I did quite a bit of research before purchasing this slow cooker.
America's Test Kitchen recommends West Bend Versatility slow cooker. It is a truly versatile model, but I didn't like its aluminum insert. As you may know, aluminum can be hazardous to health, so this slow cooker was scratched off my list pretty quickly.
The other models I looked at were All-Clad Stainless Steel Slow Cooker (available from William Sonoma only), Farberware Millennium (also recommended by America's Test Kitchen), Cuisinart CSC-650 and various Rival models ("various Rival models" has an interesting ring to it :) ).
All of the latest slow cookers are made in China, so I was somewhat concerned about the construction quality. One of the main reasons I picked Cuisinart model was a 3-year warranty, compared to just 1 year for the rest of the competition.
Another factor was the generally positive feedback from CSC-650 owners. Cooking.com is probably a better place to check for reviews, because they let you post a review only if you actually purchased that particular item from them.
I had this baby delivered to me about a week ago, and I put it to work right away. I must say I am satisfied with my purchase decision. Having said that, here's a list of things that I do and don't like about this machine...
Do Like:
--------
- 3-year warranty (1 year for every other slow cooker I researched)
- retractable cord (I wish every appliance had it!)
- cooks well (overall), and no, it doesn't burn food as some reviewers have indicated
- construction quality seems to be good, although it is impossible to say for sure until appliance is a couple of years old
Don't Like:
-----------
- stainless steel housing gets stained quite easily, should have been more fingerprint-resistant
- "Made in China": $99 is a premium price to pay for an item that was manufactured using cheap labor; manufacturers who reap huge profits from the North American market should invest into the local labor market
- cooks most things faster than recipies (even the ones included in Cuisinart booklet) indicate, so you have to keep an eye on your food to make sure it doesn't overcook
After purchasing the slow cooker, I headed straight to the local bookstore to pick up a recipe book. I skimmed through about 6-7 titles, and ended up buying Not Your Mother's Slow Cooker Cookbook by Beth Hensperger and Julie Kaufmann. Most of its recipies are made from scratch and rarely use any canned ingridients. It also seems to have the best overall collection of recipies.
Yesterday, I had a few friends over and we had ourselves a feast. I cooked quite a few things in the slow cooker:
- Lamb Goulash (which was ruined/overcooked - the first thing I ever done in this slow cooker)
- Chicken Casseatore (not sure about spelling, it's from the Cuisinart booklet) came out nicely, it was around the time that I started looking closely after the cooking process.
- Short Ribs In Red Wine were perfect, here, again, the cooking time was 5 hours instead of 7 hours indicated in the recipe.
Overall, I am happy. I didn't experience any of the problems reported by some reviewers. I can safely recommend this appliance.
Click Here to see more reviews about:
Cuisinart CSC-650 Slow CookerProduct Description: Cuisinart Slow Cooker has 6 quart Ceramic cooking vessel and brushed stainless steel housing embossed with Cuisinart logo
Buy cheap Cuisinart CSC-650 Slow Cooker now
I bought this product with the anticipation of quickly heating soups and stews. It does as promised but is very difficult and time consuming to clean and therefore not worth it.
I love using an indoor grill and thought I was stepping up with this one.Big mistake.It doesn't grill or broil the food, it kind of sautes it.Wish I hadn't thrown the box out, I'd send it back.Very disappointed.
They're all there.You save a whole lot of money for buying a combo pack.I live in California, and I received the products in 3 days.Comes with 1 year warranty.All and all, I'm pretty happy with the experience, and the products.
I was not very impressed with this oven. It is too small and you can hardly fit 2 slices of bread on the rack. The heating part seems to be working fine, but it's very small. The rack and the door are flimsy and too lite. This oven reminded me of those toy appliance sets we had as children or like the easy bake oven. I think I'll buy my next oven in person.
All it seems to do is smash the toast, and you can't really see the pattern at all.
The rack was exactly what we needed.The quality has been top-notch --- it has met all of our expections --- a perfect fit.Once again we are enjoying our Delonghi Toaster Oven!!