Potatoes are one of those vegetables that can take a long time to cook. Their dense nature and size mean that whether you love a white potato or a sweet potato, getting them tender to the core just takes a while. You can speed up the process when boiling or roasting or frying by cutting them up small or slicing them thin or even grating them.
But when you want a baked potato, the whole thing shifts. A white medium to large baked potato takes at least an hour in the oven to be tender all the way through, and to get a sweet potato soft and caramelized can take more than an hour and a half. Some people try to speed up this process by pre-cooking partially in a microwave, but that can create a strange rubbery texture. And parboiling will overcook the outer part of the potato giving it a watery mouthfeel.
How to make a baked potato in half the time
So how do you get all the flavor and texture you want from a baked potato in half the time? It is simpler than you think. Cut the potato in half.
Think about it: A baked potato, whether white or sweet, is designed to be split in half and then anointed with butter, sour cream, cheese or other toppings anyway! Even if you love your baked potato simply seasoned with salt and pepper, you are going to split it first.
Why baking a potato cut in half is great for more than just saving time
By cutting your potatoes in half lengthwise and placing them cut side down on a greased sheet pan before cooking, you will do two things. One, you have made them half the thickness, so they will cook through in literally half the time. And two, you create an opportunity to get flavor and texture on the cut side of the potatoes. The side against the sheet pan will brown and crisp, which will give a little bit of textural contrast, and terrific flavor. I bake my potatoes in a 400° oven; this high heat will allow the cut sides to brown instead of steaming against the pan, and you should get tender results in between 20-30 minutes depending on the size of your spuds.
The extra bonus? The skin on the topside of the potato will also get extra crispy. For a white potato, it will get a lovely crunchy texture, especially if you oil it and season it with salt. For sweet potatoes, the thin skin will become shatteringly crisp instead of flabby and chewy.
Baking halved potatoes is an easy time-saver that can make fabulous baked potatoes easy and quick enough for weeknights, and delicious enough for dinner parties.
Half-baked Potatoes. Starting baked potatoes in the microwave and finishing them in the oven cuts cooking time and still yields crisp skin and fluffy potato flesh.
By cutting your potatoes in half lengthwise and placing them cut side down on a greased sheet pan before cooking, you will do two things. One, you have made them half the thickness, so they will cook through in literally half the time.
We recommend baking potatoes at 400 degrees F for about an hour. Smaller spuds might take a little less time, while larger baking potatoes over 1 pound might take a little more. For a fully baked Idaho Russet Burbank, the internal temperature should be right at 210 degrees F.
Wrapping potatoes in foil does not hasten baking. On the contrary, since the foil itself has to be heated before the potato begins to bake, cooking times increase slightly. Not only do you get better baked potatoes when you bake them unwrapped, you also save money.
Some say wrapping baked potatoes in aluminum foil helps them cook faster (aluminum conducts heat, then traps it), and it does keep them hot for longer once they come out of the oven, which is why we think restaurants use this method. Wrapping potatoes will also give you a softer, steamed skin, if that's what you like.
Bake at high heat: This will help the potatoes get nice and crispy. 8. Take the time to flip all of the potatoes: Once the potatoes have baked halfway through, you need to give them a good flip.
Total baking time? One hour – the exact same amount of time as the “Zero-Effort Method.” Similarly, we did not detect any major differences between the poked and unpoked potato, either inside or out (other than the visual poke holes, of course).
Adjust oven rack to middle position and heat oven to 400 degrees. Meanwhile rub potatoes with enough oil to coat and sprinkle generously with salt. Microwave on high power for 8 minutes while oven heats. Transfer potatoes to a rimmed baking sheet; bake until tender, about 30 minutes.
Visual signs: The potato skin will start to wrinkle when over cooked. The potato, when wrapped in foil or placed on the bottom of a pan will have a dark brown spot on the bottom, a sure sign of over cooking. Foil traps the moisture in the potato causing the skin to be wet and the inside flavorless or gummy.
"I see a lot of people using foil to wrap their potatoes in but this is a big no-no and causes soggy skins!" he says. Foil holds in moisture and steams the potatoes, resulting in a "boiled" taste and texture. Plus, without the use of foil, the skin will get extra crispy and flavorful.
Preheat oven to 500 degrees. Scrub potatoes, dry thoroughly and prick several times with a fork.. Bake directly on oven rack, turning once or twice, until crunchy on outside, tender within, about 1 hour.
Bake for 45 to 60 minutes, until the skins are crisp and puffy and you can easily pierce the potatoes with a fork. Use oven mitts to remove the hot baking sheet from the oven.
Less time: The baked potato made in the air fryer took less time than when baked in the oven. A 10-ounce potato took 40 to 45 minutes to get tender and crisp, whereas a potato baked in the oven took about 1 hour. Crisper skin: The skin of the air fryer baked potato became considerably crispier.
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