This Baked Potato Recipe Has a Secret Step for the Best Flavor and Texture (2024)

FAQs

Why do baked potatoes taste better in restaurants? ›

As professionals know, it's a sin to neglect the skin. That potato's exterior is more than just a casing for a plush interior, and it should be both crispy and flavorful. To achieve a killer potato skin, season the potato pre-bake with a generous layer of olive oil, kosher salt, pepper, and garlic powder.

Just about every baked potato in the United States is made with a russet potato, a starchy variety with a thick, papery skin. When cooked, the pectin holding the russet's cells together breaks down easily, resulting in a more powdery, granular texture.

Russets are the classic choice for baked potatoes because they're a dry, floury variety, meaning they contain a relatively high amount (20 to 22 percent) of starch. (So-called in-between varieties like Yukon Golds or waxy types like Red Bliss contain 16 to 18 percent and about 16 percent starch, respectively.)

Russet Potatoes

“This is exactly what you want for baked potatoes, mashed potatoes, potato soup, and French fries. But it's not what you want in, say, potato salad, hash, or gratins.” Try Russet potatoes in The Best Mashed Potatoes, Pommes Frites, or Baked Potatoes.

A: I wouldn't recommend doing that. Your pokes will expose the potatoes to oxygen and the potatoes will turn black wherever the fork tines pierced the skins. It is very infrequent that a potato will burst from baking if you put it in the oven when you first turn it on so that it has a chance to come to temperature.

Visual signs: The potato skin will start to wrinkle when over cooked. The potato, when wrapped in foil or placed on the bottom of a pan will have a dark brown spot on the bottom, a sure sign of over cooking. Foil traps the moisture in the potato causing the skin to be wet and the inside flavorless or gummy.

Old Potatoes: Very old or stored potatoes can become starchy and may not soften as well during cooking. It's best to use fresh, firm potatoes. Acidic Ingredients: If your soup contained highly acidic ingredients (e.g., tomatoes), it could have affected the texture of the potatoes.

As they increase in size and often burst, granular particles separate from one another, making the texture of the potato mealy and fluffy. However, if moisture is trapped inside the skin, it can make the potato quite soggy. Piercing the skin of the potato before cooking creates escape routes for interior moisture.

According to the announcement of the Chamber of Drama, the Kato Neurokopi Potato was voted first among many others from around the world, in the Taste Awards 2023-2024 competition of the Taste Atlas Guide for the World's Best Foods in the relevant category (“Potatoes”) with 4.39 points.

Which type of potato is most often used for baked potatoes? ›

The ideal potato for baking is low in moisture with a high starch content. These qualities allow a potato to bake up with a delightfully fluffy center and crispy skin. Because it has all of these features, Russet potatoes are the ideal potato for baking and the most commonly used choice.

Russet and sweet potatoes are oblong in shape, absorbent, starchy potatoes that are perfect for baking and frying. I highly recommend using russet potatoes when trying to make the perfect baked potato!

Mealy potatoes break down more when they cook than a waxy potato. Waxy potatoes hold the shape really well when cooked.

Roasted potatoes can become soggy if the water content in the potato isn't fully cooked. Different potatoes have different water content percentages. Also, be mindful of the oil. Potatoes can react like sponges; too much oil can make your potatoes appear to be soggy.

According to Restaurant Ninjas, restaurants that serve baked potatoes bake their potatoes in advance and keep them in warming equipment. Moreover, there is a constant cycle of new potatoes going out to ensure the food is fresh.

One of these factors is the ingredients and equipment. Lack of ingredients or the special type of kitchen equipment can affect the taste of food. As the restaurant has access to all these, home cooking is at a loss here. Time preparation is another factor.

Instead of regular milk, pro chefs generally use a generous helping of buttermilk and plenty of half-and-half or (even better) heavy cream in their potatoes. If you think the bartenders up front are pouring heavy, they've got nothing on the cooks in the back who are in charge of the mashed potatoes.

Foil will prevent potatoes from drying out while they are kept warm – one of the reasons restaurants serve their baked potatoes in foil.