Do Potatoes Need to Be Covered in a Slow Cooker? | 4 Easy Tips

Potatoes need to be covered in water in a slow cooker if you are making a stew, casserole or curry. Potatoes do not need to be covered in water if they are wrapped in foil and steamed in their jackets. Choosing quick cooking potato varieties such as Gold and Baby Dutch potatoes will help them to become soft in your slow cooker.

This article will explore all you need to know about how to cook potatoes in slow cooker and when they need to be covered in water.

Should You Cover Your Potatoes in a slow cooker?

This section will go into detail regarding whether you should cover your potatoes in aluminum foil, water, or a lid. The information will be provided as part of four tips that will help you cook your potatoes to perfection in a crockpot. Take a look at them below.

Tip 1: Pick the Right Potatoes

Regardless of how you prepare your potatoes in a slow cooker, they have the best chance of turning out delicious and soft if you choose one of the potato varieties that cook well in a crock pot.

Potatoes that are ideal for use in a slow cooker include gold, red, baby Dutch, and white potatoes. These potatoes will cook quickly in a slow cooker and give you a delicious soft potato result.

Tip 2: Cover with Foil

One tip for preparing potatoes in a slow cooker is to tightly wrap each one in aluminum foil prior to placing them into your crockpot.

Pierce both sides of each potato with a fork before to wrapping them in foil. This helps steam escape from the potatoes. Add a pinch of salt and olive oil to the potatoes before wrapping them, to improve the texture of the skin and stop them from sticking to the foil.

Wrapping the potatoes in foil holds in all of the heat and steam which helps them cook faster. They will take four or five hours to cook in your slow cooker on the high heat setting and eight to ten hours on low.

Tip 3: Use a Lid

Always use cover potatoes in your slow cooker with a lid. If you want your potatoes to cook quickly and evenly, make sure that you keep a lid on the crockpot for the entire cooking time. This will capture the steam and keep the slow cooker up to the correct temperature.

Tip 4: Add Water

If you are not going to wrap your potatoes in aluminum foil before putting them in your slow cooker, you will need to cover them with water or another liquid.

If your potatoes fill up less than three-quarters of your slow cooker, you can use a half-cup of water or other liquid. If three-quarters of your slow cooker or more is filled with the potatoes, you should pour in three-quarters of a cup of liquid.

Your potatoes should be ready to eat in two to two and a half hours if you have your slow cooker on its high heat setting, and they will be done in three hours or so if you use the low heat setting.

Potato Recipes

If you want to take your potatoes to the next level, try out one or all of the recipes detailed below. They are sure to please your taste buds.

Cheesy Potatoes

These potatoes are guaranteed to make you cheese. Here are the ingredients you will need:

  • 2 pounds potatoes
  • 1 10½-ounce can cream of chicken soup
  • 1 onion, diced
  • 1 cup sour cream
  • 1 cup shredded cheddar cheese
  • ¼ cup unsalted butter
  • 1 teaspoon salt
  • Parsley
  • Black pepper

The first thing you need to do is boil your potatoes. Do not peel them prior to boiling them. Once they have almost cooked all the way, you should remove them from their pot, and peel the skins off, though you can also leave the skins on if you prefer.

Next, slice the potatoes and toss them in your slow cooker. Take your sour cream, cheddar cheese, salt, butter, onion, cream of chicken soup, parsley, and pepper, and mix the ingredients in a bowl prior to pouring them into the slow cooker atop the potatoes. Combine it all together.

Turn your slow cooker on the low heat setting. Your potatoes should be ready to enjoy in three to five hours.

Potatoes and Chorizo

If you are a fan of chorizo, you will definitely love this recipe that features both potatoes and chorizo. Here is what you need:

  • 1 pound potatoes, diced
  • 3 garlic cloves, minced
  • ½ cup shredded cheddar cheese
  • ¼ cup chorizo
  • 2 teaspoons smoked paprika

First, cover the bottom and sides of your slow cooker with foil. You can also grease the foil to prevent the potatoes from sticking. Wash your potatoes, and then dice them before putting them into the crockpot.

Next, put the garlic, chopped chorizo, and paprika on the potatoes. You can shift the potatoes around to get them evenly coated. After that, sprinkle on the cheddar cheese, and cover it with foil. Cook the potatoes and chorizo on high for around five hours.

Garlic Potatoes with Herbs

This recipe uses garlic to enhance your slow cooker potatoes. Take a look at the ingredients required:

  • 1½ pounds small potatoes
  • 5 cloves garlic, minced
  • ¼ cup Parmesan cheese
  • 2 tablespoons olive oil
  • 2 tablespoons unsalted butter, softened
  • ½ teaspoon salt
  • ½ teaspoon basil
  • ½ teaspoon oregano
  • ½ teaspoon dill
  • ¼ teaspoon ground pepper
  • ¼ teaspoon Italian seasoning
  • Chives, chopped

After washing your potatoes, place them whole in your slow cooker. Cover the potatoes in the butter, olive oil, salt, Italian seasoning, oregano, dill, basil, garlic, and pepper. Stir the potatoes around to get them coated in the ingredients.

Put the heat setting on low, and cook the potatoes for around four or five hours. Once they have finished cooking, mix in the Parmesan cheese, and sprinkle on the chives.

Final Notes

When cooking potatoes in a slow cooker it is important to cover them with water or broth and use a lid if you are not wrapping them in aluminum foil. If you use aluminum foil while cooking, you do not need any water or other liquid added to your crockpot or slow cooker.

Happy cooking.