Baked potatoes done right are luscious and fluffy on the inside, with a perfectly crispy, savory skin on the outside, and they beautifully complement any choice of protein. But while can seem like a simple task, there are a few reasons why yours might keep coming out gritty, soggy, or flavorless. For example, as Chowhound recipe creator Miriam Hahn demonstrates, some people start on the wrong foot by setting the oven temperature too low when they go to preheat it, and that "means your potato's going to take that much longer to bake and will dry out in that extra time.
" She indicates that the correct temperature to set your oven on is 400 degrees Fahrenheit, and if you have a convection setting, all the better, as it will get the hot air circulating around the potato, and it could cook it a little bit faster. What to do before you pop your potato in the oven While there are many different kinds of potatoes, such as the Yukon gold and reds, Hahn points out that they have a "waxy finish" and won't bake up as fluffy as the old standby russet (which is also ). And achieving fluffy russet potato perfection requires a bit of prep work, starting with cleaning its skin.
While some people might just give their potato a light rinse, it's a good idea to get out a clean scrub brush and actually brush all around the potato as you hold it under running water to remove any grit from the surface (followed by a thorough drying). Most people know to poke holes in their potato before baking, but.