KitchenAid KMC4244CA Candy Apple Multi-Cooker with Stir Tower, 2-5 quart

I wanted to get a slow cooker/multi cooker to replace an older one I had with a glazed ceramic insert. This one is beautiful. It's good a lot of features that are very useful in the way I cook. For example, the manual setting allows you to set the temperature where you want it (in five degree increments), but it also includes lo and hi slow cooker settings to use as well. I also got the tower with stirring blades, but wondered if I would really use them. They turned out to be great. I made polenta in this thing, using the blades, and it worked like a dream! With my old slow cooker, about all I did was make bone broth. This one is great for that as well, but I am using it for so much more!On the down side, I would prefer to have more control over the time the multi-cooker cooks. If there is a way, I haven't been able to find it. For example, on the manual setting, you can't just turn it on and let it cook until you decide it's done. It will automatically shut off after twelve hours. When I make bone broth, I cook it for 36 hours, so with this KitchenAid, it takes a bit of planning. But the good outweighs this by far.Overall, I recommend this.

Right out of the box I made some of my homemade soup.Being able to easily saute my mirepoix right in the pot and then adding my stock directly to the mix made things so much easier.I also like the automatic programs, definitely a convenience.I loved the fact that I could set the Stir Tower to stir every 20 minutes whether I was in front of the pot or not.After a couple of hours I had a rich and hearty soup that tasted as if I stood in front of the stove stirring away.The only thing lacking is a full range of temperature control between 110 and 160; The unit would be great for Sous Vide cooking.

I became interested in the multi cooker a while back because of the stir tower and when my old slow cooker died, I decided to look into this again. I looked at reviews for a lot of different multi-cookers, but in the end the deciding factor was the stir tower. I didn't want the red because I didn't want a bright glossy kitchen appliance but this was the best deal so I bought it. I was very pleasantly surprised when I opened the box, its a beautiful color - not a dark red, but not a very bright red either.I took off one star because I have not used the stir tower yet, I will update my review as soon as I have. I very rarely used my old slow cooker and had hopes of slow cooking more frequently due to this product. I think I definitely will. The cooking pot is ceramic coated and weighs very little it is also only has a 4 quart capacity which makes washing this and lifting it with food easy. I like that I can saute all my ingredients in the same pot the most.The first time I cooked in it, I just fiddled with the buttons, sauteed my ingredients and put everything to cook. While I was waiting for it to cook, my sister got curious and fiddled with it and we got confused on weather she had just turned it on and it had been in warmer mode all this time (because I maybe forgot to press start or had pressed it twice) or if she had just put it in warmer mode now. I will explain why it is confusing later. After trying to see if the manual had any description on how to differentiate if it was cooking or not, I called customer care. I didn't have to wait long and the representative was nice and really tried to help, unfortunately she couldn't figure it out either. Judging, from this experience though, I like their customer care.In the end I just used a thermometer, unplugged the unit to turn it off and on, took note of what it looked like and figured it out myself. It seems, it was cooking properly for the first 3 hours, then it was in standby for 45 minutes, so I just cooked it for the remaining time. At least the dish turned out okay.To slow cook, the manual says to select your mode and press start. As long as you follow that no problem, if you were focused on something else, and don't know if you pressed start or not, its hard to know unless you are familiar with what it looks like before start and after start. In slow cook mode, it will show hi or low in the top display and will show the slow cooker mode on the bottom (which moves across the screen) and the light will blink on and off. After start, it will display the temperature on top, mode will be the same and on the bottom, and the light stays on. There is a preheating mode before this and is easy to recognize.There is a very small part on the outside of my cooker where the paint has chipped off, I don't know if it was already there and I didn't notice it, or if it somehow received that in the week I've had it. I didn't bother exchanging it because it is so small but it is something worth keeping an eye on. I haven't used any of the other functions, except slow cook and saute, so I can't comment on them. In the end, I think its a great product and like it very much.

I sincerely DO like this product, however the stir tower handle will not stay locked in place. Additionally, after very close inspection by my husband and I, we noticed the inside of the pot, not the crock, is dented in two places. Very disappointed and not sure what I should do.

Let me first say I love the cooker pot. It is beautiful and works as described. The stir tower is another story. In my opinion, it is ill designed. Instead of stirring it simply pushes food in a circle. I had to pick the stir paddles up (which was awkward) so I could actually stir my stew. I found the stir tower to be totally useless and annoying. I sent this item back and ordered the multi-cooker without the stir tower which saved me $120.