Black+Decker 6.5-Quart Multicooker review: This decent multicooker comes with a hefty price

Simplicity is part of the appeal of the Black+Decker 6.5-Quart Multicooker. This countertop appliance covers a handful of common cooking tasks, and it does a decent job at all of them. But that's not enough to justify its $130 price, especially when there are similar countertop products that cost a lot less.

6.4

Black+Decker 6.5-Quart Multicooker

The Good

The Black+Decker 6.5-Quart Multicooker performs a handful of tasks well, especially roasting and baking.

The Bad

There's no timer built onto the machine, and the slow-cooking mode made some disappointing pot roast. Plus, the multicooker is $130.

The Bottom Line

Skip this multicooker in favor of other countertop products that are less expensive and do the same tasks.

Enlarge Image

This multicooker aims low with its promise to complete just three cooking tasks: sear/sauté, roast/bake and slow cook. I cooked food using each mode, and everything came out fine. Roast/bake was the multicooker's sweet spot. The chicken I cooked fit comfortably in the 6.5-quart cooking pot and was just as good as roasts I've prepared in conventional ovens.

Baking was a bit trickier. The biggest challenge was finding a baking sheet or pan that would fit into the cooking pot. I improvised by wrapping the included roasting rack in aluminum foil before I baked chocolate chip cookies in the multicooker. The cookies were perfect when they were finished baking, but Black+Decker should include an appropriate-size pan for folks who want to bake for one.

This is where my praise for the multicooker ends. On a lower-priced product, the multicooker's shortcomings would be relatively minor: there isn't a built-in timer, and a pot roast that I slow-cooked wasn't nearly as pull-apart tender I had hoped (something we've seen with other multicookers that opt for metal cooking pots over ceramic). But these are inexcusable drawbacks for a small appliance that costs more than $100.

The Black+Decker Multicooker is a decent product that would keep you from having to turn on a full-size oven all the time. But its average performance isn't worthy of its $130 price. Consider less expensive products that can perform similar tasks, such as the basic, non-connected version of the Instant Pot Smart we've reviewed. And if you just want some countertop baking, the Panasonic FlashXpress Toaster Oven has a stellar performance and a comparable price.