Potatoes baked in the oven taste much better than potatoes baked in the microwave (video). From the oven they develop a sort of crispy skin with a really fluffy center. Today I am going to talk about the oven version. (Stay tuned for the microwave edition!)

The oven needs to be really hot, 400 degrees hot, when you stick the potatoes in it. So before we go any further, go turn the oven on to 400 degrees to preheat. (This could take up to 15 minutes.)

All potatoes need to get washed first. A vegetable scrub brush works beautifully.

Or you could just use your hands.

With a small sharp knife or a fork, puncture about 4 or 5 holes in the potato. If you don’t the potato may explode from the steam developing inside the potato! (Not a good thing!)

I then rub about 1 teaspoon of vegetable oil all over the potato.

You may be tempted to wrap a potato in tin foil. DON’T! You’ll end up with the potato getting steamed in the foil instead of just baked. You may as well just cook it in the microwave.

Place the potato directly on the oven rack. Bake for 40 to 60 minutes, depending upon the size of the potato.

Potatoes are as hard as a brick when they are raw. By the time it’s cooked you’ll be able to squeeze it. Test it to see if it is tender by inserting a knife into the potato. The knife should slide in easily.

Remove the potato from the oven with an oven mitt. (It drives me nuts when people on TV use a dish towel instead of pot holders! If the dish towel is at all wet, you’ll get burned! But, I digress.)

You can just slice the top of an oven baked potato and give it a squeeze; it should be nice and fluffy.

Now it’s time to add your favorite topping. In addition to butter, sour cream and bacon, you could try cottage cheese, baked beans, chili or plain yogurt. What are your favorite toppings?

Enjoy!

Oven Baked Potatoes Ingredients:

(4 Servings)

• 4 medium baking potatoes
• 4 teaspoons of salt

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