I have a crock pot recipe that tells me to cook this meal on low for 6-8 hours. WHICH IS IT?

that's a big time interval, at least i think so, so how do i know how long to cook it for if i've never made this before. also, it calls for sweet potato cut into bite size pieces-- can i just use the 'yams from a can', even though they're already softer? do i have to use actual sweet potato for the recipe to work?I have a crock pot recipe that tells me to cook this meal on low for 6-8 hours. WHICH IS IT?
if you use canned sweets, and cook them for 6 hours. you are going to have mush. do the meal for 6 hours then check on it, if it needs more time, go another hour. add the canned sweets just long enough beforehand to heat them up.I have a crock pot recipe that tells me to cook this meal on low for 6-8 hours. WHICH IS IT?
when cooking food in the crock pot, yes it does take food this long to cook, that's why it is called a slow cooker. even though you have never made this before the cooking time is right. sometimes slow cooker recipes give you a time for high and low. the low is always a longer cooking time, when it is on high it is about half the time of low. don't use canned yams because they are already soft they will just turn to mush cooking in the crock pot. use fresh sweet potato, they will cook. they will get soft but not mushy. hoped this helped you. what recipe are you making, i love sweet potatoes and i also love using my crock pot----love one pot meals!!!
A. If you are using a crock pot--follow the recipe directions!! I've cooked recipes that take 10 - 12 hours on low setting--that's why they're also called ';slow cookers';


B. Just add the drained/rinsed canned yams if you have no choice. May need to add more salt in the end--Those canned yams are sweetened--unprossessed fresh yams have no intense sugar flavor -or- maybe substitute white potatoes.
The time differs depending on the crockpot you use, because they don't all heat the same. It also depends on how fast the ingredients you use are cooked to proper doneness. What the receipe is saying is: It will take a least six hours to cook, but no longer than eight hours. It is up to you to determine when it is done. I would think that ';done'; would be when your sweet potatoes are soft and the flavor of the ingredients is sufficently integrated to provide a good tasting outcome.
You don't HAVE to use sweet potatoes, but dont' cook the yams as long. Maybe add them 30 min before you're ready to eat. By the 6-8 hours, that just means that you can eat it after 6 hours, but maybe everything would be completely done at 8 hours. I'm not the patient type, so I only cook it for 6 hours and then eat. Good luck!
Normally when a receipe calls for 6 to 8 hours, it is giving the variable according to the temperature variations for the crock pot. If you have an older one, I would go with the 8 hours.


And yes, you can use yams instead of sweet potatoes. However, would cut the cook time as you are using processed yams.


I'd cook it for 4 hours, check to see if the yams are tender. If not, cook it for another 2.
The yams in a can are already cooked and just need to be heated prior to serving. If you choose to use the canned version, then add then just prior to serving. If you use the fresh then floolow the directions. The 6-8 hour time frame is because each slow cooker is different a meal in one could take 6 hours while another it could take longer. Plus desired doneness is different for each person. But cooking it longer than what the recipe states will not do any harm either. Good Luck...
depends on the size of meat being cooked test for being done 6 hrs later and may take up to eight hrs to cook so its done don't add canned yams they will be nothing but mushy goo i don't know what your cooking so I cannot tell you if the recipe will work without yams or not sorry
check it after 6 hours and if it looks done take it off. Maybe leave it on another hour or so if it needs.
It means you can cook it as little as 6 hrs for it to be done or as long as 8 hrs on low before it cooks too long. That's the beautry of a crock pot - throw all of the stuff in it before work and you don't have to worry about rushing home to check it...





As far as your yam dilemma -if possible, add the canned yams a bit later - if you're not going to be home, then add them, but know that they will get mushier with time and heat.
Don't use ';yams in a can';. First they are not yams they are actually potatoes that are orange. If you use the canned ones they will be mushy and gross....... even if you add them at the last minute. One thing the real ones will do is add starches to the liquid as they cook. The thing will 6-8 hours is that the crockpot is forgiving and an extra hour won't hurt. After 6 just check it out. But whatever you do don't keep opening the lid.
i'm thinking 6 hours
in my experience, recipe's always work better when they're followed to the letter.
cook it till its fork tender.. the standard for braises... stick a fork in it and it if comes out easily and cleanly its done... if you are using canned sweet potatoes ad them in in in the last 15 minutes.
I would start out by cooking if for the least amount of time - if it needs more time, it needs more time. 6-8 hours for a crock pot is nothing. Usually I cook things like chili and stews for 12+ hours on low. I like the meats to be falling apart - but that's just my preference.





I wouldn't use canned ';yams';, but the real, raw sweet potato. If all you have is the canned stuff, and don't want to go out to the store, by all means, use them, just don't put them in at the start of cooking, but the last hour or so - just so they have time to warm up.





Good luck!
Depends on your crock pot. Mine has a 6 and an 8 hour setting. Obviously, one is a higher temperature than the other. Definitely use actual sweet potatoes. Canned yams would come out as mush!
The 6 to 8 hours is due to the fact that all appliances have different heating qualities/power, either way your dish will be safe to eat, check it after 6 to see if all the meat(ingredients) are tender=Done! And the Yams will substitute for sweet potato although '; from the can '; well get really soft and might fall completely apart due to the long cooking time of crock-pot meals!
Um, is this a recipe for just sweet potatoes? If so, there is no sense in slow cooking the ones from a can! Plus the ones in the can have heavy syrup, rather than just a pure sweet potato cut up. If it's a recipe like a stew or something that just includes sweet potatoes, definately don't use the canned, because of the syrup, in that case they would be used more like a regular potato. Cooking times vary. If you want it a little faster, put a heavy towel over the lid, use a glass lid too, if you have a plastic lid wet down a heavy bath towel and cover it. Don't forget to stir every so often.
the yams from a can should work just as well, and around 5 and 1/2 hours i would check it and see how close it is to being done and then i would check every 30 mins to hour thereafter, after the sixth hour just keep a close eye on it and it should turn out ok
The beautiful thing about crock pots is that they cook at a low consistent temp. Meaning that it should be done in 6 hours - but if you leave it on for 8 hours your dinner won't be overdone. Canned yams are ok - but check to make sure that the canned yams don't have any added ingredients like sugar or salt that could mess up your recipe. And I'd add them in the middle of cooking or a few hours before its done so they dont get too mushy.
For a crock pot, that is not a big interval. Relax, it won't burn anyways. As for the canned sweet potato, use the fresh. They cook fast, and the canned will disintegrate. Too soft already.