Electrics Slow Cooker (6.5-qt.): Stainless Steel by All-Clad

I purchased this based on a review by America's Test Kitchen and am happy I did. The price is reasonable for All-Clad ($145) and it works as noted. The difference between this one and my old crock-pot was this one has a countdown timer (the one with the delay timer is more expensive) and it keeps the temperature true for the duration. It also has a nice safety feature where it doesn't heat unless the crock is inserted.

Overall, very happy.

The cooker looked great and cooked well. But after a little over a year, the ceramic insert cracked. I had taken great care with the insert, never subjecting it to sudden temperature changes, treating it carefully when hand washing and drying it,etc. Yet one day, I spotted a crack that ran across and completely through the insert. Of course it was just after the warranty expired. And the cost of a new insert was more than $60. I did a little checking on line and discovered that many others had experienced the same problem, some repeatedly. So it didn't seem wise to buy another insert which would probably just crack as well. It was cheaper to buy a brand new slow cooker at less than $50 which has the same features at 1/4 the price of the All Clad. I suggest you save your money and buy something a lot less expensive and a lot more durable.

I like the size of the slow cooker but I wish I could change the temp for a shorter time then have it go to warm. For example I cooked a goulash on high for 5 hours then wanted to drop the temp to low for an hour, then have it go to warm to hold the food but the shortest time it will allow on low is 4 hours.

I love the durability of this crockpot. The black crock is nice for serving from and can easily be moved to the refrigerator or dishwasher. The handles are in a good position (unlike my previous crockpot) so that you can move the whole appliance while it is hot without burning your knuckles on the sides. I like the Keep Warm feature that halts cooking but keeps the food warm after the programmed cooking time is done.

The one drawback I found that was not clear in the item description... there is no way to program the crockpot to cook on High for 2 hours and then turn itself down to cook on Low for the remaining time. There are many recipes that I use that could benefit from such flexibility. That and a delayed start time/clock feature would make this crockpot just about perfect. However, this is still this best one I found available.

After doing some research I had narrowed my choice for a new slow cooker down to either a kitchen aid or the all-clad. After reading several reviews on various other sites about the kitchen aid cookers crocks cracking for some reason and spilling the contents all over people's countertops, I decided to go with the all-clad. I made 4 or 5 dishes so far and I have been very happy with its performance. As for looks, well it's so beautiful it makes the rest of my kitchen look dingy. I told my husband I wanted to update all our appliances to match my beautiful new slow cooker!

The only drawback in my opinion is that there isn't a 4 quart model, the 6.5 quart is so large, and a lot of recipes call for the 4 qt. especially dessert recipes.