Hurry Up and Wait

The pressure cooker and the slow cooker may seem to be devices with little in common. One works fast, the other takes its time. But both yield wholesome, tasty dishes and can go a long way toward the goal of efficiently produced meals for busy families.

Hurry Up and Wait is a collection of local-style recipes designed to make the best use of these devices. If you are new to using them, if you cook with one but not the other, or if you are a veteran in search of fresh ideas, these recipes will open your eyes to the versatility of two very handy tools.

Betty Shimabukuro and Joleen Oshiro, writers and editors at the Honolulu Star-Advertiser, know that slow cooking and pressure cooking can be tricky. They know that some home cooks give up on the devices because of mediocre results achieved in the past. So they’ve tested and retested dozens of recipes, sought advice from newspaper readers, picked the brains of local chefs—resulting in this compilation. They’ve made the mistakes that can sabotage a home cook, so you don’t have to.

If you’ve already master ed kālua pork in the pressure cooker or corned beef in your Crock-Pot, try something new from the “Hurry Up and Wait Repertoire.” Make a bread pudding or a cheesecake in either device. Amaze yourself. Cook it fast, cook it slow, or— better—do a little of both.