Mos of my recipes for the crockpot offer the option of cooking on high for 3-4 hours or low for 6-8 hours ... so I typcially turn them on at 6:00 am on low and either way they are good to go by 9am and if I forget to turn it on than I turn it on HIGH at 8am and go from there ... I prefer the cooking longer on low cause it results in tender meat but in a pinch