I had bought a 10 piece set of copper clad pots and we love them. ThenI bought this a few months ago and have used it twice. Mine has a ceramic insert instead of cast aluminum but not relevant. First, the lid AND the lid handle get extremely hot. That's just plain dangerous and it would have been easy enough to design an insulated handle. Second, other slow cookers have lids that close tight or seal but this does not. Only the weight of the lid holds it down so that liquid steams out as it cooks. These should be called crockpots, not slow cookers.