On Sep 11, 8:49?pm, "Dan Goodman" > wrote:
> I want to boil potatoes in a slow cooker. Googling for recipes turns
> up: 1) Recipes for stuff which can be served with boiled potatoes
> 2) Recipes for dishes which _include_ boiled potatoes -- and it seems
> at least half of them say to boil the potatoes and then add them.

Any slow cooker recipe for stew that contains potatoes will work, just
omit all the other ingredients.

http://crockpot.cdkitchen.com/recipe...ner65557.shtml

But if all you want is boiled spuds it seems rather dimwitted to use a
slow cooker when it takes only 10 minutes to bring a big potful of
water containing five pounds of potatoes to the boil and 15 minutes
more simmering time for cooking. Always start root vegetable in cold
water so they cook evenly, otherwise if dumped into boiling water the
exteriors will become way past done into falling apart before the
middles are cooked.

I strongly suspect that unless you're right there over a period of
several hours to constantly check doneness cooking plain potatoes in a
slow cooker will result in raw or sludge.... even by conventional
stove top cooking the window from not quite done to mush is small.

How much potatoes are you wanting to cook and for what purpose? I
don't think it's possible to prepare potatoes in a slow cooker to a
proper degree of doneness for any other purpose but stews/soups.

I've tried various dishes in my slow cooker, especially stews/soups
and pot roasts... the only thing it can prepare satisfactorilly is
steel cut oats... and that is all I use mine for now... and even so
the slow cooker doesn't do nearly as good a job as by the stove top
method where I'd need to constantly stir for better than an hour.
Since the slow cooker goes all night for steel cut oats with no
stirring it really does not produce a proper consistancy, but it's a
good trade off in effort and having it ready first thing in the
morning for passibly satisfactorilly... even after a lot of
experimenting with cooking time and ratio of water to oats at best the
consistancy produced is more of a gruel with a 1/4" of rhino skin
adhering to the insert surface. Five minutes stirring briskly with a
wooden spoon and I can incorporate the skin with the gruel but it's
still more watery than I'd prefer. Using less water results in
thicker tougher skin, and that cannot be incorporated by stirring.
Oatmeal really needs to be stired, steel cut oats especially. I think
a properly designed slow cooker must have a stirring mechanism built
in, otherwise regardless what dish is cooked the results will be
rather shabby... but those with TIAD probably aren't concerned nor do
they even notice.

Sheldon