How to Make the Perfect Baked Potato
Fluffy inside, crispy outside, and beautifully seasoned, the best baked potato of your life takes just one extra step.
Perfect Baked Potatoes; recipe by Debbie Koenig; photograph by Olga Ivanova
I used to work with a guy who came to the office every morning, hair still wet from the gym, munching on a baked potato. He ate it as if it were a banana, folding down its aluminum-foil skin a little further before each bite. His trainer swore by them, he said — something about replenishing his potassium after a workout. While I’ve never eaten a baked potato like a banana, I have developed a deep and abiding fondness for the humble spud. Can you blame me? With prep time of approximately one minute and total time of just over an hour, most of which requires absolutely nothing from me, the baked potato is as perfect a side dish as I can imagine.
But it seems like there are as many ways to bake a potato as there are, well, potatoes. What oven temperature should you use? Should the potatoes be on a baking sheet, wrapped in foil, or baked on the oven rack itself? Can you bake potatoes in the microwave or another kitchen gadget?
The answer to these questions is fairly simple, as long as we can agree that the platonic ideal of a baked potato involves an interior as fluffy as freshly-fallen snow and skin that’s burnished, crisp, and generously salted. If you’re looking for soggy skin and mealy insides, I’m afraid I can’t help you.
Read on to learn how to achieve baked potato greatness.
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The best way to bake a potato >>
Get the recipe: Perfect Baked Potatoes >>
The best way to bake a potato
While you can make a baked potato in the microwave, slow cooker, air fryer, or Instant Pot, for the best results I prefer to use my oven. I’ll admit, air fryer baked potatoes are almost perfect thanks to the gadget’s hot, dry air. They’re acceptable if I’m only making one or two potatoes. But the air fryer doesn’t get quite as hot as my oven, and if I try to bake more than two spuds at a time, crowding keeps the skins from crisping up. As for the slow cooker and Instant Pot, the lack of dry heat is a dealbreaker. Neither one creates potato skins I want to eat, and nothing is sadder than a hollowed-out potato skin slumped on a plate. I will use a microwave, but only as a timesaver when I’m in a rush — and I’ll always finish the process in the oven to crisp the skin. But even if it looks similar to a potato that’s 100% oven-baked, the inside of a microwave hybrid spud will be a little less creamy, a little less fluffy than the ideal. It’s worth it to go all-in on the oven.
To get the best results, I bake my potatoes directly on the oven rack. They go in naked, since a foil wrapper would trap the steam. That leaves the potato skins limp and the insides gummy. And I never use a baking sheet. The metal in the sheet pan conducts heat, which almost guarantees a bitter scorched spot on the bottom of each potato.
But I don’t just bake naked spuds and call it a day. The potatoes go in plain, but towards the end of the baking time, I pull them out and brush each one with a little olive oil, then sprinkle with salt. The oil keeps the skins crisp without becoming leathery, and it helps the seasoning adhere. Back into the oven they go for another 10 minutes, and they come out spectacular.
Baked potato FAQs
You probably know how to bake a potato. Here’s how to bake a great one.
The best potato for baking
The first step towards baked potato perfection: Use the right type of potato, one that’s starchy and has a nice, sturdy skin. Usually, that means russet potatoes, also known as Idaho potatoes. Yukon gold will work, and I can definitely appreciate baked sweet potatoes, but neither of them will produce the fluffy inside/crispy outside we’re looking for.
When choosing your russets, avoid two things: greenish-tinged flesh beneath the skin and the small protrusions known as eyes. That green tint means the tubers have been exposed to light and produced chlorophyll, which in itself isn’t a bad thing — but it can signal an increase in a compound called solanine, which tastes bitter and can be harmful in large amounts. The potato itself is still good, but you’ll need to peel the skin and all the green parts. Save what’s left for mashing.
As for the eyes, they’re actually sprouts! Potato farmers plant “seed potatoes,” whole or in chunks, to grow a new crop. In small quantities those eyes are probably safe to eat, but not exactly pleasant. If your potato has just one or two, trim them out with a paring knife and proceed. More than that, though, and your spud will have so many holes in it, it won’t have much eye appeal. Save that potato, too, for another use.
What temperature to cook a baked potato
I’ve seen baked potato recipes that call for the low-and-slow treatment — 90 minutes to two hours in a 300°F oven — but after all that time, I find the potato skins to be lacking in character. A 400°F oven produces a tasty tuber, but it still takes over an hour. That’s why I go with less time in a hotter oven. At 450°F, you can bake a potato worth dreaming about in under an hour.
How long to bake a potato
It won’t surprise you to learn that cook time depends on the size of the potatoes. For a medium spud, roughly a half-pounder, you can expect it to take 50-55 minutes. Large russet potatoes can weigh a pound or more each, which will require a longer spell in the oven. Smaller specimens, ones that weigh around six ounces, should be good to go in 45 minutes or less.
What temperature is a baked potato done?
When I was growing up, my mom always checked her baked potatoes by giving them a squeeze with a potholdered hand. It worked well enough, but at least half the time one of my family members would cut into a potato and discover a hidden core of hard, unyielding, raw potato. So I guess maybe it didn’t work? I’m a little more precise than my mom, so I rely on my trusty meat thermometer to be sure. When a baked potato reaches an internal temperature of 205° to 212°F, you’ve got a winner. Pull it from the oven and serve immediately.
How to open a baked potato
According to the Idaho Potato Commission, who probably know more about potatoes than anyone, you should never cut into a baked potato with a knife — it pushes down on the skin and affects the internal texture. Instead, use a fork to make two perforated lines, one lengthwise and one crosswise, along the top of the potato. Gently press at either end, and the skin will pop open. Use the fork to pull back the edges and expose all that potatoey fluff, then add your toppings and dig in.
How to store leftover baked potatoes
Baked potatoes retain heat for a good long time, and slow cooling can lead to food safety issues. To be safe, let them cool briefly on the counter, then transfer to the refrigerator unwrapped. When fully cool, transfer to an airtight container and use within three to five days. Never let a baked potato sit at room temperature for more than two hours, because that gives potentially harmful bacteria time to grow.
How to reheat a baked potato
In my opinion, a reheated baked potato can’t hold a candle to one that’s fresh out of the oven. But sometimes I know I won’t have an hour to bake a fresh batch, so it’s helpful to know you can reheat them. To do so, choose one of these methods:
In the oven: Set it to 350°F. Unwrap the potatoes and place directly on the oven rack. Bake until the skin is crisp and the insides are heated through, 15-20 minutes. (To test a reheated potato, stick a paring knife into the center, withdraw it, and touch the blade. If it feels warm-to-hot, your potato is ready.)
In the air fryer: This is the perfect way to reheat just one or two potatoes. Preheat the machine to 350°F and place unwrapped potatoes in the basket. Cook for 3-5 minutes, and they should be heated.
Who says leftover baked potatoes can only be served whole? Once cooked, those spuds can be used for mashed potatoes (and shepherd’s pie), potato salad, twice-baked potatoes, potato skins, potato soup, home fries, baked potato wedges, frittatas, corned beef hash, gnocchi — you name it.
Best baked potato toppings
Now that you’ve got a spud with a fluffy interior and crispy skin, it’s decision time: What to put on a baked potato? The options are practically endless.
When it’s a side for a main dish that already has tons of flavor, like chicken marsala or pot roast, my favorite toppings are simple, nothing but a pat of butter, sea salt or kosher salt, and black pepper.
As a side dish for a straightforward steakhouse-style meal, simple grilled steak or chicken, I’ll add sour cream or Greek yogurt, shredded cheese (my family is partial to cheddar cheese), chopped chives or green onions, chopped broccoli, and bacon bits to the offerings and let each person assemble their perfect combination.
For a main dish, loaded baked potato, where the spud forms the delicious vehicle for hearty toppings, the sky’s the limit. I serve them with leftover BBQ pulled chicken; taco meat, chili, or sloppy joe filling; guacamole; egg or tuna salads; roasted vegetables; seasoned black beans; caramelized or pickled onions; sliced jalapeños — you get the idea.
Get the recipe: Perfect Baked Potatoes
Oven baked potatoes can’t be beat for flavor, texture, and ease. This simple recipe — which adds a little olive oil and salt towards the end of baking — produces potatoes so delicious, you’ll be tempted to eat them without any toppings at all.
More potatoes, please
Check out these additional potato-themed articles, from tater tots to potato salad to French fries.