Culinarily speaking, you get similar results - though I wouldn't put an unopened can in a pressure cooker!

A pressure cooker has a higher boiling point due to the pressure generated by trapping the steam; instead of cooking at 212 degrees, you're cooking at between 215 and 250 degrees. It requires that you cook in a liquid to work, so stews, soups, braising can all be accomplished more quickly than on the stove-top.

A crock-pot, partly through the insulation of the heavy crock and lid, and partly through the heating element, is able to maintain a consistent low temperature for a very long time (Wikipedia states that A typical slow cooker operates at (more or less) 80°C (176°F) on low, 90°C (194°F) on high, and 1 hour at 90°C followed by 80°C on medium) It allows you to cook in liquid low and slow, and doesn't require attention, so you can set it up in the morning and forget it until dinnertime.

Suzy Creamcheese wrote:We have neither a bain marie nor a crock pot; pardon this ignorant question, but what is the difference between a crock pot and a pressure cooker?

Bain marie is just French for a water bath: Take a small pot, put it inside a bigger one. Fill the outer pot with water till it comes halfway up the side of the small pot. You can easily improvise with any two pots. (This is not to be confused with a double boiler, a two-story pot that holds water in the bottom while an upper pot is elevated above the water and fitted in such a way that steam does not escape.)

Crockpot is a brand name for a slow cooker, an electric pot that maintains a low heat for long periods, without the need for the cook to pay attention.

A pressure cooker cooks food under high pressure, which speeds up cooking times.

I made some beautiful dulce de leche the other night by simply boiling the unopened can. I let it boil for about 2 and half to 3 hours. I ended up filling a large stock pot with water, bringing it to a boil and then added the can. Because there was so much water to begin with I did not have to add water. (I was even able to take an hour long nap while it was boiling) It also didn't bring the water temperature down as adding tap water every hour or so would have, so I shortened my boiling time. It turned out wonderfully, additionally I took it straight out of the boiling water and opened it, which I have read would cause an explosion. Yet, there were no exploding cans in my kitchen. I am however eager to try the crock pot method. I would love to hear if anyone tries it.

Heather22 wrote:I am however eager to try the crock pot method. I would love to hear if anyone tries it.

ihawk98 did.

LAZ wrote:Heather22 wrote:
I am however eager to try the crock pot method. I would love to hear if anyone tries it.

ihawk98 did.

wow I missed that. Thanks!

I'm making dulce de leche at this very moment. LOL I'm doing it with 1/2 cow's milk and 1/2 goat's milk. I got the goat's milk at Dominicks. I was surprise to find it there but glad I didn't have to go looking somewhere else. It definitely smells 'goaty' as it thickens but smells yummy.
I'm going to make dulce de leche cream puffs for a party tomorrow night. Hope they like it!

Hey, you made them cream puffs...how could they not like that????

OMG! They were yummy. I could roll in the dulce de leche.