Help - Crispy Baked Potato

Subject: Help - Crispy Baked Potato
Newsgroups: rec.food.cooking

From: Cinda (cmcoleridge at nohome.com)
Date: Sun, 27 Jan 2002 17:01:55 GMT
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Hi,

I've never been in this newsgroup before, but I saw a whole bunch of posts at www.BigSpud.com which said they were from here. They were how to bake the perfect crispy fluffy potato. Most of the recipes recommend a high temperature.

My problem is, I'm baking the potatoes to go along with a pork loin roast done in a cooking bag. It recommends 325 as the oven temperature.

How can I cook my moist pork loin at 325 (takes about 45 min to 1 hour) and still have crispy potatoes done at 400-450 for an hour or more?

Thanks for any help.

From: stan at temple.edu
Date: 27 Jan 2002 17:37:57 GMT
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Cinda wrote:
> How can I cook my moist pork loin at 325 (takes about 45 min to 1 hour) and
> still have crispy potatoes done at 400-450 for an hour or more?

I don't see how you can. Consider cooking your potatoes a different way this time. Cutting the potatoes up into chunks and placing tem on a baking sheet and drizzling them lightly with olive oil, and adding a bit of garlic powder, salt, pepper, thyme, and rosemary will result in delicious potatoes that will fit in nicely with your pork loin.

From: forcooksonly at aol.com (ForCooksOnly)
Date: 05 Feb 2002 14:08:27 GMT
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> Consider cooking your potatoes a different way

Get a stove-top potato baker! Available at wdrake --$14.99

http://www.wdrake.com/shop/search.cfm [dead link]

From: stan at temple.edu
Date: 5 Feb 2002 14:28:47 GMT
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ForCooksOnly wrote:
>> Consider cooking your potatoes a different way
> Get a stove-top potato baker! Available at www.wdrake.com--$14.99 [no longer carry]

I fail to see the point in buying a dedicated device to bake potatoes. In order to bake a wonderful baked potato with crispy skin and fluffy interior, all that's required is a hot oven. Just wash an Idaho potato thoroughly. Stab with a knife two or three times. Optionally, coat the skin lightly with olive oil and course salt, and bake at 450 for an hour, or until the potato's done. Exact time depends on the size of the potato and number of potatoes being baked.

From: penmart01 at aol.como (Sheldon)
Date: 05 Feb 2002 15:30:00 GMT
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stan at temple writes:
>I fail to see the point in buying a dedicated device to bake potatoes.

Size matters, but not how many... perhaps the truth be known, a little Freudian slip, Stan microwaves his spuds.

Stove top potato bakers are actually a handy little gizmo, permits baking a number of spuds at once, and without needing to light off a big oven.... they don't take up a lot of storage space, don't cost a whole lot, have nothing to wear or burn out, and are great for roasting chestnuts, yams, etc. They do work better on gas stoves but work with electric element stove tops too. I have one that was passed down from my grandmother to my mother to me, and this one has an insert which will convert it to a stove top bread toaster, works great, especially with whole grain breads, but you gotta keep a close eye on it or your bread will be *toast*!

See one here:
http://dt.catalogcity.com/cc.class/cc?main=ccn_add_prod_desc&act=127&ccsyn=9 [dead link]

From: forcooksonly at aol.com (ForCooksOnly)
Date: 06 Feb 2002 03:34:09 GMT
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>all that's required is a hot oven.

Why heat up the oven and your kitchen in the middle of August when you can bake a potato on top of the stove?? HUH!!!

From: penmart01 at aol.como (Sheldon)
Date: 06 Feb 2002 05:19:31 GMT
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ForCooksOnly writes:
>Why heat up the oven and your kitchen in the middle of August when you can
>bake a potato on top of the stove?? HUH!!!

I think the vast majority only bake potatoes when they are using the oven to cook something else, like the main course, perhaps a roast of some sort.... in all my years of cooking I can't remember even once that I baked potatoes in the oven all by themselves.

From: stan at temple.edu (Stan Horwitz)
Date: 6 Feb 2002 17:56:19 GMT
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Sheldon wrote:
> in
> all my years of cooking I can't remember even once that I baked potatoes in the
> oven all by themselves.

I bake potatoes all by themselves at least once or twice a month.

From: Steve Calvin (calvin at vnet.ibm.com)
Date: Wed, 06 Feb 2002 07:38:30 -0500
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ForCooksOnly wrote:
> Why heat up the oven and your kitchen in the middle of August when you can bake
> a potato on top of the stove?? HUH!!!

why heat up the top of the stove when you can use a grill?

From: dancertm (dacertm at exo.com)
Date: Wed, 06 Feb 2002 08:57:02 -0800
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Wash, and rub them with butter or oil, they will get crispy. I like to under cook a bit, then wrap in foil and let them finish cooking.

From: stan at temple.edu (Stan Horwitz)
Date: 6 Feb 2002 17:57:20 GMT
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dancertm wrote:
> Wash, and rub them with butter or oil, they will get crispy. I like to
> under cook a bit, then wrap in foil and let them finish cooking.

Why do you cook potatoes that way? What's the advantage of finishing he potatoes wrapped in foil?

From: robdgot at aol.com (Bob Gottlieb)
Date: 27 Jan 2002 18:00:57 GMT
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Cinda wrote:
>How can I cook my moist pork loin at 325 (takes about 45 min to 1 hour) and
>still have crispy potatoes done at 400-450 for an hour or more? >>

Unless you have 2 ovens it's going to be tough to have them finish at the same time. Some suggestions: Microwave the potatoes about 3/4 done then put them in the oven after the Pork is done. (the pork can be reheated). Put the potatoes in with the pork and after the pork is done turn up the heat till they're crisp.

From: Cinda (cmcoleridge at nohome.com)
Date: Sun, 27 Jan 2002 18:19:17 GMT
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Bob Gottlieb wrote:
> Unless you have 2 ovens it's going to be tough to have them finish at the same
> time. Some suggestions: Microwave the potatoes about 3/4 done then put them in
> the oven after the Pork is done. (the pork can be reheated). Put the potatoes
> in with the pork and after the pork is done turn up the heat till they're
> crisp.

Thank you bunches. I'm going to try that.

From: Jill McQuown
Date: Sun, 27 Jan 2002 12:25:21 -0600
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Cinda wrote:
>How can I cook my moist pork loin at 325 (takes about 45 min to 1 hour) and
>still have crispy potatoes done at 400-450 for an hour or more? >>

(1) prick the potatoes with a fork
(2) rub the potato with oil or butter
(3) sprinkle with salt

Put the potatoes in a little ahead of time. Baking at 325 F is perfectly fine for an hour and a half depending on the size of the baking potatoes. The butter or oil will ensure crispy skins outside and tender, fluffy potatoes inside.

From: Cinda (cmcoleridge at nohome.com)
Date: Mon, 28 Jan 2002 01:31:39 GMT
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Jill McQuown wrote:
> (1) prick the potatoes with a fork
> (2) rub the potato with oil or butter
> (3) sprinkle with salt
>
> Put the potatoes in a little ahead of time. Baking at 325 F is perfectly
> fine for an hour and a half depending on the size of the baking potatoes.
> The butter or oil will ensure crispy skins outside and tender, fluffy
> potatoes inside.

I tried the "microwave first, bake while the roast is resting method." The skin had that baked potato taste, but wasn't as crispy as I'd have liked. I think I'll try your method next. Thanks.

From: Bob Pastorio (pastorio at rica.net)
Date: Sun, 27 Jan 2002 21:04:13 -0500
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Cinda wrote:
> I tried the "microwave first, bake while the roast is resting method." The
> skin had that baked potato taste, but wasn't as crispy as I'd have liked. I
> think I'll try your method next.

Restaurants do baked potatoes several different ways. Here are some of them with no real judgements implied. They are all usually pricked with a fork three or four times to let moisture out and prevent the skin from blowing out. All of these can be held hot (around 140F) for an hour or two.

1) drop in the deep fryer for 5 minutes, finish in a 400F oven.
2) boil in the jacket for 10 minutes, finish in a 400F oven.
3) dip into water (usually very hot), sprinkle very heavily with salt, finish in a 400F oven.
4) rub the surface with oil, finish in a 400F oven
5) wrap in foil and bake in a 350 to 400F oven and hold hot for up to 4 hours
6) microwave for 3 minutes (per spud), let rest for 5 minutes or so and finish in a 400F oven.

The crispest skin will come from one that has only been forked and finished at 400F. Oil very often will result in a more tender skin because it permeates the skin and holds moisture in behind it.

From: Frenchy (Frenchy at playful.com)
Date: Mon, 28 Jan 2002 09:45:13 +1300
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Cinda wrote:
> How can I cook my moist pork loin at 325 (takes about 45 min to 1 hour) and
> still have crispy potatoes done at 400-450 for an hour or more?

Peel potato's, cut to uniform size (usually just in half from the original spud)
Boil in salted water for 10 minutes BUT not so they even start to look like breaking up.
Use you favourite oil (not olive) in an electric frypan on about 7 setting (10 being full on). About 1" deep of oil
Put potatoes in and turn once about 15 minutes later
Drain on paper towel
Serve with your roast and gravy

The GREATEST and crispiest baked potato you have ever seen

From: Dimitri (DIMITRI_C at prodigy.net)
Date: Mon, 28 Jan 2002 00:23:56 GMT
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Cinda wrote:
> How can I cook my moist pork loin at 325 (takes about 45 min to 1 hour) and
> still have crispy potatoes done at 400-450 for an hour or more?

I think you're out of luck unless you have a double oven or a toaster oven. Cooking potatoes in a bag is "steaming" the potatoes. Using any other method to cook the potatoes will not give the desired results. You may be able to "get away" with cooking the roast first, then slicing the roast and re-heating the slices in the juice. Careful you don't want to-re-cook the slices of roast just re-heat them while the potatoes are finishing .

Sorry :-(

From: Althea Layter (AL at nunyerbiz.com)
Date: Sun, 27 Jan 2002 20:56:05 -0500
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Cinda wrote:
> How can I cook my moist pork loin at 325 (takes about 45 min to 1 hour) and
> still have crispy potatoes done at 400-450 for an hour or more?

Microwave them until nearly done and put them in the oven about a half hour before the pork's done. You could also use a toaster oven, and you can also use your neighbor's oven...:-D

From: Tom S (dont_spam_toms at pacbell.net)
Date: Mon, 28 Jan 2002 05:30:47 GMT
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Cinda wrote:
> How can I cook my moist pork loin at 325 (takes about 45 min to 1 hour) and
> still have crispy potatoes done at 400-450 for an hour or more?

Do you have a toaster oven? Those do a pretty good job of baking potatoes - as long as you don't need to do too many.

From: Cinda (cmcoleridge at nohome.com)
Date: Mon, 28 Jan 2002 05:49:22 GMT
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Tom S wrote:
> Do you have a toaster oven? Those do a pretty good job of baking potatoes -
> as long as you don't need to do too many.

I think that's a great idea. The "part microwave/part oven" method didn't work as well as I'd hoped. Next time, I'll give the toaster oven a shot. Thanks.