Cuisinart Cook Central Multi-Cooker, 7-Quart

Love this machine EXCEPT...
Loved this machine. Really hated to send it back but I had to. Twice. I purchased it from Williams Sonoma and thank goodness they have great customer service. The same things happened to both machines.

1) The front control panel will crack if you use it often or let it get very hot. The first time the crack was really bad but the second time I tried to live with a small crack until...

2) The non-stick interior will eventually bubble, peel and crack EVEN WITH BABYING IT. I never used anything but silicone or wood to stir and I hand washed the item and it still eventually bubbled and peeled.

Lastly, the machine was a bit temperamental but I finally figured out the lid placement has something to do with it actually functioning as intended.

Again, I was willing to live with it because I loved to brown items directly in the pot but I can't live with bits of non-stick surface in my food.

No stars for this one, none
First of all, chef's catalogue has fantastic customer service. Fantastic. Which is great as i had to ship this thing back three times, and each time they promptly gave me free shipping label before I gave up and decided to opt for refund.
The concept is fantastic, the simplicity of using and cleaning is worth $199, however I would pay twice as much if only this thing worked. It works beautifully first time, sometimes second - but that third time is a charm - the display just does not match the temperature inside and the timer does not change therefore you end up with beautifully overlooked and burnt meal. By hey, at least it is easy to clean and ship back.

Great product
This is about the most usefull cooking device I have seen. It does everything you normally would typically do with a slow cooker plus roasting, searing, steaming and baking. Making a roast now allows you to do everything without dirting additional pots and control the cooking process as you want. The controls work well and allow a lot of flexibility.
It is easy to clean as well. Well done!

Click to Editorial Reviews