Pressure Cooker vs the Slow Cooker?

It seems like everyone is talking about how fantastic slow cookers are.  I kid you not, but every day a mother has told me how it's time saving, all you have to do is to just throw in leftover vegetables and meat and produces the most amazing flavours.

So of course, I have been tempted, what with my cousin all the way in California posting pictures of delicious blackberry porridge that she wakes up to at 630 am all deliciously warm and cooked for her. I decided I just had to look into it! I spent much of yesterday evening researching the pros and cons of a slow cooker.

It seems pretty straight forward to me, do some light frying of onions then transfer into the cooker, bung all the vegetables and meat in there and leave it to slowly cook for 8 hours or less. This seems like the perfect answer to all working parents out there right? Nothing like sticking in all the ingredients at 6 am and then leaving it on low setting and arriving back at home with a hot meal ready. No more chopping at the end of a long day when all you want to do is eat and put your feet up. And this is perhaps a godsend once you have kids? A comfort meal of lamb stew all ready at 6 pm with some crusty bread? Hell, you even have time to open that bottle of wine and enjoy a glass?!

So now I'm working from home and am toying with the idea whether this gadget suits my lifestyle. I am not away for 8-9 hours, would this suit me? We also tend to eat chicken and seafood at home rather than lamb or beef, so again would I use the slow cooker? I do love the idea of the rich flavours that are produced after many hours of slow cooking. I mean for soups or chillis this would be perfect right?

Now I am a die hard pressure cooker fan. I use it for lentils, chicken, meat, soups and even pasta. You cannot beat a pressure cooker when it comes to time efficiency. Chicken curry is made from beginning to end in less than 30 minutes. In fact this morning I made a chicken curry with channa dal (lentils) and butternut squash and want to share the recipe with you. I will be serving it for dinner this evening so the spices will be soaking in the gravy and I really can't wait to try it! Now if any one out there wants to try it in their slow cooker and tell me how the results were then please do share!

So for a family of 4:

8 pieces of chicken leg and thigh ( I find breast too dry)
1 small butternut squash, peeled and diced
1/2 cup channa dal washed and soaked
1 large white onion
1.5 tspn grated ginger

2 garlic pods grated
2 tspn cumin seeds

1 tspn coriander powder
1 tspn garam masala
1 tspn turmeric powder
chopped coriander to garnish
salt and pepper to taste
1-2 green chilli chopped

1. In the pressure cooker, add 3 tblspns of oil and fry the cumin seeds, green chilli, onion, garlic and ginger.
2. Keep stirring till the onions are browned. Now add the chana dal (removing the excess water)
3. Add the chicken, salt and pepper.
4. Add the coriander powder, garam masala and turmeric powder and stir for a few minutes.
5. Now add water till it fills half your pressure cooker.
6. Turn the flame to medium heat and allow 2 whistles, then switch off the heat. Once the air has completely come out, open the cooker and add the chopped coriander leaves.

Serve with steamed rice.