A slow cooker can suit meals that benefit from its permitted long cooking methods, but a small household needs to pay attention to batch size. A large pot with a very small amount of food may not be used as intended. Check the manufacturer's recommended fill and recipe guidance before choosing a capacity.
Think about what you will do with the extra portions if the useful batch is larger than one meal. Safe cooling, refrigerator space and containers should already be available. A larger cooker is not automatically economical if it encourages batches you cannot store or finish.
Work backward from dinner
Read the complete recipe and appliance instructions before relying on a setting. Preparation, cooking and any finishing steps all take time. Do not assume a timer or keep-warm mode makes every ingredient suitable for being left in the appliance from morning until late evening.
Keep warm and cook are different functions. USDA advises against using a slow cooker to reheat cold leftovers. Reheat food by a suitable method to the recommended temperature first, and use hot holding only as permitted. A warm-looking pot does not establish that the food has reached a safe temperature throughout.
Ingredients also need appropriate preparation. Do not put uncooked dry kidney beans straight into a slow cooker. For a straightforward student meal, canned beans that have already been heat-treated can avoid that particular preparation issue. Use a reliable recipe for the appliance rather than assuming all dried beans behave alike.
Check the heavy parts
A removable crock can be substantial even before food is added. Consider how you will lift, wash and store it. Check whether the lid and insert have different care or temperature-change restrictions, and avoid moving them between conditions the manufacturer prohibits.
The lid needs a safe resting place while you serve, and the operating location needs the clearance and electrical arrangement in the manual. Keep the cord away from sink splash and hot surfaces.
A smaller suitable model may be easier to live with than a large family-sized one. After a meal, divide leftovers into shallow containers and refrigerate promptly rather than leaving the whole batch to sit in a warm crock. Planning that last step is part of choosing the appliance.