# How to bake a potato? **URL:** \ **Category:** Cafe Society\ **Created:** [July 12, 2015, 10:06pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/how-to-bake-a-potato/724978 "2015-07-12T22:06:09Z")\ **Posts on this page:** 20\ **Page:** 2
**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:** [July 13, 2015, 4:10am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/how-to-bake-a-potato/724978/21 "2015-07-13T04:10:41Z")
> [@DSeid](#): > > (The holes, btw, are to prevent the uncommon but unfortunate baking potato explosions.) I’ve cooked hundreds of potatoes (well, probably not hundreds, but lots) and never poked holes in them. Then last year I heard, what sounded like, a cannon going off in my kitchen. Luckily the potato stayed in tact, mostly, so I could still eat it. Now I poke holes in them. Also, for one more “recipe”. Poke holes, 420F, 1h15m. I don’t eat the skin so I’m not wasting my time putting anything on it. Herbs aren’t going to penetrate it and olive oil, butter etc are just to make it crunchy. ---
**Author:** ![Smeghead](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/s/f1d935/32.png) [@Smeghead](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Smeghead)\ **Post date:** [July 13, 2015, 1:47pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/how-to-bake-a-potato/724978/22 "2015-07-13T13:47:12Z")
Wash it, poke it, throw it in the microwave for 5-7 minutes or so, depending on the size of the potato and your microwave. It’s done when it’s squishy. Roll it over halfway through to avoid the hard spot on the bottom. Perfectly good potato. ---
**Author:** ![D\_Odds](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/d_odds/32/2882_2.png) [@D\_Odds](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/D_Odds)\ **Post date:** [July 13, 2015, 1:50pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/how-to-bake-a-potato/724978/23 "2015-07-13T13:50:21Z")
I’ve never had a microwaved party that had good skin. I like a convection oven to really get the skin right. ---
**Author:** ![Chefguy](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/chefguy/32/138_2.png) [@Chefguy](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Chefguy)\ **Post date:** [July 13, 2015, 1:55pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/how-to-bake-a-potato/724978/24 "2015-07-13T13:55:35Z")
> [@D\_Odds](#): > > I’ve never had a microwaved party that had good skin. You’re going to the wrong kinds of parties. ---
**Author:** ![D\_Odds](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/d_odds/32/2882_2.png) [@D\_Odds](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/D_Odds)\ **Post date:** [July 13, 2015, 2:05pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/how-to-bake-a-potato/724978/25 "2015-07-13T14:05:51Z")
I really should preview my posts when I use my phone. ---
**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:** [July 13, 2015, 2:37pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/how-to-bake-a-potato/724978/26 "2015-07-13T14:37:32Z")
But you are correct - it takes an oven to get the skin right, and that’s the best part. ---
**Author:** ![dba\_Fred](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/d/c37758/32.png) [@dba\_Fred](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/dba_Fred)\ **Post date:** [July 13, 2015, 3:32pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/how-to-bake-a-potato/724978/27 "2015-07-13T15:32:17Z")
Watch out if you try to cook a Chinese potato using the microwave presets, they can get philosophic: “Am I a potato dreaming I’m a butterfly, or a butterfly dreaming I’m a potato?” As a bachelor (I’m _ **still** _ available, ladies!), I’m toaster oven-centric. I wash the potato, cut out any bad spots, cut it in half length-wise, fork it, oil it and put it on the toaster oven rack at 400 degrees for about 45 minutes. If I’m doing chicken or a hamburger on the outside grill, the potato goes there for further drying/char marks till the meat is ready. ---
**Author:** ![Teuton](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/teuton/32/3864_2.png) [@Teuton](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Teuton)\ **Post date:** [July 13, 2015, 3:32pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/how-to-bake-a-potato/724978/28 "2015-07-13T15:32:20Z")
> [@D\_Odds](#): > > (like sticking a can of beer up a chicken’s ass) _blinks_ ---
**Author:** ![Little\_Nemo](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/little_nemo/32/3120_2.png) [@Little\_Nemo](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Little_Nemo)\ **Post date:** [July 13, 2015, 4:44pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/how-to-bake-a-potato/724978/29 "2015-07-13T16:44:27Z")
[Beer Can Chicken](http://www.foodnetwork.com/recipes/beer-can-chicken-recipe.html) ---
**Author:** ![GrumpyBunny](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/g/bc8723/32.png) [@GrumpyBunny](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/GrumpyBunny)\ **Post date:** [July 13, 2015, 4:45pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/how-to-bake-a-potato/724978/30 "2015-07-13T16:45:01Z")
> [@dba\_Fred](#): > > As a bachelor (I’m _ **still** _ available, ladies!), I’m toaster oven-centric. I wash the potato, cut out any bad spots, cut it in half length-wise, fork it, oil it and put it on the toaster oven rack at 400 degrees for about 45 minutes. > If I’m doing chicken or a hamburger on the outside grill, the potato goes there for further drying/char marks till the meat is ready. Another vote for the toaster oven if you’re only doing one potato. I would poke holes in it, nuke for a few minutes, then put in the toaster over. It was done when I finished my workout routine plus removing my makeup. What? 😛 ---
**Author:** ![dba\_Fred](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/d/c37758/32.png) [@dba\_Fred](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/dba_Fred)\ **Post date:** [July 13, 2015, 5:05pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/how-to-bake-a-potato/724978/31 "2015-07-13T17:05:44Z")
How much time does it take to remove your makeup from a potato? 😕 ---
**Author:** ![Ukulele\_Ike](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/u/df788c/32.png) [@Ukulele\_Ike](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Ukulele_Ike)\ **Post date:** [July 13, 2015, 5:18pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/how-to-bake-a-potato/724978/32 "2015-07-13T17:18:04Z")
> [@Little\_Nemo](#): > > It seems pretty obvious to me that a metal skewer would transmit heat from the oven into the interior of the potato and cook it quicker and more evenly. Yes. It does. Fuck “America’s Home Kitchen,” or whoever said it didn’t work. _Controversial Statement No. 2_: I never prick my potatoes. You have to do that with sweet potatoes, which have a lot of moisture, but not with russets. ---
**Author:** ![Kenm](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/k/bc79bd/32.png) [@Kenm](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Kenm)\ **Post date:** [July 13, 2015, 5:54pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/how-to-bake-a-potato/724978/33 "2015-07-13T17:54:39Z")
> [@Little\_Nemo](#): > > [Beer Can Chicken](http://www.foodnetwork.com/recipes/beer-can-chicken-recipe.html) Alternative recipe: Push dead chicken’s nether regions over unopened beer can and leave in fridge four hours or until completely chilled. Pull chicken off can of beer and throw it over shoulder. Open can and drink beer. ---
**Author:** ![Spud](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/spud/32/347_2.png) [@Spud](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Spud)\ **Post date:** [July 13, 2015, 8:00pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/how-to-bake-a-potato/724978/34 "2015-07-13T20:00:11Z")
Start with a Russet potato… sometimes listed as “bakers.” Rinse in cold water and pat dry. If you have a convection oven that is preferred, and heat to 400 if not, heat a regular oven to 425. Poke a few holes in the potato. Rub a few drops of oil (olive or whatever you prefer) all over the potato… it doesn’t take much. Sprinkle with salt. Put it directly on the oven rack of the pre-heated oven and bake for 1 hour. Slit it lengthwise and then crosswise and squeeze from the far ends. Take a fork and run it around the inside to loosen and fluff the innerds. Add a bit of salt, pepper, and lots of butter and you are in Spud nirvana… I should know. ---
**Author:** ![Miller](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/miller/32/481_2.png) [@Miller](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Miller)\ **Post date:** [July 13, 2015, 8:28pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/how-to-bake-a-potato/724978/35 "2015-07-13T20:28:55Z")
> [@Ukulele\_Ike](#): > > _Controversial Statement No. 2_: I never prick my potatoes. You have to do that with sweet potatoes, which have a lot of moisture, but not with russets. I have detonated many a russet in my oven when I didn’t remember to poke some holes in it first. ---
**Author:** ![D\_Odds](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/d_odds/32/2882_2.png) [@D\_Odds](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/D_Odds)\ **Post date:** [July 13, 2015, 8:31pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/how-to-bake-a-potato/724978/36 "2015-07-13T20:31:26Z")
> [@Miller](#): > > I have detonated many a russet in my oven when I didn’t remember to poke some holes in it first. I never have poked holes nor dealt with an exploded spud, but I do scrub my potatoes quite vigorously, and I vent them as soon as they are done. ---
**Author:** ![Spud](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/spud/32/347_2.png) [@Spud](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Spud)\ **Post date:** [July 13, 2015, 8:41pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/how-to-bake-a-potato/724978/37 "2015-07-13T20:41:38Z")
> [@Kenm](#): > > Alternative recipe: > > Push dead chicken’s nether regions over unopened beer can and leave in fridge four hours or until completely chilled. > > Pull chicken off can of beer and throw it over shoulder. Open can and drink beer. Yum!!! Salmonella flavored beer! ---
**Author:** ![D\_Odds](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/d_odds/32/2882_2.png) [@D\_Odds](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/D_Odds)\ **Post date:** [July 13, 2015, 8:43pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/how-to-bake-a-potato/724978/38 "2015-07-13T20:43:39Z")
> [@Spud](#): > > Yum!!! Salmonella flavored beer! If it’s Bud Lite Lime, it’s a marked improvement. ---
**Author:** ![Smeghead](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/s/f1d935/32.png) [@Smeghead](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Smeghead)\ **Post date:** [July 13, 2015, 9:13pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/how-to-bake-a-potato/724978/39 "2015-07-13T21:13:27Z")
While I acknowledge the superiority of the oven-baked skin, I maintain that the difference in quality between oven and microwave does not justify the difference between waiting an hour and heating up the kitchen vs being done in six minutes. ---
**Author:** ![Enright3](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/enright3/32/2897_2.png) [@Enright3](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Enright3)\ **Post date:** [July 13, 2015, 9:29pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/how-to-bake-a-potato/724978/40 "2015-07-13T21:29:24Z")
> [@BrassyPhrase](#): > > Preheat oven to 350 degrees F. > > Grab a potato or a few and wash/scrub. Pat dry. (or not, it just makes it easier for the next step.) Stab it all over with a fork. Roll it (or them) in some olive oil to coat them. Sprinkle with salt. (Kosher if you’ve got it, but really any.) > > Stick in oven. Bake for an hour. (If you have several potatoes you’ll need to add more time, about 15 minutes.) Use time to assemble all the stuff to put in the potaoes. > > Damn, I have to make potatoes tomorrow. > > Do not waste your time with foil. It’s wasteful and you don’t need it. > > I meant around the potato. If you’re worried about dripping etc, yeah, some foil under them can help keep your oven clean. This is close to the way I bake them, which I learned from my old school German mother. I stab holes in it with a fork. If I have bacon grease, I rub them down in bacon grease, then salt them with course salt. Otherwise, I rub them down with olive oil and salt them. I put a pan on the lower rack, and set the potato on the upper rack in a preheated 350 degree oven for one hour. And if you haven’t deduced yet from all the comments; within reason you won’t burn your potato as there is a lot of flexibility in time and temperature. > [@TruCelt](#): > > If you really want a perfect baked potato: > > Start by rinsing it under cold water while giving the skin a good hard rub. It should end up smooth. > > Leave it in the fridge overnight in a bowl of cold water. You’ll need a plate or somehting to weight it down so it stays under. > > Next day, take it out and dry it well. Preheat the oven to 425. > > Rub potato with olive or safflower oil, salt, and black pepper. Prick the top with a fork if you must, I’ve never seen it make a difference. > > Bake on an open oven rack until the skin is crispy brown and papery, and the potato mushes easily when squozen. (What? That is the way my Grandmother said it!) 😉 > > Slit the potato lengthwise and open it like a book. stir the inside up and then sprinkle salt and pepper. Add generous amounts of butter and stir it in. > > Have mild sour cream on the table for the smart people. Do not listen to freaks who advocate low salt and even yogurt-y options. This is no time to be miserly. > > Eat the entire thing. All of it. The skin has all the vitamins, and a large part of the fiber. > [@Smeghead](#): > > While I acknowledge the superiority of the oven-baked skin, I maintain that the difference in quality between oven and microwave does not justify the difference between waiting an hour and heating up the kitchen vs being done in six minutes. Or especially the overnight method that BrassyPhrase uses above! :eek: BrassyPhrase, I’m sure it’s delicious that way; but I look at it like comparing a good steak with a great steak. Sure one’s better than the other, but they’re both pretty darn good! 🙂 [Previous page](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/how-to-bake-a-potato/724978.md?page=1) [Next page](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/how-to-bake-a-potato/724978.md?page=3)