Baking a potato is not really tough, still it is a skillful task. A lot of emphasis is put on baking the potato in a right manner as it is important to retain its nutrients. Baking is a popular method because you donât need to bathe the potato with lots of fat to cook it and that makes it easy-to-consume and nutritious and low in calories. Baked potatoes complement many recipes and how you serve it depends entirely on your choice. But, the golden brown crust of baked potatoes is too tempting to resist. So, here’s the guide to help you prepare that delectable baked potatoes.
Complexity Level: Basic
Time Required: 25 minutes for 4-5 small potatoes
Resources Required:
1. Potatoes
2. Oven or microwave
3. Cooking oil
4. Baking tray or microwave safe baking container
5. Salt
6. A soft brush and water, to clean the potatoes
Instructions:
1. Clean the potatoes well
- This might seem easy, but the key to a perfect taste lies in this step. While cleaning you have to focus on removing dirt and grime completely.
- Donât damage the skin of potatoes. The skin of potatoes not only looks and tastes great but also contains lots of nutrients that you wouldn’t like to be devoid of. So, rub them gently with a soft brush and wash thoroughly with water.
- Donât select damaged potatoes. In case there are small potato eyes on the potato, remove them with the help of a fork or tip of the knife.
2. Preparing the potatoes before baking
- Make sure that potatoes donât remain wet while you plan to put them in the oven. Wipe them dry using a clean cloth.
- You need to pierce the potatoes using a sharp instrument so that they are cooked to the core and not only the crust. You can use the usual fork for this purpose.
- Now, you need to apply a little oil on the surface of the potato. Take oil in a bowl. Dab your fingers in the oil and rub it all over the potato so that it coats the surface well. While doing this, set the oven at around 350 degree Fahrenheit so that it gets pre-heated by the time your potatoes are ready.
- Sprinkle a little salt on potatoes.
3. Bake the potatoes
- In case, you have forgotten to preheat the oven youâll have to do it now at the above mentioned temperature. Donât put the potatoes before the oven is ready otherwise they wonât get baked well.
- Put the potatoes on a baking tray and keep it in the oven for approx 25 minutes.
- After 25 minutes, open the oven, take one potato out and squeeze it gently. If the potato opens up on squeezing, it is ready and fully baked. If not, put it for another 7-10 minutes.
- Baked potato are hot to hold, so instead of squeezing you can also put a fork on other end of a spoon against it. If it pierces easily, it is ready to be served!
- Sprinkle it with your favorite spices or put your favourite toppings and your baked potatoes are ready.
Frequently Asked Questions:
1. What to do when the potatoes are large in size?
Youâll need to keep them for a few extra minutes. In some cases, it may take up to 1 or 1.15 hours.
2. How to ensure even baking?
To make sure that all the potatoes are baked evenly, try to select potatoes of similar sizes. More variation in sizes means more chances of uneven baking.
3. What if the potatoes are bruised?
Itâs better to select clean potatoes because youâd have to cut off the bruised part. This means that the baked potato wonât be in its whole and rounded form.
4. Is it necessary to put potatoes on a baking tray?
While you can put the potatoes directly on the oven grill, keep them on a baking tray as all the potato dropping would collect in the tray instead of ruining your oven.
Quick Tips:
- There are lots of topping options. While you can always play with the toppings of your choice the classic choices are cheese, butter, sour cream etc. You can even sprinkle pepper on it to change the taste.
- To get crispy skin, avoid wrapping the potatoes in foil before baking and put them in the oven directly.
Things To Watch Out For:
- Use a microwave if you want to finish it quick. Though, regular ovens are a good choice, you can even use a microwave if you have less time in hand. Make sure the potatoes are dry and pierced well with a fork before keeping them in microwave.
- Always use a microwave safe vessel to bake the potatoes. You can select the high option to get it baked, though the time will vary according to the potato size. While 3 minutes are enough for smaller potatoes, 5 minutes are enough for medium sized potatoes and 6-7 minutes are enough for larger potatoes. Finish with baking for a few minutes in the oven.
- Pierce the potato well to ensure even baking. This is a very important step. If the potatoes ain’t pierced well there wonât be any space for the steam to escape out. While microwaving, it may even lead to bursting of potato. So, do pierce the potato well.
