A perfect baked potato has a fluffy, light interior and crisp skin. Run a sharp knife down the jacket of one and you reveal the kind of potato interior that loves to drink butter and doubles down on salt. This is how you do it.
The Secret To A Perfect Baked Potato
The path to great baked potatoes is more about what to avoid than what to embrace. In short, a hot oven paired with a salt-rubbed russet potato is the best approach. No foil, no fuss, and no microwave.
Should You Wrap in Foil When Baking a Potato?
The short answer is no, unless you’re camping and cooking potatoes in the coals of a campfire. Wrapping a potato in foil yields a potato with wet skin. The foil prevents moisture from the potato from escaping, and keeps it close to the skin. If you like a crisp, dry skin (as most of us do), skip the tinfoil.
Poke Holes?
Yes. This helps to avoid blow-outs as the steam builds within the potatoes as they’re baking. Use a fork to puncture the potato skin 10 times (or so) per potato.
Best Baked Potato Toppings
Get creative and have fun setting up a toppings bar. This way everyone pulls together their potato exactly as they wish. A favorite (classic) pairing is chili over a baked potato, go crazy and add some crushed corn chips for fun. Compound butter is an easy way to make toppings a bit special. And never skimp on the herbs, scallions, chives, and such. If you want a deep dive, I wrote up an entire page brainstorming baked potato toppings.
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