By Bruce Weinstein and Mark Scarbrough, Special to The Washington Post
It’s winter: We’ve nested inside, we’re ready for stews and braises, but we’re still strapped to that infernal invention, the clock. There are rarely enough minutes, at least not when we want them. That’s why some of us cooks want comfort food fast from the latest countertop pressure cooker; some depend on the all-day, no-fuss convenience of a slow cooker; and some prefer the stove-top Dutch oven, which requires a bit of finesse. (Is that sauce too thin?)
In the end, most of us want all three: fast for busy nights, all-day slow when we have enough energy (and forethought) to get the meal going in the morning, and perhaps a more organic and hands-on approach for a quiet weekend at home.
Modern electric multi-cookers get us closer to one-pot convenience. They offer both slow-cooker and pressure-cooker settings (as well as rice-cooker and even yogurt-maker settings).
In fact, some of these multi-cookers have become culinary celebrities. The official Instant Pot group on Facebook has a roster of almost 300,000 members. Those and other pots come with lots of presets for chicken, risotto and more. Dump things inside, cover, and dinner’s almost done.
Manufacturers are going all in. Next-generation models will even be wirelessly connected to your phone. Patricio Barriga, chief executive of Fagor America, cites these multi-cookers as the major area of growth for his company. The pots “provide peace of mind with no fear factor,” he says.
If you want to follow recipes in the provided booklets, your problems are solved. Or almost solved. What if you want to take one of those recipes for the pressure cooker and turn it into a slow-cooker meal? Or what if you find a Dutch oven recipe you like and want to convert it for a pressure cooker? Unfortunately, recipes don’t translate well among the applications.
Using a single recipe among the various methods often yields poor results. J. Kenji López-Alt, managing culinary editor of Serious Eats and author of “The Food Lab,” has demonstrated that when he used the same recipe (but adjusted the timing), slow cookers produced inferior food compared with Dutch ovens or pressure cookers. Clearly, the methods aren’t instantly interchangeable. And good recipes are written for the specific device in hand.
Thankfully, recipes can be translated across devices – and across functions on a multi-cooker. Here are five general rules for doing it:
1. Timing
Use the timing for a traditional braise as your base. As a very general rule, an electric pressure cooker on high will need about 60 percent of the original timing of a Dutch oven recipe (not counting the time the pot comes up to pressure or any time for the pressure release). A stovetop pressure cooker will need around 50 percent of the original timing, maybe even just 40 percent, depending on the cut of meat or the amount of root vegetables . A slow cooker on LOW multiplies the time by a factor of 2.5, sometimes 3.
2. Liquid
For most braises, stews and soups, traditional stove top cooking requires the greatest amount of liquid because of the constant reduction, even under the tightest lid. In a slow cooker, by contrast, the liquids from vegetables and even proteins never come to a boil, so they never reduce and can swamp the dish. Thus, a slow cooker requires the least amount of liquid: sometimes half, even a third, of that required for a stovetop braise.
A pressure cooker usually splits the difference, requiring about three-quarters of the liquid of a Dutch oven braise, a little more if it’s a stove-top pressure cooker. There’s also no reduction in an electric pressure cooker, but the fast cooking time doesn’t leach as much liquid from the ingredients.
3. Herbs and spices
Because of the long cooking and the high-moisture environment, slow cookers compromise the efficacy of seasonings, particularly dried herbs. That teaspoon of dried thyme in a stove top braise will be almost lost after eight hours in a slow cooker.
A successful slow-cooker dish requires a big punch of flavors for the long haul, sometimes twice or even three times what a stove-top recipe requires. We once tested a chicken stew in an eight-quart slow cooker and couldn’t get any basil flavor until we upped the dried herb to 1/4 cup!
That said, a successful pressure-cooker adaptation again falls somewhere between the two, although it’s still harder on dried herbs than on dried spices. As a very general rule and starting from a Dutch oven recipe, double the dried herbs for a slow cooker and increase dried spices by 50 percent. For a pressure cooker, keep dried spices the same but increase dried herbs by 50 percent. For large-batch slow cooking (more than seven quarts), you may even need to triple dried herbs and double dried spices. What’s more, the taste of fresh herbs is muted and dull in a slow cooker (although relatively intact in a pressure cooker). It’s best to stir in the stated amount of fresh herbs during the last hour of slow cooking.
4. Browning
Stove-top and pressure-cooker recipes almost always advocate good browning. It’s simple. You’re already there. The pot is on the stove top, or the electric pressure cooker has a browning setting.
But a slow cooker can make browning a hassle. You have to pull out a skillet, dirty it at the stove, and then scrape everything into the pot. Slow-cooker mavens often resent that extra step.
Fortunately, the new multi-cookers change the game. They have a browning setting (as do a few newer, high-end slow cookers). It’s now easier and faster to brown first, so there can be more flavor in the final dish.
5. Finishing accents
In general, stove-top braises accent natural sugars, intensifying the sweetness all around. Slow-cooker recipes, by contrast, lop the highs (and lows) off the flavor register, rendering a somewhat bland sameness to the dish. Both applications can often benefit from a small acid spark just before serving: lemon juice, vinegar or even chili sauce.
Pressure cookers tend to keep sour accents intact. However, capsaicin, the hot stuff in chilies, is almost destroyed during pressure cooking. If you want heat in a pressure-cooker dish, you’ll most likely have to add it at the table.
With a little knowledge and patience, recipes are indeed adaptable among these applications. Even if that infernal clock is now confined to flashing digital lights on the stove, our phones or even our electric pressure cookers, we can figure out a way to beat the minutes and cook dinner on our own schedules.
Bruce Weinstein and Mark Scarbrough are the authors of dozens of cookbooks, including “The Great Big Pressure Cooker Book” and “The Great American Slow Cooker Book.” Their website is bruceandmark.com and their podcast is Cooking With Bruce and Mark on iTunes.
Stove-top and electric pressure cookers: Different rules
Stove-top pressure cookers work at a higher pressure than newer, electric pots. Almost every stove-top cooker reaches 15 psi (pounds per square inch) at high pressure; most electric pressure cookers reach between 9 and 12 psi.
There are two problems when translating recipes between them. One, the stove-top pot puts out a small hiss of steam at high pressure and thus has greater evaporation, especially during cooking times of 30 minutes or more. Electric pots are so finely calibrated that they never put out steam once the pressure lock engages. So stove-top cookers require just a little more liquid than electric cookers, sometimes no more than 1/4 cup.
Two, stove-top pressure cookers cook more quickly, so the cooking time is always about three-quarters that of an electric model. If you’re cooking a stove-top pressure cooker recipe at high pressure in an electric pot, you’ll most likely need to add 25 percent more time under pressure.
— By Bruce Weinstein
Tea-Braised Chuck Roast With Ginger and Orange
(pressure cooker)
6 servings
Smoky lapsang souchong mellows gorgeously during a long braise; here, we balance its slightly sweet flavor with lots of ginger and orange zest. Use a vegetable peeler to remove the zest, then dice it (don’t mince it), so it holds together during the long cooking.
You’ll need a 6-quart electric pressure cooker. This recipe is suitable for an electric pressure cooker, such as the Instant Pot; to use a stove-top pressure cooker, see the NOTE below; the range of tea takes into account the greater amount needed for the electric pressure cooker.
Lapsang souchong tea is available at tea purveyors.
Serve with buttery mashed potatoes or white rice.
Ingredients
- One 3-pound boneless beef chuck roast
- 1 teaspoon salt
- 1/2 teaspoon freshly ground black pepper
- 2 tablespoons unsalted butter
- 2 medium yellow onions, halved and then thinly sliced into half-moons
- 2 tablespoons white balsamic vinegar
- 2 tablespoons finely diced orange zest (see headnote)
- 2 tablespoons finely diced peeled fresh ginger root (from a 3-inch piece)
- 1 teaspoon ground allspice
- 1 1/2 cups or 1 3/4 cups strongly brewed lapsang souchong tea (see headnote)
Steps
Season the meat on both sides with the salt and pepper.
Melt the butter in the electric pressure cooker turned to its sauteing function.
Add the onions and cook for 4 to 6 minutes, stirring often, until they begin to brown just a bit at the edges.
Push the onions to line the inside perimeter of the pot; set the meat in the cleared space. Brown well on both sides, turning once and stirring the onions a couple of times, 8 to 10 minutes. The onions will brown deeply and may even blacken in parts.
Sprinkle the vinegar over the onions; use a wooden spoon to dislodge any browned bits.
Sprinkle the orange zest, ginger and allspice over the meat and onions. Pour 1 1/2 cups of the tea over everything.
Lock the lid onto the pot and set it for high pressure (9 to 11 psi). Cook at high pressure for 75 minutes. Unplug the machine or turn it off to bring the pressure back to normal naturally, about 20 minutes. Unlock and remove the lid.
Transfer the chuck roast to a cutting board. Skim as much surface fat as you can from the sauce in the pot. Carve the meat into chunks, transfer to serving bowls, and pour the sauce on top.
NOTE: For a 6-quart stove-top pressure cooker, follow the directions for the electric pot (melt the butter in the pot on the stove top) but use 1 3/4 cups tea and cook at high pressure (15 psi) for 45 to 50 minutes, followed by a natural release, about 15 minutes.
Nutrition | Per serving: 420 calories, 49 g protein, 4 g carbohydrates, 23 g fat, 11 g saturated fat, 160 mg cholesterol, 550 mg sodium, 0 g dietary fiber, 2 g sugar
Tea-Braised Chuck Roast With Ginger and Orange
(slow cooker, stove top)
6 servings
You’ll need a 5-to-6-quart slow cooker or an Instant Pot (on the slow-cooker setting) here. To cook this braise on the stove top, see the NOTE below; the ingredient range of tea takes into account the greater amount needed for the stove-top method.
From cookbook authors Bruce Weinstein and Mark Scarbrough.
Ingredients
- One 3-pound boneless beef chuck roast
- 1 teaspoon salt
- 1/2 teaspoon freshly ground black pepper
- 2 tablespoons unsalted butter
- 2 medium yellow onions, halved and then thinly sliced into half moons
- 2 tablespoons white balsamic vinegar
- 2 tablespoons finely diced orange zest (see headnote in above recipe)
- 2 tablespoons finely diced peeled fresh ginger root (from a 3-inch piece)
- 1 teaspoon ground allspice
- 1 or 2 cups strongly brewed lapsang souchong tea (see headnote in above recipe)
Steps
Season the beef chuck with salt and pepper on both sides.
Melt the butter in the direct-heatproof insert for your slow-cooker set over medium heat (or in a large skillet). Add the onions and cook 4 to 6 minutes, stirring often, until they begin to brown just a bit at the edges. (If you used a skillet, transfer the sauteed onions to the slow cooker.)
Push the onions to line the inside perimeter of the pot; set the meat in the cleared space. Brown well on both sides, turning once and stirring the onions a couple of times, 8 to 10 minutes. The onions will brown deeply, even blacken in parts.
Sprinkle the vinegar over the onions; use a wooden spoon to dislodge any browned bits.
Sprinkle the orange zest, ginger and allspice over the meat and onions. Pour 1 cup of the tea over everything.
Cover and cook on LOW for 8 hours or until the meat is very tender.
Transfer the chuck roast to a cutting board. Skim as much surface fat as you can from the sauce in the pot. Carve the meat into chunks, transfer to serving bowls, and pour the sauce on top.
NOTE: To cook this on the stove top, melt the butter in a large Dutch oven over medium heat. Continue with the rest of the directions, but increase the amount of tea to 2 cups. Increase the heat to medium-high; once the mixture comes to a boil, reduce the heat to low, cover and cook for 3 1/2 to 4 hours or until the meat is tender. Proceed with the cutting, fat-skimming and serving directions.
Cannoli Cream Rice Pudding
(pressure cooker)
6 servings
This has flavors reminiscent of classic cannoli filling. Make sure you let the pudding mixture rest after tempering the eggs, so they’ll reach a safe temperature.
This works for an electric pressure cooker, such as the Instant Pot; to make it in a stove-top pressure cooker, see the NOTE below.
If you are concerned about a possible contamination risk from the eggs, use a pasteurized egg product (a total of 30 grams of egg white and 36 grams of egg yolk).
Ingredients
- 2 1/2 to 3 cups whole milk
- 1 to 2 cups water
- 3/4 cup arborio rice
- 1/3 cup sugar
- 1 tablespoon unsalted butter
- 1/2 teaspoon anise seed
- 1/4 teaspoon salt
- 1 large egg plus 1 large egg yolk, at room temperature
- 1/3 cup heavy cream
- 1 teaspoon vanilla extract
- 1/3 cup diced candied lemon peel or orange peel
Steps
Combine 2 1/2 cups of the milk, 1 cup of the water, the rice, sugar, butter, the anise seed (to taste) and the salt in the pot. Lock the lid onto the machine and bring to high pressure (9 to 11 psi). Cook at high pressure for 15 minutes. Turn off the machine or unplug it to allow the pressure to come back to normal naturally, about 20 minutes. Unlock and remove the lid.
Whisk together the egg, egg yolk, cream and vanilla extract in a mixing bowl until creamy and light. Slowly whisk in about 1 1/2 cups of the hot rice pudding, until smooth, then return that tempered mixture to the remaining rice pudding in the pot. If the mixture seems too thick, add the remaining milk and/or water as needed. Stir in the candied lemon or orange peel. Partially cover and let sit for 5 minutes before serving. (The pudding will thicken a bit further.)
NOTE: For a stove-top pressure cooker, follow the directions for the electric cooker but cook at high pressure (15 psi) for 10 minutes, followed by a natural release (about 10 minutes). Continue with the recipe as written.
Nutrition | Per serving: 320 calories, 8 g protein, 39 g carbohydrates, 12 g fat, 7 g saturated fat, 95 mg cholesterol, 160 mg sodium, 0 g dietary fiber, 17 g sugar
—
Cannoli Cream Rice Pudding
(slow cooker, stove top)
6 servings
You’ll need a 5-to-6-quart slow cooker or an Instant Pot (on the slow-cooker setting). To cook this pudding on the stove top, see the NOTE below.
From cookbook authors Bruce Weinstein and Mark Scarbrough.
Ingredients
- 2 1/2 to 3 cups whole milk
- 1 to 2 cups water
- 3/4 cup arborio rice
- 1/3 cup sugar
- 1 tablespoon unsalted butter
- 1 teaspoon anise seed
- 1/4 teaspoon salt
- 1 large egg plus 1 large egg yolk, at room temperature
- 1/3 cup heavy cream
- 1 teaspoon vanilla extract
- 1/3 cup diced candied lemon peel or orange peel
Steps
Combine 2 1/2 cups of the milk, 1 cup of the water, rice, sugar, butter, anise seed and salt in the slow cooker, stirring to incorporate. Cover and cook on HIGH for 2 hours, stirring a total of three times in that period.
Whisk together the egg, egg yolk, cream and vanilla extract in a mixing bowl until creamy and light. Slowly whisk in about 1 1/2 cups of the hot rice pudding, whisking until smooth, then return that tempered mixture to the remaining rice pudding in the slow cooker. If the mixture seems too thick, add milk and/or water as needed. Stir in the candied lemon or orange peel.
Partially cover and let sit for 5 minutes before serving. (The pudding will thicken a bit further.)
NOTE: To cook this on the stove top, adjust the first step by increasing the milk to 3 cups, increasing the water to 2 cups and decreasing the anise seed to 1/2 teaspoon; place the ingredients in a Dutch oven over medium heat. Cook, stirring often, until the mixture is bubbling at the edges (but does not come to a full boil). Reduce the heat to low; cook for about 55 minutes or until most of the liquid has been absorbed and the mixture has a porridgelike consistency. Follow the rest of the recipe as written.
White Bean, Chickpea, and Tomato Stew
(pressure cooker)
6 servings
Here, red lentils and bulgur thicken a Mediterranean-inspired stew. The traditional braise takes a bit of work and finesse; the slow cooker (see the recipe below) and pressure cooker versions are easy enough for a weeknight.
You’ll need a 6-quart pressure cooker. This recipe is suitable for an electric pressure cooker, such as the Instant Pot, or a stove-top pressure cooker (see the NOTE below).
For a vegan garnish, place a dab of coconut milk yogurt in each bowl (or use sour cream for a vegetarian option).
MAKE AHEAD: The dried chickpeas and beans need to soak, separately, overnight.
From cookbook authors Bruce Weinstein and Mark Scarbrough.
Ingredients
- 1 cup dried chickpeas
- 1 cup dried white beans, such as Great Northern or cannellini
- 2 tablespoons olive oil
- 1 medium yellow onion, chopped
- 2 medium ribs celery, thinly sliced
- 1 1/2 teaspoons dried dill
- 1 1/2 teaspoons ground cinnamon
- 1 1/2 tablespoons mild paprika
- 1 1/2 teaspoons ground cumin
- 1 teaspoon salt
- 1/2 teaspoon ground black pepper
- One 14-ounce can no-salt-added diced tomatoes, with their juices
- 1/4 cup dried red lentils
- 1/4 cup dried (medium-coarse) bulgur
- 2 tablespoons tomato paste
- 2 3/4 cups no-salt-added vegetable broth
Steps
Place the chickpeas and beans in separate large bowls; cover each with a few inches of water. Let them sit overnight (8 to 12 hours).
Heat the oil in the pressure cooker turned to its sauteing function.
Add the onion and celery; cook for about 4 minutes, stirring often, until softened.
Stir in the dill, cinnamon, paprika, cumin, salt and pepper; cook for 20 seconds, until fragrant.
Drain the chickpeas and beans; add them to the pot. Add the canned tomatoes and their juices, the lentils, bulgur and tomato paste, stirring until the paste dissolves.
Stir in the broth. Lock the lid onto the machine and bring it to high pressure (9-11 psi). Cook at high pressure for 15 minutes. Unplug the machine or turn it off, to bring the pressure back to normal naturally, about 20 minutes.
Uncover; stir well before serving.
NOTE: For a stove-top pressure cooker, follow the directions for the electric pot (heat the oil in the pot on the stove top) but cook at high pressure (15 psi) for 10 minutes, followed by a natural release, about 10 minutes.
Nutrition | Per serving: 350 calories, 17 g protein, 56 g carbohydrates, 7 g fat, 1 g saturated fat, 0 mg cholesterol, 440 mg sodium, 16 g dietary fiber, 10 g sugar
White Bean, Chickpea, and Tomato Stew
(slow cooker, stove top)
6 servings
You’ll need a 5-to-6-quart slow cooker or an Instant Pot (on the slow- cooker setting). This recipe is suitable for a stove-top Dutch oven as well; see the NOTE below.
MAKE AHEAD: The dried chickpeas and beans need to soak, separately, overnight.
Ingredients
1 cup dried chickpeas
1 cup dried white beans, such as Great Northern or cannellini
2 tablespoons olive oil
1 medium yellow onion, chopped
2 medium ribs celery, thinly sliced
2 teaspoons dried dill
1 1/2 teaspoons ground cinnamon
1 1/2 tablespoons mild paprika
1 1/2 teaspoons ground cumin
1 teaspoon salt
1/2 teaspoon ground black pepper
One 14-ounce can no-salt-added diced tomatoes, with their juices
1/4 cup dried red lentils
1/4 cup dried (medium-coarse) bulgur
2 tablespoons tomato paste
2 1/2 cups no-salt-added vegetable broth
Steps
Place the chickpeas and beans in separate large bowls; cover each with a few inches of water. Let them sit overnight (8 to 12 hours).
Heat the oil in the direct-heatproof slow-cooker insert over medium heat, or in a large skillet. Once the oil shimmers, add the onion and celery; cook for about 4 minutes, stirring often, until softened.
Stir in the teaspoons of dill, teaspoons of cinnamon, the paprika, cumin, salt and pepper; cook for 20 seconds, until fragrant.
Drain the chickpeas and beans; add them to the pot. Also add the canned tomatoes and their juices, the lentils, bulgur and tomato paste, stirring until the paste dissolves.
Stir in the broth. Cover and cook on LOW for 8 hours or until the chickpeas and beans are tender.
Uncover; stir well before serving.
NOTE: To cook this stew in a Dutch oven, use the same ingredient amounts except decrease the amount of dill to 1 1/2 teaspoons, decrease the cinnamon to 1 teaspoon and increase the broth to 3 cups, or more as needed. Soak the chickpeas and beans as directed. Heat the oil over medium heat. Once the oil shimmers, add the onion and celery. Cook for 4 to 6 minutes, stirring often, until softened. Stir in the dill, cinnamon, paprika, cumin, salt and pepper. Follow the remaining directions for cooking, adding the soaked chickpeas and beans, the canned tomatoes and their juices, the lentils, bulgur and tomato paste. Increase the heat to medium-high and add the broth; once the mixture begins to bubble at the edges, reduce the heat to low, cover and cook for 1 1/2 to 2 hours or until the chickpeas and beans are tender and the stew has thickened. You may need to add up to 1 cup of extra broth as the stew’s moisture begins to evaporate near the end of cooking. Also, stir often during the last 30 minutes to keep the lentils and bulgur from scorching.