KitchenAid Multi-Cooker 5KMC4244AOB (Onyx Black)

Have had better for less price – Looks nice but the stirring arm doesn't actually stir ingredients properly. Risotto was burnt on the bottom. Its OK for a slow cooker but I could of bought a slow cooker for much less. saute feature is too hot you need to do it manually

Worth purchasing – Unlike some cookers which tell you how to cook, the multi cooker requires you to have some skills in the kitchen and certainly worth using your grandmothers cookbook for recipes to cook in it, Takes time and practice, but makes excellent food, cooks anything you can think off and allows you to modify the temperature to fine tune the cooking process.

The stir tower is worth its wait in gold, the various settings and two blades make it unique to the kitchen aid. Also the delay settings for allow you to stir and then it rests for 2 minutes, then stirs again, once again practice with the two blades, some recipes the side blade is perfect but fried spuds you best with the base blade only.

I am so disappointed with this piece of kit – I could kick myself for buying this. I read some bad reviews but I bought it anyway wanting to believe the good ones, but the bad ones exactly mirrored my experience. These are the problems I had with it: 1: It is grossly overpriced for what it is - it's basically a slow cooker, dressed up as something better. Yes it stirs with the stir tower, but not well.

2: In relation to the stir tower; as one of the online product reviews also says, the stirring doesn't really stir it just makes things slide around and around. For example, when cooking risotto whatever is on top will stay on top and just travel around the bowl meaning that you have to turn the stirrer off and stir it well to turn over every now and then.

3: Making yoghurt: it doesn't even do the job of the world's most expensive yoghurt maker well. I made three batches that all failed. Then I checked the temperature that it says on the front of the machine by putting two different thermometers in the milk and found that the temperature that the milk actually was versus the temperature on the front of the machine was off by 15-20 degrees Celsius! I then had to switch it to manual to try to adjust it....

4. The stirring paddles are made of silicone that retains smells a LOT. So the first time I made curry the smell of curry was in the blades and would not come out no matter what I did. Curry flavoured yoghurt anyone? I contacted Kitchenaid and they did send me a new set and advised I used one set for savoury and one for sweet - true enough but if that's the case then send two sets in the first place or use something that doesn't retain cooking odours.

I feel that this is a very poorly designed piece of kit and not worth what I paid for it. I've had mine for about four weeks now and I can't see myself using it. What a waste, very disappointed customer who now doesn't trust the Kitchenaid brand.