Baking potatoes directly on a sheet pan in a 425°F oven produced the test kitchen’s favorite results, with light and fluffy interiors and perfectly crisp, flavorful skin.
Unlike foil-wrapped potatoes, this method avoids trapping steam, allowing the skin to crisp while the starches fully gelatinize for maximum fluffiness.
Baking potatoes in the oven without foil is more reliable than microwaving, grilling, or pressure-cooking.
Of all the ways to cook a potato, baking may be the most humble yet satisfying. Simply pop a russet in the oven and forget about it while you work on other components of your meal, then serve it as a side for a steak dinner or as a loaded potato with all the fixings. At least that’s the way I’ve approached it in the past. That is, until we put the Food & Wine test kitchen up to identifying the absolute best way to bake a potato using equipment that is typical for home cooks. As it turns out, there are a lot of ways to prepare a baked potato, but one method was the standout favorite.
Testers tried seven different methods: pressure-cooking in an Instant Pot, microwaving, grilling over indirect heat, grilling over direct heat, wrapping in foil and baking in the oven, baking without foil, and air-frying. The goal was evenly tender and fluffy interiors with crispy and flavorful skin.
A word about our method
The testers used russet potatoes that were all roughly the same size. They were coated in a neutral, low-flavor oil and salt and pepper. (For some cooking methods, using olive oil could become problematic as temperatures reach above the smoke point, impacting flavor and overall quality of the potatoes.) In addition, it was important to cook the potatoes to an internal temperature of 205°F to 212°F. That’s because the high heat causes the starch granules to absorb moisture and expand, creating a fluffy texture. Moisture evaporation also contributes to the desired soft interior.
