Two Multicooker Meals

Pressure cooking is once again in vogue, thanks to the rise of the electric multicooker. This technique cooks food incredibly quickly, and the tightly sealed pot traps volatile flavor molecules, producing dishes with exceptional depth. Another benefit is that flavorful browning happens inside the 250-degree pot that wouldn’t occur during a regular stovetop simmer. As a bonus, the saute function of a multicooker means that there are fewer dishes to wash, and because it’s electric, you don’t even have to turn on the stove. Finally, most multicookers also have built-in timers, making it supereasy to accurately control cooking times.

The tightly sealed pot traps volatile flavor molecules, producing dishes with exceptional depth.

To showcase these capabilities, I came up with two one-pot meals: a lightning-quick chicken and potato dish and a deeply satisfying short rib braise.

For the chicken recipe, I would employ a classic Provencal trio—tart lemon, briny olives, and punchy garlic—to enliven the meat. I selected bone-in, skin-on