Cooking Baked Potatoes
Cooking baked potatoes is one of the easiest things to do, yet many people seem to be overly puzzled when it’s time to actually cook them. Here, you will find a simple method for baking the perfect potato every time.
To begin, you must make sure that you have the proper type of spuds. Your best bet is the russet potato that is rather large and wide in shape. While other types of spuds may work well, the russet will provide that quintessential taste (also, they are the perfect size for that large pad of butter or huge dollop of sour cream). Now, on to cooking baked potatoes the right way…
First things first, heat your oven to 350 degrees and place one rack in the middle and another one on the bottom. Then, wash your spuds with water using a stiff scrubber, then dry thoroughly. Next, take a fork and poke a few holes into the vegetable in order to allow steam to escape. After they have dried, put them in a bowl of olive oil (or vegetable), and sprinkle them with kosher salt (you can also use a brush to coat them with this mixture). Finally, place them directly onto the middle rack of the oven (you can put a baking sheet on the bottom rack in order to catch any spilt oil.
Bake the russets for approximately one hour, or until a fork can easily pierce the skin, removing them from the oven when done. To serve, simply use that same fork to poke a line down the middle, squeeze the potato from either end (watch your face as the steam escapes), and serve with butter, sour cream, chives, bacon, and anything else that you like. See how easy cooking baked potatoes can be? The whole process will take about one hour and a half, though most of the time spent will be watching those spuds cook to perfection.
Once you master this method, you will find that this is the perfect side dish for any meal (and it is also an easy thing to prepare when expecting company). If you have any leftovers, simply cut them up, add butter, and place in a frying pan for some delicious hash browns.
The recipe listed above for cooking baked potatoes will produce the perfect warm spuds every time. All you really have to do is poke a few holes, heat that oven, and watch them fluff to perfection.