This Baked Potato Recipe Has a Secret Step for the Best Flavor and Texture (2024)

FAQs

Why do baked potatoes taste better in restaurants? ›

Chefs put salt on the outside of their baked potatoes

The secret to achieving this is a hefty dose of salt. Steakhouse chefs cover their baked potatoes in salt before sticking them in the oven, often helping the crystals adhere with a generous coating of oil.

Russet potatoes are arguably the best potatoes for baking, although they are also great for mashing and frying. The main reason thick-skinned Russet potatoes are perfect for baking and more is because they contain significant amounts of starch.

Remember: Patience is a virtue. This is where most people get it wrong: You can't just slice open the potato and call it a day. No, explains Martinez, the magic of a whole baked potato is in the texture, which is creamy, light, and dense all at the same time.

Restaurants bake potatoes ahead of time and keep them warm until they are needed. It's called “made in advance”. Every restaurant out there has things that are prepped well in advance.

Yukon gold potatoes are famous for having a distinct nutty flavor and the smoothness of butter – which also influences the taste! This unique flavor makes Yukon gold potatoes highly sought after by consumers. Because it's so flexible, the Yukon gold potato can be added to a variety of recipes to improve its quality.

Yukon Gold Potatoes

We use Yukon Golds in Our Favorite Mashed Potatoes recipe not only because of that waxy-starchy texture, but also because of their rich, buttery flavor that creates a creamy, luscious result. Their thinner skins can be left on or peeled to play up their creaminess even more.

Trapping that spud in aluminum foil where the moisture cannot escape results in a wet potato. Over baking the potato in foil cannot be seen (or easy to smell that it is overcooked) so you can end up with dark brown skin on the bottom, tough to eat and giving off a slightly burnt taste.

We recommend baking potatoes at 400 degrees F for about an hour. Smaller spuds might take a little less time, while larger baking potatoes over 1 pound might take a little more. For a fully baked Idaho Russet Burbank, the internal temperature should be right at 210 degrees F.

Poke the potatoes with a fork just enough to pierce the skin so the potato won't burst when baking, especially in the microwave. Four or five times should be plenty. A potato is composed mainly of water, so poking them helps release steam as it cooks.

Why do you put oil on baked potatoes? ›

Adding oil to potatoes before baking is perfectly fine, just a personal preference. Without oil the Idaho russet skin bakes up crispy, with oil the skin will carry a lot of the flavor of the oil so some people have a preference for using olive oil or peanut oil.

North America. Many restaurants serve baked potatoes with sides such as butter, sour cream, chives, shredded cheese, and bacon bits.

One of these factors is the ingredients and equipment. Lack of ingredients or the special type of kitchen equipment can affect the taste of food. As the restaurant has access to all these, home cooking is at a loss here. Time preparation is another factor.

Preparation: Restaurants typically use pre-prepared potatoes, such as pre-cut fries or diced potatoes, to save time in the cooking process. These prepped potatoes are often par-cooked or blanched before service to partially cook them and reduce overall cooking time.

Technology may have changed since the nineteenth century, but the basic practice hasn't. According to Restaurant Ninjas, restaurants that serve baked potatoes bake their potatoes in advance and keep them in warming equipment. Moreover, there is a constant cycle of new potatoes going out to ensure the food is fresh.

Types of potato and their uses in restaurants

Russet potatoes: Russet potatoes, also known as Idaho potatoes, are a favorite among chefs for their high starch content and fluffy texture.