Best way of baking a potato? And recommend me a good pan

dekaspace

For the potato I used to make baked potatos a lot and put cheese and onion on top (probably not great for cholesterol) but wow it was nice.

The best method I had was boil them first then bake them, I did try with foil but that just dried them out and even tried straight in oven with foil and they ended up solid and the insides were black.

After cooking I chop them into wedge like chunks.

But thats not a baked potato its more as it is, boiled thten oven cooked to make them less soft.

Whats the best method?

On the pan thing I want something I can make pasta in or boil potatoes as the only pan I had that fit them was the type that the base peeled off and went orange when stored and things tasted metallic which were cooked in it.

Don't want to spend over £10 and ideally £5 mark but £7.50 is my compromise.

arbrighton

Stick a metal skewer thru spud. Pierce skin in places, rub a little oil on, wrap in foil and place on baking tray. Hot (220 deg C Fan from memory in family home) oven, about 1hr 15 to 1 hr 30 depending on iff hot oven or straight into cold (e.g. put in oven and programme to come on after work)

You mean you don't want a non-stick pan? Just buy any basic stainless steel saucepan then. We have some that were tesco and I think Woolworths that have been fine for over 10 years now...

PenguinOfDeath

Baked potato? Stab a few times with a fork, microwave for 10 mins or so...stick in middle of hot oven with a tray on shelf underneath for 40 mind or until skin nice and crispy

suki1964

Do you have a microwave and an oven?

If both then take the tattie and score a cross in the top, stick it on a bit of kitchen roll and nuke for 10 to 12 mins until just giving when squeezing. Then put in on the shelf of your very hot oven ( heat it whilst nuking). 15 mins will crunch the skin

No micro then heat the oven to 220, stab spud all over with a fork. Place on shelf and it will take about 40 to 60 mins. Just give it a squeeze , if it gives its done

As for a pan, that price range, big enough, go to ikea or tk maxx

prowla

I just put them in the oven.

Incidentally, I also bake my spuds for making mash - no soggy waterlogged mush, just pure cooked potato with the flavour sealed in. (You do have to watchyour fingers when you're scooping them out though!)

VfM4meplse

prowla wrote: »

Incidentally, I also bake my spuds for making mash - no soggy waterlogged mush, just pure cooked potato with the flavour sealed in. (You do have to watchyour fingers when you're scooping them out though!)

Then stick the skins back in the oven for a crispy treat

euronorris

I !!!!! them all over with a fork, massage some butter into the skins (just a thin layer), then sprinkle some salt over the skins. I just a salt grinder that also has dried chilli and garlic in it, which gives a lovely added flavour (it was a gift from my folks visit to a garlic farm on the isle of wight).

Then into a pre heated oven of 200 (fan) for 60-80 mins

Spendless

prowla wrote: »

I just put them in the oven.

Me too. You don't have to do anything else to cook them. Putting them plain in an oven was the way they were cooked when I was a child.

Nowadays my Mum rubs in olive oil and sea-salt but she didn't own either when I was growing up. Back then olive oil was something you bought in chemists in small bottles to soothe earache.

ariba10

We have a Panasonic Combi Microŵave (NN CF 760M) and it makes perfect Baked potatoes every time in about 15/20 mins.

We would no be without it.

Anne_Marie_2

If I'm doing a load of baked potatoes, they just go in the oven, but if it's only one or two, it used to be about 6-7 mins in the microwave and then the oven for about 20-30 mins. Nowadays, I do for about 40 mins in the halogen oven when it's only for one or two, as it's cheaper to run.

Regarding a pan for pasta and potatoes, agree with the other poster, you can't beat a stainless steel one.

dekaspace

Interesting about the halogen oven, don't have one just one of those small grills I forget I own that I originally intended for reheating things like pizza that dry in oven or go rubbery in microwave not sure if that would help.

I did the boil and bake method last night and they turned out better than usual but thats probably because in the past I use small normal potato's and this time used actual baking potato.

I normally make them into a meal so depending on side I use about 2 of the normal sized baking ones, not the healthiest thing but better than a take away as I often say about home cooking.

I don't mind the normal pans I have a good frying pan I got half price in a sale for £7 last year and its fantastic but the cheaper ones I get for around £3 or £4 the coating on the base and sides flakes away like paint and makes the food taste awful.

Do have a stainless steel pan at moment but its a little too small for potatos rice is fine in it, pasta shells are fine but not spaghetti without snapping it.

I currently use it more to fry mince in when making something like chilli so I can drain any oil in it then add sauce and veg but then means I can't boil spaghetti or rice seperate as don't have a pan to do them in.

So wanted something deep that won't be messed up the first time I burn something in it.