Baked potatoes require only one ingredient and don’t need any recipe or work. They are delicious, easy to prepare, and can be made in a matter of minutes. These are the best tips for selecting, preparing, and baking them.

Tips To Get The Best Baked Potato Every Time

These tips take the guesswork out of cooking and ensure delicious, light, and flavorful results.

  1. Pick The Right Potato

Large, high-starch potatoes (Idaho), and Yukon Gold potatoes, are the best options. The potato’s starch content determines how fluffy it is. Red-skinned potatoes and fingerlings have lower starch content and are best used in recipes that require the flesh to be firm and moist.

  1. Prep Is A Must

Scrub the whole potato under running water. Dry them with a towel. Use a fork to pierce the potatoes. The drying step removes excess moisture. The pricked holes allow steam to escape so that the potatoes don’t burst as they bake.

  1. Use A Hot Oven, But Not Too Hot

Temperatures for potato baking range from 350@F to 450@F. 400@F seems to be the ideal temperature for potato baking. This is the temperature at which the potato is cooked and the skin is crisp without being steamed. 

  1. Check For Doneness

There are many sizes and shapes of baking potatoes, so make sure that the potato is fully cooked before you serve it. Simply insert the tip of a knife/skewer into the thickest portion of the potato. Baked beauties will be ready when the knife or skewer can easily penetrate the potato’s center and is not resistance. 

Cooking Methods

There are many options available for baking potatoes in twenty-first-century kitchens. These range from traditional oven methods to smaller appliances like slow cookers and multi-cookers.

Oven

Baked potatoes are a classic way to get fluffy potatoes and crispy skin.

Instructions: Place the pricked, scrubbed potatoes on a rack in a 400@F oven. Bake for 60 to 90 minutes or until the potatoes are easily pierced using a knife tip or fork. You will get perfect baked potato in oven.

Microwave

This super-convenient method can make a creamy, cooked potato in 10 minutes. 

Instructions: Microwave 1 pricked, scrubbed potato for 7 minutes at high power. Turn the potato over and microwave for 2 to 3 more minutes or until it is easily pierced using a knife tip or fork. Tip To get a fluffier potato and crisper skin, heat the potato in the microwave for 7 minutes. Then bake it in a 400@F oven at 400°F for 15 minutes.

Instant Pot/Multicooker

Multicookers steam potatoes rather than baking them. However, they are useful for quick cooking and can keep potatoes warm without drying out. This method is excellent for cooking large batches of potatoes quickly.

Instructions: Pour 1 1/2 cups water into the bottom of a multicooker. Then, place a steaming rack on top. Place 4 to 5 pricked, scrubbed potatoes on a single frame. Seal the pan and let it steam for 15 minutes (or longer if you have extra-large potatoes). Let the steam naturally escape.

Slow Cooker

The slow cooker is a great way to save time and free up space in the oven for other recipes. You can also intensify sweet potato’s natural sweetness by using slow, low heat.

Instructions: Place 4-5 pierced potatoes in one layer on a slow cooker. Cook on high for 8 hours or until the potatoes are easily pierced using a knife tip or fork.

Air Fryer

You can bake your potatoes in an air fryer for crispy skin and even cooking.

Instructions: Cook whole potatoes sliced and pierced at 400°F for 40-50 minutes or until they are easily pierced using a knife tip or fork.