Twenty years ago, the Cuisinart brand was reputable. Now, not so much. I've tried several appliances and their quality control (as well as their design department) are nothing like they used to be. After various bad experiences, I just avoid this brand. For example, I tried to get some help from their customer "service" people when the dial markings on my pannini grill smeared off after one use. No help. The "service" person just denied that the smearing happened. Then a couple of months later a newly designed grill appeared with the markings stamped in rather than merely printed on.