The perfect baked potato: don't wrap them or they will dry out

Vegetarian Journal, Jan-Feb, 2002

A PROPERLY BAKED POTATO is a thing of beauty. It can be a soothing snack or the basis of a hot, welcome-home meal. Keep several white and sweet potatoes on hand. Be sure to select baking potatoes, such as Russets, Idahos, or Oregon-type potatoes.

If you can, store your potatoes, unwashed, in a cool, dark cupboard, pantry, or drawer. Cold temperatures, like the ones in your refrigerator, allow the potatoes to convert a lot of their sugar to starch. This results in a less sweet potato.

Wash and scrub your potatoes under cold, running water. Get them really clean, so you can eat the skin. Don't soak them; that will make them soggy. Don't use hot water or you'll start cooking the outside and the inside won't catch up.

We know it looks really pretty when restaurants serve a potato charmingly wrapped in silvery foil. If you wrap potatoes, you will wind up steaming them. Oven-steamed potatoes are fine, but they just won't have that crispy skin and that roasted potato flavor. You also run the risk of getting a soggy potato, as the excess moisture can't escape. Oven-baked (cooked in the oven without a wrapper) potatoes will be crispy on the outside and flaky on the inside. You can use the same technique for both white and sweet potatoes (sweet potatoes will leak when cooking, so keep foil on the rack below them to catch those sticky drips).

INTO THE OVEN: You'll have to get to know your oven. You'll want it very hot, around 400 degrees for a standard oven. Allow washed potatoes to dry, prick in several places, place on an ungreased baking sheet, and allow to bake until a fork can poke a hole easily in the center. This can take anywhere from 30 minutes to two hours, depending on your oven. While you are at it, bake several extra potatoes and cut them into soups, use in salads, or reheat the next day. If you would like to add some additional flavor, you can rub the skins of washed, dried potatoes with the cut end of a fresh garlic clove or onion, and rub in soy sauce or lightly rub in seasoned vegetable oil (oil in which you've sprinkled your favorite dry herb, such as black pepper, onion flakes, or ground sage).

OR NUKE `EM: Read through your microwave manual to see approximately how long it will take to microwave a potato (microwaved potatoes are closer to steamed, rather than baked, potatoes, due to the nature of microwave cooking). Some microwaves take as few as three minutes, some take eight minutes. If you don't have a turntable, rotate your potato at least once during the cooking process. Don't burn your fingers! To pierce or not to pierce depends on which urban myth you believe (and how brave you are). Many people tell me they never pierce their potatoes before microwaving. Being the kitchen-wimp that I am, I cannot comment on the reliability of the non-pierced potato. Piercing the potato will not affect the flavor or nutrient value (nothing escapes in the small amount of steam let off during cooking). Follow directions for oven-baked potatoes concerning doneness and flavoring.

To Top Them Spuds:

White Potatoes:

chunky salsa
mashed firm tofu and chopped onions, celery, and carrots
canned mushrooms and chopped onions
mashed black beans and soy sour cream
mashed, leftover cooked veggies with black pepper and garlic
hummus, chopped celery, and black olives
cooked beans mixed with Red Star nutritional yeast
  and chopped parsley

Sweet Potatoes:

mashed firm tofu and canned pineapple tidbits
cranberry sauce and walnuts
margarine, raisins, dates, and cinnamon
peach or apricot preserves and mashed canned
  mandarin oranges
chopped sweet onions and raisins or chopped dates
chopped dates and soy cream cheese