Customer Reviews

Cuisinart PSC-650 Stainless Steel 6-1/2-Quart Programmable Slow Cooker

5 star:		(57)
4 star:		(19)
3 star:		(5)
2 star:		(8)
1 star:		(25)

 

 

We have had this slow cooker for three months, using it twice a week. So far we are very satisfied.

In researching our purchase and reading numerous reviews, we found that the Cuisinart generally received positive evaluations. There were a few negative ones, but obviously we discounted them and went ahead with the Cuisinart anyway. Some reviewers criticized it for overheating food, but overheating in a slow cooker is usually a sign that the pot was underfilled. A good slow cooker should have the power to heat a full pot to over 200 F, so it should come as no surprise that the heater can boil a low pot. The Cuisinart instructions specifically warn against underfilled pots, and we have had no overheating problems with even half-full pots.

We have not had this cooker long enough to comment on durability. Contrary to some opinions, our impression is that the Cuisinart is a solidly constructed, well-designed appliance, made with high quality materials. No sign of a lemon here.

We use our 4 qt cooker to make meals for a family of four. We debated whether to get a larger size, but in retrospect we realize that a one gallon pot holds more than enough for our family.

Programmability was important to us, and we like the userfriendliness of this unit. A few reviewers have lamented the lack of a delayed start program, but a feature that encourages you to leave raw food at room temperature for a prolonged period did not sound that desirable to me. The cooker will automatically switch to a safe warming mode in case you are not around at the end of the cooking cycle.

A cookbook is included, but most of the recipes are one or two steps beyond the convenience of a mix-and-go meal. We have bought cookbooks with simpler recipes, and have been happy with the results.

There are other slow cookers that will perform the basic tasks competently for less money than the Cuisinart. For the extra cost you get programmability, a nice appearance, superior quality, and a few unexpected extras.

I bought the Cuisinart PSC-400 because I wanted to expand my cooking skills into the realm of slow cooker convenience--but at the same time, I wanted to avoid the wonderful varieties of bland, gray, tough, and mushy disappointment that slow cookers are so famous for.

I previously owned 2 slow cookers, both Rival Crock-Pots. One was the original cylindrical model (with the crockery that didn't detach from the base); the other was a more recent 7 qt. oval model. I never made anything good in either one. My last effort in the large oval cooker was to try (repeatedly) to make beef brisket. The results always came out bland and stringy.

Then, about 100 Alton Brown and Gordon Ramsey shows later, I was ready to return to the challenge of slow cooking. This time, I was armed with better information:

1) Apart from stews, meats like dry heat. Avoid slow cookers for brisket especially. But if you have to slow cook meats, place them above the vegetables and be sparing on the liquid content.

2) Avoid filling a slow cooker only 1/2 way. Try to fill it at least 2/3, or you will likely overcook your food.

3) No color, no flavor. If you cook any meats, poultry, etc., always brown them first in a skillet, if possible.

4) Herbs are a mixed bag. Most dried herbs have diminishing flavor in a slow cooker, whereas fresh/undried herbs will tend to produce more flavor than you're used to.

So I looked for a slow cooker that I could use for my experiments. It had to be small enough so I could fill it up without wasting too much food on bad experiments, yet large enough to get at least a couple of useful meals for my wife and I. It had to be tall and narrow, so I could control the wet and dry portions (layering the food) and prevent overheating if I did want to cook a smaller portion. It had to have preferably three or more temperature settings so I could find the right one. And it had to be safe to leave unattended all day or all night.

The Cuisinart PSC-400 not only fit all of the above criteria, but its automatic warm setting, ease of programming, retractable cord, and good looks were a bonus. Most importantly, of all the slow cookers reviewed, this one appeared to have the highest consensus that its heat settings were appropriate. I found this to be the case as well. "Low" really means low. And "high" is still below the lowest simmer I can achieve on a gas stove. Since there are three cooking settings (not counting the "warm" setting), you shouldn't have any problem finding the right one. Also, according to the manual, the heating elements wrap around the side for more even heat distribution. I think one would be hard pressed to find another slow cooker for the same price with all of these features.

After buying the Cuisinart, I downloaded 8 recipes from the Food Channel site and got busy. The initial disappointing results led me to the following conclusion: either these famous TV chefs never tasted their own slow cooking, or slow cookers are just too different to use any recipe without significant changes. (Yeah, ok, or I can't follow a simple recipe. I'll let you decide.)

But I persevered, and by the time I got to the last few recipes, I was improvising more, with better results. I made a stewed pork dish by first searing the pork in a skillet, along with onions, peppers, etc., then transfering to the slow cooker with just a little broth. The result was flavorful and tender--similar to carnitas.

Eventually, my wife wanted to try out the slow cooker. She has this pork rib soup recipe that she stove-cooks at a good boil for 3 hours. It's one of her best dishes. In order to duplicate her results in the slow cooker, we tried the high setting for 8 hours. The results were perfect! We now use that 2.5:1 ratio as a guide when converting other similar recipes.

Being aware of the comments on this site that some people found the slow cooker to boil and rattle the lid, I wish to report that this never happened for me, even when cooking on high. Let me be precise: that pork rib stew did bubble at a low boil by the 8 hour mark, but never excessively so (the cooker was full, not half way).

I have one more successful cooking story I want to share. One of the aforementioned Food Channel recipes had resulted in a dry, stringy, flavorless chicken, despite the fact that it had been cooking on low for 6 hours, submerged in broth. So I made it my personal goal to duplicate the most moist and tender poached chicken I've ever eaten: Hainan style chicken. And I'm happy to say I've cracked the code: 2 1/2 hours on high for 6 thighs + 3 breasts. I layered the chicken and other ingredients to within 1/2" from the rim, with two breasts on top (meat side down), then filled with liquid up to the top layer. (Note that the manual says not to get closer than 1" from the top rim. They have their needs, I have mine.) After cooking and verifying the thighs were 170 degrees and breasts were 165, I immediately submerged the chicken in ice water. The result was equal in texture to the best Hainan Jifan I've ever had. And the flavor was wonderful! (Hint: 6" ginger + 6 green onions + fresh garlic + 32 oz. low salt [70 mg. sodium] chicken stock + at least 2 tablespoons salt and buy only organic free range chicken.)

After cooking so many dishes, I have gotten a feel for how the heat settings work. Don't expect to see a big difference between the three heat settings for the first 2 hours. The slow cooker was still heating up even after the 2 1/2 hours I used for the Hainan chicken. And you should never cook anything for less than 2 hours on high. The lower heat settings should be used for cooking times of at least 4 hours, preferably longer. The manual talks a little about this w.r.t. food safety, so read it carefully.

As far as cleanup, be careful when handling the crockery insert--it feels fragile. The stainless steel exterior wipes clean easily and continues to look beautiful after many cleanings. I haven't had any problems with the plastic handles covered in chrome. Overall, this does appear to be a much higher quality product than your average slow cooker.

My very old slow cooker is rarely used. It has no keep-warm setting and is huge. It was a gift. Since there is only two of us, this was just not an appliance that I reached for. Then I found some really good cookbooks for smaller units and with much more interesting recipes than the old dump 'n run versions with ingredients like the ever present cream soups. Those older recipes were too high in salt and fat for us. These newer books recommended tailoring the crock size to the recipe. I needed a smaller unit.

After agonizing about multiple choices, I chose to go with truly modern features. What I have come to like the best is being able to set a specific time and having it automatically move to warm until I am ready to serve. This really came in handy a few days ago when my husband and I were delayed 2 hours getting home.

I have read criticisms about the temperatures being too high. If you read the intros of modern slow cooker cookbooks, they emphasize that newer cookers try to run at temperatures that ensure food safety. This one has an automatic aspect in the first 30 minutes that brings food rapidly up through temperatures into the safe zone before settling down on either the high, low or simmer cooking setting. This stage could be misunderstood as being too high if you have not read the manual. Advice: Use simmer for making soups.

This does mean that some older recipes may need adjusting. But of the recipes we've tried from the enclosed recipe book, as well as from two excellent cook books (Not Your Mother's Slow Cooker Recipes for Two: For the Small Slow Cooker OR Art of the Slow Cooker: 80 Exciting New Recipes everything has come out beautifully. Some have been done on low and a couple have been done on high, whichever was called for. Both settings worked well.

This 4 qt size has turned out to be the most versatile for us. The crock cleans up very well. Be sure to read the instructions about not rapidly changing the temperature of the crock with either cold ingredients or when washing it.

My fiance and I have had in mind for awhile to buy a slow cooker. We received a $100 gift certificate for a retailer - known more for their smarminess than their affordable pricing -- and thought this would be the perfect thing to spend it on. This retailer in particular only had two models of slow cookers to choose from, this one and a 5 quart DeLonghi. I like the DeLonghi brand well enough -- but we thought the cooker was kind of ugly looking. So is the Cuisinart, truth be told.

There were only a handful of features that helped guide our choice. First was the extra quart-and-a-half capacity. The programmable heating settings also seemed like they could be useful. This slow cooker also comes with a cooking rack for when you're doing a roast. Ultimately what convinced us to go with this model was the fact that it's big enough TO do a roast -- you have room enough to do a whole chicken.

When we got home we immediately checked amazon to see how badly we'd been ripped off. Oddly enough -- it was the same price. However -- the reviews shocked us. How can a slow cooker get such horrible reviews when all it has to do is get hot and stay hot? We freaked out a bit and almost ran back to return it.

Like most people who bother to read reviews on amazon -- you're probably aware that typically some of the bad reviews are people just mouthing off, or rating the product based some other bad experience they've had, or they haven't read the user manual for their device and are in the process of breaking it themselves. There might be a bad review or two like this here, for the Cuisinart. But otherwise -- people are saying some frightening things -- namely, that the Cuisinart doesn't cook the food.

As for this slow cooker being badly engineered or made cheaply -- I'm not sure where that comes from. Look at it this way; this cooker holds a huge, thick, 6.5 quart ceramic bowl. The bowl itself can not be confused for cheap. The brushed stainless steel unit that it fits into likewise has to be huge. So, you have this huge steel unit and it's only function is to get hot. Do heating coils take up a lot of room? No, they don't. Are they heavy? No, they're not. If if the opinion of cheap is coming from the fact that the base is big and feels hollow -- then in my opinion they are not being very fair.

The only complaint I can make is that the programmable buttons are keypad type buttons. I would have preferred actual push-in surface buttons, but when you think about it -- the keypad style is much easier to clean up AND prevents moisture from any spilled liquids from getting inside.

Regarding the "permanent" fingerprints -- I'm not sure how that phenomenon can actually take place. I just wiped the unit down and it looks completely new again. Just because it's brushed stainless steel doesn't mean it won't get fingerprints.

Anyway, we decided to keep the cooker and we're glad we did. I threw together some chicken soup last night and we each had a delicious bowl of it this morning. Everything was cooked perfectly -- the carrots were soft and flavorful and the chicken melted away from the bone. I have no complaints or regrets. I would have given it five stars if it were just a tad prettier..

I was interested in a smaller size slow cooker but I wanted the programming features of the larger cookers. The Cuisinart 650 model has a lot of criticisms and plenty of 1 star ratings, but most of the reviews for both the CSC-400 and PSC-400 were positive. Unfortunately, every negative comment of the larger model is true with the PSC-400 I bought:

-the low temperature setting is too high
-the high setting boils the food
-escaping steam causes the lid to rattle constantly
-condensation runs down the outside of the pot

After researching how a slow cooker is "suppose" to work, I find descriptions such as this: "Slow cookers are designed to emit very little steam, so food braises in its own juices, as well as any cooking liquid."

The USDA website says: "The direct heat from the pot, lengthy cooking and steam created within the tightly-covered container combine to destroy bacteria and make the slow cooker a safe process for cooking foods."

The Cuisinart PSC-400 does not slow cook. It boils. It rattles.

Lastly, yes, it looks great, but it is a space hog.

This is a perfect slow cooker. Perfect size when following slow cooker recipes for "medium round." Very stylish...matches my Cuisinart rice cooker. I like the fact that I can set the timer for whatever time I want. When the time is up, the cooker sets to "keep" mode. Very easy to clean and takes up little space compared to my larger slow cooker. The lid fits perfectly with no escape of liquid.

Great little slow cooker/crockpot.

The unit cooks well and evenly.

The sleek design is suitable for a permanent home on the counter (unlike my older crockpot with it's 1970's floral print, which is best hidden in the cupboard). The retractable cord is an added bonus that makes it easy to keep on the counter or store neatly on a shelf.

The digital display is great - I love being able to set the time and walk away. But, calling this a programmable unit is a bit misleading - it's equipped with a digital timer, that's where the programming ends. The only thing that kept this review from being 5 stars is the lack of a "delayed start" option, which I thought would be included on a "programmable unit". However, to be fair, that short-coming, if you can call it that, is compensated for by the "warming feature" that keeps food warm after the cooking cycle.

The 4 quart is great for a small household. However, since you technically should only cook about 3 quarts in a 4 quart unit, if you have a household of 4 or more or love to eat "left overs", I suggest you consider bumping up to the 6 quart unit. Otherwise, you may find that your regular recipes don't quite fit into the pot.

All in all, well worth the investment.

I've gone thru several slow cookers and when the latest got dropped and broken I decided I wanted something a bit more than the basic off-low-high rotary switch model. After researching the available digital models, I settled on this one. I am glad I did.

The design is a bit bulkier than I am used to, but it has nice sturdy handles and is well balanced. The handles on the removable crockery are also big enough to grab with pot holders.

The touch pad programmable timer is easy to set. The three cooking levels (high, low, and simmer) plus "keep warm" are a nice feature.

The book tells you what the temperatures the settings maintain. I like that it will start on "high" no matter what you set it for until it comes up to temperature and then shift to your setting. (Heating quickly past the "Danger Zone") When your cooking time is up, it will shift to "keep warm". The only thing I wish it would allow is dual programming. (Say, 2 hours on high and then 4 hours on low)

Other nice touches: it comes with a dual height rack for the pot and the cord retracts into the body for neat storage.

The instruction book is well written and contains quite a few recipes (70 I think) and the 3 yr warranty is a plus.

Nothing makes cleanup easier than Reynolds Slow Cooker Liners(other than having someone else do it).

Overall I am very pleased with this slow cooker and would recommend it to a friend.

UPDATE 7/3/10: Its been two years since we purchased this and we are still happy with our purchase. We have had no problems with it. We like it so much that we purchased the 6.5 qt. slow cooker as well. (Some things just don't fit in the smaller one.)

I recently discovered you can change the temperature (say, high to low) without resetting the time. Most other digital devices I have (toaster oven and full-sized oven) can't do this.

The unit shifts to "keep warm" when it times out except if you put it on "keep warm" yourself...then it just shuts off. Why would I do this? I was doing a roast the recipe said I should do for four hours on high. The thermometer said it was done in two. So rather than reset the timer, I just shifted it to "keep warm." Two hours later it beeped and shut off. This is not a problem, IMO, just good to know.

My wife and I have owned this slow cooker for a few months now and used it many times. I hesitated in buying this model due to low ratings from many Amazon customers. Oddly enough, customers at Chef's Catalog and [...] gave the cooker high marks. Given Amazon's great return policy, we decided to take the risk. Let's just say that the risk paid off. The slow cooker performs well at all temperature ranges, and we love the retractable cord.

So far, I have made a variety of dishes including BBQ pork shoulder, French onion soup, and turkey stock from the carcass of our Thanksgiving turkey. Everything has turned out extremely well.

We highly recommend this product!

This is a good product. It's definitely big and takes counter space, but if you have a big family or like having leftovers, this is the right size. I haven't had any problems with the slow-cooker itself, no food burning on the high setting or steam coming out through the lid, for example. It's true that the unit itself gets hot, but I just move it away from any other kitchen utensils or appliances. It's heavy, but manageable. I'm not giving it 5 stars because the knob on the lid as well as the handles on the sides are made of cheap plastic, and for that price, I really think Cuisinart could have done better.