Baked: Mid-week survey on the RFC site: Baked potatoes

Subject: Mid-week survey on the RFC site: Baked potatoes
Newsgroups: rec.food.cooking
From: Chatty Cathy (cathy1234 at mailinator.com)
Date: Wed, 24 Jan 2007 17:11:50 +0200
--------
http://www.recfoodcooking.com/

Vote now!

Thanks go to Andy (CotD #2) for this one...
From: Tori M (I at greewith.nan)
Date: Wed, 24 Jan 2007 09:41:29 -0600
--------
mmm baked potatoes. We have yummy baking spuds right now.. we went to eat at Hardees one day and a lady came up to us and asked if we liked potatoes and we said yes. She said when your done eating let us know we have a truck full of them. Went out and she put down the gate of her truck and it was FULL.. she gave us 2 big boxes (we just happend to be getting ready to move) and we gave 1 to my inlaws :D we are nearing the end of the box though :( Jeff isnt a big fan of baked spuds but we have had them 2 times this last month.
From: Andy (q)
Date: Wed, 24 Jan 2007 09:50:27 -0600
--------
Cathy,

Thank you! :)

I cut the potato in half, place cut side down and with both hands pinch the skin off leaving the pulp on the plate.

Andy
From: Tori M (I at greewith.nan)
Date: Wed, 24 Jan 2007 10:02:29 -0600
--------
Andy wrote:
> I cut the potato in half, place cut side down and with both hands pinch the
> skin off leaving the pulp on the plate.

then you take a nice "healthy" pat of butter and stick it in the skin :P
From: Andy (q)
Date: Wed, 24 Jan 2007 10:13:52 -0600
--------
Tori M said...
> then you take a nice "healthy" pat of butter and stick it in the skin :P

Tori,

That should have been a voting option, dammit!

"I only eat the skins!" LOL!!!

All the best,

Andy
From: Chatty Cathy (cathy1234 at mailinator.com)
Date: Wed, 24 Jan 2007 20:14:20 +0200
--------
Andy wrote:
> That should have been a voting option, dammit!
>
> "I only eat the skins!" LOL!!!

Potato skins are great too... There is an "Irish" restaurant chain over here that serves them (covered in melted cheese)... ;)
From: Lou Decruss (LouDecruss at yahoo.com)
Date: Wed, 24 Jan 2007 18:25:38 GMT
--------
Andy wrote:
>That should have been a voting option, dammit!
>
>"I only eat the skins!" LOL!!!

LOL. The skins are the best part. Last weekend I pulled out the CIA professional chef book to refresh myself with the potato chapter. I was playing with the baking powder idea mentioned here. There was a recipe for potato croquettes that looked interesting. You pipe a log of whipped spuds and cut it into bite sized sections, dip in egg the flour and deep fry. I already had my hands full of projects but I did have lots of extra baked skins. I sliced the skins into strips, dipped them in egg and rolled them in townhouse cracker crumbs. We ate too many and put dinner off for another hour. lol
From: Sheldon (PENMART01 at aol.com)
Date: 24 Jan 2007 10:23:31 -0800
--------
Andy wrote:
> I cut the potato in half, place cut side down and with both hands pinch the
> skin off leaving the pulp on the plate.

What a coinkydink... that's what was done with your head!

Andy Potatohead! <g>

Ahahahahahahahaha. . .
From: hector (hector at hecky.com)
Date: Wed, 24 Jan 2007 16:13:16 -0600
--------
Andy wrote:
> I cut the potato in half, place cut side down and with both hands pinch the
> skin off leaving the pulp on the plate.

Wow! That sounds nifty. I don't really understand how it would work, but would you mind explaining?
From: George (george at nospam.invalid)
Date: Wed, 24 Jan 2007 17:49:20 -0500
--------
Andy wrote:
> I cut the potato in half, place cut side down and with both hands pinch the
> skin off leaving the pulp on the plate.

But the skin of a properly baked potato is the best part.
From: Karen AKA Kajikit (kajikit at jagcon.com)
Date: Wed, 24 Jan 2007 11:47:13 -0500
--------
Chatty Cathy wrote:
>http://www.recfoodcooking.com/
>
>Vote now!

You forgot the 'sometimes' option! This isn't a black/white question...
From: notbob (notbob at nothome.com)
Date: Wed, 24 Jan 2007 11:23:15 -0600
--------
Chatty Cathy wrote:
>http://www.recfoodcooking.com/

Boy, the new rfccuw sure looks ...um..er... plain. Actually, bleak is more appropriate. I liked it better before.

But, the subject is baked potatoes. I've always enjoyed them but have never been fanatical about it. I recently discovered my do-more-than-I-knew microwave does a baked potato to perfection in just minutes. Now, I've gone baked potato crazy. I often have just have a single potato with butter, salt, and pepper for dinner. There is always at least one cold baked potato lying around for whatever. Using a chopped up baked potato, my potatoes O'Brien are the best I've ever eaten. My hash browns are perfection. I'll never buy frozen again. I've also discovered potatoes taste pretty darn good on their own. Just nuke n' eat. I think I'll even try it with some yams and sweet potatoes. Yum!
From: James Silverton (not.jim.silverton.at.comcast.not)
Date: Wed, 24 Jan 2007 12:33:00 -0500
--------
Hello, notbob! You wrote:
> But, the subject is baked potatoes. I've always enjoyed
> them but have never been fanatical about it. I recently
> discovered my do-more-than-I-knew microwave does a baked
> potato to perfection in just minutes.

IMHO, nuked potatoes are not bad at all and are also very good for making mashed potatoes. However, in terms of the survey, I am a skin eater and the crisp skin of an oven-baked potato is worth the time involved if you have it! There is also an improvment in the taste of the potato, I think.
From: Julia Altshuler (jaltshuler at comcast.net)
Date: Wed, 24 Jan 2007 13:24:32 -0500
--------
James Silverton wrote:
> IMHO, nuked potatoes are not bad at all and are also very good for
> making mashed potatoes. However, in terms of the survey, I am a skin
> eater and the crisp skin of an oven-baked potato is worth the time
> involved if you have it! There is also an improvment in the taste of the
> potato, I think.

There's a compromise. Nuke the potato for several minutes. Then put it in the toaster-oven at 400 degrees until the potato is soft inside and the skin is crispy outside. It takes less time in the long run but tastes just as good.
From: James Silverton (not.jim.silverton.at.comcast.not)
Date: Wed, 24 Jan 2007 20:37:51 -0500
--------
Hello, Julia! You wrote:
> There's a compromise. Nuke the potato for several minutes.
> Then put it in the toaster-oven at 400 degrees until the
> potato is soft inside and the skin is crispy outside. It
> takes less time in the long run but tastes just as good.

Thanks for the idea! It looks it might work if I had a toaster oven :-(
From: Julia Altshuler (jaltshuler at comcast.net)
Date: Wed, 24 Jan 2007 20:56:10 -0500
--------
James Silverton wrote:
> Thanks for the idea! It looks it might work if I had a toaster oven :-(

Picky. Picky. 400 degrees in the big oven. (I like having the toaster oven because it saves on electricity. In my 2-person household, there's a lot we can do with the little oven.)
From: kilikini (kilikini1 at NOSPAMhotmail.com)
Date: Thu, 25 Jan 2007 07:17:57 -0500
--------
Julia Altshuler wrote:
> Picky. Picky. 400 degrees in the big oven. (I like having the toaster
> oven because it saves on electricity. In my 2-person household, there's
> a lot we can do with the little oven.)

That's why I like my toaster oven, too. We found a pyrex baking dish that fits in our little toaster oven and it allows me to make mini lasagnas, casseroles, we roast a half of a butternut squash - and we don't end up with a big pan of leftovers. It's really convenient.
From: Doug Weller (dweller at ramtops.removethis.co.uk)
Date: Sat, 27 Jan 2007 21:49:24 GMT
--------
My Panasonic Genius microwave has a jacket potato setting that uses the microwave and the convection oven, makes great potatoes.
From: James Silverton (not.jim.silverton.at.comcast.not)
Date: Sat, 27 Jan 2007 17:37:07 -0500
--------
Hello, Doug! You wrote:
> My Panasonic Genius microwave has a jacket potato setting
> that uses the microwave and the convection oven, makes
> great potatoes.

How long does it take to produce one satisfactory baked potato?
From: Doug Weller (dweller at ramtops.removethis.co.uk)
Date: Sun, 28 Jan 2007 14:07:20 GMT
--------
James Silverton wrote:
>How long does it take to produce one satisfactory baked potato?

About 1/2 hour.
From: James Silverton (not.jim.silverton.at.comcast.not)
Date: Sun, 28 Jan 2007 10:06:33 -0500
--------
Hello, Doug! You wrote:
> About 1/2 hour.

A conventional oven at 425F takes 40 minutes to an hour for as many potatoes as one could reasonably wish. For more than one potato, and even for one, the microwave/convection route hardly seems worthwhile.
From: John Kane (jrkrideau at gmail.com)
Date: 27 Jan 2007 14:52:51 -0800
--------
Doug Weller wrote:
> My Panasonic Genius microwave has a jacket potato setting that uses the
> microwave and the convection oven, makes great potatoes.

Any special model? I have been casually looking for a microwave/convection oven for some time.
From: Doug Weller (dweller at ramtops.removethis.co.uk)
Date: Sun, 28 Jan 2007 14:07:39 GMT
--------
John Kane wrote:
>Any special model? I have been casually looking for a microwave/
>convection oven for some time.

I'm not sure, I think any that say Genius.
From: merryb (msg144 at juno.com)
Date: 24 Jan 2007 11:26:27 -0800
--------
notbob wrote:
> I've also discovered potatoes taste pretty darn good on their
> own. Just nuke n' eat. I think I'll even try it with some yams and
> sweet potatoes. Yum!

I had never eaten sweet potatoes, except that horrid sweet potato casserole with marshmallows on top- yuk! But I recently decided to try some stuff I hated as a kid- sweet potatoes being one of them, beets another. Baked s.p.s are great!
From: George (george at nospam.invalid)
Date: Wed, 24 Jan 2007 17:51:50 -0500
--------
merryb wrote:
> I had never eaten sweet potatoes, except that horrid sweet potato
> casserole with marshmallows on top- yuk! But I recently decided to try
> some stuff I hated as a kid- sweet potatoes being one of them, beets
> another. Baked s.p.s are great!

For sure, I couldn't stand sweet potatoes as a kid because they were always dripping in syrup and you never tasted the sweet potato.

Roasted sweet potatoes have an incredible amount of flavor and sweetness and really don't need any/much help.
From: LadyJane (ladyjane570305 at yahoo.com.au)
Date: 24 Jan 2007 20:19:59 -0800
--------
merryb wrote:
> I had never eaten sweet potatoes, except that horrid sweet potato
> casserole with marshmallows on top- yuk! But I recently decided to try
> some stuff I hated as a kid- sweet potatoes being one of them, beets
> another. Baked s.p.s are great!

I really really detest the white s.p. but cannot get enough of the orange s.p.
I nuke the whole thing (after judicious scrubbing of the skin) in the microwave for around 3-4 minutes.
Cut a sheet of aluminium foil, add a dash of olive oil & place nuked s.p. on top.
Make diagonal slashes across almost cooked s.p. and insert slivers of freshly sliced garlic.
Drizzle with more OO and a sprinkle of sea salt & cracked black pepper.
wrap that baby up and bake for around 20 minutes in a hot oven (around 220DegC)
Another nice touch is to sprinkle with a little extra tasty cheddar, or shaved parmesan...

The orange sweet potato also lends itself to the baked cheesey potato - I often intersperse layers of o.s.p. with normal potatoes when I make my baked cheesey spuds.
They also work well, cubed and roasted or fried.... mixed in with cubed normal spuds adds a touch of sweetness and a whole lot of colour.

On a healthy note, the sweet potato is very low G.I. so technically is better for you than a 'normal' spud.
From: Omelet (omp_omelet at gmail.com)
Date: Thu, 25 Jan 2007 11:40:00 -0600
--------
LadyJane wrote:
> On a healthy note, the sweet potato is very low G.I. so technically is
> better for you than a 'normal' spud.

And they make killer fries. ;-d

Dad and I decided to quit eating regular potatoes about 4 years ago. Since then, we've discovered the wonderful world of yams...

and have never looked back. :-)
From: LadyJane (ladyjane570305 at yahoo.com.au)
Date: 24 Jan 2007 20:12:02 -0800
--------
notbob wrote:
> I recently discovered my do-more-than-I-knew microwave does a baked potato to perfection in
> just minutes.

oh notbob.... don't let jmquown here this or she'll berate you (as she did me) for using the microwave!
apparently (and unbeknownst to me and a zillion others) the spuds cooked or par-cooked in a microwave deny them eligibility for 'baked potato' status.

nice to know I am not the only one who uses the mw to nuke spuds, although I do finish them off in the oven, wrapped in foil (also a no-no as according to jmq, they are then 'steamed' and certainly NOT baked... ho hum)
From: kilikini (kilikini1 at NOSPAMhotmail.com)
Date: Thu, 25 Jan 2007 07:24:48 -0500
--------
LadyJane wrote:
> nice to know I am not the only one who uses the mw to nuke spuds,
> although I do finish them off in the oven, wrapped in foil (also a
> no-no as according to jmq, they are then 'steamed' and certainly NOT
> baked... ho hum)

I've done them in the microwave, but I have trouble getting them to come out right. My husband somehow has the right touch and they come out soft and moist. Mine tend to be hard in the middle, but overdone or sometimes burned on the ends. I strictly bake my taters in the oven now, and if I want a faster method, I just get my husband to cook. LOL.
From: Dan Abel (dabel at sonic.net)
Date: Thu, 25 Jan 2007 16:49:46 -0800
--------
kilikini wrote:
> I've done them in the microwave, but I have trouble getting them to come out
> right. My husband somehow has the right touch and they come out soft and
> moist. Mine tend to be hard in the middle, but overdone or sometimes burned
> on the ends. I strictly bake my taters in the oven now, and if I want a
> faster method, I just get my husband to cook. LOL.

Have you heard the old joke? Wife wants husband to change the baby's diaper. He jabs the baby in the butt with the diaper pin. The mom decides that this isn't a plan. He's relieved of duty.

I've done my share of diaper changing. Not fun.
From: kilikini (kilikini1 at NOSPAMhotmail.com)
Date: Thu, 25 Jan 2007 20:55:18 -0500
--------
Dan Abel wrote:
> Have you heard the old joke? Wife wants husband to change the baby's
> diaper. He jabs the baby in the butt with the diaper pin. The mom
> decides that this isn't a plan. He's relieved of duty.
>
> I've done my share of diaper changing. Not fun.

But I have the husband who doesn't mind helping. (Shhhh, I never said this in Usenet; his cover will be ruined!)
From: Dan Abel (dabel at sonic.net)
Date: Fri, 26 Jan 2007 16:13:57 -0800
--------
kilikini wrote:
> But I have the husband who doesn't mind helping. (Shhhh, I never said this
> in Usenet; his cover will be ruined!)

I'll never tell, but give him a hug for me, just don't say why.
From: sf
Date: Sat, 27 Jan 2007 12:32:48 -0800
--------
Did you answer the food allergy survey on the rfc website?
There are mighty few votes considering how many people recently claimed that pizza gave them heartburn.... which was widely attributed to a wheat allergy although I think a tomato allergy could have something to do with it too.

I voted as if hubby didn't suffer from gout, because we are still trying to figure out what triggers it.
From: Chatty Cathy (cathy1234 at mailinator.com)
Date: Sat, 27 Jan 2007 23:17:39 +0200
--------
sf wrote:
> I voted as if hubby didn't suffer from gout, because we are still
> trying to figure out what triggers it.

Well, if you believe in "old wives' tales" gout is caused by "too much good food and wine"....
From: Dan Abel (dabel at sonic.net)
Date: Sat, 27 Jan 2007 13:42:50 -0800
--------
Chatty Cathy wrote:
> Well, if you believe in "old wives' tales" gout is caused by "too much
> good food and wine"....

My mother had gout. It wasn't a fun thing. She had a diet for it. And four other diets. She joked that there wasn't anything left to eat. Of course she ate. She died before she was 50.
From: "l, not -l" (lallin at cujo.com)
Date: Sat, 27 Jan 2007 23:22:45 GMT
--------
Chatty Cathy wrote:
> Well, if you believe in "old wives' tales" gout is caused by "too much
> good food and wine"....

According to my Dr., it can also be caused by some medications used to treat high blood pressure. He added allopurinol to my BP med cocktail to prevent gout.
From: Omelet (omp_omelet at gmail.com)
Date: Thu, 25 Jan 2007 11:36:46 -0600
--------
LadyJane wrote:
> nice to know I am not the only one who uses the mw to nuke spuds,
> although I do finish them off in the oven, wrapped in foil (also a
> no-no as according to jmq, they are then 'steamed' and certainly NOT
> baked... ho hum)

Back when we actually ate baked spuds, I'd say many of them were nuked. :-)

Wrap them in a couple of layers of waxed paper and a wet towel.

Strictly speaking, it's a steamed, not a baked spud, but it's still very good!

Personally, I prefer them wrapped in foil and roasted in a campfire...... out under the stars, eaten to the noise of wild crickets and a running stream.

<sigh>
From: Omelet (omp_omelet at gmail.com)
Date: Wed, 24 Jan 2007 13:23:47 -0600
--------
Chatty Cathy wrote:
> http://www.recfoodcooking.com/
>
> Vote now!

Well, that was simple, and I agreed with the majority for once. <G>
While baked spuds are a rare treat, the skins are my favorite part.....

and I wrap them up with extra butter and salt.
From: kilikini (kilikini1 at NOSPAMhotmail.com)
Date: Thu, 25 Jan 2007 07:20:49 -0500
--------
Omelet wrote:
> Well, that was simple, and I agreed with the majority for once. <G>
> While baked spuds are a rare treat, the skins are my favorite part.....
>
> and I wrap them up with extra butter and salt.

I love the skins! I have ever since I was a kid. Adding extra butter and salt to the skins was one of the few indulgences my mother allowed me. She was impressed that I ate them!
From: Omelet (omp_omelet at gmail.com)
Date: Thu, 25 Jan 2007 11:41:58 -0600
--------
kilikini wrote:
> I love the skins! I have ever since I was a kid. Adding extra butter and
> salt to the skins was one of the few indulgences my mother allowed me. She
> was impressed that I ate them!

;-D ;-d ;-)
From: sf
Date: Wed, 24 Jan 2007 22:57:38 -0800
--------
Chatty Cathy wrote:
>http://www.recfoodcooking.com/

*Eat* their skins? I prefer them.

:)
From: Omelet (omp_omelet at gmail.com)
Date: Thu, 25 Jan 2007 11:41:10 -0600
--------
sf wrote:
> *Eat* their skins? I prefer them.

Ditto here.

It's one thing I miss...

I used to save it for "Dessert".

Scrape and eat all the white part off of it, then put a little extra butter and salt into the skin, roll it up, and eat it that way!

<sigh>