My family also has such a purple sand health soup pot. This pot is slow. My family has three gears: low gear, high gear and automatic gear. High gear can be cooked, but it will take more than a few hours. So, you can put things in the morning, put them in the automatic gear, fill them with water, and you should be able to drink them when you get home at night. If you are afraid that the meat is undercooked or something, you can cook it before putting it in!