Baked: Bake Potatoes: How to?

Subject: Bake Potatoes: How to?
Newsgroups: rec.food.cooking
From: The Bednars (britt at salsgiver.com)
Date: Sun, 19 Mar 2000 12:12:06 -0500
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How do a bake potatoes in foil with salt?
From: MR B. (hahabogus at hotmail.com)
Date: Sun, 19 Mar 2000 11:41:55 -0600
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There was a long thread on this earlier in the year. which basically said. That potatoes are baked in foil by restaurants so they will keep longer. And potatoes baked after rubbing in oil and sprinkled with salt taste better.

The usual procedure was poke several holes in the tatter with a fork, rub with cooking oil , sprinkle with salt and bake in a preheated oven (375F-425F) for 45 minutes to and hour. The done test was to carefully squeeze the tater and if the skin was crisp feeling and the inside felt mushy the tater was done. If you like a softer skin don't bake so long. Times and temps are rough due to peoples diferring opinions and recipes. Oh scrub the tater well before starting.
From: Alyson Colosia (alysonh at netcom.ca)
Date: Sun, 19 Mar 2000 16:53:33 -0500
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Poke the potatos with a fork, spray them with vegetable spray, sprinkle with coarse salt, and wrap individually. Bake at 375-400 for about 35 minutes. I usually do them in a toaster oven, as I normally only cook 2 at a time.
From: mcaai at my-deja.com
Date: Sun, 19 Mar 2000 23:43:18 GMT
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Alyson Colosia wrote:
> poke the potatos with a fork, spray them with vegetable spray,

Sounds good. I dont usually use the oil but I think it would be an improvement. Thank You.
From: ben declue (ben941 at ithink.net)
Date: Sun, 19 Mar 2000 20:09:43 -0500
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One thing that cuts down on the baking time; use a metal skewer in each potato
From: kclark at micron.net
Date: Tue, 28 Mar 2000 21:08:20 MST
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A very simple but excellent method is in the microwave...I know what your thinking but please give it a shot. Spray a large plastic bag, I use the ones the potatoes are in from the grocery store, with olive oil or vegetable spray, sprinkle the potatoes with salt, place them in the plastic bag , place the bag of potatoes in the microwave and tuck the open end of the bag underneath the potatoes and nuke them for 15 to 20 minutes depending on how many spuds you're cookn. They are excellent and simply this way, the peels are nice and soft and anyone who knows anything about a potato knows that the nutrients and vitamins are in the skin.

When potatoes are baking in a conventional oven, the skins will almost always be hardened. I ought to know, I live and cook in Idaho!
From: Goomba (goomba at mindspring.com)
Date: Mon, 03 Apr 2000 16:36:36 -0400
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kclark wrote:
> They are excellent and simply this way, the peels are nice and soft

Which is exactly what a good baked potato skin should be!! Crispy, scraped out of the potato and then spread with softened butter, salt and pepper.. a Joy!

A steamed skin, such as you get in the microwave, or worse yet, in foil is not anything to write home about.
From: penmart10 at aol.com (Sheldon)
Date: 03 Apr 2000 21:36:37 GMT
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> When potatoes are baking in a conventional oven, the skins will
> almost always be hardened. I ought to know, I live and cook in Idaho!

You deserve deportation... to Noo Joisey.
From: Richard Caley (rjc at cstr.ed.ac.uk)
Date: 04 Apr 2000 16:27:13 +0100
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kclark writes:

> [Microwaved] They are excellent and simply this way, the peels are
> nice and soft and anyone who knows anything about a potato knows
> that the nutrients and vitamins are in the skin.

Very nice I agree, but what you end up with are steamed potatoes, not baked potatoes.

> When potatoes are baking in a conventional oven, the skins will
> almost always be hardened.

Yum.
From: Sprucedale (woman at work.com)
Date: Tue, 04 Apr 2000 18:55:26 GMT
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Rinse baking potatoes and dry really well; prick all over with a fork; massage with mixture of garlic powder, sea salt and coarsely grated black pepper. Bake at 400 deg. F (since I only make 2 or 3 at a time I use my toaster oven) for 45 minutes or so. Serve with butter and/or sour cream - totally delicious (the skin's as good as the guts).
From: Peter G. Aitken (peter at pgacon.com)
Date: Tue, 4 Apr 2000 15:42:19 -0400
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Try rubbing with a mix of bacon fat and black pepper.
From: penmart10 at aol.com (Sheldon)
Date: 04 Apr 2000 21:04:08 GMT
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Peter Aitken writes:
>Try rubbing with a mix of bacon fat and black pepper.

Bacon fat and guts... ewwwwwww, Oscar Meyer hot dogs!
From: Alan Boles (HaHaBogus at hotmail.com)
Date: Tue, 4 Apr 2000 15:25:20 -0500
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Cut baked tater in half. Take the guts out mix/mash with some (either/or type of thing) cheese, bell peppers,roasted garlic,bacon crumbs,onion or whatever you like with a little milk/cream and butter. Put mixture back in the skins. Top with a slice of sharp cheese And broil a little till cheese is browned. Very Nice.
From: SimplyPut (simplyput at mindspring.com)
Date: Tue, 4 Apr 2000 15:49:50 -0500
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This is something I love to do with potatoes. Wash and rinse them, roll them in salt, then cut them in half lengthwise, but don't cut through all the way, leave the skin at the bottom in tact. Place some diced onions, along with pats of butter into the potato, salt and pepper then wrap it up in some aluminum foil. Place the wrapped potatoes on a baking dish, then cook until tender, usually 350 for about 1.5 hours.

Once they are tender, open the foil just enough to mash the potato a bit, then top with bacon and cheese, return to the oven for awhile to reheat and melt the cheese. Remove them from the oven, place on plates, and top with sour cream and chives. Tis my favorite. :)
From: wstewart at hawaii.rr.com (Ward Stewart)
Date: Wed, 05 Apr 2000 08:11:21 GMT
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SimplyPut wrote:
>Once they are tender, open the foil just enough to mash the potato a bit,
>then top with bacon and cheese, return to the oven for awhile to reheat and
>melt the cheese. Remove them from the oven, place on plates, and top with
>sour cream and chives. Tis my favorite. :)

SUCH a fuss!

Two suggestions -- first, put them in the oven until they have softened appropriately -- take 'em out and eat 'em.

Then, if you want exotic but still simple -- split the raw taters lengthwise -- put in a bay leaf -- tie it up with string and bake it that way.
From: SimplyPut (simplyput at mindspring.com)
Date: Wed, 5 Apr 2000 12:55:31 -0500
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Ward Stewart wrote:
> SUCH a fuss!

haha... sorry... I just love them that difficult and fussy way. :)
From: fialca at fcmail.com (Jackie)
Date: Wed, 05 Apr 2000 09:21:25 GMT
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kclark at micron wrote:
> When potatoes are baking in a conventional oven, the skins will
>almost always be hardened. I ought to know, I live and cook in Idaho!

Cant speak for Idaho - but the locals would know what they are talking about! I nuke mine too - sometimes only half to three-quarters done and finish off in the oven - brushed with olive oil and sprinkled with dried herbs or salt.

And yep, all the vitamins are in the skin. You don't need them soft either - what about crunchy skins? Luv 'em.
Jackie
From: Phil Seybold (symac at home.com)
Date: Mon, 20 Mar 2000 01:46:36 GMT
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> How do a bake potatoes in foil with salt?

Oil then salt

Try a taste test the next time you bake potatoes. Try one without the foil. The potatoes steam in the foil and so aren't as "fluffy". Also, without the foil the skins are crispier and to my way of thinking taste a lot better. www.idahopotato.com has lots of interesting potato stuff.
From: Paul R.O'Neill (operapro at mediaone.net)
Date: Mon, 20 Mar 2000 05:52:27 GMT
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A couple of months ago, sombody else directed me to The Big Spud Site www.BigSpud.com and I found a whole pile of useful recipes and archived chats about baking potatoes and which varieties and methods to consider.

It was all thoroughly hashed over (pun intended), both pro and con. I found it very useful indeed! I actually saved a lot of the tips for future reference, as I am planning to move to Ireland this Summer and will probably need to be a 'spud expert'!