One of my favorite new kitchen toys

I purchased this about 1 month ago and have used it about four times. My first attempt was chicken and dumplings. I had to reread the instructions to make certain that setting it was as easy as it seemed. You simply press the temperature button until the appropriate setting is reached, press the time button in 30 minutes increments, and go. This is my first oval crockpot, and I wasn't prepared for how quickly the food would cook. The chicken was done in three hours, rather than the four that was stated in the recipe. The dumplings cooked for the thirty minutes called for and then switched over to the "keep" mode. The ability to automatically switch over the the "keep" mode is why I spent the extra money on this crockpot. I've never been comfortable leaving the house with a crockpot going because I worried about not getting home in time. My other dishes in the smartpot have been soups. I used recipes that I used to make in my old round crockpot to see if there was, in fact, a noticeable difference in the cooking time or if my results with the chicken and dumplings was simply a fluke. The oval crocks do definitely finish a dish in less time. I assume that this has to do with greater heated surface area touching the food. This, to me, is just an added bonus that needs to be factored in to any recipe. It has usually cut about 1 hour off of my cooking time for things that cook for 4 or more hours. The difference has been negligible for lesser times. I would highly recommend this product for anyone.