Description
What the Cuisinart Cook Central MSC-600 is
The MSC-600 is a 6 quart multicooker built around one idea: doing the browning in the same pot as the slow cooking. A conventional slow cooker has no way to sear, so a recipe that starts with browned meat and softened onions needs a skillet first, and then a second pan to wash. This unit heats to 400 degrees Fahrenheit for the sear, then drops to slow cooking temperatures in the same vessel.
Three functions are offered: brown and saute, steam, and slow cook. One touch switches between them, which is the point when a recipe calls for combination cooking. Steaming runs up to 90 minutes and a steaming rack is included, along with a glass lid with a cool touch handle and a manual.
The body is oval stainless steel measuring 19 inches wide by 9.5 inches deep by 12 inches high, weighing 16 pounds. The cooking pot is removable nonstick aluminum and is listed as dishwasher safe. Power is 1350 watts and control is by touch with a large blue backlit LCD showing time and temperature.
Why browning in the pot matters
Searing is not an optional flourish. Browning meat develops the compounds that give a braise or a stew its depth, and softening aromatics in fat before the long cook does the same for the base. A slow cooker that cannot sear forces a compromise: either use a separate pan, or skip the step and accept a flatter result.
Four hundred degrees Fahrenheit is a genuine searing temperature rather than a warm setting with a hopeful name. Where a multicooker of this type differs from a skillet is surface area and heat retention: an oval pot with sloped sides holds less contact area than a wide pan, so meat usually needs browning in batches rather than all at once. That is a limitation of the format rather than of this particular machine.
The nonstick pot is a mixed blessing here. It makes cleanup after a long braise straightforward, and it is dishwasher safe, which very few multicooker pots are. It also browns less aggressively than bare metal, and nonstick surfaces are not meant for sustained high heat over their whole service life. Using metal utensils or scouring the surface will shorten it.
Capacity, footprint and the missing detail
Six quarts is the standard useful size: enough for a whole chicken, a pot roast or a batch of chili for a household, and small enough that a half batch still works. The steaming rack extends it to vegetables and fish, and the 90 minute steam limit is generous for anything anyone actually steams.
The footprint deserves attention. Nineteen inches wide is broad for a countertop appliance, wider than most microwaves, and the oval shape means it does not tuck into a corner neatly. At 16 pounds it is heavy enough to be awkward to lift into a high cupboard but light enough to move on a counter.
Two entries in the listing do not stand up. The voltage is recorded as 220 volts, which cannot be right for a North American countertop appliance; a 1350 watt unit sold in the United States runs on a nominal 120 volt supply, and this is a data fault rather than a special requirement. The listing also states a rice capacity of 24 cups, which is a field from a generic template rather than a specification of this appliance, since it is not sold or programmed as a rice cooker. Anyone wanting rice specifically should look at a dedicated machine such as the Zojirushi NP-HCC10XH.
Living with three functions
Three functions sounds thin next to a modern multicooker advertising a dozen, and in practice it is not. Slow cooking, steaming and searing cover the great majority of what a countertop pot is used for, and a shorter list means a simpler interface: one touch moves between modes, and there is no menu to learn. What is missing is pressure cooking, which is the one absence that genuinely changes what the machine can do, since it is the function that turns a four hour braise into a one hour one.
The warming setting is the small feature that gets used most. Food held after the cook finishes stays servable without continuing to cook, which is what makes a slow cooker workable around a schedule rather than tied to one. The glass lid with its cool touch handle matters for the same reason: lifting a lid on a slow cook releases heat and adds time, so being able to look without lifting is worth having.
Highlights
- Brown and saute up to 400 degrees Fahrenheit in the same pot as the slow cook.
- Three programmable functions with one touch switching between them.
- Removable nonstick aluminum pot, listed as dishwasher safe.
- Steaming rack included, with steaming up to 90 minutes.
- Large blue backlit LCD showing time and temperature.
- Warming setting to hold food after cooking finishes.
- Glass lid with a cool touch handle for watching without lifting.
- 1350 watts in a 6 quart oval stainless steel body.
Things To Consider
- The voltage is listed as 220 volts. That is a data fault; a US model runs on a standard 120 volt supply.
- A rice capacity of 24 cups appears in the listing but this is not a rice cooker and nothing else supports that figure.
- Three functions only. There is no pressure cooking, no air frying and no yogurt setting.
- Nineteen inches wide is a large footprint for a counter, and the oval shape does not sit neatly in a corner.
- Nonstick browns less aggressively than bare metal, and the coating is a wear item.
- Searing usually needs to be done in batches given the pot’s shape.
- The listing has been available since October 2013, so this is a long standing design rather than a current release.
- Only the pot is stated as dishwasher safe. The lid and rack are not specified.
Who it suits
This suits a cook who makes braises, stews and pot roasts and is tired of dirtying a skillet before every one of them. The searing temperature is real, the removable pot goes in the dishwasher, and the interface is simple enough that it does not need a manual after the first week. For anyone who wants slow cooking done properly rather than slow cooking with shortcuts, it is a sensible machine.
It is the wrong appliance for someone who wants pressure cooking speed or a long list of modes, where a multi function unit such as the Ninja MC1010 Foodi PossibleCooker PLUS covers more ground. It is also poorly suited to a small kitchen given the width. Buyers who want long cooking without electricity at all should look at the Thermos thermal cooker, and those wanting a countertop oven that also slow cooks should compare the Breville Smart Oven Pro. The wider selection sits in the slow cookers category.
