Q. Is it OK to bake my Idaho® potatoes in foil?
A. No. If the best way to bake a potato so it has a crispy outer skin and a fluffy interior is to place a potato directly on the oven rack, then using foil is a compromise that yields a steamed potato and a wet outer skin. Don’t do it!
While I recommend serving a baked Idaho® potato to the customer within 15 minutes from the time it is baked, wrapping a baked potato in foil after it has been baked will allow you to hold it for up to 45 minutes. The best method for holding a baked potato is in a warming drawer. The second best is a heat-proof cabinet, where foil wrapped potatoes can be held for 45 minutes, but with an interior temperature loss of about 20°F. Least effective is the use of heat lamps.
The Ultimate Baked Potato
For the best-tasting baked potatoes, start with Idaho® potatoes. The Idaho® potato has a high solids content so that during baking, the starch grains swell and separate, resulting in a characteristically light, fluffy texture. A potato with smaller grains, such as a round red or white will stay firm and waxy and is more watery.
Always wash potatoes before baking, being careful not to break the skin. Then, pierce the skin with a fork to prevent the potato from bursting in the oven. Again, we recommend that you NEVER bake an Idaho® potato in foil.
Idaho® potatoes should be baked in a 375°F convection oven for 50-55 minutes, or a 425°F conventional oven for 55-60 minutes. An Idaho® potato is perfectly baked when it reaches an internal temp of 210 degrees F.
This entry was posted on Monday, October 25th, 2010 at 3:34 pm and is filed under Consumer, Cooking Potatoes, Foodservice, Q & A, Recipes. You can follow any responses to this entry through the RSS 2.0 feed. Both comments and pings are currently closed.
