9 hours Ago By Katherine McPhillips
It may seem easy to just throw a baked potato in the oven and wait for it to cook , but if it is not prepared properly, you can end up with a soggy spud that is not very appetising. I used to believe the only thing you needed to bake a potato was tin foil, but the last time I wrapped up a baked potato, it came out of the oven watery, mushy, and totally inedible. After tossing it in the bin, I did some research and found out that potatoes hold a lot of moisture, which means covering them while they bake will cause steam to build up.
Steam is what ruins the texture of a baked potato, but if it cannot escape, it can cause a potato to explode, which ruins your dinner and leaves a huge mess in the oven. I’m very lucky this did not happen to me, but it did inspire me to figure out the right way to cook baked potatoes to get the best crispy skin possible. After looking online, I discovered I did not need any fancy ingredients or even visit the supermarket, and just a little bit of salt can go a long way to make this simple dish much tastier.
When baking a potato, salt pulls moisture from the skin, which helps reduce steam during cooking, resulting in a drier surface and a crispier finish. Making a salt crust on the skin will also enhance the potato’s natural flavour, giving you a richer, more delicious taste even without adding toppings. Taking five minutes to prepare a potato properly before it goes in the oven will make this much more tender and enjoyable, rather than having to deal with a bland, rubbery mess.
To begin, I preheated my oven to 200C and then lined a tray with baking paper. I washed the potatoes, dried them with paper towels, and pricked them all over with a fork to let steam escape and prevent any chance of them bursting in the oven. Then I poured one teaspoon of olive oil per potato and rubbed a little bit of sea salt on them.
Next, I placed the tray in the oven, set my oven to 45 minutes and left the potatoes to cook. When the time is up, and the tops of the potatoes are beautifully browned, I turn off the oven and leave the potatoes to rest for five minutes, which helps the skin crisp up even more. Once I pulled the tray out, the potatoes were super crispy and easily the best baked potatoes I have ever made.
However, I still could not resist adding some topping, so I went for classic sour cream, cheddar cheese, ham and chives, Even though it is a simple meal, a baked potato is incredibly satisfying, and just a few basic ingredients can elevate it to make it even better..
