Baked potato

[shivvy]

I want to make a couple of baked potatos in the conventional oven (Not the microwave).
What tips does anyone have for good baked spuds?
Thanks

[andrea81]

Melted butter on the skin with sea salt and put in a low oven for 1 hour. (depending on size) might have to use judgment on putting in for a further half hour.

[weeal]

hi
I use olive oil and salt on the skins and bake for 1� hrs, butter would also be nice as andrea suggests

mind the salt on metal trays tho it can rust them!

[Theland1]

As a self confessed culinary moron, could you explain to me the difference between oven baked and microwaved spuds?
Also, in the stove, do you wrap the spuds in foil?
Then, how do you eat them? On their own or with a filling?

[4getmenot]

They just dont have that crispiness theland. I put mine in microwave for 10mins then finish them off in oven for 20 Mmmmm

[andrea81]

I don't use foil as it steams them and you wont get that hard crispy skin.

To be honest, if I'm being lazy, I put in micro for 6 minutes and then in medium oven until the skin goes golden! I still add butter and salt on skin.

yum!

[weeal]

why is theland green with an extra digit lol

[hammerman]

As per 4getmenot...10 mins in the micro then in the oven.

I always rub olive oil in the skins followed by coarse sea salt....which gives little "pings" of salt as you eat it.

[bigmamma]

I stab the spud and microwave for a short while first to speed things up , and then I put them in the oven to finish them off :-) x

[Theland1]

Strange things with my account - can't post, and some of my previous posts disappeared. Same thing happened the other week.
So, I had to don a green cloak with a "1" tagged on to it, in order to learn how to cook my lunch.

[weeal]

aha, the AB gremlins got ya
I thought it was a troll lol

[shivvy]

Thanks for your replies but as I said, I won't be using a microwave.
So andrea81 and weeal, can you advise whether I wrap them in anything or just put them on a (?preheated) baking tray? How long (for 4 medium spuds)? And what temp?
Thanks

[weeal]

Hi dont wrap them at all, the oil or butter will brown and crisp up nicely. Turn them half way.
Prob 180 degrees for hour and half then poke a knife into the biggest one to test if its soft in the centre.

If youre using coarse salt sit them on foil on top of the tray to stop the tray rusting.

[shivvy]

Thanks weeal. One last thing - do I cut or pierce or do anything to them before I put them in the oven? Or just bung em in there?!

[weeal]

Now im hungry and want a spud lol

[weeal]

ooh right, yeah prick em all over with a fork then rinse, then oil/butter, then salt

back to work now catch u later

[shivvy]

thanks again weeal - that's dinner sorted!

[squidgster]

I always just bung them straight a preheated oven at about 180 degrees with a skewer through the middle for about an hour. They vary each time it seems in skin crispiness, texture and flavour, all down to the type of potato.

Anyone else prefer nice soggy skins to hard crispy ones?! Yum.

[Clanad]

Being a potato aficionado, I learned sometime ago to produce really crispy skins and light fluffy insides by using the already mentioned olive oil and sea salt (although I also use the larger grained Kosher salt) and place the gem into a sizzling 500 degree F (I'm in the U.S., you do the math) oven for about 45 minutes. Absolutely, positively don't puncture the skins. Additionally, to insure the best product we use a light skinned baker spud rather than the red skinned ones. Not sure what you call them in the U.K. Don't wrap them in anything, except your own skin at the appropriate time...

[Jugglering]

I tend to use one of those prongy things - like metal skewers - that hold 4 potatoes at once and help to transmit the heat from the oven into the centre of each potato (obviously in the oven, which I have jacked up high .... 225 deg C). If I am really short of time, I will pop a whole large potato (wrapped up in kitchen paper to absorb excess moisture) into the ping machine for about 5 minutes, then place (no kitchen paper now) on an open shelf of a preheated oven 200 deg C for about half an hour. That way I get a lovely soft fluffy inside and a great crispy potato skin.... I love crunchy potato skins.....

[shivvy]

Thanks everyone.
I found this website and it works a treat.
Had v successful spuds for dinner tonight!

http://www.howtobakeapotato.com/