? about mashed potatoes in crockpot UPDATE 11/22

[bookgirl]

Hey last year people were talking about keeping mashed potatoes in the crock pot, so they could be made ahead but still be soft and creamy for thanksgiving dinner.

Anybody still here that has done this and do I have to do anything special to my potatoes?

Any help would be appreciated.

 

[smacky1]

My sister made mp last year and kept them in her crockpot. I dont think she did anything special.....just made them that morning, and put them in on low until we were ready to eat. They were great.

 

[jkp464]

I've done that for the last few years -- works great! I usually make it up one or two days ahead of time, then put it in the crock pot the day of the party.

INGREDIENTS
5 pounds red potatoes, cut into chunks
1 tablespoon minced garlic, or to taste
1 (8 ounce) container sour cream
1 (8 ounce) package cream cheese, softened
1/2 cup butter
salt and pepper to taste

DIRECTIONS
In a large pot of lightly salted boiling water, cook the potatoes until tender but firm, about 15 minutes. Drain, reserving water. In a bowl, mash potatoes with sour cream and cream cheese, adding reserved water as needed to attain desired consistency. (Can use milk instead of water for smoother potatoes.)
Transfer the potato mixture to a slow cooker, cover, and cook on Low for 2 to 3 hours. Just before serving, stir in butter and season with salt and pepper to taste.

 

[bookgirl]

Thanks for the advice. I generally do russet potatoes: boil, then I rice them and whip with butter, salt, and milk (2% or whole instead of our usual skim).

I thought I might have to make them a little wetter or add something to preserve the soft texture. I'd really like to stick with my own prep if I could but those sourcream and cream cheese ones sound yummy.

Maybe I should do a trial run....

 

[IluvKingLouis]

I rice mine too. I usually bake yukon golds and then rice them (maybe it's because they are a little yellow, but I detect a buttery flavor in the golds).

I think they should work great in the crock pot. You might want to keep some milk/melted butter mixture handy that you could stir into them should they need a little more liquid.

 

[gonemousin']

I've kept my potatoes warm in the crockpot - you do need to add liquid or butter to fluff them up before serving. Their texture does change (dries out) as they're sitting in the crockpot. But it's nice to not have to worry about timing them with the rest of dinner!

 

[POOHDRMR]

One of the magazines this month-can't remember which one said to do this and to just add a little extra milk to the bottom of the crock before adding the potatoes.Depending on how long you plan on keeping them in there and if you are adding them cold or just keeping them warm after making them fresh you can add about 1/2 cup to 1 cup.I haven't tried it yet but I plan on doing it for Christmas this year because I don't host Thanksgiving at my house.Let us know how it goes and what you did!

 

[bookgirl]

I plan to make them mid morning and then put them in the crockpot. We are supposed to meet at my brothers house (just 5 minutes from me) to eat at 2:00. I was hoping to avoid haveing to cook them there. I'll probably go over early to help out however so they'd have to sit at least a few hours. I just wanted them to stay warm (reheated never has the same texture, once the starch gets completly cold and sets up you practically have to re make them to get that texture again)

 

[Traveliz]

I have never done anything special and mine are fine - I do add a dollop of butter and a little paprika for decoration right before serving but that is about it.

Liz

 

[EthansMom]

Thanks for this post! I was going to be asking the same thing since SIL asked me to make the mashed potatoes.

 

[spalady]

I think I will try that this year.

 

[feedindy]

I do this every year. That way I can make the potatoes earlier in the day and I'm not struggling to get everything finished at once. The only thing I do differently is add a little more milk. I also keep an eye on them throughout the day and can add more milk or stir if I think it is warranted. No one has ever noticed a difference in taste.

 

[Wilsonfamily4]

I do this every year. That way I can make the potatoes earlier in the day and I'm not struggling to get everything finished at once. The only thing I do differently is add a little more milk. I also keep an eye on them throughout the day and can add more milk or stir if I think it is warranted. No one has ever noticed a difference in taste.

Thanks, I think I will try this this year as well. So what is your time frame for this? Do you make them in the monring and have them sit all day or what?

 

[daisyduck123]

Subscribing...great thread!!

 

[Wanna go to Disney?]

Adding a little chicken stock to the MP's works great as well in a crock pot application.

For those of you on low carb diets, you make MP's out of well cooked cauliflower, just as you would make your regular MP's. I actually mix both the cauliflower and MP's together. Some people don't even notice, but I like it so I can tell.

 

[bookgirl]

Ok well I did my regular recipie (although for holidays I use real cream and whole milk )

I just made them a little softer then I usually do (not a ton softer, but instead of stiff peaks they were more thick whipped cream consistancy), put a layer of milk and butter on the bottom of the crock pot (I have one of those big oval ones), and let it warm up. Then put the freshly whipped potatoes on top (the milk and butter oozed up the sides), put it on low and covered it with the lid. This was at about 12:30. We ate around 3:00. I just stirred them up and they were perfect. In fact they were steaming hot, soft as silk and just the right consistancy.

This is defenitly going to be the prefered serving method from now on.

 

[MEG&MINNIE]

Ok well I did my regular recipie (although for holidays I use real cream and whole milk )

I just made them a little softer then I usually do (not a ton softer, but instead of stiff peaks they were more thick whipped cream consistancy), put a layer of milk and butter on the bottom of the crock pot (I have one of those big oval ones), and let it warm up. Then put the freshly whipped potatoes on top (the milk and butter oozed up the sides), put it on low and covered it with the lid. This was at about 12:30. We ate around 3:00. I just stirred them up and they were perfect. In fact they were steaming hot, soft as silk and just the right consistancy.

This is defenitly going to be the prefered serving method from now on.

I checked with the Disboards here this AM because I remembered a post about Crockpots and warming mashed potatoes! I did like the poster above, left them on low for about 3 hrs. and added extra milk on the bottom ,extra butter on top and middle, and a little extra milk on top. They turned out perfect !
Thanks Again Disers for great info on just about anything you ever need to know!

 

[englishteacha]

Great idea! I may be hosting Thanksgiving for 40 people next year...this is a very good tip!