How to Make a Baked Potato
When you think of a baked
potato you probably start to think what toppings to load the
potato with to give it some taste. You need not load your potato with toppings
to make it wonderfully tasty! All you need to do is to bake your potato
in the right way with the right ingredients to enjoy a mouthwatering baked
potato without having to smother it with toppings.
1. A potato by any other name... A potato is a potato right?
Wrong! A potato labeled for making fries is very different in taste and
texture from a potato labeled for cooking. When making your baked
potato be sure to pick potatoes labeled for cooking as they
are starchy, white and do not have a strong taste. Pick potatoes that have
smooth skins and are firm to the touch. For a baked potato
it is best to choose medium-sized potatoes.
2. Poke the potatoes a bit. Using a fork, poke holes all around your potatoes. These holes allow the hot air inside the oven to cook the potato through and steam can escape through them. Do not forget to do this when making baked potatoes unless you want your potatoes to explode in the oven!
3. Oil them. Using a brush, brush olive oil onto your potatoes until they are nice and shiny. The olive oil will prevent the potato skin from drying out and when done baking, the skin will be crispy.
4. Rub sea salt in them. To add taste and to stop the potatoes from drying out you need to sprinkle sea salt over the potatoes. Be sure to sprinkle the entire potato as the salt will not only keep the moisture inside the potato, but will also make them fluffy. Don't over-do the salt, a little bit goes a long way!
5. Bake your potatoes. Bake your potatoes in a preheated oven with a temperature of 400 degrees Fahrenheit. The baking process should take 90 minutes to 2 hours. Once the potatoes are baked, place them under the grill for another 2 to 5 minutes.
6. Eat up! Cut each potato lengthwise in half and squeeze them a bit using thongs to fluff up the inside. Top with a little salt, chives and butter and enjoy your baked potato.
However tempting it may be, do not use foil to cover your baked potatoes. Foil tends to make your potato skins wrinkle and render them absolutely tasteless.
You can also microwave baked potatoes, but they usually taste a little different compared with the oven baked potatoes. Follow these steps if you choose to microwave your potatoes: Once again pierce a potato with a fork a couple of times and place in the microwave oven. Microwave the potato on 100 percent power for about 5 minutes turning the potato over halfway through the cooking time. Test the potato by poking it with a fork, if it is still firm place the potato back in the microwave and continue cooking until the potato has the correct consistency.
A Great Baked Potato Recipe
What makes a great baked potato recipe? Is it that it is full of flavor that burst out of your mouth as soon as you take that first forkful? Or is it perhaps the quality of the ingredients that you buy from your local grocer? I like to think it's a combination of all of that, and being able to find the best baked potato recipe is of upmost importance before cooking, which is why I'm here today to introduce you to a few little tips of mine, some that I've always adored yet never shared before.
To ensure your baked potato is at the highest quality, the correct potatoes must be used. Potatoes that are of the wrong type may produce flavors that you do not want in your food and will often take away greatly from the overall quality of the package. One of the best picks for potato is the Russet; though ensure it is of a good quality, with a nice even brown tone and no green tinge. Also when cooking a large batch of baked potatoes, try to get potatoes of a similar size and shape, this will ensure that the potatoes cook evenly, making sure that some don't burn quickly while others take forever to cook. Preparation is a critical step to creating the best baked potatoes.
To prepare the potatoes, be sure to scrub them clean of dirt and run them under cold running water to ensure they are completely clean and free from both dirt and germs. After washing, dry the potatoes thoroughly with a serviette or similar item. Before placing the potatoes in the oven, prick them several times with a fork to allow steam to escape from the potato so it doesn't explode in your oven. To ensure the potato has a good soft skin, give it a rub with some butter or olive oil before backing. The best temperature to bake medium sized potatoes at is approximately 45 minutes at 375 degrees Fahrenheit (190 degrees Celsius). When baking, don't wrap the potatoes in aluminum foil, as this will cause your baked potato to taste more like they've been boiled than baked. A Great suggestion I learnt from a friend years back to really create great tasting baked potatoes, is to bake the potato once slightly, then stuff the potato with the ingredients you'd like inside, such as bacon and cheese on top, then bake the potato again in the oven until it's a lovely golden brown color.
Finally the very best way to ensure your potatoes are absolutely perfect is to make them with love, a love for cooking and a love for delicious baked potato recipes.
Baked Potato On A BBQ Grill - An Amazingly Delicious Meal
Potatoes are some of the most versatile foods in the world, and they can be prepared in numerous different ways. One of the most popular - and tasty - ways to prepare them is to bake them. Baked potato can be eaten as a light snack, or as an addition to a main meal. You can even have them in a barbecue to make your outdoor eating even more enjoyable.
Cooking on a BBQ grill is a great way to prepare a meal in the summer time, and you don't have to limit yourself to simple meals. A baked potato that was cooked on a BBQ grill can taste amazing, and this article will give you some tips and ideas to help you make the tastiest possible baked potatoes on a BBQ grill.
How To Cook a Baked Potato on a BBQ Grill
It's actually quite simple to make a baked potato on a BBQ grill. The first step is to make sure that the potato is nice and clean - this is good practice no matter what vegetable you are cooking.
Next you should wrap it in tinfoil - some people wrap several potatoes together, but this can lead to them being rather dry once they are cooked. For best results, each potato should be wrapped individually before putting them on the BBQ grill.
Making a great tasting potato is not difficult, but it requires a bit more than just wrapping it up in foil and throwing it on the grill. It's important to make sure that the piece of foil will be large enough to cover the entire potato. The end product will need to be nice and moist, so to achieve this you should put about a tablespoon of oil on the foil. The oil will keep the potato moist until it's ready to be eaten.
Tips For Making An Extra-Special Baked Potato
If you want to make an extra-special baked potato, add a few seasonings in with the oil before you wrap the potato up. Which seasonings you add is up to you, why not experiment with some spices and seasonings that will compliment the other foods in the meal?
It takes about 45 minutes to cook a baked potato on a BBQ grill. You can place them anywhere on the grill, but try to avoid the area with the highest head. To test the potato to see if it is ready, just prick it with a fork - if the fork easily goes into the center of the potato then it is ready to eat.