How to Make the Perfect Baked Potato | What’s Eating Dan?

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The perfect baked potato has a uniformly fluffy interior encased in thin, crisp skin. We baked nearly 200 pounds of potatoes to get it just right.
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[@DanielJSouza]

Thanks for watching everyone! It's a pleasure to make this show and an even greater pleasure to read your commentary.

[@Sbannmarie]

We love your work. 😊

[@ryanjaeger4173]

Great job! What is the temp, time and location for oil brushed finish? Thanks

[@tracey4180]

your spots are so fun!

[@oldcowbb]

who needs a recipe for a baked potato?

[@morrismonet3554]

@@oldcowbb Millennials.🤣🤣

[@jeanvignes]

Back in the day (sixty years ago) my mother had metal skewers that were designed to stick into a raw potato before baking. It supposedly accomplished two goals: gave the steam a path out in order to prevent explosions, and gave heat a conduit into the center of the potato to help it cook more evenly. I would love for ATK to address the baked potato skewer controversy. Keep up the delicious science, food nerds!

[@dirtyketchup]

BAKED POTATO RECIPE Ingredients: Russet Potatoes - 4, ≈7-9oz each Salt - 2 tbsp Water - 1/2 Cup Vegetable Oil - 1 tbsp Method: - Preheat Oven to 450º, with oven rack in center. - Clean exterior of potatoes. Dry. - Poke holes throughout potatoes’ skins with a fork. - Dissolve the salt in the water, and lightly coat all sides of potatoes’ skins. - Bake the potatoes directly on center oven rack for ≈ 45-60 minutes, or until center registers 205ºF. - Remove potatoes from the oven and brush them all over with a thin coat of the vegetable oil. - Bake for an additional 10 minutes. - Take potatoes out of the oven, cut slits through the skins, and push sides of potatoes to open them up and let them steam. - Season insides and top with desired fillings.

[@NatPix]

Thank you for your service!

[@GrainneDhub-ll6vw]

Thank you--so convenient!

[@joannaedwards6325]

Thanks. I will definitely use your method next time.

[@Vera-kh8zj]

thank you

[@dirtyketchup]

@@Vera-kh8zj 😋

[@gnateoj]

4:48 For anyone popping over from Elle’s demo video, it’s another 10 minutes in the oven after oiling (though the previous oven temp was set at 450F).

[@dadisalone1492]

Thank you for letting us know. It's not like Dan to forget to include this kind of detail.

[@mhelen7360]

Thanks. I was just about to ask that question.

[@samanthagarner2926]

thank you for this!

[@alleycatvietnam]

Thank you very much.....I had the same question. Cheers from San Francisco.

[@PatrickMobileHomes]

i was wondering

[@vzeimen]

Dan, I did have potatoes blow up! I had started baking the potatoes at 400 and then realized that hubby was working late and dinner was going to be later than I'd planned so I decided to turn the oven down and just let everything bake longer. However when I turned the oven down, I accidentally turned the oven completely off. When I realized what I'd done, about an hour or so later, I just turned the oven back on, thinking, "oh well, it's just potatoes, right? they'll be ok". But the steam holes had sealed up while cooling and when the potatoes heated back up.... BOOM! they exploded. And yes, they did make a boom noise. And yes, it was a mess to clean up. However, lots of the potato was salvageable and was not half bad, lol.

[@jong2359]

Can confirm a pop, or boom noise when one goes off with a nice mess to clean up afterwords.

[@adedow1333]

That's really cool!

[@wsmithjr74]

I blew one up last week. It was my first time ever. I will prick them from now on, it was quite the mess (and boom).

[@jdhd2837]

I remember eating a blown potato as a kid - it tasted AMAZING.

[@deatheragefarms]

I've had two blow up in my parents' oven within the last couple years. I'd always believed the exploding tater to be a myth. I bake 425f if it matters.

[@beverlyfields8932]

Dan I’m 70 years young and have cook many baked potatoes. Only once did a potato explode in my oven. I always scrub the skins vigorously, never poke holes in them, always use russets, bake for one hour, temperature of 425 to 450 depending on the size of the potato. We eat them right away and the skins are crispy and the potatoes are fluffy. I will try your salt water trick, looks like a good idea.

[@wink9970]

Dan videos are never to be missed.

[@dawntreader2420]

Idahoan here! "Potato Curious" has to be my favorite phrase EVER. I went into this video chanting, "do a good job do a good job do a good job", like that guy on Armageddon. You did not disappoint! The exploding potato (in my experience) has to do with the growth of the potato.Those of us who live here have more explosions than the rest of the world because we send all the beautiful potatoes out. We keep the tiny ugly 'tatoes for home. Look up "black heart" potatoes. In my experience, growing up in East Idaho, there is a shortish growing season. The farmers have to roll the dice with early planting. If there is a late freeze as the potatoes start growing, the young potatoes protect themselves by conservation. A small hole surrounded by potato skin forms inside the potato. Like an inside-out potato. If this small inverted potato pocket heats up in an oven, it expands quickly as the air heats faster than surrounding tissue. If the surface tension isn't broken and the black heart expands before the starch dries out, the skin will break. It is LOUD. ESPECIALLY in the microwave (college girls need their spuds, too). My experience is that by poking the skins, you ensure that the rest of the potato can vent pressure as it cooks, thereby alleviating the possibility of an explosion. The only other time this happened to me without a black heart, in the middle, I found (what I assumed) the beginnings of one, a very dense concentration of white starchy tissue (like a sugar pocket). It is always surprising to find out that people don't know how much sugar is in potatoes. This is potentially napalm! (Ok, I exaggerated but you get it right?) I hope this helps! Every Idaho native has had at least one potato explode over a lifetime. This happens as a right of passage for those who learned from their Mama's to break the surface, and didn't listen, & those who didn't have a mama/dad to tell them differently. I hope you read this because I think I'm hilarious, and I hope that there is some way to test this.

[@blacktee64]

I worked in a restaurant that specialised in baked potatoes with various fillings. I cooked off at leat 100 a day. Explosions were common. In fact it was the best way of judging whether a batch was done. You'd hear one go off and know they were ready to be transferred into the warmer. Side note: The exploded potato flesh is DELICIOUS!

[@DanielJSouza]

Haha, that's quite the timer.

[@jackbennett4575]

I think what I love the most is your recipe for ‘expressing passionately, the freedom to be goofy and nerdy.” Everyone one of these episodes you reveal your recipe, by being yourself, the goofy and nerdy Dan, boldly and out loud, and thus you inadvertently grant permission for us all to be free and express our own goofy and nerdy selves, too. What a liberation! Je t’adore! ❤️👍🏼

[@Maggie4Veritas]

Moi aussi!

[@Jupiter0ne]

I saw this recipe years ago on ATK with Elle Simone and I've been using it ever since. It really is as awesome as Dan says it is.

[@op3129]

atk now reposts recipes multiple MULTIPLE times. and yeah, the potato is as awesome as Dan says it is. from atk multiple: drop biscuits posted (with different "hosts" ... whatever you want to call them) four different times over seven years. lemon/olive oil pie, three times. frozen yogurt, three times. it's what they do now. considering recipes are team effort anyway, not sure any one person was the "inventor" of any of it. go team!

[@reuelwarkov1418]

Great recipe, my go-to, I spray the potato with duck fat for the final bake...

[@ibechane]

@@reuelwarkov1418 With all due respect to Elle for her presentation of the recipe in the older video, Lan published the original recipe in 2015. If anything, they are choosing to acknowledge the credit that she didn't receive in the older video. That's not to say they couldn't have given Elle a shoutout, but that's why they were especially mentioning Lan.

[@Prezlsc]

I’ll watch anything Dan posts, even if it’s just a baked potato 😉 I’m a huge fan! Love the science, and the humor! I’ve been baking potatoes for 48 years and my first explosion was at about 45 years, followed by a secondary couple years later. Both red potatoes, baking at 350 degrees 😅 I like them because they are more moist and we love the potato skins! After the two explosions, know prick them. I will try the brine next time!

[@ChakrunaBlue]

who needs a recipe to Baked Potato?? I do!! your videos are the best

[@melissarey2973]

To answer Dan's question "Who needs a recipe for a baked potato?" The members of my family who would microwave potatoes.

[@stnarud]

Microwave is the way.

[@namrednop]

@@stnarud - Absolutely! I haven't seen anyone actually bake a baked potato in an Oven since my Mother did it back in the 50's & 60's when I was growing up. And as soon as the Microwave hit the market for home use (I believe it was in the late 70's?) the old way was out the door! And I remember buying my first one in 1980' or 1981'. I'm on my 4th one now.

[@joannaedwards6325]

​@@namrednop Poor soul 😢. So much tastier done in a real oven with 'normal' heat Healthier too 😄.

[@asimplefarmer]

that salt water wash makes so much sense and is such a good idea

[@DanielJSouza]

Lan is SO smart.

[@lycandreams]

Dan! you promised to read each comment! I'm an avid home cook and your videos along with Lan's have taught me so much and helped me take my skills to the next level. I just wanted to say THANK YOU!

[@DanielJSouza]

Thank you so much!

[@uppercanada]

Hey Dan, I've had a potato explode. I'm 52 and in those 52 years, I never had a potato explode until a few months ago. It was such a unique experience, I took pictures of it to share. Anyways, I was baking the russets at about 400f when about 30 min into the cook, it detonated. Generally, I wash, dry, and coat the outside with oil then season. That's about as much of the details that I can recall.

[@officiallyexhausted5868]

Not once in forty years have I ever had a baked potato explode in my oven. Thank you for the informative post!

[@jase_allen]

"Who needs a recipe for a baked potato?" I know people who can't boil water without burning it and who have their mind blown from the simple act of popping popcorn on the stovetop without any fancy tools or gadgets. There are plenty of people who could use a recipe to make a good baked potato.

[@danieltuckercatholic]

I've used this ATK recipe and can indeed confirm that it makes the world's best baked potatoes. Thank you Dan (and Lan) for all your work, which has over the years turned me into a shameless ATK fanboy and a nerdy, confident home cook. Keep it up!

[@onerainiday]

Thank you. Valuable information. I have been cooking and baking for a bit less than 60 years, and using an instant read makes sense. Never too old to learn something new

[@lind774]

Yep soon to be 65 and still learning!

[@faithsrvtrip8768]

My mother's side of the family are from Aroostook County, Maine. My mother grew up picking potatoes in the late summer. Maine also has a candy made from potatoes called the Needham or potato candy. It's very sweet we used to make them for gifts at Christmas. I've never had a potato explode in the oven. I usually spritz my baked potato with EVOO and sprinkle with both salt and pepper. I scoop out the guts and put the skins, with grated cheddar cheese, back in the oven. I love the skins as much or more than the potato guts / innards.

[@daveh7720]

I'm from the Midwest where potato candy is a favorite. I usually took some to holiday potlucks at work, but I wouldn't tell anybody what it was unless they tasted it first. Afterwards I'd have a few people ask for the recipe. The first time I mentioned "potato candy" to someone who hadn't tasted it, their expression told me they were thinking of something like chocolate covered French fries.

[@DanielJSouza]

My mom's side is from western Maine! Great potatoes up there.

[@Bill_N_ATX]

A baked potato variant that you can get in Central Texas. Take a baked potato that was cooked on the bbq fire so that it has a hint of smoked flavor. Cut it open. Add a bit of butter, a bit of cheese, and a heaping portion of BBQ chopped beef. It’s a meal in one. Doesn’t get any better.

[@DanielJSouza]

wow, sounds excellent.

[@morrismonet3554]

My father grew up in the 30's and 40's, and he and his friends would build a fire on the ground, let it burn down to coals, and then bury potatoes in there. He called them Roasted Mickeys.

[@loretta3203]

I saw Elle teach Bridget about this and have been making them this way ever since! AMAZING! Husband now loves my baked potatoes. Thank you Elle and Dan! ♥️

[@stephaniehyatt309]

As a baked potato lover, I turn mine into a meal. I top mine with butter and sour cream, follow with sautéed mushrooms and onions, and top with tiny steamed broccoli florets. On occasion, I add a little cheese sauce. Heavenly!

[@jong2359]

I absolutely needed a recipe for a baked potato. I knew pieces of the equation, but not all of it... or even most of it. Thanks for the details to connect the pieces.

[@rudysmith6293]

After I saw Ella's video of about four years ago I started using her method. It's the best way. This video is a restatement of that video. The method deserves to be more widely known, so thanks for repeating it.

[@tomspiers1658]

Yes, in over 50 years of cooking and I have had one baked potato blow up in the oven probably 40 to 45 minutes at 400° and 45 minutes to an hour cleaning the oven. It went everywhere and it burned.

[@DanielJSouza]

Thankfully a pretty low explosion rate.

[@khodascope]

@@DanielJSouza Very low, but something you still never want to happen

[@tomspiers1658]

I do my potatoes slightly different. I have a potato bag and I put them in the microwave in the potato bag after they’ve been washed for probably 7 to 10 minutes depending on the size and how many then I take them out. I prick them with a fork them with grapeseed oil, salt pepper Maybe some Jay’s crazy mixed up salt then I put them in my air fryer at 375 for 10 minutes and then bump it up to 400° for the last four or five. My wife gets excited when I say I’m making baked potatoes she loves them, and that’s all counts at my house

[@jvallas]

I've only gone so far as the microwave bag. I like your extra steps.

[@jvallas]

Wait! You nuke them 7 - 10 min.? I only do 4. Is this because you do a bunch at once?

[@tomspiers1658]

@@jvallas yes I fill the bag 5+

[@5610winston]

How about hassellbacks? I cook an extra one and use the leftover as the basis for corned beef hash the next morning. Carmelize a diced onion, toss in the chopped potato and some deli-sliced corned beef, a bit of rosemary and thyme, toss and sautee until nicely carmelize, serve topped with a poached egg....

[@luguicastro]

Dan, I'd just like to thank you for posting the videos. They always make me laugh. Regardless of the recipe, the more, the merrier. Baked potatoes or fancy dishes, keep 'em coming! Writing to let you know you have a fan in Brazil 🇧🇷. Obrigado!

[@bhyqs]

I always microwave my potatoes (wrapped in wet paper towel) for 4-5 mins before popping them into the oven. This shortens the cooking time by at least 20-30 mins. Try it!

[@C2C.]

It's ATK...they've tried it.

[@GrainneDhub-ll6vw]

I've tried it. If you don't mind kinda wet, gummy baked potatoes, why not? It might work better if you're planning to make twice baked potatoes where there's so much extra extra that the original texture of the baked potato is pretty much lost.

[@msscamp100]

Thanks, but I will pass. I've done my share of microwaved potatoes and they are sorely lacking.

[@ahhhlindsanityyy]

I do this too!

[@daveh7720]

Mom had a potato explode, but it wasn't in the oven. She had put some in a pot to boil and forgot about them. The pot boiled dry and one of the spuds popped. I was just a kid then so I'm not sure what kind of potato it was, but Mom was pretty frugal so it was probably something cheap like a white potato. (This was in the 1960s.)

[@DanielJSouza]

I did something similar years ago!

[@grahammcfadyenhill9555]

My Mom did that frequently, I blame the mickey of Scotch she always had going, and I will never forget the smell of potatoes burned dry in the pot.

[@kentwri]

I've been cooking for over 50 years and became unconvinced that the "exploding potato" myth is actually true. I quit piercing potatoes (russet or sweet potato) about 30 years ago. I've never had one to explode. Thanks for the tips on temp, when to slice, and brining for salty skin. Oh, and basting.

[@krystalstutts6432]

Who needs a recipe for a baked potato?! I DO, I DO!!!! I was just think about how I'm struggling to make it dry and fluffy. It tends to be kind of solid. Thanks Dan!!!!

[@danfry1669]

Love your videos. I enjoy your comedic take on what to and not to do.

[@ilanagerjuoy1236]

I can pretty reliably get a potato to explode in the microwave, but I don't know if that counts! My seven year-old and I love watching "What's Eating Dan" together - he is also a big fan, and you are helping him to consider trying some new foods. Thank you!

[@randobeantv7712]

I need a recipe for a baked potato because omfg there’s so many options for potatos and then there’s trying to get those perfect crispy skins.

[@melissaholguin1852]

😂 I have had potatoes explode. They were not huge size, un-pricked, russets, oven at 425 degrees, placed directly on oven rack. I heard a noise around 45 mins, and found such a mess. I have been using foil ever since. I will try this method. Thanks! Love this channel!

[@jong2359]

Nearly identical conditions for my exploder. Mine popped the second i touched it to remove it though.

[@5610winston]

Oh, sweet Blessed Bridget of Kildare! Please tell me you don't wrap your spuds in foil before baking! They don't bake, they steam!

[@susanbamonto2338]

So, yep I've had a potato explode in my oven! My brand new, first time ever used, oven! A bit of shock when hearing the explosion and a bit of a mess cleaning it up! I love a recipe for a baked potato!

[@MARIASIEGEL-oc4qp]

I remember it happening as a kid and it was a mess. Been hitting them with a fork ever since.

[@tomsparks6099]

Dan is the man as always.

[@UserHorologium]

I have only seen two times where potatoes exploded, but the first one was very memorable. Back story--my mom did not really like lamb, but lamb was a traditional Easter main course. Mom had several bad experiences with lamb (stopped up sink, once the element in the oven literally broke while cooking the lamb) and so on. But l will never forget the Easter when all four potatoes exploded. My mom was in her fifties at the time, and she had never seen any potatoes explode, much less four out of four. That was the last time she cooked lamb, and we switched to ham on Easter. I haven't had lamb for over thirty years now, because lamb also wasn't my favorite, and it's usually expensive.

[@user-bw7oy7vy2t]

Lessons learned!!!

[@terpcj]

Though it's rare, I've had a few explode over the years, in the oven at 450F, and the other in the (gasp) microwave. Common factors: still cold from the fridge and not pricked. It should be noted that internal tater temp decreases with altitude. I'm a mile (1600 m) up and it's rare to get a baked spud over 200F (water boiling temp is about 203F), so anything higher than 198F for a few minutes is about as good as it'll get.

[@tomsparks6099]

Surpised to hear you refrigerate your potatoes.

[@DanielJSouza]

Great point! Thanks for sharing.

[@terpcj]

@@tomsparks6099I'd rather not, but it's the only cool dark place I can spare. No root cellar. No extra drawer to fill with dirt. It's not optimal, but it does OK.

[@welbow]

I remember my grandma saying it happened to her once when she forgot to prick them with a fork. If I remember correctly, her recipe is 350 for an hour-ish.

[@sca24580]

One time in college I felt like having a baked potato, so I put a spud in the oven. At some point I forgot about the little tuber and went to class. I came back many hours later, remembered what I had done, and took the tater out. It was now more like a French fry than a baked potato. With a little ketchup, it was pretty good. 🥔

[@rcjbvermilion]

It's only a culinary disaster if you can't fix it with ketchup. :P

[@joannaedwards6325]

​@@rcjbvermilion Thanks for the chuckle. 😊

[@trucid2]

One thing I'd like to see is a temperature over time graph. I think they hang around at 205-210 degrees for a while because that's when the water is evaporting.

[@Blaze_1961]

Air fryer - 25-35 minutes @ 400 degrees depending on size to an internal temp of 200-210 (basically what is said here) misted with high temp oil and sprinkled with salt from the start. is my go to recipe for what I consider a perfect baked potato. I also cut as soon as done. Oh! I almost forgot...I do poke with a fork before cooking.

[@PokhrajRoy.]

Happy New Year! It’s so nice to tune in to the series again. Here’s to more culinary chaos and adventures.

[@rksg2003]

I got one of those instant read thermometers recently and wish I had got it 20 years ago it’s a ThermPro. Now to try it on some baked potatoes!

[@jong2359]

My old man will not believe me how much it changes your ability to cook, but I guess that's old people for you. He still swears his crappy chinese +-6º @ 10 seconds is "really fast."

[@rksg2003]

@@jong2359 My dad is the same way he still Has a flip phone..

[@jong2359]

I have only had 1 potato explode in the oven in my entire life. It was an un-punctured russet at 425ºF for 1 hour in a non-convection oven. It did not explode until it was touched to remove it, at which point it blew out from the bottom of the potato - forcefully (for a potato) expelling most of the "guts" onto the lower heating coil/open door. My wife, an observer of the event, will NOT put a potato in the oven without punctures now.

[@cathylynn57]

Yes! This is a great way to bake potatoes. I use this method all the time. Thanks ATK!

[@jmhardin]

My fam always wrapped the potatoes in foil, and my mom puts a potato spike in before wrapping with foil. I'd love to hear yours and Lan's thoughts on this technique.

[@texasnurse]

I've used this recipe many times. Perfect baked potatoes every time!

[@katydidiy]

I take another step further by making twice baked potatoes. I make a large batch and freeze them, wrapped individually. It takes about 5 minutes in the microwave to go from frozen to table ready. As a single living alone, this is a great solution. In fact the bigger ones is enough to qualify as a meal❤

[@ArtU4All]

😄 for a second, I read your comment wrong. However, I will ask my question: have you ever tried to cook a potato that was frozen raw and then cooked? ……

[@user-bw7oy7vy2t]

Have you??????

[@PokhrajRoy.]

I bet Dan is going to have a field day learning about exploding potatoes.

[@DanielJSouza]

Honestly, I really am.

[@joannjacquin4983]

Ok, Dan….I have a quick question. You said that oiling the potatoes after you take them out of the oven helps the skin to become perfectly crispy, like a chicken getting oiled and given a last blast of heat, but you never said to actually put them back in the oven after oiling or for how much longer. I’m a little confused. Can you clarify please?

[@idkreina]

been making this recipe for years now! one tip ill add is that after adding the oil, i crank my (non-convenction) oven to 475f. idk if the temp really matters but i find that last blast of heat really crisps up the skins to a nice chip/cracker texture. when i ran the oil stage at only 450f sometimes the burner wouldnt click on & the ambient temperature wasnt enough to crisp the skin enough so the oil kinda soaked a bit. some sections were crispy others were chewy. thnx lan, elle, & dan for this great recipe!! never going back lol

[@MDKellogg1836]

Necessity is the mother of invention. I was out of potato fixings one time so I put olive oil (not butter), capers, and blue cheese on my spud and was so happy with the results that I do that most of the time now. I always have those on hand and not necessarily "regular potato fixings".

[@michelesews]

Never considered using my instant read thermometer. But I do brine the skins after seeing a video Test Kitchen did a few years ago. Now I have to try that feta topping. Sounds wonderful!

[@LaurenBradburyFarm]

I was just wondering about this yesterday and hadn't had time to Google it. Thanks, Dan, for reading my mind and responding.❤

[@LaurenBradburyFarm]

Answer: 205° F

[@DanielJSouza]

We are always reading your mind 😵‍💫. JK!

[@Finn959]

Very nice. Love your scientific approach!

[@robertmarks713]

Who needs a recipe for a baked potato? Oh! Thanks for all the great tips!

[@yalova84]

Exploding potato (two in the oven, one exploded). February 1975, Ithaca NY, rented house for poor postdocs. We barbecued after clearing away about a foot of snow on the back port. It was evening, very cold and the kitchen was not well heated. As best I remember the oven temp was about 400, and the explosion was towards the end of the cooking period

[@DanielJSouza]

I read this like the start to a good mystery novel.

[@yalova84]

@@DanielJSouza

[@2151abell]

I needed one having never made one and I knew if ANYONE could make the best.... it would be you Dan... With that, I say THANK YOU !

[@BearMom75]

The salt solution… pure genius! Love all your videos Dan! Love Lan’s videos too!

[@PokhrajRoy.]

80 Episodes so far? That’s great. Can’t wait for the 100th Episode.

[@madro5755]

Who needs a recipe for a baked potato?

[@xbmcxbmc5680]

No one.

[@titusrider7948]

Dude, who woulda thunk a video about baking a potato could be so informative and fun ? 😊

[@deniseheins2133]

I have to say, I've been cooking at home and professionally for over 40 years and I never gave this much thought to baked potatoes 😄 I always oil and roll in roasted garlic powder, salt, pepper. I'll try this. Btw, my hubby's favorite is to mix dry ranch seasoning with sour cream for topping. Top with some green onions. Very good.

[@DanielJSouza]

Great topping idea!

[@aldrob108]

Great video. Thanks for the advice.

[@zalibecquerel3463]

I have had a potato explode in the oven, a small "new potato" usually used in potato salads. From memory, it was 1.5" in diameter, likely a 400 F oven, and I was cooking more than 20 potatoes at the same time. One of the potatoes of the 20 exploded.

[@arnoldkotlyarevsky383]

Fun fact: if you are ever struggling to figure out if your bread is done baking, that instant read thermometer can also tell you. 205*F is also about right for most breads as well. No more underbaked loaves.

[@mildmannerededc]

This video is a great example of why I love this channel (and Dan's presentations)! Nobody does it better! Now on to my potatoes...

[@PokhrajRoy.]

5:08 This is awesome 👏🏽

[@surfingonmars8979]

Who needs a recipe for a baked potato? JUST KIDDING

[@DanielJSouza]

I read this in a bad Southern California accent.

[@surfingonmars8979]

@@DanielJSouza Well, then, try to do a good SoCal accent! J/K. Been cooking baked ‘taters since I was a kid. My mom used to tell me about stealing a few potatoes off the veggies stands in Brooklyn when she was a girl in the 1920s, and making a camp fire in Farragut Woods, now a housing complex, but in her day wild woods with actual deer and even wild pigs. They would toss the potatoes directly onto the embers, coated in oil. She always said how delicious they were. So I have been coating with oil in the last minutes for 50+ years.

[@112Famine]

Those multi lead oven thermometers, the ones of 6 leads coming off I'll use one for the meat & the others used for the baked potatoes, with the alarm temp set to 200 to give me time to make room, get out plates, etc. The stuff I should have done an hour ago. And if you do coat them with oil to fry the skin add more flaky salt. Silicon kitchen oven gloves are very useful when handling hot potatoes, or even better if you're boiling corn on the cob you can just pull the ears of corn straight out of the boiling water with your gloved hands just make sure not to put the gloved hands in the water deep enough to fill the glove with boiling hot water. And yes there is a perfect temp range for corn on the cob, google it, but off the top of my head I think it is also 205, but could be wrong.

[@JohnPMiller]

I used to go to a steak place "Courtepaille" that had the best unlimited baked potatoes. At home, mine often suffer from hard centers. I'll have to try this recipe with the thermometer. Thanks, Dan and Lan! Also, I have never had an exploding potato.

[@SmallSpoonBrigade]

I haven't tried it with regular potatoes, but with sweet potatoes you can freeze them for a few hours before baking them at 450F for about 90 minutes and you should have no issues with a hard center. The outside winds up nice and caramelized.

[@Getpojke]

Glad you encourage using a thermopen, something I've been doing with baked tatties for years. I'll sometimes jazz up the humble baked spud by halving them once baked, then scooping out the insides. I then use the inner in a sort of choux/dauphine mixture (you can add flavourings at this point) which I pipe back into the newly oiled skins & re-bake. This way you get the crispiest skin & light, airy yet a rich inner. Well worth the extra effort in my opinion. I did know a chap who worked in a baked potato shop a couple of decades ago. They occasionally had tatties go bang/pop. Not only did they oil the skins before baking which kept moisture in so it could build up, but the potatoes they used were a type of russet which were grown for them that had really thick skins. So the combination may explain the pressure build up. 🥔 I think my favourite filling for normal baked tatties is a half & half of mac & cheese with haggis. Really good, my partner says hers would have to be prawn marie rose. Though being from the UK we also like the traditional baked beans with cheese & Worcestershire sauce.

[@cadenbigler]

Who needs a recipe for a baked potato

[@asdisskagen6487]

Thank you so much for this! We NEED more instructional videos for basic, simple dishes like this! It seems that less and less cooking/baking knowledge is being passed down from one generation to the next; I mourn the discontinuation of Home Economics in our education system here in the US.

[@user-bw7oy7vy2t]

Please keep your favorites there for your kids to learn. I LOVED COOKING WITH THE GRAM'S. THEIR RECIPES ARE THE BEST. TAUGHT MY SON'S. "GREAT COOKS!!!!

[@Ajoe5810]

Have done these steps and the spuds turn out perfecto every time. BTW: 10" in oven for the oiled portion.

[@Nonakame]

I’ve been “brining” my baked potatoes for a while now. Not sure where I learned it from. Either guys or Chef John! I am going to do the oil after baking trick now. Thanks a ton for the great videos!

[@trackman07]

How long does it take for the skin to crisp on the second bake?

[@okiejammer2736]

Wowww. Going to do this right now. Thanks, Dan!

[@MrTere928]

I DID!!!!!!! Thank you I love all that you do and is so easy to learn from you.

[@april_swingler]

I have been using this baked potato method for years and it works great. Also that goat cheese topping is fantastic.

[@jazzbeaux6154]

I guess I really needed this. Thanks. 😊

[@suzaynnschick158]

Yes, I too have had a russet potato explode while baking in the oven. Just one potato, in a lifetime of baking potatoes. However, I usually prick them. I usually bake them at either 350 or 400. The explosion didn't hurt anyone and since it happened when I wasn't in the kitchen, the bits of the exploded potato browned in the oven and were tasty. Thank you, Lan for the recipe perfecting.

[@meadsummer6547]

Dan, you're the best part of ATK. I've been watching for more than a decade, and you so remind me of how I used to be in the kitchen. My friends used to call me a "cooking nerd", but they always wanted to know if they could come over for dinner!

[@apainlessone]

I thought exploding potato was a myth but I poked holes in one but didn't do the end and in the microwave the entire end of the potato blew off

[@brendanckeenan]

Love this video! I’ve been fine with salt and oil (and piercing it) and cook it till done, then wrap in foil for prep. Whenever everything else in oven is done, the potatoes are always awesome. A baked potato is heaven thanks for this!

[@seebradrun]

This recipe turned out really well for me. Thanks!

[@joanbardee5135]

you are so fun to listen to! thanks for the info

[@64782048]

Please do a video about the BEST twice baked potato. And fully loaded twice baked potatoes!!!!!

[@sandrah7512]

They did a couple of segments years ago during the third season of ATK TV in 2003 and the first season of Cook's Country TV in 2008. You can probably find those episodes on one of the other streaming platforms ATK uses. They're also available on their website for subscribers.

[@64782048]

​@@sandrah7512 we need an updated version with Dan 😂

[@barbararoyal6139]

You make me smile…and that’s a good thing!!😊

[@EvanLay]

I definitely needed a recipe for a baked potato since I’ve never had one this good!

[@noleprossed]

I've had a few potato explosions. We were doing some outdoor cooking in a field. We were cooking the potatoes individually in a large thick-walled PVC pipe that was sealed off at one end. We would use aerosol hair spray as the cooking fuel, spraying some into the pipe for about 5 seconds, then shove our potato into the end of the PVC pipe. Then would ignite the fuel via the small drilled hole at the top of the sealed end of the PVC pipe. The potatoes shot out of our PVC oven. When we found them a couple hundred yards away from our cooking site they were exploded all over the ground. We lost dozens of potatoes via this method.

[@TheRationalPi]

I remember the first time I saw this recipe on ATK. It's never failed me, perfect potato every time!

[@kevinbossick8374]

I run a little butter on it, seasonings, then wrap in foil. Throw it on the charcoal BBQ for a good 1 1/2 hours. Flip often.

[@Mistserpent]

Love the video, thank you very much. As a baked potato enjoyer, I've made quite a few. I have been using the same 1960's electric oven with broken clock and timer since late 2007 and I have only had 3 incidents. The first was a local grown russet, fairly large (larger than a dollar bill) it was when I first moved in and why I started poking holes in any potato I bake or grill. It was loud, kind of a low thud that rattled the rack inside the oven but it split more than exploded leaving a steak of potato across the top heating element (still edible). The second was the worst by far, it was a store bought russet (I think it was Walmart but not sure) smaller in size, maybe a little smaller than a pop can. I was outside when it exploded but I still could hear it. I had put it directly on a pizza stone that I had been leaving in the oven as it seemed to help when cooking other things (not sure if it did much other than for the store bought biscuits but all I had to do was pre heat and toss them in and the biscuits came out perfect so the stone stayed) regardless when I came in to check it had begun to smoke. There were no large chunks left, it had distributed itself pretty evenly on all things above the stone's surface including the upper heating element. The last one was I think about 6 years ago, we were doing a wine tasting so I don't remember as much but I remember it was loud but not as loud as the other two. I was trying something that was suggested, made a 1:1 water and salt solution and left them overnight, the next day I put them on an oiled baking sheet. We heard a thud from the kitchen and went to investigate (wine in hand). This time there was nearly no "spray", when I opened the door the potato was in two halves on the baking sheet kind of rocking back and forth. The first and second made it, at least in part to the table. The second was a total loss and a long night of cleaning.