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Sides · American

Baked Potatoes

Crisp, salty skins and a fluffy inside, baked straight on the oven rack with no foil in sight.

Hands-on
10 min
Hands-off
1 h 8 min
Oven preheat
15 min
Total
1 h 18 min
Makes
4 potatoes
Serves
4

The oven heats while you wash and oil the potatoes. Baking takes 45 to 60 minutes depending on size; the total uses the longer time plus a 3-minute rest. Total = 10 min active + 68 min hands-off (about 5 min more for the oven to finish heating, up to 60 min baking, 3 min rest).

Oven 200 °C · 180 °C fan (400 °F)

  • easy
  • vegetarian
  • gluten-free
  • baking-basics
  • weeknight
  • budget
  • pantry

Verified against at least two trusted test kitchens or food-safety guides · Last checked · What this means

Illustration of Baked Potatoes
Amount
Units
Oven

Ingredients

You need: rimmed baking sheet · pastry brush · fork · oven mitts · instant-read thermometer (optional) · sharp knife

Contains: none of the 9 major allergens in the listed ingredients

Method

  1. Set the racks and heat the oven

    Put one oven rack in the middle and one near the bottom. Heat the oven to 200°C (180°C fan, 400°F).

  2. Wash, dry and prick

    Scrub the 4 potatoes under cold water and dry them well. Prick each one twice with a fork, once on each side, so steam can escape.

  3. Oil and season

    Set the potatoes on the baking sheet, drizzle with the 1 1/2 tbsp oil and brush it all over. Season the skins with salt and pepper.

    Otto tried this firstOtto wraps each potato tightly in foil 'to keep it moist'. Foil traps the steam, so the skin never crisps.

  4. Bake on the rack

    Put the potatoes directly on the middle rack so hot air reaches all sides. Slide the baking sheet onto the lower rack to catch drips. Bake for 45 minutes to 1 hour.

    Ready when: The skin is crisp and dry, the potato gives when you squeeze it with an oven mitt, and a knife slides into the center with no resistance. The center reads about 96 to 99°C / 205 to 210°F.

  5. Rest, then open

    Bring the potatoes out on the baking sheet and let them sit for about 3 minutes. Cut a slit about 2 cm (3/4 in) deep along the top of each one, then push the ends toward the middle to open and fluff it.

  6. Top and serve

    Add butter, salt, pepper and chives, or your favorite toppings.

Swaps

  • Instead of the oven (faster): the microwave Prick 4 or 5 times, oil and season, microwave 1 potato for 5 minutes (2 potatoes 5 to 7 minutes), turn, then about 3 minutes more until a knife goes in easily. The skin stays soft unless you finish it in a 220°C (200°C fan, 425°F) oven for 5 to 10 minutes.
  • Instead of the oven (air fryer): an air fryer at 190°C (375°F) for 50 to 60 minutes Same washing, pricking and oiling.

Make ahead, store & reheat

Storage
Refrigerate leftovers within 2 hours and eat them within 3 to 4 days. Never leave potatoes baked in foil wrapped up at room temperature (see safety).
Reheat
Reheat until steaming hot all the way through, 74°C / 165°F in the center.

If something goes wrong

  • Soft, wet skin Why: The potatoes were wrapped in foil or baked crowded on a sheet.
    Bake them unwrapped, straight on the rack.
  • Hard in the middle Why: A bigger potato, or it came out too early.
    Bake a little longer until a knife slides in easily or the center reads 96 to 99°C / 205 to 210°F.
  • Dense or dry inside Why: It rested too long before opening, or was cut the moment it came out.
    Rest them about 3 minutes: cutting at once lets too much steam out, and waiting too long makes them dense.

Good to know

  • Pick russets: they're starchy and bake up fluffy.
  • Choose potatoes of a similar size so they're all ready together.
  • Store raw potatoes somewhere cool, dark and dry, away from onions, and not in the fridge.

Safety

  • Botulism warning: food-safety guidance lists baked potatoes wrapped in foil as a botulism risk. If you do use foil, don't leave them wrapped at room temperature: keep them at 60°C / 140°F or hotter until served, or refrigerate them at 4°C / 40°F or colder with the foil loosened so air gets in.
  • Potatoes and the oven rack are very hot. Use oven mitts to squeeze-test and to pull the sheet out. Let an adult cut them open, since steam rushes out.
  • The potatoes themselves contain none of the main allergens, but toppings like butter, cheese and sour cream contain milk.