Using Dishes

1. Select a heatproof casserole dish, baking dish or ramekin that fits neatly inside your slow cooker. It should be raised above the bottom of the stoneware liner to ensure even cooking. A wire rack or trivet is ideal, if you have one that fits, or you can balance your dish on top of canning-jar rings, balls of foil or other improvised spacers.

2. Spray your heatproof dish with pan spray or line it with parchment paper, if appropriate, to make cleanup easier.

3. Preheat the slow cooker on its "High" setting while you prepare a small batch of your recipe. Fill your baking dish, and place it on the rack or balance it on your improvised stand.

4. Cover the slow cooker, and set the timer if it has one. Your food should cook in approximately the time your recipe calls for. If it's not completely cooked by that time, replace the cover and check it again in 45 minutes to 1 hour.

In Bags

1. Prepare small batches of one, two or more slow-cooker recipes.

2. Spoon each recipe into a separate slow-cooker liner. They're intended to ease cleanup, but the heatproof, food-safe bags also work well for containing small-batch meals. Tie the bags to seal them, or use a wire twist-tie. Trim away any excess with a pair of scissors.

3. Place the bags in the stoneware liner of the slow cooker, arranging them so each makes equal contact with the cooker's bottom and sides.

4. Plug in the slow cooker and set it to "High" or "Low," whichever is appropriate. Cook the meals as usual.

5. When your meals have finished cooking, switch off the slow cooker. Carefully lift each bag out of the cooker, taking care not to let it rip or puncture. Serve the meals immediately, or cool and refrigerate them for later use.