Slow cooker, pressure cooker, multi-cooker — they all promise easy home-cooked meals, but they work very differently. Here's how to tell them apart and choose the right one.
Slow cooker
Cooks low and slow over hours, turning cheap cuts into tender stews and curries. Set it in the morning, dinner's ready by evening. Simple, cheap and hands-off — but it needs forward planning. Best for: batch stews, soups and busy days.
Pressure cooker
Cooks under pressure to make food dramatically faster — a stew in under an hour, rice in minutes. Best for: speed when you forgot to plan ahead.
Multi-cooker
The all-rounder: a single pot that slow-cooks, pressure-cooks, sautés, steams and more (think Instant Pot). Best value if you want one gadget to do it all and save worktop space. Browse multi-cookers.
Quick comparison
- Speed: pressure cooker (and multi-cooker) win.
- Hands-off ease: slow cooker.
- Versatility: multi-cooker.
- Simplicity & price: a dedicated slow cooker.
Which should you buy?
Want one device for everything? Go multi-cooker. Love a hands-off stew and nothing else? A slow cooker is cheap and brilliant.
Final thoughts
For most kitchens a multi-cooker offers the best of all worlds; a slow cooker wins on simplicity and price. Browse slow cookers and multi-cookers online, or ask in any of our 60+ stores.
