# 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:** 3
**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, 10:13pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/how-to-bake-a-potato/724978/41 "2015-07-13T22:13:02Z")
> [@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. I respectfully disagree. Without crisp skin, it’s just a boring starch. ---
**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, 10:39pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/how-to-bake-a-potato/724978/42 "2015-07-13T22:39:34Z")
> [@Ukulele\_Ike](#): > > Yes. It does. Fuck “America’s Home Kitchen,” or whoever said it didn’t work. How about…[Science](http://amazingribs.com/recipes/potatoes/baked_potatoes.html)? ---
**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 14, 2015, 12:32am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/how-to-bake-a-potato/724978/43 "2015-07-14T00:32:48Z")
> [@Smeghead](#): > > waiting an hour and heating up the kitchen What, you don’t cook in January? ---
**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 14, 2015, 12:33am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/how-to-bake-a-potato/724978/44 "2015-07-14T00:33:48Z")
> [@silenus](#): > > How about…[Science](http://amazingribs.com/recipes/potatoes/baked_potatoes.html)? Pffffft, science. Who you gonna believe, me or your lying eyes? ---
**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 14, 2015, 12:50am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/how-to-bake-a-potato/724978/45 "2015-07-14T00:50:11Z")
> [@Ukulele\_Ike](#): > > Pffffft, science. Who you gonna believe, me or your lying eyes? She Blinded Me With Science. I’m just saying… ---
**Author:** ![DSeid](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/dseid/32/20194_2.png) [@DSeid](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/DSeid)\ **Post date:** [July 14, 2015, 2:01am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/how-to-bake-a-potato/724978/46 "2015-07-14T02:01:09Z")
> [@D\_Odds](#): > > I respectfully disagree. Without crisp skin, it’s just a boring starch. As has been pointed out there is the concept of using the microwave to partially cook and then pop them in the oven say at 450 plus for just say 15 minutes to finish the job and crisp em up. Really you’ve got to work to screw up baked potatoes. No problem with those who oil, salt, and season the skins before cooking but I find it to be a bit superfluous. We each salt and butter and sour cream and chopped chives or chopped dill to taste (or don’t) as we eat and the skins are nice and crisp without any oil before. (My favorite part of a baked potato.) Preferences for type to use? Russet, Yukon Gold, other? ---
**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 14, 2015, 2:33am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/how-to-bake-a-potato/724978/47 "2015-07-14T02:33:12Z")
GOTTA be russets. The produce buyer for a food coop I used to work for was “allergic to russets” (?), and claimed that Yukon Gold made an excellent baker. But…no. GOTTA be russet. ---
**Author:** ![Morgenstern](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/m/f9ae1b/32.png) [@Morgenstern](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Morgenstern)\ **Post date:** [July 14, 2015, 2:35am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/how-to-bake-a-potato/724978/48 "2015-07-14T02:35:40Z")
> [@silenus](#): > > 350º for 60 minutes or so. Rub the skin with oil, place on oven rack. After 60 minutes, test with a skewer for doneness. To jump-start the process, microwave the tater for a few minutes before placing in oven. Then rap it in aluminum foil, place a metal skewer through it, and what silenus said above. Interior will be done, and skin will be soft and edible. PS, wash it well before starting . 🙂 ---
**Author:** ![TruCelt](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/trucelt/32/523_2.png) [@TruCelt](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/TruCelt)\ **Post date:** [July 14, 2015, 8:32am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/how-to-bake-a-potato/724978/49 "2015-07-14T08:32:13Z")
> [@Little\_Nemo](#): > > Really? I find that surprising. 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. You are confusing one cooking hack with another. The skewer method is a trick for getting nice crispy potato skins in the microwave. d&r 😛 ---
**Author:** ![BrassyPhrase](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/b/ea666f/32.png) [@BrassyPhrase](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/BrassyPhrase)\ **Post date:** [July 14, 2015, 9:11am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/how-to-bake-a-potato/724978/50 "2015-07-14T09:11:49Z")
> [@Enright3](#): > > 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! 🙂 Ummm that wasn’t me. My recipe was almost exactly yours. (Minus bacon fat, which sounds OH SO AWESOME.) Also this thread took me and The Fella to Sweet Tomatoes (SoupPlantantion in some areas) tonight. I get my nummy salads. And I go for my baked potato. (I live in Houston, I’m really going for not turning on the oven for two potatoes right now.) And it’s awesome and I’m chowing down on it and this one corner I stick my fork in…and omg, it’s black! I’m trying to stay calm and going, “uhhh…uuuuuuhhhh…is this burned parts or mold…ooorrrrr uuuuuuuhhh…rot? \” The Fella pokes at it and says “Burned.” My thought: WHY DID THEY NOT READ THE DOPE ABOUT HOW TO COOK A POTATO? Of course, I ate around it. B/c well, I really wanted the frickin’ baked potato! ---
**Author:** ![don\_t\_ask](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/d/e68b1a/32.png) [@don\_t\_ask](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/don_t_ask)\ **Post date:** [July 14, 2015, 11:13am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/how-to-bake-a-potato/724978/51 "2015-07-14T11:13:05Z")
I don’t think fats and oils are necessary and don’t improve the crusty shell although basting toward the end of cooking with duck fat makes for a very tasty potato. Set the oven to about 400, rinse the potato in water, roll in salt and bake for about 1 hour. Check frequently from 45 minutes, once they are soft they dry out inside very quickly. ---
**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 14, 2015, 1:29pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/how-to-bake-a-potato/724978/52 "2015-07-14T13:29:58Z")
> [@DSeid](#): > > As has been pointed out there is the concept of using the microwave to partially cook and then pop them in the oven say at 450 plus for just say 15 minutes to finish the job and crisp em up. > > Preferences for type to use? Russet, Yukon Gold, other? But that’s not “done in 6 minutes” or ‘not heating up the kitchen’. > [@Ukulele\_Ike](#): > > GOTTA be russets. > > The produce buyer for a food coop I used to work for was “allergic to russets” (?), and claimed that Yukon Gold made an excellent baker. But…no. GOTTA be russet. He may use skewers, but **Ukulele Ike** is 100% right about potato type. Russets or make a different type of potato dish. > [@don\_t\_ask](#): > > I don’t think fats and oils are necessary and don’t improve the crusty shell although basting toward the end of cooking with duck fat makes for a very tasty potato. Set the oven to about 400, rinse the potato in water, roll in salt and bake for about 1 hour. Check frequently from 45 minutes, once they are soft they dry out inside very quickly. Fats aren’t _necessary_, but they help the skin. A lot. Once I started oiling my spud (not that **Spud** ) it took a very good potato to great. For my oven, convection roast at 375° for 45 minutes = perfect potato. I’ll check the potato temp next time I bake. ---
**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 14, 2015, 2:28pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/how-to-bake-a-potato/724978/53 "2015-07-14T14:28:49Z")
> [@BrassyPhrase](#): > > Ummm that wasn’t me. My recipe was almost exactly yours. (Minus bacon fat, which sounds OH SO AWESOME.) > > Also this thread took me and The Fella to Sweet Tomatoes (SoupPlantantion in some areas) tonight. I get my nummy salads. And I go for my baked potato. (I live in Houston, I’m really going for not turning on the oven for two potatoes right now.) And it’s awesome and I’m chowing down on it and this one corner I stick my fork in…and omg, it’s black! I’m trying to stay calm and going, “uhhh…uuuuuuhhhh…is this burned parts or mold…ooorrrrr uuuuuuuhhh…rot? \” The Fella pokes at it and says “Burned.” My thought: > > WHY DID THEY NOT READ THE DOPE ABOUT HOW TO COOK A POTATO? > > Of course, I ate around it. B/c well, I really wanted the frickin’ baked potato! Ooops, I meant TruCelt. I quoted correctly, referenced wrong. Thanks, ---
**Author:** ![Scylla](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/s/a5b964/32.png) [@Scylla](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Scylla)\ **Post date:** [July 14, 2015, 4:23pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/how-to-bake-a-potato/724978/54 "2015-07-14T16:23:31Z")
The best way to bake a potato is to run it through a French fry slicer first then deep fry it in peanut oil. When done, add salt to taste cover with shredded Monterey Jack and cheddar cheese and throw it in the oven to bake for 5 minutes or until the cheese melts. That’s how you bake a 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 14, 2015, 4:39pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/how-to-bake-a-potato/724978/55 "2015-07-14T16:39:19Z")
Between this and your hard-line stance on salsa, your credibility in cuisine is falling fast, **Scylla**. ---
**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 14, 2015, 11:18pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/how-to-bake-a-potato/724978/56 "2015-07-14T23:18:54Z")
> [@D\_Odds](#): > > Once I started oiling my spud (not that **Spud** ) it took a very good potato to great. Oh sure… just pretend that weekend never happened. God I feel so cheap and used right now. 😃 ---
**Author:** ![Morgenstern](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/m/f9ae1b/32.png) [@Morgenstern](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Morgenstern)\ **Post date:** [July 14, 2015, 11:48pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/how-to-bake-a-potato/724978/57 "2015-07-14T23:48:58Z")
Now that we have the potato baking settled. Twice baked potatoes anyone? ---
**Author:** ![standingwave](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/s/9de0a6/32.png) [@standingwave](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/standingwave)\ **Post date:** [July 15, 2015, 2:18am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/how-to-bake-a-potato/724978/58 "2015-07-15T02:18:20Z")
Hike fifteen to twenty miles carrying a pack. Set up the tent. Build a fire. Use a fork to poke some holes and rub it with olive oil. Double wrap in aluminum foil and bury it in the coals. After half an hour start checking to see if done. Enjoy. ---
**Author:** ![Grestarian](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/grestarian/32/3227_2.png) [@Grestarian](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Grestarian)\ **Post date:** [July 15, 2015, 8:02pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/how-to-bake-a-potato/724978/59 "2015-07-15T20:02:04Z")
Okay, so I’m going to admit to being… a) Impatient b) Innovative c) dialectically inclined\* …Yes, ALL OF THE ABOVE I never knew the specifics of baking a potato until this thread came up. I just habitually let other people deal with it. But the discussion has certainly been enlightening! > [@Apocalypso](#): > > Put the potato in the microwave. Cook until it explodes. Take another potato and cook it slightly less. Fortunately, I read the entire thread before acting. So, Apocalypso, you don’t have to come over and clean out my microwave. However, I’d appreciate it if you’d clean the soda-pop off my monitor screen, 'cause that’s your fault. > [@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. What if we microwave a clean perforated Russet for about 8 minutes and then roll it in hot [super-hot?] oil (pick your favorite) and spices (add your favorite). That would take about 10 minutes (rather than 60-90 minutes) for the whole process, . Would that create a fluffy inside (from the microwave) and a suitably crisp skin (from the shallow-frying)? –G! \*The simplistic explanation is that thesis + counter-thesis = synthesis. However, a deeper explanation of the dialectic (Aristotelian) model is that the exploration of two (or more) widely differing concepts/viewpoints yields ideas and perspectives which cannot be found directly in the explored subjects but are considered to be derived from those explorations. ---
**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 15, 2015, 9:02pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/how-to-bake-a-potato/724978/60 "2015-07-15T21:02:13Z")
I contend that a microwaved potato (a) cannot be called baked\* (b) is to a baked potato as Kraft Mac & Cheese is to real Macaroni & Cheese (_i.e._ a sad imitation of the real thing) Channeling **Scylla** in the salsa thread, I Have Written, Therefore It Is So. \*I will begrudgingly allow a nuked spud finished in the oven to be called _partially_ baked, as long as the partially is emphasized. [Previous page](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/how-to-bake-a-potato/724978.md?page=2) [Next page](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/how-to-bake-a-potato/724978.md?page=4)