Baked Potatoes With Crab, Jalapeño and Mint Recipe (2024)

FAQs

Why do people poke holes in potatoes before baking them? ›

Poke the potatoes with a fork just enough to pierce the skin so the potato won't burst when baking, especially in the microwave. Four or five times should be plenty. A potato is composed mainly of water, so poking them helps release steam as it cooks.

Some say wrapping baked potatoes in aluminum foil helps them cook faster (aluminum conducts heat, then traps it), and it does keep them hot for longer once they come out of the oven, which is why we think restaurants use this method. Wrapping potatoes will also give you a softer, steamed skin, if that's what you like.

Try low fat or no fat yogurt rather than regular sour cream. Try whipped butter or a spray or fat free spread, or drizzle on some olive oil. Fresh herbs, added to a low fat Ranch dressing can perk up that potato without all the added fat or calories. One of my favorites is just to add fresh salsa.

Why is it common to salt the exterior of a baked potato? A: Chefs started doing this years ago to allow the salt to absorb or draw out the moisture of the potato while baking, which results in a dry, fluffy potato. They used to do something similar with prime rib, sometimes baking it over rock salt.

NEVER BAKE POTATOES IN FOIL.

Foil wraps will not decrease baking time, but will result in a soggy potato interior with wet skin. Wrapping a baked potato in foil after it has been baked will allow you to hold up to 45 minutes, but the best method for holding a baked potato is in a bread warming drawer.

A: I would just skip poking the potato all together. It is very rare that a baked potato will burst if the steam can't escape.

We recommend baking potatoes at 400 degrees F for about an hour. Smaller spuds might take a little less time, while larger baking potatoes over 1 pound might take a little more.

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.

Potato baking temperatures range from 350˚ to 450˚F. The sweet spot seems to be at 400˚F, a temperature that cooks the potato all the way through and crisps the skin without singeing it. That said, you don't need to strictly adhere to a certain temperature every time you bake a potato.

Why do people add sour cream to mashed potatoes? ›

Sour cream adds a little bit of tangy flavor and a boost of richness to mashed potatoes. It's a fun change from the standard milk or cream and butter combo usually flavoring mashed taters. You can even try your hand at making homemade sour cream from heavy cream!

If you don't have a meat thermometer, you should invest in one for perfect baked potatoes. A temperature between 205F to 212F inside the potatoes mean that they are cooked. If the temperature is below that, the potato may be too hard still inside, and if you go above it, they may become gummy.

Some chefs will soak their potatoes in salt water for an hour or so before baking them. Guy Fieri soaks his for an impressive six hours. Fieri sometimes goes a step further by rolling and encrusting his wet, brined potatoes in even more salt and seasonings.

Coating the spuds in salt makes the skins extra-crispy and flavorful. Plus, with a bit of the salty skin in each bite, you won't need to worry about seasoning the potato flesh as you eat. Know that the cooking time will vary. In the recipe below, I say to bake your potatoes for 45 to 60 minutes.

When preparing potatoes for baking, the common advice is to poke holes in them with a fork in order to prevent the potatoes from exploding.

It is a totally myth. I have been baking potatoes for about 50 years and I have never pricked holes in them. I have also never heard of nor seen a potato explode in the oven. It just doesn't happen.

Don't Forget to Poke

These little holes allow steam to escape while the potato is cooking. Forget to poke, and your potato could end up exploding in your microwave from the pent-up steam.

Sometimes when we bake a potato without poking holes in the skin, the potato will burst. Why does this occur? The flesh inside the potato is expanding. The air and water vapor inside the potato is expanding.