# Baked taters advice



## Jim (Mar 3, 2011)

Man... I love a great baked potato- any tips to getting them just right?

I got a bag of 40 count yesterday, those things are huge- as big as Dave's head!

So, is there a general rule for timing them? What about temps?


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## SpikeC (Mar 3, 2011)

Not an answer, butt a further question: what is the optimum internal temp? Now that I have a Themapen I have a temperature fanaticism!


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## sw2geeks (Mar 3, 2011)

My microwave has a potato setting that uses a steam sensor to time how long to cook the potato. I usually wash the skin, vent the potato with some knife slits, put it in the microwave and hit the potato button. Once it is done in the microwave I put it in the smoker for an hour or so to finish it off.


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## ThEoRy (Mar 3, 2011)

Soften some whole butter, rub the butter on the tatoe, season with kosher salt fresh black pepper, wrap em in foil, bake em 350 for 50-60 min.


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## FryBoy (Mar 3, 2011)

Wrap it in foil? Never! That ends up essentially steaming the potato. 

IMHO, a properly baked potato has skin that's almost crisp -- that's actually the best part, both nutritionally and taste-wise. 

Just wash the potato well and stick it in a 400-degree oven on a rack or tray for about an hour; cooking time depends on its size. It's done when easily pierced with a fork.


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## rahimlee54 (Mar 3, 2011)

FryBoy said:


> Wrap it in foil? Never! That ends up essentially steaming the potato.
> 
> IMHO, a properly baked potato has skin that's almost crisp -- that's actually the best part, both nutritionally and taste-wise.
> 
> Just wash the potato well and stick it in a 400-degree oven on a rack or tray for about an hour; cooking time depends on its size. It's done when easily pierced with a fork.



+1 on the crisp, my favorite have crisp skin and chives. I do a little olive oil and salt/pepper mine with the above mentioned temp and process. I'll have to smoke them when I get my smoker going this spring.
yr


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## Dave Martell (Mar 3, 2011)

Jim said:


> I got a bag of 40 count yesterday, those things are huge- as big as Dave's head!


 
May your taters turn out hard.


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## ThEoRy (Mar 3, 2011)

rahimlee54 said:


> +1 on the crisp, my favorite have crisp skin and chives. I do a little olive oil and salt/pepper mine with the above mentioned temp and process. I'll have to smoke them when I get my smoker going this spring.
> yr


 
About the foil. And, I should have clarified earlier. Thing is I'm not using regular foil from the roll. It's the 6 x 8 foil paper sheets. Reason is in my convection oven you can really dry out the outer layer without protecting it and it really holds the butter on there till it absorbs in the potato. 

Also, you have to remember, during service when a baker is picked up is when we pop it in the convection uncovered and it gets the nice crisp skin outside.

Sorry for the lack of method involved earlier. In my haste to help with a quick answer I failed to provide a little back story.


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## Jim (Mar 3, 2011)

DaveMartell said:


> May your taters turn out hard.


Tater Hater...


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## sw2geeks (Mar 3, 2011)

Using the smoking after the microwaving is for adding a little smoke flavor and crisping up the skin. My Treager grill works pretty much like a convection oven with smoke. It has a fire pot and fan that wood pellets are fed into from a hopper timed by a thermostat to keep a constant temp set by a dial similar to that on a oven. Makes smoking things a breeze so I always finish them off in the smoker instead of the oven.


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## bprescot (Mar 4, 2011)

ThEoRy said:


> Also, you have to remember, during service when a baker is picked up is when we pop it in the convection uncovered and it gets the nice crisp skin outside.



Ah, that makes sense. So quick question from a home cook. Timing baked potatoes is annoying, so doing ahead would be nice. Once done in the foil, how long to reheat and crisp skin? I've never tried a largely do-ahead potato.


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## FryBoy (Mar 4, 2011)

One other caution about baking potatoes in foil -- the potential for botulism. See this link from the NIH: _*CLICK ME*_
*Abstract*​In April 1994, the largest outbreak of botulism in the United States since 1978 occurred in El Paso, Texas. Thirty persons were affected; 4 required mechanical ventilation. All ate food from a Greek restaurant. The attack rate among persons who ate a potato-based dip was 86% (19/22) compared with 6% (11/176) among persons who did not eat the dip (relative risk [RR] = 13.8; 95% confidence interval [CI], 7.6-25.1). The attack rate among persons who ate an eggplant-based dip was 67% (6/9) compared with 13% (241189) among persons who did not (RR = 5.2; 95% CI, 2.9-9.5). Botulism toxin type A was detected from patients and in both dips. *Toxin formation resulted from holding aluminum foil-wrapped baked potatoes at room temperature, apparently for several days, before they were used in the dips. Consumers should be informed of the potential hazards caused by holding foil-wrapped potatoes at ambient temperatures after cooking.*​


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## boomchakabowwow (Oct 18, 2018)

Keep them sized together. Don’t mix small taters with big taters. 

I salt the heck out of them before wrapping.


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## WildBoar (Oct 18, 2018)

boomchakabowwow said:


> Keep them sized together. Don’t mix small taters with big taters.
> 
> I salt the heck out of them before wrapping.


Haha, 7-1/2 years later...


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## panda (Oct 18, 2018)

wash the hell out of them, poke a couple holes with a fork, coat in olive oil, cover with obscene amount of salt so that the entire thing is completely covered thick, i dont do the foil because the salt dries and acts as a crust/cover of its own. bake @ 350F x 1 hour and check every 5 minutes after. serve with whipped chive butter on the side and sour cream


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## Ryndunk (Oct 18, 2018)

panda said:


> wash the hell out of them, poke a couple holes with a fork, coat in olive oil, cover with obscene amount of salt so that the entire thing is completely covered thick, i dont do the foil because the salt dries and acts as a crust/cover of its own. bake @ 350F x 1 hour and check every 5 minutes after. serve with whipped chive butter on the side and sour cream


This is how you bake a potato!


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## Mucho Bocho (Oct 18, 2018)

Wash, poke deep holes then soak in heavily salted water for an hour or so. Roast 400 degrees for an hour or so. I do not oil them. I like the skins crispy.


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## parbaked (Oct 18, 2018)

Holes, salt, oil...no foil.
425 for 50 minutes


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## boomchakabowwow (Oct 19, 2018)

WildBoar said:


> Haha, 7-1/2 years later...


Figures the topic is still relevant; unless they uninvented potatoes.

Besides it’s old and still on the first page. It needed a reboot. Shows how slow this Forum is.


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