Tips on How to Bake a Potato

Few foods give you as much flexibility and options as a potato. The versatile vegetable has been a staple food for centuries, and it is not surprising why that is the case. Now, baked potatoes are one of the most popular items to have as a side at restaurants. Of course, they also make fantastic main courses as well, if you are willing to garnish them with plenty of tasty ingredients. One of the most common ways to prepare a potato is to bake it. Fortunately, learning how to bake a potato is very easy to do.

If you are in a hurry, then all you have to do is wrap the potato and put it in the microwave for a few minutes. It won’t be quite as satisfying as those that are baked in the oven, but it is the way to go for those that are pressed for time. Once you learn how long to bake a potato in the oven though, you will want to do that each time as the result is so good it could be served at a fancy restaurant. First, preheat your oven to 350 degrees. Next, pierce the potato with a fork a couple of times so it can breathe a little.

The next step is optional, but a lot of people like to add olive oil and a touch of salt and pepper to the skin on the outside. Regardless of whether you decide to do that, the next step is to put the potato in the oven for one and a half hours. Sometimes it takes around fifteen minutes less than that, so be sure to check them. You will love the taste so much that you will want to learn how to cook sweet potatoes next. Fortunately, they can be prepared the exact same way.

A lot of people also like to grill and fry sweet potatoes. They are excellent as french fries and they are very good as sides. Amazingly, you can sprinkle them with powdered sugar or salt and they will taste delicious. If you don’t want to cook, you can even eat them raw after cutting them into rounds or sticks. They go very nicely with ranch, salsa, and applesauce.