pot under pressure raises the boiling point of water to around 240 degrees, which cooks food in roughly a third of the usual time. Unsoaked dried beans take 25 to 40 minutes and a pot roast takes about an hour. Remember that the pot also needs 10 to 15 minutes to reach pressure and more time to release it, so a "ten-minute" recipe is a half-hour recipe.
- The pot needs at least one cup of thin liquid to build steam, and thick sauces scorch on the bottom.
- The fill should stay below two-thirds, or below half for beans and grains, which foam.
- A natural release, which means waiting 10 to 20 minutes for the pressure to drop, suits meat and beans.
- A quick release through the valve suits vegetables, and your hands and face belong well away from the steam.
The air fryer
An air fryer is a compact convection oven with a strong fan, and it does not fry. It excels at crisping: frozen foods, chicken wings, roasted vegetables, and leftover pizza or fries that a microwave would ruin. Toss food in a teaspoon or two of oil, arrange it in a single layer, and shake the basket halfway through. To adapt an oven recipe, lower the temperature by 25 degrees and cut the time by about a fifth. Check chicken with a thermometer for 165 degrees all the same. The main limit is size, since most baskets cook for two people at a time.
Choosing
Most electric pressure cookers have a slow-cook setting, which makes them the sensible single purchase for a small kitchen.
Note Read the manual for any pressure cooker before the first use, and replace the sealing ring when it cracks, stretches or holds odors.
