<p>The two things I wish I had known before I purchased mine are (1) slow cookers are now much hotter than they used to be for “food safety” reasons, so even on low it is possible that your food may burn after 10+ hours, depending on the recipe (this is obviously more of an issue if you work outside the home, as I do); and (2) a slow cooker must be at least half full to perform optimally (which means a 6-qt is much too large for just two people).</p>
<p>I have a Rival round with removable ceramic. I like it a lot, and haven’t missed programmable settings- it has low and high only. I think I paid about 15 bucks for it a few years ago. I second the cookbook recommendation above (Not Your Mother’s Slow Cooker)- I use those recipes often. There are also recipes all over the internet.</p>