Loaded Baked Potato Rounds Recipe (2024)

FAQs

Why should you poke holes in a potato before baking it? ›

Pricking the potatoes with a fork creates tiny holes that allows steam to escape. This prevents your potato from bursting open in the oven (and making a mess!).

"I see a lot of people using foil to wrap their potatoes in but this is a big no-no and causes soggy skins!" he says. Foil holds in moisture and steams the potatoes, resulting in a "boiled" taste and texture. Plus, without the use of foil, the skin will get extra crispy and flavorful.

A loaded baked potato is typically topped with a variety of ingredients such as cheese, sour cream, and bacon, whereas a regular baked potato is often served with just butter and perhaps some salt and pepper.

Wrapping potatoes in foil does not hasten baking. On the contrary, since the foil itself has to be heated before the potato begins to bake, cooking times increase slightly. Not only do you get better baked potatoes when you bake them unwrapped, you also save money.

A: I would just skip poking the potato all together. It is very rare that a baked potato will burst if the steam can't escape.

The olive oil helps the seasonings adhere to the surface of the potato. To save time, restaurants often apply the oil with a spray bottle. Thanks to their naturally high starch content, which creates a plush texture under heat, Russet potatoes make a good fit for baking.

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.

Some say wrapping baked potatoes in aluminum foil helps them cook faster (aluminum conducts heat, then traps it), and it does keep them hot for longer once they come out of the oven, which is why we think restaurants use this method. Wrapping potatoes will also give you a softer, steamed skin, if that's what you like.

Q: Why is it common to salt the exterior of a baked potato? A: Chefs started doing this years ago to allow the salt to absorb or draw out the moisture of the potato while baking, which results in a dry, fluffy potato.

The olive oil helps the seasonings adhere to the surface of the potato. To save time, restaurants often apply the oil with a spray bottle.

How do restaurants cook baked potatoes so fast? ›

Restaurants bake potatoes ahead of time and keep them warm until they are needed. It's called “made in advance”.

The reason is to prevent the potatoes exposure to air, which causes dehydration, oxidation, and discoloration. Immersing cut potatoes will also help rinse off excess starch.

Loaded Mashed Potatoes

Our famous mashed potatoes topped with melted cheddar cheese, bacon, sour cream and green onions.

Yes. Eat the skin to capture all the russet potatoes nutrition. The potato skin has more nutrients than the interior of the potato. It has lots of fiber, about half of a medium potato's fiber is from the skin.

Rumor has it that an un-pricked spud will explode in the oven—but in all actuality, that's unlikely.

It's important to note that not every baked potato will bust open if it is not pierced beforehand, but since you (and we) are unable to predict if a potato is liable to explode, it's a good idea to pierce the surface as a precaution. Extra Tip: we do not recommend wrapping a potato in aluminum foil when you bake it.

The holes are there to allow steam to escape during cooking. Failing to poke holes may result in the potatoes splitting unattractively in the oven or bursting if you stick a fork in them when they are still hot.

Poking holes in potatoes before baking them helps cook them faster and more evenly for a few reasons: 1. **Steam Release:** When you bake a potato, the moisture inside turns into steam as it heats up. Poking holes in the potato allows the steam to escape, preventing pressure buildup.