Had an old slow cooker from the 80's. Always burned stuff or food came out bland and watered down. Not so with this device. Perfect for two to three people. Very elegant looking, compact, matches our upgraded modern kitchen. Looks good on counter and does not take up very much space. Ceramic insert pulls out for hand washing. Have used it 4 times already and my dishes have come out great. I sear my meats before just to give some pleasing aesthetic appeal. The modern thermostat on this thing seems to keep anything from burning. Very nice. There is no "advanced" programming, which is fine for me. Less to break down. You can program the number of hours and the intensity of the heat. It will go to "warm" after your programmed interim has expired. It will remain on "warm" for 8 hours, and then shut down completely in the event you decide to fly to Europe for 14 days and forgot that your slow cooker was on. Great device for new empty nesters, DINKs, single people, and yes, even real cooks.