I am the first person to acknowledge that there are a lot of strong feelings about throwing the term “baked potato” around–how potatoes should (and should not) be baked, what kinds of potatoes are eligible for baking. There are lots of opinions. And Ido have some opinions on the matter; I feel like you can bake any potato you want, but for a real, true Baked Potato experience, they should be russets. I like the sweetness and the light fluffy texture of baking them in the oven (either rubbed in olive oil and sprinkled in kosher salt and baked at 425 for 40 minutes or so, or this method), I donot like them cooked in the microwave (gummy and dense with a weird aftertaste), and I was actually pleasantly surprised at how much I enjoyed potatoes “baked” in the crockpot. No, they don’t have the crispy skins of the oven-baked potatoes, but straight out of the crockpot, they are light, fluffy and perfectly tender. If you’re doing potatoes for a crowd (for, say, a church Halloween potato bar or a chili cook-off), this is your answer–you can pile them into the crockpot and then keep them warm until ready to serve. If you have dinner going on in one crockpot and you’re going to want to eat when you get home and don’t want to have to wait another 45 minutes, this is your answer. If you know you’re going to want baked potatoes for dinner and then 5:00 rolls around and you’ve forgotten about the potatoes and all you want to do is lock yourself in the bathroom and eat a Reese’s Peanut Butter Cup, this is your answer. Potatoes in the crock pot solve problems on multiple levels.
To make crockpot baked potatoes, you’re going to need Russet potatoes, roughly similar in size, as many or as few as you want (maybe not asmany as you want..if you want 30 potatoes, they probably won’t fit into a single crockpot)…
Scrub them down and then pat them dry with a paper towel.
Lightly drizzle the potatoes with olive oil (I love using our rosemary olive oil, but our garlic and bacon olive oils are also fantastic choices. You can also use regular olive oil, it just won’t infuse that flavor into your potatoes.)
Rub the oil all over the potatoes and then sprinkle with kosher salt.
Place the potatoes into the crockpot (no need to wrap them in foil–I’ve tried it that way and while they were fine straight out of the crockpot, the longer they sat, the more they sweated and then the insides turned gummy) and cook on high for 4-5 hours or on low for 6-8 hours. When done cooking, serve immediately or keep them warm in the crockpot on the warm setting.
Learn how easy it is to make baked potatoes in the crockpot!
Ingredients
- Medium Russet potatoes scrubbed and dried
- Olive oil
- Kosher salt
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FAQs
QUICK & EASY SLOW COOKER BAKED POTATOES. Only one ingredient needed. No Aluminum foil or water needed. No smothering with oil or butter needed.
How to cook large quantities of baked potatoes? ›
Place rack in roaster. Stack potatoes on the rack, taking care that potatoes do not touch sides of roaster. You should be able to fit approximately 16 – 20 potatoes in 2 layers in an 18 quart roaster oven. Bake potatoes in the roaster for 1.5 to 2 hours, until soft.
How do you know when baked potatoes are cooked enough? ›
Simply slide the tip of a knife or skewer into the thickest part of the potato. If it pierces the center easily and meets no resistance, your baked beauties are ready to serve. You can also use an instant-read thermometer; inserted into the center of the potato, the temperature should read 208-211˚F.
Does poking holes in baked potatoes make them cook faster? ›
2.)
Total baking time? One hour – the exact same amount of time as the “Zero-Effort Method.” Similarly, we did not detect any major differences between the poked and unpoked potato, either inside or out (other than the visual poke holes, of course).
Why won't my potatoes cook in the crockpot? ›
Insufficient Liquid: If there wasn't enough liquid in the crockpot, it could have caused uneven cooking. Potatoes need to be fully submerged in liquid to cook evenly. Old Potatoes: Very old or stored potatoes can become starchy and may not soften as well during cooking. It's best to use fresh, firm potatoes.
Can you bake in a slow cooker without liquid? ›
A slow cooker does not need any liquid added at the beginning of the cooking process, because it will generate steam, which will become liquid in the bowl. For recipes that use liquid, and have not been written specifically for a slow cooker it make sense to reduce the amount of liquid by half.
Why wrap baked potatoes in foil? ›
Some say wrapping baked potatoes in aluminum foil helps them cook faster (aluminum conducts heat, then traps it), and it does keep them hot for longer once they come out of the oven, which is why we think restaurants use this method. Wrapping potatoes will also give you a softer, steamed skin, if that's what you like.
Can I bake potatoes ahead of time and reheat? ›
Cool baked potatoes completely, place them in an airtight container or resealable plastic bag and refrigerate them. The USDA says they can be safely refrigerated for 3 to 4 days. Like all foods that have been cooked and cooled, potatoes should be reheated to at least 165 degrees F.
How do you speed up baking potatoes? ›
Adjust oven rack to middle position and heat oven to 400 degrees. Meanwhile rub potatoes with enough oil to coat and sprinkle generously with salt. Microwave on high power for 8 minutes while oven heats. Transfer potatoes to a rimmed baking sheet; bake until tender, about 30 minutes.
Why are restaurant baked potatoes better? ›
When you sit down to dinner at your favorite steakhouse, the baked potato that arrives on your table is steaming hot, wrapped in a salt crisp with a tender inside. That means, for starters, they're baked in the oven, not the microwave (even though that totally also works, BTW).
Baking for an hour and a half is too long, the potato will be overcooked. Of course it can take that long if potatoes are stacked on top of each other. Be sure to place in a single level, preferably right on the rack. We recommend 400° F.
Do baked potatoes cook faster with or without foil? ›
Wrapping potatoes in foil does not hasten baking. On the contrary, since the foil itself has to be heated before the potato begins to bake, cooking times increase slightly. Not only do you get better baked potatoes when you bake them unwrapped, you also save money.
Why do potatoes cook more quickly in a pressure cooker? ›
In a pressure cooker, the pressure inside increases and hence the boiling point of water decreases thereby food cooks faster.
What happens if you forget to poke holes in baked potatoes? ›
It seems like, at worst, the skin might tear to release some of the steam, but a large explosion is definitely unlikely. That said, it's true that potatoes do release a lot of water as they cook, and releasing that steam is important to creating that fluffy, creamy inside that marks a good baked potato.
Do potatoes need to be submerged in a slow cooker? ›
You should not need to add water or cover your potatoes in foil; the closed lid of your appliance is enough to properly steam root vegetables. However, you will want to make sure the potatoes sit in an even layer in the cooker instead of piling them up in the basket.
What happens if you don't put liquid in a slow cooker? ›
Not adding enough liquid can lead to burning.
If your meal does burn, the chef said to avoid scraping the bottom of the pot while stirring and serving because it can give the entire dish a burnt flavor.
When should you add potatoes to a slow cooker? ›
Tender vegetables such as zucchini and beans can be added to your dish in last ¾ - 1 hour of cooking when cooking on High, or 2 hours if cooking on Low. Hard, starchy vegetables like potato and carrots are best added around 3 hours before the meal is done if cooking on High, and 4 hours on Low.
Can you cook vegetables in a slow cooker without liquid? ›
Normally, you can cook vegetables in a slow cooker without water or stock, but in this case, the very firm sweet potatoes, parsnips, and turnips we're using need that little bit of liquid to help them soften as much as the other vegetables used.
To make crockpot baked potatoes, you’re going to need Russet potatoes, roughly similar in size, as many or as few as you want (maybe not asmany as you want..if you want 30 potatoes, they probably won’t fit into a single crockpot)…
Place the potatoes into the crockpot (no need to wrap them in foil–I’ve tried it that way and while they were fine straight out of the crockpot, the longer they sat, the more they sweated and then the insides turned gummy) and cook on high for 4-5 hours or on low for 6-8 hours. When done cooking, serve immediately or keep them warm in the crockpot on the warm setting.
