Our kitchen is full of KitchenAid products, so I am surprised at the poor quality of the slow cooker's insert. I received this cooker as a Christmas gift last year, have used it less than 2 dozen times, if that, and the ceramic insert cracked while using it a couple weeks ago. I smelled a burning smell - lifted out the insert - only to find the stew had somehow "spilled" into the metal area of the slow cooker. That "spill" turned out to be a leak from a hairline crack in the insert. Given the way we care for our cookware, electrics, etc - cool before washing, storing carefully (inside, room temp), etc., I am perplexed at how easily (and soon) this insert failed.

This review does not reflect my satisfaction with KitchenAid products in general, but I would not purchase this slow cooker again and do not recommend it to others. For the price, this slow cooker should have lasted years, not months.