Cuisinart PSC-400 / PSC-650

Won't last – Had this for 18 months, used about 10 times and then it stopped. Will turn on, set timer and off she goes until it reaches temp, then it turns off. Board stuffed so into the bin it goes. Won't buy another from this brand. Show details

Repaired faulty timer myself – Like everyone else, the timer went dim and failed. Following advice on here I also replaced the capacitors on the PCB mounted in the corner. Pretty sure the yellow rectangular ones were the faulty ones. Cooker now as good as new. Show details

It dies – Not satisfied at all. I received one as a gift..I really enjoyed it, but one day the power wouldn't come on. So I purchased another one, 4 months later it stopped working also. When it worked, it was perfect, but for the amount of money spent on one, I definitely would not recommend buying this one. Show details

Amazing! – Absolutely love it! I’m so glad I got the 6.5l as it fits a leg of lamb well. By far the best slow cooker I’ve owned. Easy to use and everything I’ve cooked so far has come out perfect. Show details

Excellent and reliable option – I really like this, bought it for my husband and it does everything I want it to. Hubby was cooking an managed to put the dish with lid into the oven destroying the lid as the handle is not meant to go into the oven. His fault, not theirs. I went to replace the lid (prepared to buy one) and the company sent one free. Amazing customer service and very happy.  Show details

Use it tons – Both my wife and I work so we have to prepare our food in advance. Love the product. Never failed us and it is so easy to use. Should it ever fail us we would gladly purchase a similar model from Cuisinart. Noticed its not marked as five stars but to be honest I cannot fault it.  Show details

Supposedly premium slow cooker with some low-end shortcomings – Slow cookers are pretty simple things and the basic principles haven’t changed a whole lot since the 70s but as avid year round slow cookers we wanted a unit that had a few more features. Ideally we were chasing a unit that we could set to turn on and off but finding one that turned on with a timer seemed to be a fruitless search and we have now… Read more

learnt that they generally can’t be found because the on timer is perceived to be a safety hazard (fire and food bacteria related). The Cuisinart comes into the market at the higher of price points for a slow cooker: something that appears to be the case for all Cuisinart products in Australia. In America they are standard issue but over here they try to pitch (and price) them at the premium end. That said, you do occasionally see this unit on promo (Kitchen Warehouse had it on sale Boxing day past) so its worth keeping an eye out.

In four years of use we have really given it a hammering year round but there are a few gripes. The large size crock is terrific (one of the biggest we could find) and perfect for making big batches of recipes. The timer is simple to use and we, to date, haven’t had any issues with the display failing as other reviewers have mentioned (so, the display will obviously become a problem eventually!). Our only real bone of contention has been the plastic knob on the lid. It is absolutely shocking and designed to fail; an extremely flimsy item for a unit that seems quite robust otherwise. We have already replaced the lid once already (not all that cheap!) but the knob on the new lid fell apart like the old one. So. We just live with it and remove the lid using the plastic stump where the lid once sat.

If it broke tomorrow I don’t know if we’d go down the same path again given the issues with the lid. It looks terrible on the benchtop with the broken knob. Also, slow cooking appears to have taken off again and there now appear to be quite a few more premium options in the market with different features. Many of these are cheaper than the Cuisinart so we’d probably need to really research it before committing to the brand again.

What I got for 180 bucks: 22 months, 19 cooks at 8 hours per cook – This review is after almost 2 years of use. In those two years, I did roughly 19 slow cooks averaging 8 hours per cook (152 hours of total use). On my 20th cook, the programmer would automatically turn off after 30 seconds. And, the LCD would not display any value. Not willing to fork out another $180, I replaced the capacitors. Bottom line:… Read more

Unless you are willing to open up the circuits and do a DIY fix after the warranty period, buy an alternative product that will give you better mileage.

Other than the ceramic bowl and lid, the rest of the product is poorly built costing $20 at most.

11 months and then ...landfill – Cooked bone broth every week for 11 months. 6.5L so good capacity and I liked that the bowl was ceramic. Then my slow cooker died. Landfill after 11 months. Not good enough Cuisinart Show details

Don’t buy! – I have now cooked about 5 times with this slow cooker. After yet another night of wasted effort i am going to cut my losses and throw it away. Even after10 hours a regular sized lamb leg remains barely cooked and tough. Another night of giving up and last minute dash to mcdonalds instead! So much wasted effort and food. I thought i had read recipe wrong or some other error but no it is the appliance! Dont waste your money! Show details

Ceramic bowl contains lead – For those concerned with lead from the glazing, this is a response I got to my email I sent to Cruisinart: -- Good afternoon, Please note the slow cooker ceramic coating is a glaze which contains a very small amount of lead and cadmium that certainly is not harmful in any way. Thanks Cuisinart Customer Service Ph: 1800 808 971 -- You can decide for yourself if you believe small quantities of toxins are harmful or not.  Show details

It is reliable and has easy programming features that make all the difference – I have had my Cuisinart PSC-650A slow cooker for about 3 years now. It is a great size and very easy to use. The size fits up to 8 lamb shanks and veg at a time. This is amazing especially when entertaining. It has a high or low function to cook depending on how quick you want it to cook and a simmer and warming feature. It has a timer of course.… Read more

The really good think is after your food is cooked it switches to the warming feature so you literally just set and it does the job for you. It is easy to clean as the ceramic dish and lid is removable for washing. If you spray the ceramic bowl with oil before cooking it is even easier to clean as everything comes away with no fuss.

I love my slow cooker and use it a lot in winter. I have never had a problem with it and would recommend it to anyone who is looking to buy one.

Love it – The only thing I don't like about slow cooker is that it's hard to tell if you turned it on. Use it a couple of times a week and love it! Love the oval shape - means you can fit a leg of lamb in it. We adapt all sorts or recipes to use in it.  Show details

Amazing - my life is so much easier with it – Easy to use and the long 24 hour setting helps make perfect bone broth stock. Timer is easy to work and it has options of simmer to low heat just to keep things warm until meal time. Good size for a small couple. Have had for 2 years and still going strong  Show details

No Australian repairer – Awesome machine but slowly dying. Like many other previous reviews, my display has died but I know the time goes up in 30min increments so I just count the beeps to set the cooking time. I'm waiting for the whole unit to give up the ghost. Not sure who made this model but the quality is not consistent with the multiple Cusinart appliances I have… Read more

in my kitchen. I called customer service in Sydney and was told there are no authorised repairers in Australia. If it's in warranty they replace it. Out of warranty, throw it away!

Apart from the loose fitting lid and faulty display, I cannot fault the appliance.

Died, not once but twice – This was a great slow cooker until the display started to fade and then eventually died - the power would come on but as soon as you pressed any other button it would turn itself off. This happened not once but twice - my first unit was under warranty and they replaced it without any questions. The second time it was out of warranty - my husband… Read more

is good with electronics so he pulled it apart but the display is so poorly made that he couldn't fix it. Such as shame as I think this one is better looking than others on the market, but for the price it needs to last longer than two years.

The quality of the manufacturing of the display is obviously a problem and one that Cuisinart has not addressed.

Great until it died !! – Great slow cooker when it goes but unfortunately mine suffered the same timer issue that seems to be a unwanted feature for this brand. It died and I could not find a repair centre that could fix what should have been a simple electronic issue. Cuisinart NZ website advice was to send it to Cuisinart Akl for assessment or buy a new one. I did neither and took a third option which was to buy a Breville.

Slow cooker – Slow cooker (they got that right) returned it because 14 hours of cooking is just to long. My second unit the same deal. This one will be going back as well. Both units were set on high with meat not fully cooked. I rung cuisines in Auckland to see if they could give me advise on my second psc-650a. All they could say is take it back. Slackers

Excellent - until it died – I make bone broth weekly and this unit worked beautifully until suddenly the timer just didn't work anymore. That would would have been OK as I don't need the timer, but the unit does not work unless the timer is set. I've gone back to cooking on the stove top as I don't know what to buy.

It died - I'm sad – Loved it but after approx 2 years the display started to go and this morning (about 3 months after display started to go) the whole unit failed. Seems to be a common problem. Don't know what else to buy though as when it works it is great.

It was great – I've had the the Cuisinart Slow Cooker for just under two years. Bought it as we were told you could also use the pan on the stove. Well that was false to start with. Was working great up to a year, used it for everything: curry, brisket, lamb shanks, pulled pork. Then a few months ago the display started to fade, as i've just read from many… Read more

other reviews. Just yesterday it decided to give in completely.

Read the Contact us form 'If out of warranty buy a new one.' AWESOME!

I will be buying a new one, but definitely not Cuisinart. Sunbeam and Breville have service centres so I will be sticking to those brands!!!!!!!!

NOT happy. Display function not working – I bought a Cuisinart slow cooker 2 years ago because of it's programmable function. Now the display is no longer working. It was an expensive purchase at the time -I was prepared to pay because I use a slow cooker frequently. It is now out of warranty. I Am NOT happy But it is the best slow cooker on the market.

Very Poor After Sales Service – Recently, I was delighted to receive a new Cuisinart Programmable Slow Cooker 6.5L (PSC-650A), from my hubby and kids, as an early mother's day gift. On unpacking this slow cooker I noticed that the glazed pot contained quite a number of pin head sized bubbles in both the inside and outside glaze - this means that the glaze is not a continuous… Read more

sealed surface. I carefully read through all the info provided with the product and then went to the Cuisinart AU website to register my product and also email a query. I politely requested that the after sales service team let me know if the bubbles in the glaze are considered to be normal - or would they have an effect on the safety, efficiency or longevity of my product? I also requested information regarding the materials used in the ceramic pot and glaze - are they lead and cadmium free? There is no info about this in the product brochure or on the Cuisinart AU website. As yet, I have not heard back from the Cuisinart AU after sales service team - it has been 3 weeks! I do not feel confident to cook food for my family in this glazed pot until I have been provided with the information that I have requested. If Cuisinart AU would care to post the information here, I'm sure that there are other health conscious people who would also greatly appreciate this information. Thank you. I have trialed this slow cooker with water only and found it to be very simple to use. The timer was accurate and I love the way that the cooker automatically switched to 'warm' when the cooking time finished. Very poor after sales service, my polite query through the Cuisinart AU website, as yet, has gone unanswered.

Awesome, easy to use – I cooked my first slow cooker meal every with this machine and it turned out perfectly. I did read the instructions being a newbie to slow cooker meal making, was easy to understand, machine easy to use and the dish came out perfect. The timer is easy to use and when finished it keeps the food warm and doesn't dry out. It also has a small… Read more

footprint and fits easier on my small bench top or in the cupboard and looks amazing. Timer, ability to control the cook and keep warm when finished. Haven't found any issues yet.

To Buy Or Not To Buy? – After years of use my current slow cooker has cracked. So I'm desperately looking for another 6 1/2 litre slow cooker. I went to buy a Cuisinart PSC-650 and I found, on two occasions, that this slow cookers lid had quite substantial gaps between the lid and the ceramic insert. Yes, I'm aware that it's a slow cooker, not a pressure cooker, and that… Read more

the lid does not need to be a snug fit, but never have I owned a slow cooker that had such huge gaps. Do all you that own this slow cooker have the same issue? Or am I just coming across dud Cuisinart Slow Cookers? I understand that some steam does need to be released in the cooking process, but seriously, the gap I noticed on the cooker will release steam AND heat during cooking. Also, has anyone had any issues with the ceramic insert cracking? I just want a reliable 6 1/2 litre digital slow cooker (as most times I'm not home to switch it off, hence I need the digital type that automatically turns itself to keep warm) but unfortunately the supply in Australia is SERIOUSLY limited.

Wouldn't buy – I bought a Cuisinart slow cooker 4 years ago because of it's programmable function. Now the display is no longer working. It was an expensive purchase at the time -I was prepared to pay because I use a slow cooker frequently in winter. It is now out of warranty. I would not buy this brand again.

Not worth it! – My display panel died after only a few uses which is part of the reason I bought this model. I left a stock to cook overnight, when I checked it the next morning the entire machine had died. Not worth the money. Just buy a cheap one, I don't believe there is any difference. Nothing Expensive and poor quality

Great only one fult! – I love my slow cooker but only one thing. The little clock display turns on for a second then disappears preventing you knowing how long your putting it on for or how long it's been on for. No other faults Love the size. Heats even. Outer case cool to touch. Safe Every thing! Little clock doesn't work any more preventing knowing how long it's on for.

Terrific 3yr Warranty and Customer Service – Purchased locally at our House shop in Noosaville - Civic Centre and after 2yrs the control panel failed. Contacted shop and Cuisinart and arrangements were immediately made (upon showing proof of purchase) to get a replacement sent and to take back our used one. In addition, I was advised by Cuisinart by email that we would get another 3yr… Read more

warranty on the new replacement.... How good is that!

-Hopefully it will have the retractable cord as in the promo video on the website, which means we can now shift it straight onto the table for serving/holding. The warranty and program cooking control and slow/low cooking and looks The control panel dying, but even that is made a positive by Cuisinart Customer Service 3yr Warranty. A 'delay start' function would also be a program advantage.

A traditional slow slow cooker! – I have gone through several slow cookers in my time but this one has definitely been the best. I have had no issues with it. Unlike other cheaper brands that I have had in the past, this one does not cook too quickly and at too high a temperature. Everything has worked out perfectly. If you are after a traditional slow cooker then this is the… Read more

one. I love that it is programmable too. It actually is a slow cooker and doesn't cook too quickly. Timer program is great too. Would be better if there was a program option to start on high and then switch to low automatically after a certain amount of time.

Very Good Slow Cooker ... Tender, juicy meat that just falls off the bone ! – After seeing so many very tasty looking slow cooker recipes online I decided to purchase the Cuisinart PSC-650, after checking lots of reviews for different branded slow cookers. The stainless steel base unit is light in weight and very stylish, with a solid oval shaped removable ceramic pot and glass lid so you can easily see how your food is… Read more

cooking. The timer function is easy to use allowing you to set the cooking in 30 minute blocks on high or low heat, and it auto switches to warm mode for up to 4 hours when completed. The whole thing is easy to clean and the square shape allows for easy storage too. The recipe and tip book is also great, so many delicious recipes.

I've now cooked dozens of different types of meals in it and bar one which turned out stringy (my fault - I adapted the recipe and overcooked it), the meals have been fantastic. Tender, juicy meat that just melts off the bone every time !

My only criticism would be with the timer function and not being able to program it for multiple heat settings unattended in one cooking session. Some recipes require to cook on high for part and low for the remainder. It's fine when you are at home and can change the heat setting, but if going to work for the day I can't hang about and wait, so I only do the recipes requiring heat setting changes on the w/ends.

Overall, it's a great easy to use cooker that serves perfectly cooked meals and I'm very happy with the purchase. Stylish, solid and cooks great juicy tender meals Timer function - can't cook on multiple heat settings unattended

Top buy – I'd been looking for a new slow cooker since my old one refused to slow cook anymore. This unit is quite expensive but i picked it up on sale and it looks and is the real deal.Just put your ingredients into the cooker, press the timer button and the job is done. Want to vary the cooking time, just press the button. The 6.5 lt is big enough to tale… Read more

a whole duck or a large slab of corned beef. I have had my fill of buying cheap kitchen gadgets and so i highly reccommend this unit - it does what it's supposed to incredibly well. Great looks and easy to use nothing

Have had problems – I have had two of these models. The first I took back because it wouldn't switch to warm mode at the end of the cooking time. The second one is doing the same. What am I doing wrong? I love the idea of leaving a meal to cook over the day but the results have been so dry that my family hates it! Flavours of sauces are well developed Food is dry

Outstanding slow cooker – I have been using another brand of slow cooker for 2 years now and have been convinced that it's cooking food at too high a temp. The meat would be stringy and dry... so I finally bit the bullet as I've been eyeing off this slow cooker for a while and it is OUTSTANDING! My meat is just so so tender, but not over-cooked. SO good. The meat cooks… Read more

right on 4 hours for high and 8 for low, so times are correct and true and I'm convinced the temp is slightly lower, the programmable feature means I can put it on in the morning and come home to a warm dinner that's ready for me to serve.

I ADORE this unit and while it is a bit more to spend, it's so worth it in my opinion. Great cooking temp, programmable, large capacity, stainless steel finish looks nice on your bench top! it is expensive, but you get what you pay for with this unit.