Traditional Baked Potato

Why This Traditional Baked Potato Works

In the hot oven, the russet potatoes slowly dry out on the outside while the inside steams. Those fork holes give the steam a way to escape, so the skins don’t burst, but enough steam stays inside to make the centers fluffy instead of dense. Over time, the heat breaks down the starch in the potatoes, so the middle goes from hard and chalky to soft and light.

Rubbing the potatoes with olive oil and salt changes the skin. The oil coats the outside so it can brown and crisp instead of just drying out and turning leathery. Salt on the outside pulls a little moisture to the surface at first, then the oven heat drives that moisture off, leaving a thin, crunchy crust. Baking them right on the oven rack lets hot air move all around each potato, so the skins crisp evenly and the insides cook through from all sides at the same time.

Mistakes To Avoid

Pulling the potatoes out too early leaves the centers hard and slightly crunchy while the skins feel soft. The outside warms up fast, but the middle needs the full time for the starch to soften, so the potato never gets fluffy inside and is hard to split and mash with a fork.

Letting the potatoes bake way past tender turns the insides dry and mealy. The skins can start to harden and feel tough, and the flesh loses moisture, so toppings just sit on top instead of sinking into a soft, steamy center.

Skipping the step of drying the potatoes after washing keeps a thin layer of water on the skin. That water steams in the oven, so the skins stay a bit rubbery instead of turning crisp and slightly crackly.

Piling the potatoes on a baking sheet instead of putting them straight on the oven rack blocks hot air from circling around them. The bottoms can get a little soggy while the tops dry out, and the skins never cook evenly all the way around.