I’ve always found slow cookers to be better in theory than in practice. The idea of tossing a bunch of ingredients into a device in the morning and coming home to a delicious hot meal is undoubtedly appealing, but the reality often falls short. Too many times I’ve prepared a dish in a slow cooker only to end up with mushy overcooked stews and braises that lack real depth of flavor. Plus, the promised convenience never felt worth the trouble of hauling the device out from the back of my cabinet. Naturally, I had some initial reservations about the Magnifique Claypot Multicooker. Billed as a slow-cooker alternative with eight functions, I was curious if the Magnifique, which, as its name promises, is made from clay, could be a better alternative to the traditional slow cooker—and ultimately, whether it was worth dropping nearly $200 on another appliance and giving up valuable cupboard space. What is the Magnifique Claypot Multicooker? How is it different from a regular slow cooker?…