there should have been some sort of instructions in with it so it might be worth contacting who you bought it from in case the booklet had been taken by someone before you purchased it. I have a slow cooker & use it a lot over the winter months. With mine, I have three settings, high, low and auto. I start by heating it up on high for about 30 mins & then put it onto low setting (or auto depending on what I'm making). On low it can be left on all day without drying out. Maybe if you are near to a library you could have a look on their shelves as my library have a few good books on slow cookers. Alternatively, have a look on amazon or ebay. good luck with it.