The way to Make the Good Baked Potato (The Finest Fast Recipe)

Need good baked potatoes all fluffy inside with flavorful skins? Listed here are 7 methods to make a baked potato: within the oven, sluggish cooker, microwave, and even the Prompt Pot!

I must confess: I’m formally late to the potatoes-are-awesome prepare.

Not solely are potatoes CRAZY CHEAP within the winter, however they’re SO versatile and straightforward to make.

You’ll be able to fry potatoes utilizing the identical technique in my Fried Candy Potato Recipe, however at this time I need to speak in regards to the baked potato. Particularly, 7 methods you may make a baked potato – quick!

Earlier than we get to the way to bake potatoes, there’s a little bit of prep work. I promise it gained’t take lengthy, however these few ideas will assist you could have good baked potatoes each time!

ALWAYS “WASH” THE POTATO

• I take advantage of the time period “wash” loosely as a result of a moist potato makes for a foul baked potato – at the least in my expertise.
• As a result of potatoes develop within the floor, and they’re NOT washed earlier than they’re shipped, they possible comprise some form of pesticide residue and positively filth.
• I can’t give you a lot in the way in which of pesticide residue, UNLESS you need to wash the potatoes with Selfmade Produce Wash after which allow them to dry for at the least a full day earlier than baking.
• Your different possibility when it comes to decreasing pesticide residue is to purchase natural potatoes. Though there are pesticides on natural produce, typical potatoes have been on the Soiled Dozen up to now.
• As for taking good care of the filth, I’ve discovered that utilizing a dishbrush like this one works like a appeal. We have now one which’s devoted only for produce, and use it to clean the surplus filth off the potatoes.

ALWAYS SEASON THE POTATO

Which means loads of salt and pepper people – don’t be shy. One of the best baked potatoes are seasoned! When you’re going to stuff or serve your baked potato based on a theme (like a Greek baked potato or a Mexican baked potato), then season your potato appropriately to reinforce the theme of the evening.

• For a Greek baked potato I’d make a batch of Selfmade Greek Salad Dressing (minus the vinegar) and rub that as a substitute of olive oil. OR I’d use simply the dry mix of seasonings along with salt and pepper.
• One other concept, for a Mexican baked potato, is rubbing Selfmade Taco Seasoning on the potato.

ALWAYS POKE THE POTATO

Have you ever heard the parable that when you don’t poke a potato earlier than you bake it, that it’s going to explode?

It’s no delusion people, it’s the TRUTH!

• When you’re utilizing a fork, which means poking the potato at the least midway down the prongs of the fork at every finish, and throughout. For the individuals who like specifics, that’s a minimal of 8 good pokes on the potato.
• I personally like to make use of a small paring knife, as a result of, for one cause or one other, I can by no means appear to get my fork OUT of the potato as soon as I’ve poked it. That’s until I desire a damaged fork or a black eye.
• When you’re utilizing a pointy knife, poke the potato twice at every finish, alternating in order that when you poke the potato “north” and “south” at one finish, you’re poking it “east” and “west” on the different finish. A complete of 4 good pokes will do the job, with a “good poke” that means sticking the knife into the potato at the least ½ inch.

IF THE POTATO IS EXPOSED, COVER WITH OLIVE OIL

• A baked potato is both wrapped (sometimes with aluminum foil) or not wrapped.
• When it’s wrapped, you’re primarily steaming the potato contained in the foil. When it’s not wrapped, you’re drying out the pores and skin and ruining the potato – until you cowl it with olive oil.
• Rubbing the potato pores and skin down with olive oil helps maintain the potato moist AND makes the pores and skin crispy. And who doesn’t like crispy potato pores and skin?
• There’s a delusion on the market about olive oil being watered down, and sadly, that delusion is truth too. Listed here are some recommendations on shopping for high quality olive oil.

BEST WAYS TO MAKE A BAKED POTATO

There are a number of strategies to make scrumptious baked potatoes, and every has its personal professionals and cons. Which one you select will depend upon how a lot time you could have, and the way you need your baked potato to end up. These are the perfect methods I’ve discovered to make a baked potato.

HOW TO BAKE POTATOES IN THE OVEN

There’s really multiple approach to cook dinner a baked potato within the oven, and so they’re all fairly superior in their very own proper. Let’s give every technique its personal due credit score, we could?

OVEN BAKED POTATOES – WHOLE, WRAPPED IN ALUMINUM FOIL

That is the strategy for oven baked potatoes that almost all of us most likely grew up with, which is why I’m itemizing it first. It’s the most effective methods to make a baked potato that seems completely good, each time. Smooth pores and skin on the skin, tender and fluffy on the within.

Step 1. Preheat the oven to 425F.

Step 2. Wash and poke the potatoes. Season with salt and pepper (olive oil is non-compulsory).

Step 3. Wrap the potatoes in aluminum foil and place instantly on a baking rack.

Step 4. Bake for 45-60 minutes, or till a fork is well inserted into the center of the potato.

BAKED POTATOES IN THE OVEN – WHOLE, UNWRAPPED

This technique is the one almost certainly to “wow” your visitors. Everybody is aware of a baked potato is often gentle… however a baked potato with crispy pores and skin?! They’ll surprise how you probably did it!

Fortunate for you, it’s no magic trick. It’s all due to the oil.

Step 1. Preheat the oven to 425F.

Step 2. Wash and poke the potatoes. Cowl totally with olive oil and season with salt and pepper.

Step 3. Place potatoes instantly on a baking rack or on a cookie sheet and bake for 45-60 minutes, or till a fork is well inserted into the center of the potato.

BAKED POTATO CUT IN HALF IN THE OVEN – UNWRAPPED

This technique isn’t precisely true to the basic baked potato one for an enormous cause: the potatoes aren’t complete.

I like this technique as a result of it’s like a extremely large French fry. It’s similar to my potato skins recipe. The pores and skin is crispy, the skin flesh is crispy, and but the insides are nonetheless tender and gentle. Plus, the cooking time is virtually minimize in half! It is a nice possibility when you don’t have fairly as a lot time to cook dinner.

Step 1. Preheat the oven to 425F.

Step 2. Wash and poke the potatoes. Minimize every potato in half lengthwise and canopy totally with olive oil.

Step 3. Season with salt and pepper.

Step 4. Place the potatoes on a cookie sheet, minimize facet down, and bake for 35-40 minutes or till a fork is well inserted into the center of the potato.

HOW TO MAKE A BAKED POTATO IN THE MICROWAVE

I’m personally not an enormous fan of cooking dinner within the microwave, however I’m additionally an actual human being who generally forgets to start out dinner on time. When this occurs, the microwave is usually a actual lifesaver.

There are two drawbacks when you select to make a microwave baked potato.

1. You lose all potentialities of crispy pores and skin. There isn’t a manner you’ll get crispy pores and skin within the microwave alone.
2. Typically the within of the potato might be powerful and mealy. This won’t be an enormous deal when you’re making loaded baked potatoes with gobs of shredded cheddar cheese, bacon, and bitter cream anyway. Or when you’re a household of 1 and don’t actually really feel like messing with the oven for simply your self.

BUT, I’m simply letting y’all know. When you make a baked potato within the microwave and also you don’t like the way it seems, don’t say I didn’t warn you.

Step 1. Wash and poke the potatoes.

Step 2. Place the potato instantly within the microwave and cook dinner on excessive for five minutes.

Step 3. Utilizing an oven mitt or towel (as a result of the potato might be HOT), flip the potato over and cook dinner for one more 4-5 minutes, relying on the dimensions of the potato.

Notice: You’ll be able to cook dinner two potatoes at a time utilizing this technique, however when you cook dinner three or extra, you’ll possible have to regulate the cooking time.

COMBINATION BAKED POTATO IN MICROWAVE AND OVEN

Beginning a baked potato within the microwave and ending it within the oven provides you the perks of a faster cooking time AND the crispy pores and skin on the skin.

Step 1. Preheat the oven to 425F.

Step 2. Wash and poke the potatoes. Place the potato instantly within the microwave and cook dinner on excessive for five minutes.

Step 3. Utilizing an oven mitt or towel (as a result of the potato might be HOT), take away the potato.

Step 4. When it’s simply cool sufficient to deal with, cowl with olive oil and season with salt and pepper.

Step 5. Place potatoes instantly on a baking rack or on a cookie sheet and bake for 10-20 minutes or till a fork inserts simply into the center of the potato.

BAKED POTATOES IN A SLOW COOKER

Now THIS technique deserves an award. You know the way the potato comes out amazingly good within the oven? You may get the identical outcomes utilizing the sluggish cooker!

• The most important professional to utilizing a sluggish cooker is that you would be able to cook dinner LOADS of baked potatoes on the identical time with out even being dwelling. My 6-quart sluggish cooker holds 5 MASSIVE potatoes. I’m certain it might maintain at the least 8 regular measurement potatoes, if no more.
• There’s one other professional and one main con to utilizing a sluggish cooker to make a baked potato, and it’s the identical factor: it takes all day to cook dinner.
• For many who are able to planning forward, that is nice information! You’ll be able to wash and wrap the spuds the evening earlier than and simply hit “go” earlier than you stroll out the door. Eight hours later you’ll come dwelling to completely baked potatoes, simply ready to be topped.
• For many who stay within the land of forgetfulness, that is unhealthy information. That second while you keep in mind that you forgot to tug one thing out for dinner and it’s important to depart in half-hour? Gradual cooker baked potatoes gained’t work.

Step 1. Wash and poke the potatoes. Season with salt and pepper (olive oil is non-compulsory).

Step 2. Wrap the potatoes in aluminum foil and place instantly within the sluggish cooker.

Step 3. Cowl with the lid and cook dinner on excessive for 4 ½ to five hours, or on low for 7 ½ to eight hours, till a fork inserts simply into the center of the potato.

INSTANT POT BAKED POTATOES

I like utilizing my Prompt Pot a lot that I’ve a submit devoted to cooking baked potatoes within the Prompt Pot. Right here is the hyperlink to my recipe for Prompt Pot Baked Potatoes, however for now, right here’s the way you do it:

Step 1. Preheat the oven to 425F. Wash and poke the potato and place it in a ceramic or metal bowl.

Step 2. Measure two cups of water into the interior pot of the Prompt Pot and place the bowl (with the potatoes) on high of the steam rack.

Step 3. Select the “steam” program with 12 minutes time (or quarter-hour when you’ve got huge potatoes weighing 1lb+ every).

Step 4. When this system is finished, launch the steam and take the potatoes out. Cowl the potato with olive oil and place within the oven for five minutes to crisp the pores and skin.

BAKED POTATO TOPPINGS

We love quite a lot of baked potato toppings. These substances work on freshly baked potatoes or leftover baked potatoes! Listed here are some concepts:

• Loaded: shredded cheddar cheese, bacon, bitter cream, chives or inexperienced onions
• Mexican: diced tomatoes and onions, bitter cream, shredded cheese, taco meat, olives, guacamole, salsa, Mexican corn, black beans
• Greek: kalamata olives, shredded hen, feta cheese, purple onion
• Chili: leftover chili, shredded cheddar cheese, bitter cream
• Broccoli and Cheese: merely steamed broccoli and shredded cheese!

A baked potato bar is a PERFECT approach to feed a household with meals allergic reactions. Every individual can select the toppings that work with their dietary wants, and nobody will really feel disregarded or ‘totally different’. Baked potatoes are naturally gluten free, and simply dairy free and vegan!

Feeding your loved ones on a price range when you could have meals allergic reactions is usually a problem. Fortunately my system in Grocery Finances Bootcamp works with all forms of dietary wants, irrespective of the place you reside, or your price range measurement!

You may get on the wait record right here to seek out out when the following class opens up!

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