Potatoes how long to bake

Those russets you're about to eat came from the ground and are probably still covered in a considerable amount of dirt. Give 'em a rinse, people! It's got all the flavor. After you give the potatoes a good scrub down, make sure to dry them thoroughly with a clean dish towel. Moisture will result in soggy sadness. You'll also want to coat them with olive oil. Not only does it help the skin crisp up even more but it makes it taste better.

Rub the potatoes all over you want them slick! Without enough salt, they'll taste boring and plain. When you don't pierce the potato before baking, it'll likely explode in the oven—literally. It will also creepily whistle! We're still trying to get to the bottom of this. Pricking it all over with a fork or paring knife helps steam escape and avoid both of the above not ideal situations. A baked potato takes patience—most likely an hour and a half! Turning up the temperature in an effort to cook the potatoes more quickly won't work.

The outside will cook too quickly and you'll have a sad, hard, semi-raw middle. Baked potatoes taste best straight from the oven. But if you want to make them ahead of time, let them cool completely before storing them in an airtight container for up to 5 days.

Do not store it in foil as experts warn that this has been linked to botulism. To reheat the potato, take it out of the refrigerate and let it get back to room temperature. Now you're armed with our best know-how.

High-moisture potatoes, like redskins or Yukon golds, are best for wet heat: steaming and boiling. They are lower in starch and remain dense after baking, which is not what you want in a baked potato. Those giant russet potatoes marketed specifically for baking often weigh around an entire pound. This is a lot of potato.

The ones that are the most realistic for serving as a side weigh 6 to 8 ounces. If you want to split that baked potato open and load it up with substantial toppings like broccoli or chili or pulled pork or salsa and guacamole and black beans In any case, the bigger the potato, the more time it takes to bake. Keep that in mind. Do you want your potato to explode in the oven? More importantly, do you want it to taste great?

Then jab it multiple times with a fork. Ten times per potato should do it. Potato-jabbing is cathartic. Enjoy yourself. Much less dramatically, hole-poking gives you superior baked potatoes. According to the Idaho Potato Commission , potatoes are about 80 percent water. As your potatoes bake, some of that water converts to steam and exits through the tiny channels you poked in them. This moisture loss is a good thing.

Outside of preventing explosions, it delivers lighter, fluffier baked potatoes. Rubbing the potato with a little oil or grease before baking is, in my opinion, a good move. It makes the skin nice and crispy so you get a contrast between it and the steaming, starchy interior.

The potatoes come out of the oven looking darker, shiny, and more appetizing than un-oiled ones. Some sources say oiling the potato before baking seals in moisture, which is the opposite of what you want—you want the potato to vent off moisture. But we already poked it full of holes, remember? At my first-ever restaurant job, we dunked our potatoes in a vat of bacon grease, then coated them in tasty crumbs from the bottom of the crouton bin. They were heavenly. If you cook bacon, save that grease for your baked potatoes!

I am all in favor of salting potato skins: salt makes potato skins taste great. Salt will stick to a greased potato better than a dry potato, but some will still fall off. Wrapping a potato in foil before baking will trap steam inside, resulting in dense, gluey flesh.

Potatoes already have a perfectly fine wrapper: their skins. And you can eat them! So skip the foil before baking. How long does it take to bake a potato? It depends. Expect baked potatoes to take anywhere from 35 to 55 minutes, or over an hour if you are using giant honking mega-potatoes. The baking time depends on the size of the potato. Not too hot, not too cool. Here are some tips:. In this magic temperature zone, starch granules in the potato have absorbed water, ruptured, and rendered the interior flesh fluffy and light.

Get that hot potato on a plate and open it up. Split it open with a fork. By Pillsbury Kitchens. Steps 1. In ungreased 15x10x1-inch pan, mix all ingredients; spread evenly in pan.

Roast uncovered 25 to 35 minutes, stirring occasionally, until potatoes are tender and browned. Tips from the Pillsbury Kitchens tip 1.

Carbohydrate Choice 2.