How to Make the Perfect Baked Potato

How to Make the Perfect Baked Potato

How to Make the Perfect Baked Potato

I love baked potatoes. As a vegetarian, baked potatoes are often my go-to menu item when I visit a steakhouse with family and friends. Most good steakhouses make amazing baked potatoes but, unfortunately, many restaurants and regular folks do not know how to make the perfect baked potato. I cannot remember where I learned this method but I have been baking potatoes this way for several years and they always turn out perfect.

The Perfect Baked Potato

Ingredients

  • 1 large Russet potato 
  • olive oil or canola oil
  • kosher salt or sea salt

Directions

  1. Preheat oven to 350 degrees. Place the racks on the upper and lower thirds of the oven.
  2. Scrub the potato under running water
  3. Dry the potato and, using a fork, pierce the potato 6-8 times. This will allow steam to escape during baking.
  4. Brush the potato with the oil, making sure it is completely covered.
  5. Sprinkle salt onto the entire surface of the potato.
  6. Place the potato directly onto the upper rack. Place a baking sheet on the lower oven rack (to catch the drips).
  7. Bake for one hour. Potato is done when the skin feels crispy and the inside soft.
  8. Baking time may vary as more potatoes are added.

How to Make a Perfect Baked Potato

Take a look at that skin! The main reason I love this method of making baked potatoes is that the skin turns out so perfectly. I hate getting a baked potato with a soggy and tasteless skin. What a waste!

How to Make the Perfect Baked Potato

Here is my favorite way to cut open a baked potato. Others do it by making one cut across the whole potato but I prefer this method because it exposes more of the flesh of the potato, ensuring my ability to add butter to as much of the potato as possible. Yum.

How to Cut Open a Baked Potato


Do you love baked potatoes? What are your favorite baked potato toppings?

About Janice

I am so glad you stopped by. Kick your shoes off and hang with me a while. I am an Arizona native, wife to a hard-working hubby, mom of two, and daughter of the King. I love sharing recipes, crafts, and family activities that any mom can do. Life is complicated enough, right? When I am not up to my ears in laundry, dishes, and creating for Celebrating Family, you will also find me at East Valley Mom Guide. Come follow me on Google +, Facebook, Pinterest, Instagram, and Twitter.

Comments

  1. Love the way you cut open your potato! I will have to try it that way next time. 🙂

  2. Debra Wagner says

    Wow that looks so good!

  3. I will have to try baking them this way. I learned a different way to open them working in restaurants years ago. But your way seems like whatever topping you put on you potato would be able to cover it better.

  4. gail ward says

    I love baked potatoes.
    I am going to try them this way
    it looks so good.

  5. lydia goodman says

    I’ve never tried putting the oil and salt on when I bake them, will have to try this next time.

  6. Vanessa Mabel Camba says

    Haven’t tried this!

  7. David Talucci says

    great meal idea,

    baked potatoes have dropped of our radar, but I’m gonna add them this week

  8. alejandra castro says

    This looks so good! i love baked potato but have never known how to do it! it sounds easy but i never get it! thanks for explaining it in a way i understand! i usually go out if i want one but because of this ill never have to have to! Just off to the kitchen for some yummyness.

  9. angela massey says

    Your idea for baked potatoes are amazing. Never thought i could do so much with a potato. Your recipe will be on my table tonight.

  10. I never thought of putting the salt on before they cooked. Your cutting technique also looks interesting. I’ll try both next time. Thanks!

  11. Oh that looks great. I love seasoned skin as well. Makes the entire thing so much better!

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  13. I just pour a splash of EVOO in my hands and rub my hands over the potato. I also use Salt and herb mixture. I love potatoes.

  14. i have always wanted to make a perfect baked potato. But it always ends up a fail.

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  17. vegetarian here, with lifelong impatience for food prep. so faster = better as long as quality is not impacted (by much). if i were using your baked potato idea, i would differ only by starting the “cooking” the potato in the microwave up to 3-4 minutes, then transferring to heated oven to get the nice overall texture. often that’s only another ten minutes once precooked in microwave.

  18. p.s. slicing open the potato in quarters when placing in microwave evens out the texture even better.

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