This Crockpot is huge! For a smaller family, I have found it is best to freeze about half of what gets made. One challenge with this size Crockpot is finding recipes meant for this size appliance. Be prepared to double recipes. I have a smaller slow cooker that will see more everyday use unless we are entertaining, in which case I'll use this Crockpot. The timing feature is very convenient and I found the controls were intuitive and easy to use.