This machine allows two forms of cooking. Good old slow cooking and the new Sous Vide form of cooking which is now getting to be so popular. Just completed some baby back ribs sous vide. Cooked for twelve hours and finished on a very hot grill, slathered with BBQ sauce and slightly charred. They were probably some of the best I've had. The unit held the temperature very well. The lid completely stopped all evaporation, so you can cook long periods of time even overnight and not worry about refilling water bath. This cooker is fairly new to me and I'm really looking forward to slow cooking and especially the sous vide cooking.