Most of my meals are made in either of two sizes, and usually yield enough for two nights' dinners. I started out experimenting until I really got the hang of it. I don't follow a recipe, I just cook what I want to eat, but I do add different items (like mushrooms, fried onion chips, cheese, etc.) to enhance the flavor.
I have to admit I was a little surprised when I started writing down the model numbers of each crock pot and checking the sizes of each. As the below photograph shows, right to left, I have a Rival 8 quart oval in red; a Proctor Silex 4 quart oval in white; a Rival 1.5 quart red round; and a Rival 16 ounce Little Dipper (which is sold with the 8 quart) round, which is good for sauces, dips, and melting chocolate for a strawberry dip.
I mainly use the 1.5 quart for hot dogs and sauerkraut; and my Thanksgiving dinner was cooked in the 4 quart. Except for the Little Dipper, they all have removable stoneware crocks for easy cleaning. The Little Dipper can also be used for the heatable potpourri or the scented crystals from Pink Zebra (pinkzebra.com) which helps the house smell good. (I have a friend that sells Pink Zebra so I'm going to try the orange slices scent.)
My Rival 2 quart round is used for stews and smaller single meals. It also has the removable pot for cleaning.
The two I don't use much anymore are called Vintage Rival models, because the crocks are not removable and are several years old. The tall orange Rival is a 2.5 quart round; the shorter orange round Rival is a 3.5 quart model. The 2.5 quart was my first crock pot, and my second acquisition was the 3.5 quart, which I used more than anything else for a long time. Now they are used as spares for fixing large meals that need multiple cooking vessels.
If anything ever happened to my stove, I could survive with my seven crock pots, my microwave, and the one burner hot plate I keep for emergencies. I LOVE CROCK POT COOKING!
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