Slow cookers hit exactly 200°F—the temperature that converts potato starch to sugar without creating that mealy texture.
Slowcooker Baked Potato
Transform your lunch game with these effortlessly delicious slow-cooked baked potatoes! Just toss your scrubbed spuds into the slow cooker with a sprinkle of sea salt and a drizzle of olive oil, and let them steam to perfection. Ideal for busy work-from-home days, these fluffy delights are an easy canvas for your favorite toppings—think creamy butter, tangy sour cream, or zesty cheese!
Prep
10
min
Cook
300
min
Serves
4
people
Level
beginner
The Story
This American slow-cooker hack actually mirrors the centuries-old Peruvian pachamanca technique where Andean farmers buried potatoes wrapped in leaves near hot stones—except now suburban Americans have replaced sacred earth ovens with a plastic countertop appliance that somehow achieves the same steamy, perfectly-cooked result their ancestors mastered 4,000 years ago in the mountains.
Regional Twist
In Idaho's Snake River Plain, they coat their russets in coarse sea salt before the oil treatment, creating a proper crusty bark that cracks open like geological fault lines.
📝 Ingredients
Shopping List
- 4 pieces potatoes
Pantry Items
Amounts also listed in instructions below
- oil (to taste)
- pepper (to taste)
- salt (to taste)
👨🍳 Instructions
- 1
Pierce the potatoes with a fork and coat them in oil, salt, and pepper.
- 2
Wrap each potato in foil.
- 3
Place the wrapped potatoes in the slow cooker and cook on high for 5 hours (or 6 hours for extra crispiness).
- 4
Enjoy your baked potatoes for lunch!
💡 Pro Tips
- ✓Pierce potatoes 8-12 times to a depth of 1/2 inch because steam buildup can create internal pressure of 15+ PSI, potentially causing the potato to burst.technique8-12 times, 1/2 inch depth
- ✓Choose russet potatoes with 18-22% starch content rather than waxy varieties because high starch converts to fluffy texture when cooked at 200-210°F for extended periods.ingredient18-22% starch content
- ✓Salt the oil coating at 1 teaspoon per pound of potato because salt draws out surface moisture, creating better skin texture even in the moist slow cooker environment.technique1 teaspoon per pound
- ✓Leave a small vent hole in the foil wrapping to prevent steam condensation from making the skin soggy while maintaining the 200°F internal temperature needed for starch gelatinization.equipment200°F internal temperature
- ✓Test doneness by checking that internal temperature reaches 205-210°F because at this range, starch granules fully gelatinize and proteins denature for optimal fluffiness.timing205-210°F
Share this recipe
Prep
10
min
Cook
300
min
Serves
4
people
Level
beginner
Share this recipe
Slow cookers hit exactly 200°F—the temperature that converts potato starch to sugar without creating that mealy texture.
Slowcooker Baked Potato
Transform your lunch game with these effortlessly delicious slow-cooked baked potatoes! Just toss your scrubbed spuds into the slow cooker with a sprinkle of sea salt and a drizzle of olive oil, and let them steam to perfection. Ideal for busy work-from-home days, these fluffy delights are an easy canvas for your favorite toppings—think creamy butter, tangy sour cream, or zesty cheese!
The Story
This American slow-cooker hack actually mirrors the centuries-old Peruvian pachamanca technique where Andean farmers buried potatoes wrapped in leaves near hot stones—except now suburban Americans have replaced sacred earth ovens with a plastic countertop appliance that somehow achieves the same steamy, perfectly-cooked result their ancestors mastered 4,000 years ago in the mountains.
Regional Twist
In Idaho's Snake River Plain, they coat their russets in coarse sea salt before the oil treatment, creating a proper crusty bark that cracks open like geological fault lines.
📝 Ingredients
Shopping List
- 4 pieces potatoes
Pantry Items
Amounts also listed in instructions below
- oil (to taste)
- pepper (to taste)
- salt (to taste)
👨🍳 Instructions
- 1
Pierce the potatoes with a fork and coat them in oil, salt, and pepper.
- 2
Wrap each potato in foil.
- 3
Place the wrapped potatoes in the slow cooker and cook on high for 5 hours (or 6 hours for extra crispiness).
- 4
Enjoy your baked potatoes for lunch!
💡 Pro Tips
- ✓Pierce potatoes 8-12 times to a depth of 1/2 inch because steam buildup can create internal pressure of 15+ PSI, potentially causing the potato to burst.technique8-12 times, 1/2 inch depth
- ✓Choose russet potatoes with 18-22% starch content rather than waxy varieties because high starch converts to fluffy texture when cooked at 200-210°F for extended periods.ingredient18-22% starch content
- ✓Salt the oil coating at 1 teaspoon per pound of potato because salt draws out surface moisture, creating better skin texture even in the moist slow cooker environment.technique1 teaspoon per pound
- ✓Leave a small vent hole in the foil wrapping to prevent steam condensation from making the skin soggy while maintaining the 200°F internal temperature needed for starch gelatinization.equipment200°F internal temperature
- ✓Test doneness by checking that internal temperature reaches 205-210°F because at this range, starch granules fully gelatinize and proteins denature for optimal fluffiness.timing205-210°F