For the Best Baked Potato, Never Ever Do This

Baked potatoes are magical. They’re just as delicious as a buttery, sour cream-dolloped side dish as they are starring in the main event, topped with hearty chili, beans, or chickpea curry. They can even moonlight as an appetizer. What other ingredient boasts such versatility while being both delicious and budget-friendly?

Even this humble, adaptable veggie can fall victim to improper cooking. A soggy, soft, and sad baked potato is a tragedy no amount of cheddar or bacon can fix. Hoping to forever avoid such spud-induced heartbreak, I turned to Jessie-Sierra Ross, author of the blog Straight to the Hips, Baby, and the cookbook Seasons Around the Table, for advice on achieving baked potato perfection.

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Why Wrapping Your Baked Potato in Foil Is a Big Mistake

Whether you’ve noticed baked potatoes wrapped in shiny foil in the prepared section of your supermarket or admired their gleaming, picture-perfect presentation on social media, baked potatoes in aluminum foil are certainly appealing. Unfortunately, they won’t deliver the best results.

Ross explains, “If you enjoy a crispy outer potato skin, foil will hinder rather than help. Wrapping in aluminum foil traps the moisture released from the potato as it cooks, causing it to steam. While this will cook the potato through, the skin will turn soggy and limp.”

Instead of a delightfully crispy, golden-brown skin, you’re left with wet skin and mushy flesh—hardly the baked potato of your dreams.

Ross also dispels the myth that aluminum foil speeds up baking. She told me that the foil acts as a heat insulator, which can extend the cooking process slightly rather than shave off time.

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For Baked Potato Perfection, Follow These Steps

Preheat and Prep: Start by preheating your oven to 450°F. A hot oven is essential for achieving that crispy, golden-brown skin.

Wash and Prick: Thoroughly wash your potato under running water to remove any dirt. Use a brush to scrub the spud clean, especially if you plan to eat its skin. Then dry it thoroughly with a kitchen towel, lest moisture on the surface works against that crispness you’re aiming for. Next, prick the potato several times with a fork. This step is crucial to allow steam to escape during cooking and prevent the potato from bursting.

Oil and Season: Coat the potato’s exterior with one to two teaspoons of neutral cooking oil, such as avocado oil, which has a high smoke point and enhances crisping. Olive oil is also a good alternative if that’s all you have on hand. After oiling, sprinkle the potato generously with salt and pepper to season the skin. This step adds flavor and contributes to that coveted crunchy texture.

Bake to Perfection: Place your prepared potato directly on the oven rack for maximum crispness, or use a parchment-lined baking sheet to catch any drips. If you’re using a baking sheet, turn the potato over halfway through the cooking process to ensure even crisping.

Check for Doneness: Bake the potato for 40 to 50 minutes, depending on its size. To test it, insert a paring knife. If it slides in easily without resistance, your potato is perfectly cooked. You may need to bake larger potatoes for an additional 10 to 15 minutes.

Serve Hot: Once you remove the potato from the oven, let it rest for just a minute or two to cool enough to handle it before serving it. But you want your potato to be luscious and warm when you slice it open and top it with your favorite additions, whether that’s butter, sour cream, or something more adventurous like chili or curry.

Follow this advice, and I guarantee you’ll never suffer baked potato heartbreak again!

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