The Ultimate Guide to Perfect Loaded Baked Potatoes (2024)

FAQs

On what order do you put toppings on baked potato? ›

A: Most restaurants blossom the potato open using a fork to open it up to form a double cross with the tines and then push on the ends to have the insides pop open, they add butter, then sour cream, shredded cheese and bacon bits and chopped green onions on top.

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.

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.

For this experiment, we washed two potatoes and poked holes with a fork in one of them, leaving the other unpoked. The potatoes were then placed in the oven at 400 degrees Fahrenheit, and they each took one hour to fully bake. Overall, we did not detect any difference between the poked and unpoked potatoes.

People are often accustomed to placing their taters on a baking sheet with parchment paper or wrapping their spuds in foil. But one of the reasons why restaurant baked potatoes taste so good is because kitchens know that using wire racks or oven grates allows all sides of the spuds to be exposed to hot air.

NEVER BAKE POTATOES IN FOIL.

Foil wraps will not decrease baking time, but will result in a soggy potato interior with wet skin.

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.

Some say wrapping baked potatoes in aluminum foil helps them cook faster (aluminum conducts heat, then traps it), and it does keep them hot for longer once they come out of the oven, which is why we think restaurants use this method. Wrapping potatoes will also give you a softer, steamed skin, if that's what you like.

Wrapping a potato in foil prior to baking traps the potato's natural moisture, steaming instead of baking it. This results is a soggy baked potato, not the light fluffy Idaho Baker that most people prefer.

You don't check the temperature

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.

Why do you oil potatoes before baking? ›

A: Adding oil to potatoes before baking is perfectly fine, just a personal preference. Without oil the Idaho russet skin bakes up crispy, with oil the skin will carry a lot of the flavor of the oil so some people have a preference for using olive oil or peanut oil.

Soaking potatoes in water helps remove excess starch.

Martha Stewart has you covered with her tricks for making delicious baked potatoes. In a recent Instagram post, she recommended swapping the classic russet potato for a Yukon gold, baking it on low heat for 90 minutes, and smashing it before serving it with plenty of butter, salt, pepper, and sour cream.

baked potatoes

Baked potato is eaten with a fork but is steadied with the fingers of one hand, while a fork is used to break open the skin in a piercing motion crosswise and lengthwise. To let the steam escape, the potato is pushed open with the fingers, and the fork is used to mix in butter and other flavorings.

Storing potatoes the right way requires proper ventilation. Ziata recommends open containers (like open paper bags, baskets, and sacks), as these options will prevent excess moisture from accumulating. "Avoid airtight containers and sealed plastic bags, and never wash your potatoes before storing," she says.

Try low fat or no fat yogurt rather than regular sour cream. Try whipped butter or a spray or fat free spread, or drizzle on some olive oil. Fresh herbs, added to a low fat Ranch dressing can perk up that potato without all the added fat or calories. One of my favorites is just to add fresh salsa.