Ever wonder how to cook sweet potatoes in the crockpot? Just throw them into the slow cooker in the morning, they'll be ready when you get home from work.
I swear, my crockpot and I are getting close to BFF status. And all it took was a new outlet! You see, my kitchen is decent size. But all the cooking is done in one corner, albeit one ever-so-efficient corner. What my kitchen lacks is outlets – until last fall, there were only two, one in my work corner and one other commandeered by the coffee maker and an under-cupboard radio. But last fall, an electrician put an outlet in above another counter. What a difference! Now the crockpot (or the yogurt maker or ...) can work-work-work away over in its own corner while I work in mine.
So I've taken to using my crockpot like an energy-efficient oven, cooking stuff I'd never before even considered making in a slow cooker. Like sweet potatoes – yes, really, you can cook sweet potatoes in a crockpot!
There's no beating a Delicious Microwave Sweet Potato for just one or two sweet potatoes and Baked Sweet Potatoes are wonderful when the oven's already on and there's lots of time or if for some reason, you need to cook a pile of sweet potatoes at the same time.
In between fits the crockpot. Just scrub the sweet potatoes really well and throw them in. Five or six hours later (and even ten hours later, I checked, since that's a typical work-day timeline) hours later, they are soft and sweet and perfectly cooked.
Scrub the sweet potatoes well, put into the slow cooker still dripping wet. Cook on LOW for at least 5 hours and as many as 10 hours.
One medium-size sweet potato was ready to eat in five hours, the larger ones were "done" after five hours but not quite as creamy as I like them and needed six hours.
I only cooked three sweet potatoes but wouldn't think it would be a problem to cook as many as will fit, though it will take longer to finish cooking. Just be sure the lid closes tightly.
Medium-size sweet potatoes can be hard to find but can be had by picking through the bin.
Out of the crockpot, the skins of the sweet potatoes will win no beauty contests. The flesh is perfect, however, for mashing or casseroles or any way you might use them pre-cooked. If you want to serve sweet potatoes on a plate, and appearance is important, choose Baked Sweet Potatoes.
Thanks for the great idea! During the winter, we eat sweet and regular baked potatoes often, as using the oven helps heat the kitchen and front room. But during the summer, I avoid turning the oven on - since we live up in the mountains, we don't have air conditioning. Now I can have baked potatoes in the summer! In addition, we put a small crockpot in our trailer - for those times when we go off to explore or fish. I can put sweet potatoes in there, and Don can cook something on the grill when we return.
I have cooked sweet potatoes in my crockpot for a crowd. I deliberatley chose a bunch of single serving size, cooked them dry, no water added. I had a 4 quart crockpot packed full. They were wonderful and looked fine to me and my company. When I do it again I will use a rack, as the potatoes will remain above the juices they gave off. I often cook bigger amounts then needed as I love to have planned-overs and things to make quick meals from.
I really enjoy your writing, and have gleaned many good ideas, thanks!
Alana I am so honored you would use a recipe from my slow cooker book. I just got so delighted at the bottom of the recipe. I adore your site since I am a veggie freak. your WW vegetable soup is my weekly soup. THE BEST. I gave the recipe to my friend who had that terrible head cold a few weeks ago, and she put your column on the internet since everyone wanted to make the soup. Good one. see you in virtual space.
Really interesting idea. I wouldn't have thought of using a slow cooker for basic sweet potato prep. Thanks for expanding my horizons!
The inventor of the crockpot should be enshrined in the hall of fame for cooking! Thanks for the idea.
I'll have to try this. I love using my crockpot for just about everything!
Thanks for sharing the results of your experimenting! I wanted to try exactly this, but thought I would see if I could find someone else who had done it first, just to be safe.:) So nice to find it!