What's the best way to bake a potato?

Question

We're having guests at our home tonight for dinner. We're having a potato bar with lots of toppings. What do you think is the best way to bake the potatoes first? We are going to do it in the oven, but do you suggest with or without foil? How many times should we prick the skins first? Oven temp and time? Etc. Thanks!

Answer 1

rub with olive oil salt and pepper. Poke potato a few times with a fork, wrap in foil (optional) and bake at 350 degrees for about an hour and a half to 2 hours

Answer 2

I love baked potatoes...The best tasting potato will come from the oven not the microwave...

Wash the potatoes first and after piercing them with a fork or sharp knife 2 or 3 times across the top, rub them with kosher or sea salt or olive oil...

Wrap in foil to seal in taste and bake at 350 degrees for 1/2 hours-2 1/2 (depending on the size of the potatoes) I do potatoes like this all the time...My husband and I have also done the toppings for guests as well...

Some great things to use are:

-the normal fixin's (butter, sour cream, cheese, chives, bacon)
-chili sauce
-taco or italian seasoned meat
-Salsa
-Cheese Sauce with broccoli

The options are endless! Hope this helps!

Answer 3

Wash potato and sprinkle with seasoning salt (or any herb or spice that you prefer) - poke a few holes in each potato and bake at 400 F for about 45 min - 1 hour. The potato skin with be crispy and the inside tender. After the potato is baked, slice a top off the top and scoop out the potato leaving the skin intact. Mash with butter, milk, add salt and pepper, spoon the potato back into the shell and put it back in the over to warm up, add your favorite toppings - enjoy.

Answer 4

Do some with the skins on and no foil. Do some peeled, in slices part-way through with a little butter and seasoning, wrapped in foil. Bake at 400 F. for about an hour. With the foil-wrapped ones, open the foil about half-way through the baking process.

Way to go ... now I'm really hungry. Can I come for dinner?

Answer 5

After scrubbing them, put each one in little individual foil pouches after rubbing butter, salt, and garlic salt all over the skins, bake for an hour at about 350.

For even better potatoes, open them up once you can poke a fork in one, add salt, and butter to the inside, with some cheese and chives. Yum.

Answer 6

Wash potatoes; dry; rub with oil; prick skins. Bake at 400 degrees for 1 hour or until done.

Answer 7

just wash the potatoes place them in a pan and season with salt. thats all you have to do don't worry with wrapping them with foil. when wrapped in foil it takes the potatoes longer to cook. And please don't prick them with a fork, think about it like this would you want to eat something with holes poked in it. just cook them for about 2-2 1/2 hours at 400 degrees. i can also give you a full list of some of my own tasty toppings if you email me.

Answer 8

leave skin on them and slice into half inch thick slices and place in foil...put in between the potato slices a slice of onion about a quarter inch thick or less..so you have potato then onion then potato--onion and with a tiny rub of butter on top, wrap in foil...bake for 1hour at 375 F and stand back when you hear the raves...If you like bacon, you can add small pieces of bacon in with the onion...just chop a few slices and place in with onions.......tastes great and also goes with all toppings from sour cream to Ranch dressing...etc...amazing when done on the BBQ this way.... call me and I will be over for the next BBQ night....getting hungry thinking about them.

Answer 9

wrap some baking sized tater in foil and bake them NOW if you are serving them tonight...chop chop....400 degrees for an hour. baking them ahead of time is the way to go Plus it heats up the kitchen and your guests dont want to be in a sauna bath

Answer 10

At the restaurant I was taught to just scrub them, let them dry thoroughly, wrap them in foil, and bake at 450 for an hour or more. They always came out perfect.