Wrapping Potatoes in Foil for Baking? Temping Baked Potatoes for Doneness?

[fzxdoc]

I have several friends who insist that the best way to bake a potato is to wrap it in foil, whether oven or grill baked. Why? They say that's how their mothers and grandmothers did it, that's how restaurants do it, or that's how they've always done it.

I get that, but is there a real food quality reason for wrapping potatoes in foil for baking?

The only thing I can figure out is that perhaps foil-wrapped potatoes cook faster.

Wrapping steams the potato, resulting in a "soggy potato interior and wet skin" according to "Ask Dr. Potato" of Idaho Potato Commission.

Also, dare I say, foil-wrapped baked potatoes have been linked to botulism outbreaks, since the foil excludes oxygen from the potato's surface. So food safety experts recommend unwrapping a foil-wrapped potato soon after baking and of course keeping it out of the food danger zone of 40° to 140° until served.

For me, baking without foil results in a nice tasty somewhat crispy skin. Coating in olive oil and a heavy sprinkling of coarse salt before baking at 425° adds yumminess. And baking to a 208°-210° internal temp ensures a fluffy interior.

So why bake potatoes in foil? And is checking the potato's internal temp for doneness really necessary?

Sign me Just Curious.

Kathryn

[Oak Smoke]

I stopped using foil a couple of years ago. Americas test kitchen got me started. I’ve since stopped brining mine like they did and just oil and salt like you do. I don’t temp check mine I just go with 450 F for 1 hr and 15 minutes. They turn out great that way. Oddly sweet potatoes bake better for me at 350 F again with no foil.

[RonB]

I'm with you Kathryn - I never wrap potatoes. I do use a thermometer, but that's because I use IT to determine when they are done. I like to take them to 210° and then just turn the oven off and leave them in the oven until time to serve.

Thanks for reminding me about coating with oil and salt - I haven't done that in a good while.

And the manager at a local Firebird Wood Fired Grill once told me that they coat their potatoes in bacon grease and salt. I haven't done that - yet.

[Duanessmokedmeats]

I use olive oil and kosher salt

[realdocBBQ]

I've done the bacon grease and salt - I didn't notice a lot of difference, but I did a pretty light brushing. I'm thinking the more the better. Can't remember the last time I ate a baked potato, though... been a good 6 months or a year.

[ssennott]

I add bacon grease when I’m making potato salad it makes a world of difference to the flavor

[Finster]

I will foil them if I'm cooking them on the grill as I don't really care for a smoky flavor for my potatoes.
When baking in the oven, I poke them with a fork a few times to give steam a place to escape. Bake at 425 until 205 IT.
I used to just probe for doneness, but not too long ago, started using a thermometer, and my results have become much more consistent...

So, no to foiling.
yes to temping

YMMV

[OC Sandy]

I'll foil them if I'm going to put them directly on or next to coals for cooking. Otherwise I prefer no foil and a slightly crispy skin which I like to eat. I've never temped them but rather poke them with a fork to test if they are done. Why? 'Cause that's the way I've always done it. LOL

[klflowers]

This. I foil them and put them on the coals fairly often

[au4stree]

No foil gang here since Alton Brown told me to quit back in 2000 (or so). I used to be a fan of the "squeeze test" but that method failed me too many times, now I probe them. I pull them around 208*F (+/- a degree)

[Dan Deter]

I'm not sure I ever foiled. We poked holes, bacon greased and salted for years. Then, after reading an article about English Jacketed Potatoes, we switched to slitting a cross into the potato, no grease or salt, dropped the temp to 400, and left them in for 2 hours. Re-open the slits for the last 10 or so minutes. Comes out fluffy with a nice shell every time.

[shify]

Same. I poke holes, rub with olive oil and sprinkle with salt and bake on the rack. It results in skin worth eating. I guess from a clean up perspective wrapping in foil is easier and maybe it cooks quicker but to the detriment of the crispy skin. I also wonder if it gives it more of a steamed flavor/texture vs a fluffy baked potato. like if you wrap a brisket in foil vs butcher paper vs unwrapped

And I do temp baked potatoes. Not from a food safety perspective but being I have a thermometer, so why not make sure I don’t have any undercooked potatoes being they are rarely all the same size and shape. I also temp my sourdough sandwich bread for the same reason.

[Bkhuna]

No foil. I like to eat the skin. Bacon fat and a small amount of kosher salt.

[GolfGeezer]

No foil for me either. I cook them pretty close to your method fzxdoc. The "big" change I made is that instead of poking holes, I started using the English method of making a cross-slit, slightly longer in the direction of the length. This yields a very fluffy inside and nice, crisp skin.

[JCBBQ]

Never have. Never will. Don’t fix what ain’t broke…as they say. I love a slightly crunchy skin. Foil would ruin that. Frankly, it’s never occurred to me.

[Skip]

I wrap but don't really know why? I agree with fzxdoc on the botulism concern. Several years ago I read an article about someone getting sick by eating a leftover baked potato that was left in the foil and wasn't cooled properly. Our Men's Group at Church does a few suppers each year which include Baked Potatoes. A couple times I've mentioned unwrapping the leftover spuds but next supper no one seems to remember! So as you might guess I never take home any of the leftovers. I do NEED to BAKE SOME POTATOES WITHOUT WRAPPING, as a kid we always had them that way...so good.

[realdocBBQ]

Most people I've known dont eat the skin. I do sometimes, though I feel a little self conscious about it, since no one else does - like almost no one I've ever known.


One of my favorite baked potato dishes is to do it like a salad - cubed ham, grated cheese, ranch, sunflower seeds, bacon bits, etc. Even the crunchy chow mein noodles if I can find them, but most salad bars seem to not have them anymore. Actually went to Mazzio's the other day and they haven't had them since COVID, and this last time, there were NO dry salad toppings - no bacon bits, crunchies, no croutons, no nothing. I wondered if someone just forgot to put them out - but when we left 45 minutes later or so, still nothing out.

Is it just me, or have a lot of places really seemed to go 'downhill' since the *koof* epidemic? I think it caused a major change in our culture, and certain trends that were already in place just got emphasized and more pronounced - like the not giving a chit about anything, especially quality of work or customer service and the feeling of entitlement and wanting to start at the top of the wage pool, etc.


Ahhh well, I better get off this crap. Anyways, I like potato skins, wife doesn't. That is all. lol

[Skip]

We always ate the skins as kids. I definitely need to get on the un-wrapped bandwagon...and eat the skins too!

[klflowers]

I just think you are turning into a crusty old man. Like me. And those 2 old Muppet guys

[Prof Bunky]

I have several friends who insist that the best way to bake a potato is to wrap it in foil, whether oven or grill baked. Why? They say that's how their mothers and grandmothers did it, that's how restaurants do it, or that's how they've always done it.

I get that, but is there a real food quality reason for wrapping potatoes in foil for baking?

The only thing I can figure out is that perhaps foil-wrapped potatoes cook faster.

Wrapping steams the potato, resulting in a "soggy potato interior and wet skin" according to "Ask Dr. Potato" of Idaho Potato Commission.

Also, dare I say, foil-wrapped baked potatoes have been linked to botulism outbreaks, since the foil excludes oxygen from the potato's surface. So food safety experts recommend unwrapping a foil-wrapped potato soon after baking and of course keeping it out of the food danger zone of 40° to 140° until served.

For me, baking without foil results in a nice tasty somewhat crispy skin. Coating in olive oil and a heavy sprinkling of coarse salt before baking at 425° adds yumminess. And baking to a 208°-210° internal temp ensures a fluffy interior.

So why bake potatoes in foil? And is checking the potato's internal temp for doneness really necessary?

Sign me Just Curious.

Kathryn

The only time we wrapped potatoes was to keep warm during a two-week outage, thanks to hurricane Sandy. We baked them on our miraculously-spared gas rig, sat under a blanket, passed the potato, and it stayed warm for hours.

[hoovarmin]

I'm on team crunchy salty potato skin. No foil for me.