Potatoes often get a bad press, but what is easier to make or more satisfying than a perfect baked potato – crisp on the outside, and fluffy on the inside?
Sadly, many people’s attempts to cook the perfect baked spud end up with soggy skins, hard or gummy centers, or charred skins.
There are several things you shouldn’t do if you want to cook the perfect baked potato:
Rinsing any dirt and debris off potatoes before cooking makes sense, but you do need to dry the skins well afterwards so that the moisture doesn’t seep into the potato during cooking and cause a soggy skin.
Do prick some holes in the potato skin with a fork, even though it’s not likely to explode in the oven. Better safe than sorry!
2. You wrap your potatoes in foil
Many people believe that doing this will give them perfect baked potatoes, but it actually ruins the skins.
The ideal baked potato skin does need a certain amount of dehydration and rehydration, and if you bake in foil, all the moisture from the potato skin is trapped and just goes back into the skin.
3. No wire rack under the potatoes
Hot air needs to get to the potatoes from all sides to ensure even cooking, and if you bake your spud with one side on a baking tray, you’ll end up with a hard, charred spot and possibly uneven cooking.
Place a thin wire rack inside a rimmed baking sheet, then line up the potatoes side by side and put the pan in the oven. Make sure there’s room between the potatoes and that none are touching.
4. You cook them in a too-hot oven
Perfect baked potatoes need slow cooking at a low temperature. Cook at 300F for 90 minutes, but if you don’t have time, cook at 450F for 45 minutes.
There’s no point in cooking potatoes at a higher temperature than 450F, as you will end up with over-browned skins that may even char in places.
5. You don’t check the temperature
If you don’t have a meat thermometer, you should invest in one for perfect baked potatoes. A temperature between 205F to 212F inside the potatoes mean that they are cooked. If the temperature is below that, the potato may be too hard still inside, and if you go above it, they may become gummy.
6. You don’t wait to baste
Don’t rub the skins in olive oil and salt before cooking – do it just before the end.
If you put oil on too early, the skins may not crisp up and the salt may run off the potatoes in the heat. Baste with oil after the potatoes reach 205F internal temperature. Take the pan out of the oven and brush with olive oil or bacon fat, and add a good sprinkle of salt.
Put the pan back in the oven for 10 minutes, and the oil will make the skin crisp up while the salt enhances the flavor.
7. The potatoes cooled before they were cut
Potatoes don’t get better for resting, and they need to be cut straight away, or they will retain the water from the steaming center and turn dense and unpleasant.
Jab a serrated knife through each potato as soon as you remove them from the oven, and use an oven glove or towel to give each potato a quick squeeze to create a vent.
The potatoes will have cooled just enough by the time you’ve prepared your toppings and got everyone round the table to enjoy your brilliant baked potatoes.
We recommend baking potatoes at 400 degrees F for about an hour. Smaller spuds might take a little less time, while larger baking potatoes over 1 pound might take a little more. For a fully baked Idaho Russet Burbank, the internal temperature should be right at 210 degrees F.
We recommend baking potatoes at 400 degrees F for about an hour. Smaller spuds might take a little less time, while larger baking potatoes over 1 pound might take a little more. For a fully baked Idaho Russet Burbank, the internal temperature should be right at 210 degrees F.
The olive oil helps the seasonings adhere to the surface of the potato. To save time, restaurants often apply the oil with a spray bottle. Thanks to their naturally high starch content, which creates a plush texture under heat, Russet potatoes make a good fit for baking.
If your baked potato is still hard after an hour, it may not have been cooked long enough. Baked potatoes typically require longer cooking times at higher temperatures to ensure they are soft and fully cooked. Depending on the size of the potato they will easily cook in 1 hour at 180C/350F.
"Yes, it's good to prick them," Smith told Food52. "It pokes holes in the skin, which allows steam to escape. Otherwise, they could explode—it doesn't happen all the time, but it happens every once in a while. The potato is full of water it's trying to turn to steam, or water vapor.
Should You Wrap Potatoes in Foil? Nope. Wrapping the potatoes in foil helps retain moisture, which results in steamed rather than baked potatoes. The interior of a foil-wrapped baked potato is wetter and less fluffy, and the skin isn't crispy.
Why is it common to salt the exterior of a baked potato? A: Chefs started doing this years ago to allow the salt to absorb or draw out the moisture of the potato while baking, which results in a dry, fluffy potato. They used to do something similar with prime rib, sometimes baking it over rock salt.
"I see a lot of people using foil to wrap their potatoes in but this is a big no-no and causes soggy skins!" he says. Foil holds in moisture and steams the potatoes, resulting in a "boiled" taste and texture. Plus, without the use of foil, the skin will get extra crispy and flavorful.
You should certainly rinse the potatoes — we prefer russets — to remove any dirt and debris. You can even give them a quick scrub with a vegetable brush. But you need to dry the spuds well after the bath. Excess moisture on the skin can seep into the potato during baking and cause soggy skins.
Visual signs: The potato skin will start to wrinkle when over cooked. The potato, when wrapped in foil or placed on the bottom of a pan will have a dark brown spot on the bottom, a sure sign of over cooking. Foil traps the moisture in the potato causing the skin to be wet and the inside flavorless or gummy.
Old Potatoes: Very old or stored potatoes can become starchy and may not soften as well during cooking. It's best to use fresh, firm potatoes. Acidic Ingredients: If your soup contained highly acidic ingredients (e.g., tomatoes), it could have affected the texture of the potatoes.
Once boiling, reduce heat, adjusting as needed to maintain a simmer. Cook potatoes until they offer no resistance when pierced: 10–12 minutes for baby potatoes, 15–20 minutes for small potatoes, or 30–40 minutes for large cubed potatoes. Drain potatoes in a colander and let cool 10 minutes.
We suspect that the pan may have dried out a little too quickly, meaning that there was not enough liquid for the potatoes to cook in and this may have caused them to become hard. Pan dimensions and materials vary a lot and a larger pan, or one with a very shallow lip, could cause the liquid to evaporate more quickly.
Wrapping potatoes in foil does not hasten baking. On the contrary, since the foil itself has to be heated before the potato begins to bake, cooking times increase slightly. Not only do you get better baked potatoes when you bake them unwrapped, you also save money.
How long should you bake a potato for? Depending on the size, 50 minutes to 1 hour at 400 degrees should do the trick and result in perfectly fluffy flesh with crispy skin.
"I see a lot of people using foil to wrap their potatoes in but this is a big no-no and causes soggy skins!" he says. Foil holds in moisture and steams the potatoes, resulting in a "boiled" taste and texture. Plus, without the use of foil, the skin will get extra crispy and flavorful.
Introduction: My name is Chrissy Homenick, I am a tender, funny, determined, tender, glorious, fancy, enthusiastic person who loves writing and wants to share my knowledge and understanding with you.
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