Baked: Poking holes in potatoes.......
Subject: Poking holes in potatoes.......
Newsgroups: rec.food.cooking
From: Alan Moorman at visi.com
Date: Thu, 22 Feb 2007 13:17:59 -0600
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Okay....
When I got my first microwave, I tended to poo-poo the idea that a potato will explode while it is being nuked.
Tried it, and had no problem.
So, for 8 or 10 years I just put them in and nuked them
Then, one day, one exploded!!!!
Nice mess to clean up, but easier than if it had been the gas oven!
However, from them I've stabbed a hole all the way into the center of each potato, with a fork. All the way to the center seemed the best way to insure that I had made a passage way which would let steam out.
Then, one day, at work, I saw a co-worker pricking little, tiny holes in her potato, with a fork. She was barely penetrating the skin!
Shocking thought: Maybe they don't explode, as a rule.
I can only remember one potato exploding in my Mom's conventional oven over many a year.
The one that exploded in my microwave was the only one that did that in a period of 8 - 10 years!
Maybe this is just, largely, a myth!
Here comes the question(s):
1. Does the potato need to have deep holes poked in it, into the center, to let the steam out so it won't explode.
2. Will tiny prickings which just pierce the skin keep the potato from exploding.
3. As a rule, do potatoes actually explode when they're being baked -- microwave or conventional oven?
Whatcha think?
From: JoeSpareBedroom (dishborealis at yahoo.com)
Date: Thu, 22 Feb 2007 19:21:55 GMT
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I pierce the skin plus maybe 1/8" for conventional baking. Works fine. I've never seen a potato explode in the conventional oven, even when I've tried to rush things by cranking the heat to 550 degrees.
From: merryb (msg144 at juno.com)
Date: 22 Feb 2007 11:29:37 -0800
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I blew one up in a conventional oven just a few weeks ago! First time, too. I think it was too hot. But I always poke them before baking
From: Skyhooks (skyhooks at NOsbcglobal.SnPeAtM)
Date: Thu, 22 Feb 2007 14:06:33 -0600
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merryb wrote:
> I blew one up in a conventional oven just a few weeks ago! First time,
> too. I think it was too hot. But I always poke them before baking
I had a couple of spuds blow up in my toaster oven, and I always poked holes in the skins of potatoes when I bake them. It's not a frequent thing, but the chance of an exploding spud/tuber is increased if the skin is not pierced to release the build-up of steam. At least that's always been my understanding.
From: James Silverton (not.jim.silverton.at.comcast.not)
Date: Thu, 22 Feb 2007 14:24:37 -0500
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I've never dared try nuking potatoes without pricking the. I generally us a carving fork and stab them four or five times, turning the potatoes between stabs.
From: James Silverton (not.jim.silverton.at.comcast.not)
Date: Thu, 22 Feb 2007 14:26:53 -0500
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James Silverton wrote:
> I've never dared try nuking potatoes without pricking the. I
> generally us a carving fork and stab them four or five times,
> turning the potatoes between stabs.
Sorry about the spelling; I hurt my thumb and am wearing a brace.
From: Melba's Jammin' (barbschaller at earthlink.net)
Date: Thu, 22 Feb 2007 14:06:14 -0600
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Alan Moorman wrote:
> 1. Does the potato need to have deep holes poked in it,
> into the center, to let the steam out so it won't explode.
No.
> 2. Will tiny prickings which just pierce the skin keep the
> potato from exploding.
Yes.
> 3. As a rule, do potatoes actually explode when they're
> being baked -- microwave or conventional oven?
Ida Know. I always poke mine -- with the tip of a paring knife in about 3 places, maybe 1/8" deep.
From: Sheldon (PENMART01 at aol.com)
Date: 22 Feb 2007 12:16:05 -0800
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Melba's Jammin' wrote:
> I always poke mine -- with the tip of a paring knife in about
> 3 places, maybe 1/8" deep.
Me too.
From: Nancy2 (nancy-dooley at uiowa.edu)
Date: 22 Feb 2007 12:40:39 -0800
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Sheldon wrote:
> Me too.
Maybe I'll have one blow up - I've never poked holes in a "bare-naked" potato before nuking it or baking it in an oven. I've never had one explode. I do scrub them really well with a stiff nylon scrubber before baking.
From: Sheldon (PENMART01 at aol.com)
Date: 22 Feb 2007 13:14:15 -0800
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Nancy2 wrote:
> Maybe I'll have one blow up - I've never poked holes in a "bare-naked"
> potato before nuking it or baking it in an oven. 've never had one
> explode. do scrub them really well with a stiff nylon scrubber
> before baking.
Most spuds on there way from the ground to your kitchen do suffer a few bumps, cuts, and abrasions, so there are almost always a few breaks in the skin already. But ever so often there will be a virgin potato, and that will be the one that is very likely to explode. It's no biggie to poke a few holes, better safe than sorry.
From: JoeSpareBedroom (dishborealis at yahoo.com)
Date: Thu, 22 Feb 2007 21:19:13 GMT
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Nancy2 wrote:
> Maybe I'll have one blow up - I've never poked holes in a "bare-naked"
> potato before nuking it or baking it in an oven. I've never had one
> explode. I do scrub them really well with a stiff nylon scrubber
> before baking.
Another reason to poke holes is to get a drier texture. But, I predict that at least 3 people will disagree with this, and that'll add 346 more messages to the discussion. So you should try baking two potatoes - one with holes, one without, and see if the difference matters to you.
From: Dave Smith (adavid.smith at sympatico.ca)
Date: Thu, 22 Feb 2007 15:16:27 -0500
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I have never had one explode. I was learned a long, long time ago to always prick potatoes when baking. I have always done it. I have never had one explode.
From: Jill McQuown
Date: Thu, 22 Feb 2007 14:27:29 -0600
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Alan Moorman wrote:
> Then, one day, at work, I saw a co-worker pricking little,
> tiny holes in her potato, with a fork. She was barely
> penetrating the skin!
Just prick the skin with a fork, maybe 1/4 inch in. Just enough to allow the pressure to release... that's really all that is required. No need to stab it to death. Whether you do it in an oven or in the microwave, it's gonna explode if you don't allow the steam to release. And whatever you do, don't think you can boil an egg in the microwave. Ain't gonna happen without making a huge mess.
From: James Silverton (not.jim.silverton.at.comcast.not)
Date: Thu, 22 Feb 2007 16:13:22 -0500
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Jill wrote:
> Just prick the skin with a fork, maybe 1/4 inch in. Just enough to allow
> the pressure to release... that's really all that is required. No need to
> stab it to death. Whether you do it in an oven or in the microwave, it's
> gonna explode if you don't allow the steam to release. And whatever you do,
> don't think you can boil an egg in the microwave. Ain't gonna happen
> without making a huge mess.
I know someone who tried cooking an egg in it's shell.....new microwave needed!
From: Jill McQuown
Date: Sat, 24 Feb 2007 02:25:42 -0600
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James Silverton wrote:
> I know someone who tried cooking an egg in it's shell.....new
> microwave needed!
My father tried to boil an egg in the microwave. He got one of the first microwaves, an Amana Radar Range back around 1969 or 1970. And he put an egg in the shell in water and set the thing on High for a minute. It didn't have any other settings, just High, Medium, Low. This thing had no popcorn settings, no bacon settings, no baked potato settings, no frozen dinner settings. This was way back when, ya know? Way back when no one cooked with microwave ovens.
And Dad was quite surprised when the egg in the shell exploded! Guess what? You still can't boil an egg in the microwave! LOL
From: Alan Moorman at visi.com
Date: Fri, 23 Feb 2007 10:29:56 -0600
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Jill McQuown wrote:
>Just prick the skin with a fork, maybe 1/4 inch in. Just enough to allow
>the pressure to release... that's really all that is required. No need to
>stab it to death. Whether you do it in an oven or in the microwave, it's
>gonna explode if you don't allow the steam to release. And whatever you do,
>don't think you can boil an egg in the microwave. Ain't gonna happen
>without making a huge mess.
For all you who just prick the skin....
I'm quite sure that the skin on a potato isn't air tight. I don't think it could cause the potato to explode.
I think that, if a potato explodes, it is because steam is generated deep inside the potato, and has nowhere to go. Hence deep poking if more effective.
However, I'm beginning to think that potatoes virtually never explode, and the whole issue of holing them is just something that is not necessary!
From: Default User (defaultuserbr at yahoo.com)
Date: 23 Feb 2007 17:58:30 GMT
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Alan Moorman wrote:
> I think that, if a potato explodes, it is because steam is
> generated deep inside the potato, and has nowhere to go.
> Hence deep poking if more effective.
As the heat works its way from the skin inward, I think it's far more likely that steam pockets form just under the skin, not at the center, and cause the explosions.
> However, I'm beginning to think that potatoes virtually
> never explode, and the whole issue of holing them is just
> something that is not necessary!
You only need one to go on you, it makes one hell of a mess. Poking a few holes doesn't take long, and if it prevents a blow-up, well worth the effort.
Brian
From: Ken Knecht (kenkknot at deruknot.com)
Date: Fri, 23 Feb 2007 18:10:47 GMT
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Default User wrote:
> You only need one to go on you, it makes one hell of a mess. Poking a
> few holes doesn't take long, and if it prevents a blow-up, well worth
> the effort.
I don't poke holes in baked potatoes. I make baked potatoes frequently. I've never had a baked potato explode in the oven.
From: William Wagner (not-to-here-williamwag at gmail.com)
Date: Fri, 23 Feb 2007 15:20:27 -0500
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Default User wrote:
> You only need one to go on you, it makes one hell of a mess. Poking a
> few holes doesn't take long, and if it prevents a blow-up, well worth
> the effort.
I stab em with a paring knife twice. Sometimes grill/bake them on a gas grill. I wrap in foil then wet paper towel then foil again. Place in heat and do other things for about 1 or 2 hours.
Inside I bake my spuds in kosher salt or at least coat them when lasy. Read something about Aztecs doing it to remove toxins and not telling the Spanish about it. Seems they not only gave us syphilis but arthritis due to Solanceae family toxins. :) Pay backs are hell.Don't ask for a source as it is lost in time.
Still (Yin) tomatoes, peppers, potatoes and less so eggplant grace our table weekly. The power of taste.
From: kilikini (kilikini1 at NOSPAMhotmail.com)
Date: Fri, 23 Feb 2007 15:38:52 -0500
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William Wagner wrote:
> I stab em with a paring knife twice. Sometimes grill/bake them on
> a gas grill. I wrap in foil then wet paper towel then foil again.
> Place in heat and do other things for about 1 or 2 hours.
If you wrap the potatoes in foil, technically you're steaming them. If you like them that way, that's okay, but I prefer the crispy, outside baked skin.
From: Peter Aitken (paitken at CRAPnc.rr.com)
Date: Fri, 23 Feb 2007 17:38:21 -0500
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William Wagner says...
> I stab em with a paring knife twice. Sometimes grill/bake them on a
> gas grill. I wrap in foil then wet paper towel then foil again. Place
> in heat and do other things for about 1 or 2 hours.
Then you get a steamed potato, totally different from a baked potato.
From: James Silverton (not.jim.silverton.at.comcast.not)
Date: Fri, 23 Feb 2007 18:16:59 -0500
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William Wagner wrote:
> Inside I bake my spuds in kosher salt or at least coat them when lasy.
> Read something about Aztecs doing it to remove toxins and not telling
> the Spanish about it. Seems they not only gave us syphilis but
> arthritis due to Solanceae family toxins. :) Pay backs are hell.
Someone said Cortez did the Mexicans a favor when he stopped Aztec open heart surgery!
From: William Wagner (not-to-here-williamwag at gmail.com)
Date: Fri, 23 Feb 2007 19:00:07 -0500
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James Silverton wrote:
> Someone said Cortez did the Mexicans a favor when he stopped
> Aztec open heart surgery!
I guess us gringo's lost the message when you look at all the CABG Coronary Artery Bypass Graph's we do.
From: Default User (defaultuserbr at yahoo.com)
Date: 23 Feb 2007 22:47:44 GMT
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Ken Knecht wrote:
> I don't poke holes in baked potatoes. I make baked potatoes
> frequently. I've never had a baked potato explode in the oven.
That's fine. I have. It makes a hell of a mess. Trust me. Bits of stuck all over the inside of the oven.
From: little.malice at gmail.com (Little Malice)
Date: Thu, 22 Feb 2007 22:27:26 GMT
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Alan Moorman wrote:
>3. As a rule, do potatoes actually explode when they're
>being baked -- microwave or conventional oven?
>
>Whatcha think?
Hmmm, my mother taught me to use a potato nail, which conducts the heat through the middle. She never said anything about potatoes exploding, and I've never had it happen. I've always thought that was a microwave related problem...
From: James Silverton (not.jim.silverton.at.comcast.not)
Date: Thu, 22 Feb 2007 17:34:19 -0500
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Little.malaice wrote:
> Hmmm, my mother taught me to use a potato nail, which conducts the heat
> through the middle. She never said anything about potatoes exploding, and
> I've never had it happen. I've always thought that was a microwave related
> problem...
A potato nail does cut the needed cooking time noticeably for oven baking. It probably wouldn't help much for nuking and there might be some interesting sparking even if it would release the steam!
From: Default User (defaultuserbr at yahoo.com)
Date: 22 Feb 2007 23:40:55 GMT
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Little Malice wrote:
> Hmmm, my mother taught me to use a potato nail, which conducts the
> heat through the middle. She never said anything about potatoes
> exploding, and I've never had it happen. I've always thought that was
> a microwave related problem...
Not at all. I had one blow up in the oven years ago. Made quite a mess inside, but on the upside the potato that remainded in the skin was very fluffy and tasty. Kind of a popcorn deal.
From: Little.Malice at gmail.communge (Little Malice)
Date: Sat, 24 Feb 2007 18:14:58 GMT
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One time on Usenet, Default User said:
> Not at all. I had one blow up in the oven years ago. Made quite a mess
I guess I've just been very lucky over the years, having never had that happen. I have, however, blown up a couple of hard cooked eggs, before Nancy taught me the proper way to cook them. Cleaning egg off the ceiling is not fun.
> inside, but on the upside the potato that remainded in the skin was
> very fluffy and tasty. Kind of a popcorn deal.
Yum! Wonder if one could do a controlled potato explosion...
From: Alan Moorman at visi.com
Date: Fri, 23 Feb 2007 10:33:46 -0600
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Little Malice wrote:
>Hmmm, my mother taught me to use a potato nail, which conducts the heat
>through the middle. She never said anything about potatoes exploding, and
>I've never had it happen. I've always thought that was a microwave related
>problem...
Yeah, me too.
However, an interesting thing happens when I poke a hole all the way to the center of the potato -- with a fork.
When the potato cooks (in the microwave) the side of the potato that I pierced with the fork cooks more quickly than the other side. Steam is clearly being vented through the holes from the fork -- and it is apparently coming from the center of the potato.
To make it cook evenly, it is necessary to use the fork twice, on opposite sides of the potato (going all the way to the center).
However, this doesn't matter to me, because I nuke a potato before I mash it, and any texture variations just make the mashed potatoes more interesting to me.
From: sf
Date: Thu, 22 Feb 2007 21:41:15 -0800
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Alan Moorman wrote:
>Then, one day, one exploded!!!!
From *pure* experience, I can tell you that potatoes can explode even if they are fully baked in the oven. You never know when a *defective* potato is going to appear, so you have to roll with the punches.
From: Doug Weller (dweller at ramtops.removethis.co.uk)
Date: Sat, 24 Feb 2007 20:46:00 +0000
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sf wrote:
>From *pure* experience, I can tell you that potatoes can explode even
>if they are fully baked in the oven. You never know when a
>*defective* potato is going to appear, so you have to roll with the
>punches.
I've had one explode in the oven also.
From: KevinS (sheehyke at aol.com)
Date: 23 Feb 2007 13:02:53 -0800
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Alan Moorman wrote:
> Then, one day, one exploded!!!!
I always poke baking potatoes. I've never had one explode. I did once have a sweet potato explode. It had been poked.
From: Little.Malice at gmail.communge (Little Malice)
Date: Sat, 24 Feb 2007 18:16:21 GMT
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One time on Usenet, KevinS said:
> I always poke baking potatoes. I've never had one explode.
> I did once have a sweet potato explode. It had been poked.
Well apparently you didn't poke to its satisfaction, Kevin... ;->
From: stark (starkraven at bellsouth.net)
Date: 24 Feb 2007 05:01:38 -0800
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Alan Moorman wrote:
> 3. As a rule, do potatoes actually explode when they're
> being baked -- microwave or conventional oven?
Had one in thirty years explode. Properly scrubbed and poked. I think it was caused by some anomaly, maybe an air pocket, deep inside the potato. Don't know when it exploded, early or late, but most of the fragments seemed cooked.
From: Sheldon (PENMART01 at aol.com)
Date: 24 Feb 2007 07:44:22 -0800
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Alan Moor wrote:
> 3. As a rule, do potatoes actually explode when they're
> being baked -- microwave or conventional oven?
As a rule nuked spuds ain't baked, they're steamed, pretty much the same results were they wrapped in foil and then baked.
Even though un-poked spuds rarely explode it only needs to happen once to make anyone a convert... what a friggin' mess. The reason most spuds don't explode is because most all are already compromised by bumps, cuts, and abrasions during normal handling before you get them. I don't see the big deal in puncturing their skins, only needs a couple three jabs, not turn it into a sieve.
But more than that, poking a few holes in a potato makes for dryer, fluffier insides regardless whether baked conventionally or nuked.