I'm having a problem cooking potatoes using a slow cooker recipe. I'm using russet potatoes. Recipe did not specify what to use. Recipe said "thin sliced". Used mandoline to crinkle cut 4.5mm thick (more surface area). Recipe said done in 4hrs on high. It's now over 6 hrs and potatoes are still raw. Everything else is turning to mush.
Question.. Did I use the wrong potato? Is there a different potato I should have used that would cook faster?
They were washed. If I cannot pierce them easily with a fork, when I have to bite down hard, I consider them raw. Raw=uncooked=hard=not soft=raw!
I'm 62yrs old. probably been cooking longer than you. Allow me the courtesy of knowing a raw potato when I bite into one.(and I still have all my teeth.)
Best Answer
Sorry for the late answer. I would say that you did NOT use the wrong potato. In my experience russet potatoes end up MUCH softer than waxy or yellow potatoes, after cooking. That's the reason I only use russets when making mashed potatoes.
I ran into a similar situation not too long ago. In this case I was using a mixture of russets and yellow potatoes, but close enough. What else were you cooking in your crock pot? This is a very important question. For example, if you were making something with a lot of liquid (like soup), the heat should have been evenly distributed and you should not have run into this problem. On the other hand, if you were making something with very little liquid or very thick liquid, I can see this happening. In my case, I was making "cheesy potatoes", which starts with a really thick cheese sauce.
Here's the problem...the atoms of the thin liquid move around a lot easier making a sort of current throughout the pot, distributing the heat to all the food. A thick liquid or insufficient liquid won't do that, so the stuff towards the middle don't get as much heat at the stuff at the bottom or sides of the pot. A "fix" would be to stir everything about once an hour. I know that you don't want to take the lid off the crock pot and lose the heat, but the heat needs to be distributed throughout the pot somehow.
Anyway, that's my guess of your problem. Hope this helps.