1 High Heat, Low Heat

Our mothers knew the value of pressure cookers to speed up cooking; luckily they don’t look or sound as scary as they did in the fifties. Now they’re more compact and easier to operate. If you love slow-cooked meat and freshly boiled legumes, then it’s a no-brainer. Ribs and pulled pork take 20 minutes per batch versus 3 hours in a low-temperature oven. Never fill the pressure cooker more than half full and always cool under cold running water before opening the lid.

If you want to cook large batches of meat and forget about it, then a slow cooker is the ticket. Most come in large sizes and you can use either a 4- or 8-hour setting. A slow cooker is perfect for ribs, beef brisket, pulled pork or short ribs; they will cook up velvety soft with no tending needed.