This Unexpected Kitchen Appliance Makes Perfect Baked Potatoes

If the "baked" in "baked potato" means anything, you'd think the oven is your only friend. But when the oven's busy, or you'd rather cook something without heating up the whole kitchen, your slow cooker might be the best backup plan you didn't know you needed. No foil (which is also part of Alton Brown's simple secret to perfect baked potatoes), no preheating, no hovering. Just scrubbed russets rubbed with oil and salt, tucked in and forgotten. Hours later? Fluffy, slow-cooked spuds that taste like they've been tended to all day — because, in a way, they have been. We asked Lynne Just, manager of the Hamilton Beach Consumer Test Kitchen, to explain how the slow cooker can deliver some of the best potatoes you've ever had.

"A slow cooker still delivers a fluffy interior," says Just. "[They're] slightly denser, with a soft, pale skin." It's not the crisp-skinned oven situation you might be dreaming about, but the result is still cozy and satisfying. As Just explains, that oven-baking gives you the driest, fluffiest interior and crispiest skin, while the slow cooker version is a little more yielding — still good, just different.

Russets are the key to slow cooker baked potatoes. They're big, starchy, and built to hold up through hours of heat. To prep them, scrub, dry, poke a few holes, and then rub them with oil and salt. That's not just for flavor; it helps keep the skin from turning rubbery (looking at you, microwave). "Drying, oiling, and salting adds flavor, and helps the skin from getting too tough." says Just.

The real trick? Space. A four-quart slow cooker fits about four medium-large potatoes in a single layer. "Overcrowding can cause uneven cooking," Just explains. "For best results, keep them in a single layer." Stacking them runs the risk of some coming out underdone. Size matters too, so aim for 7 to 10-ounce russets so they cook at the same rate. Cook the potatoes on low for six to eight hours, or high for three to four. Both settings work well, Just says, as long as you test for doneness: "Use a fork or knife, or check the internal temp — 210°F is the magic number."

Will the skin crisp up in the slow cooker? Nope. The Takeout made baked potatoes nine different ways, including slow cooker, and found that its results were decent but underwhelming in terms of crisp skin. But a quick broil gives you that golden, crackly finish if you want it. Then pile on the toppings: butter, sour cream, shredded cheese, chili — even canned foods that make delicious toppings — for whatever baked potato fantasy you're chasing.