My mission in life is to turn everyone into lovers of the best kitchen appliance ever, the slow cooker, so this post is going to touch on another aspect of its awesomeness.
I really like baked potatoes but when it comes to baking them in the oven, I’m not much of a fan.
I hate heating up the whole oven just for a few potatoes.
They take forever to cook. When I get home, I’m hungry!! Ain’t nobody got time to wait a whole hour just for a potato to cook!!
They take up a lot of room if you are trying to make a lot of them and have other dishes in the oven.
I don’t know why it never occurred to me to prepare baked potatoes in the slow cooker but I tried it a few months ago and have been hooked ever since! Just pop them in before you leave for work and *bam*, they’re ready by the time you get home. No more keeping close to the kitchen to make sure your oven doesn’t burn down the house while those suckers are baking.
Cooking potatoes in the crock pot is just as simple as baking them in the oven, and you can pile as many as can fit in the slow cooker if you’re cooking for a larger party. And your oven is free for other dishes if you need the space.
When you cook potatoes in the slow cooker, the skin is going to be soft instead of crispy. This is a good thing to me because the skin has added nutrients (there’s a lot of fiber), and I’m more likely to eat it if it’s soft.
It will be moist in the slow cooker, so wrapping the potatoes in foil is a must if you don’t want soggy skins.
Ingredients
- Potatoes
- Aluminum foil
- Slow cooker
Instructions
- Wash potatoes
- Pierce the skin of each potato
- Wrap each potato in aluminum foil
- Cook in slow cooker on high for 3-4 hours or low for 7-8 hours*.
As always with slow cooker recipes, I recommend trying the recipe once first while you’re at home so you can keep an eye on it and figure out the best cooking time for your specific slow cooker. I find things cook much more quickly in my slow cooker compared to some recipes I find online.
****Important food safety note about potatoes wrapped in foil****
Clostridium botulinum can grow on potatoes, and this grows in anaerobic environments (such as a potato wrapped in foil). Soooo be sure you cool your potatoes properly. Don’t let them sit on the counter all evening wrapped in foil!
I need to use my slow cooker more! I’ve seen this idea floating around the web – I’m going to give it a try. Also, good tip about the botulism…that’s scary stuff.
My favorite thing is to make a bunch of potatoes and cook a big pot of chili. The best loaded potatoes ever!
I LOVE making baked potatoes in the slow cooker! I always forget about it, though :( I’ll have to make some up soon!
It’s such a simple and efficient way to make potatoes!
Can you pile up the jacket potatoes? I’ve wrapped them jn foil after piercing the skin and have piled them up as I needed more if that makes sense. Thanks in advance
Yes, although I would think that the ones on the bottom may cook faster