# How fast can you cook a potato? **URL:** \ **Category:** Cafe Society\ **Created:** [December 14, 2014, 10:18pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/how-fast-can-you-cook-a-potato/707241 "2014-12-14T22:18:24Z")\ **Posts on this page:** 16\ **Page:** 2
**Author:** ![August\_West](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/august_west/32/18069_2.png) [@August\_West](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/August_West)\ **Post date:** [December 16, 2014, 2:39pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/how-fast-can-you-cook-a-potato/707241/21 "2014-12-16T14:39:29Z")
> [@california\_jobcase](#): > > Has anybody ever tried those big aluminum nails they used to sell? The idea was that if you stuck the nail through the tater, it would conduct heat to the center and halve the baking time. I put a metal skewer through large potatoes when baking them. I don’t know if it actually helps, but I do it anyway. ---
**Author:** ![pulykamell](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/pulykamell/32/3166_2.png) [@pulykamell](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/pulykamell)\ **Post date:** [December 16, 2014, 3:58pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/how-fast-can-you-cook-a-potato/707241/22 "2014-12-16T15:58:08Z")
An hour even for boiling? That seems like a lot, unless they’re giant potatoes or something. I like like reds or yellows, I quarter or halve them, depending on size, and boil them for about 15-20 minutes, if that. ---
**Author:** ![silenus](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/silenus/32/166_2.png) [@silenus](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/silenus)\ **Post date:** [December 16, 2014, 4:14pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/how-fast-can-you-cook-a-potato/707241/23 "2014-12-16T16:14:08Z")
> [@August\_West](#): > > I put a metal skewer through large potatoes when baking them. I don’t know if it actually helps, but I do it anyway. They don’t. America’s Test Kitchen did a number of tests, and the various kinds of nails, etc. did **absolutely nothing** to speed cooking or even out heat distribution. I turned all mine into beer cans. ---
**Author:** ![Enderw24](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/e/ba9def/32.png) [@Enderw24](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Enderw24)\ **Post date:** [December 16, 2014, 4:21pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/how-fast-can-you-cook-a-potato/707241/24 "2014-12-16T16:21:24Z")
I can’t think of a single recipe that would call for boiling a whole potato and then serving it whole. So given that you’re going to cube or mash it for the final product, cut it up before hand and save yourself the time! You’ll go from an hour boiling (and good lord, that outer layer has to be complete mush at that point), to 15 minutes. To test for doneness, stab a piece with a fork. You’re looking for the nice middle ground where it has little to zero resistance when the fork goes through, but it doesn’t yet break apart and bits of it start floating all around the pot. ---
**Author:** ![Novelty\_Bobble](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/n/a3d4f5/32.png) [@Novelty\_Bobble](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Novelty_Bobble)\ **Post date:** [December 16, 2014, 4:31pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/how-fast-can-you-cook-a-potato/707241/25 "2014-12-16T16:31:56Z")
You really need to clarify what sort of potato you are using. There are so many varieties and yet all I’ve seen in the thread are “red” or “white”, that says nothing about the variety as some can be hard and waxy and will never bake, roast, mash or chip very well. Others are floury and need different treatment and then we have the new vs old and all the ranges in between. I decide on how to cook depending on what spuds I have and the cooking time varies from 10 minutes (thin french fries or boiled baby jersey royals) through 30 minutes (steamed floury older potatoes for mash) to 90 minutes (slowly oven baked large floury potatoes rubbed with olive oil and salt) ---
**Author:** ![pulykamell](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/pulykamell/32/3166_2.png) [@pulykamell](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/pulykamell)\ **Post date:** [December 16, 2014, 5:31pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/how-fast-can-you-cook-a-potato/707241/26 "2014-12-16T17:31:59Z")
> [@Novelty\_Bobble](#): > > You really need to clarify what sort of potato you are using. There are so many varieties and yet all I’ve seen in the thread are “red” or “white”, that says nothing about the variety as some can be hard and waxy and will never bake, roast, mash or chip very well. When I say red, I mean red boiling/stewing potatoes. They are low in starch. They are often just called [red potatoes](http://www.bonappetit.com/test-kitchen/ingredients/article/red-skinned-potatoes) here in the US. The yellow ones are of the waxy varieties–the kind I usually use are Yukon golds, but most yellow potatoes here substitute fine for one another. [Here’s a run-down of the basic categories](http://www.potatogoodness.com/all-about-potatoes/potato-types/) in the US. ---
**Author:** ![Labrador\_Deceiver](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/l/7c8e57/32.png) [@Labrador\_Deceiver](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Labrador_Deceiver)\ **Post date:** [December 16, 2014, 5:36pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/how-fast-can-you-cook-a-potato/707241/27 "2014-12-16T17:36:27Z")
> [@silenus](#): > > They don’t. America’s Test Kitchen did a number of tests, and the various kinds of nails, etc. did **absolutely nothing** to speed cooking or even out heat distribution. I turned all mine into beer cans. That’s not quite true. The experiments I’ve seen say they’re faster than absolutely nothing, but still probably not really worth it. A stainless steel nail (which is a terrible metal to use) reduces cooking time by 10%, an aluminum nail by 30-40%. A copper nail works best, but copper can discolor the potato. I just rub olive oil on the outside. ---
**Author:** ![dracoi](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/d/90db22/32.png) [@dracoi](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/dracoi)\ **Post date:** [December 16, 2014, 7:00pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/how-fast-can-you-cook-a-potato/707241/28 "2014-12-16T19:00:52Z")
> [@Enderw24](#): > > I can’t think of a single recipe that would call for boiling a whole potato and then serving it whole. When I do corned beef, this is how I prepare/serve the potatoes, by boiling and serving them whole. Of course, with corned beef, I’m already committed to boiling things for four hours, so having the potatoes take an hour of that is not a problem. I just put them in the same pot as the corned beef at an hour before I’m ready to eat. (And the cabbage also, at ten minutes before I’m ready). ---
**Author:** ![pulykamell](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/pulykamell/32/3166_2.png) [@pulykamell](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/pulykamell)\ **Post date:** [December 16, 2014, 7:02pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/how-fast-can-you-cook-a-potato/707241/29 "2014-12-16T19:02:27Z")
> [@Enderw24](#): > > I can’t think of a single recipe that would call for boiling a whole potato and then serving it whole. With small new potatoes, that’s not unusual. Then again, they’ll also be finished within about 15 minutes of boiling. ---
**Author:** ![Telemark](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/telemark/32/372_2.png) [@Telemark](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Telemark)\ **Post date:** [December 16, 2014, 7:53pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/how-fast-can-you-cook-a-potato/707241/30 "2014-12-16T19:53:20Z")
This reminded me of the Dave Barry column on the fastest way to light a BBQ grill - [Dave Barry Official Website](http://www.davebarry.com/misccol/charcoal.htm) And here’s the video - [Lighting a charcoal grill with liquid oxygen - YouTube](https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=UjPxDOEdsX8) Throw a couple of Yukon Golds on there and you’re all set. ---
**Author:** ![purplehorseshoe](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/purplehorseshoe/32/2996_2.png) [@purplehorseshoe](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/purplehorseshoe)\ **Post date:** [December 16, 2014, 11:02pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/how-fast-can-you-cook-a-potato/707241/31 "2014-12-16T23:02:22Z")
> [@](#): > > I like baked potatoes. I don’t have a microwave oven, and it takes forever to bake a potato in a conventional oven. Sometimes I’ll just throw one in there, even if I don’t want one, because by the time it’s done, who knows? - Mitch Hedberg ---
**Author:** ![misling](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/m/3ab097/32.png) [@misling](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/misling)\ **Post date:** [December 16, 2014, 11:02pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/how-fast-can-you-cook-a-potato/707241/32 "2014-12-16T23:02:56Z")
I stab a russet potato a few times, microwave it 6-7 minutes depending on size, wrap it in foil, and let it sit for another 7-8 minutes. Total about 15 min (including messing around with foil). Works fine, except the skin isn’t crispy. I don’t eat the skin anyway. ---
**Author:** ![johnpost](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/j/f17d59/32.png) [@johnpost](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/johnpost)\ **Post date:** [December 16, 2014, 11:08pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/how-fast-can-you-cook-a-potato/707241/33 "2014-12-16T23:08:02Z")
> [@August\_West](#): > > I put a metal skewer through large potatoes when baking them. I don’t know if it actually helps, but I do it anyway. > [@silenus](#): > > They don’t. America’s Test Kitchen did a number of tests, and the various kinds of nails, etc. did **absolutely nothing** to speed cooking or even out heat distribution. I turned all mine into beer cans. > [@Labrador\_Deceiver](#): > > That’s not quite true. The experiments I’ve seen say they’re faster than absolutely nothing, but still probably not really worth it. A stainless steel nail (which is a terrible metal to use) reduces cooking time by 10%, an aluminum nail by 30-40%. A copper nail works best, but copper can discolor the potato. heat pipes, long hollow fluid filled skewer shaped, were to aid in this. there were long meat size and shorter tater size. ---
**Author:** ![urban1a](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/u/e47c2d/32.png) [@urban1a](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/urban1a)\ **Post date:** [December 17, 2014, 3:13am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/how-fast-can-you-cook-a-potato/707241/34 "2014-12-17T03:13:44Z")
After years of getting uncooked baked potatoes (350 degrees, 1 hour), I started using a thermometer. I find that to get a large potato to 210 degrees internal, still takes close to 2 hours at 350. I mostly don’t mind the wait, though, and prefer a crisp skin to the soggy one from the microwave. Bob ---
**Author:** ![Kamino\_Neko](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/kamino_neko/32/34_2.png) [@Kamino\_Neko](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Kamino_Neko)\ **Post date:** [December 17, 2014, 4:07am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/how-fast-can-you-cook-a-potato/707241/35 "2014-12-17T04:07:27Z")
The way I usually cook them, between 20 and 30 minutes. A few minutes chopping into cubes. ~10 minutes boiling. Another couple minutes seasoning in a casserole. (Butter, salt, pepper, savoury, garlic.) Another ~10 minutes baking (at 400). About half an hour later, tasty, tasty potatoes. ---
**Author:** ![Joey\_P](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/j/919ad9/32.png) [@Joey\_P](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Joey_P)\ **Post date:** [December 17, 2014, 4:34am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/how-fast-can-you-cook-a-potato/707241/36 "2014-12-17T04:34:24Z")
Okay, I tried the microwave thing today. I poked some holes in it, put it in for 4 minutes, flipped it, put it in for 3 more minutes…it wasn’t good. I’ll give you that it probably could have used another minute, but that wasn’t the problem, it was chewy (for lack of a better term). Not crunchy like it was undercooked in the middle…chewy, gummy. Yes, it was done in 7 minutes plus it took a little extra time to get the skin off since it sort of sloughed off instead of just popped out of the peel, but I think I’ll stick with just cooking it for an hour in the oven. The alternative, I guess, is what I mentioned above (though I haven’t tried it). Microwaving it for a few minutes to cut down on the time in the oven. [Previous page](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/how-fast-can-you-cook-a-potato/707241.md?page=1)