Cuisinart PSC-400 4 Quart Programmable Slow Cooker, Brushed Stainless Steel

Comment: I am enjoying my new slow cooker. I did not realize until after I purchased it that it did not have a delayed start, but it switches to the warm setting after the programmable time. It cooks fast on low so I am now trying to reduce the cooking time so the food is not over cooked. Overall, I am pleased with the purchase.

Comment: While this unit may look nice, the build quality is terrible. Mine did not work correctly right out of the box. The unit kept shutting off on its own, even with the timer and heat settings set correctly. Not worth buying, especially when you lose money shipping the large defective product back.

Comment: 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.

Comment: For the most part, this works as it should, and it makes awesome chili/etc.

The only issues I have run into are with the fake chrome handles and the plastic on the lid. The stainless looks great, but the handles are painted plastic, and the plastic peels right off. It looks awful after 1 run. As for the lid handle, the plastic on that melted after one use. Lastly, the lid doesn't fit very snugly into the base.

It works great, but the flaws make this a so-so item

Comment: This product is a blot on the Cuisinart name. It's controls are backwards, Hi means Lo and vice versa. For the first couple of times we used it, so long as we remembered the 'eccentric' controls, it worked fine. Now it won't heat above 160F. I'd happily trade in the 'state of the are' electronic controls for a simple rheostat and a separate timer. From now on, if I want something slow-cooked, I'll just put a pot on the simmer plate. Bleagh!