How to Bake Potato
By Tom Ross
Potatoes are consumed all over the world and are cooked in many ways. Potatoes are nutrient rich and contribute to a healthy diet when eaten alone. The nutritional integrity of the potato is maintained by topping it with healthy toppings such as cottage cheese, homemade fresh salsa, hot sauce or plain yogurt. Traditional toppings such as sour cream, cheese, bacon bits and other such personal favorites add fat, salt, sugar and other unhealthy ingredients to the potato. Baked potatoes are convenient to store, fast and simple to prepare and add a hardy side-dish to the meal or make a meal all by itself.
To Bake Potato You’ll Need:
- Vegetable brush
- Oven
- Meat fork
- Baking sheet
- Vegetable oil
To Bake Potato Instructions:
- Choose potatoes for baking that are smooth skinned, free of blemishes and sprouts and are an oval shape of the size you wish to serve. Potatoes should feel firm without damp spots and free of cracks. Properly stored potatoes are critical to the baking process.
- Scrub each potato with a vegetable brush under cool running water, washing it thoroughly. Remove any “eyes.”
- Make preparations for baking the potatoes by heating the oven to 425 degrees Fahrenheit. Pierce the potato with a two-pronged meat fork or knife tip twice, evenly spaced on each side of the potato to allow steam to escape.
- Bake the potatoes by placing them on an oven rack or baking sheet, placing them into the oven and baking them for 45 to 55 minutes. The potatoes are done when they are tender when pierced with a fork.
- Cook the potatoes in less time by cutting them in half end-to-end and rubbing the cut side with vegetable oil. Grease a baking sheet and bake the potato with the cut side down at 375 degrees Fahrenheit for 25 to 35 minutes. The potatoes are done when they are tender when pierced with a fork.
To Bake Potato Tips:
- Check the potatoes occasionally as they are used and remove any with wrinkled or damp skin.
- Under the correct conditions, mature potatoes last up to two months.
- Make the potato skin softer by rubbing it with butter or vegetable oil.
- The baking time for the potato remains the same whether cooking one potato or more.
To Bake Potato Warnings:
- Exposure to light and warmth encourages sprouting of the potatoes.
- Refrigeration causes the starch in the potato to turn to sugar, changing the flavor and texture and color of the finished baked potato.