Perfect Baked Potatoes

The right way to bake a potato. Scrubbed clean, dried thoroughly, pricked all over with a fork, and baked directly on the oven rack until the inside is fluffy and the outside is exactly how you want it: crispy if left bare, or soft if brushed with oil before baking.

Pricking the skins is not just tradition. It lets steam escape as the potato cooks so it doesn’t burst in the oven. Drying the skins with paper towels before baking helps them crisp up. Wet skins steam instead of roasting.

The X-slash and squeeze at the end is the finishing move. Cutting a cross on top and squeezing the ends open breaks up the interior and lets steam escape, giving you a fluffy, separated texture inside instead of a dense, gluey center. Drop in butter, hit it with salt, pepper, and paprika, and you’re done.

Pro Tips

• Place potatoes directly on the oven rack, not on a baking sheet. Direct heat circulates around the entire potato for even cooking.
• Skip the foil. Wrapping potatoes in foil steams them instead of baking them, and the skin goes limp.
• Test doneness by squeezing gently with pot holders. The potato should give easily with no firm center.
• Choose large, evenly sized potatoes so they all finish at the same time.

Variations

• Load them up with sour cream, chives, shredded cheddar, and crumbled bacon for classic loaded baked potatoes.
• Rub the skins with coarse salt and olive oil before baking for extra-crispy, seasoned skins.
• Scoop out the flesh, mash with butter and cream, refill the skins, and bake again for twice-baked potatoes.