How to make baked potatoes tastier - Quick and easy recipe

Baked potatoes are an incredibly tasty and versatile dish that can be filled with a variety of toppings, but they are notoriously slow to cook. However, you can speed up the cooking process while achieving the perfect texture of the potatoes.

A little trick for achieving a fluffy center and crispy skin was shared by food writer Becca Hayes in her blog Easy Cheesy Vegetarian. Choosing the right potatoes is her first step; some varieties lend themselves well to baking due to their characteristics.

After choosing the potatoes, Becca prepares them for baking by cleaning dirt. Then she pierces the skin with a fork to avoid splitting.

After that, Hayes puts the potatoes in the microwave for 6-10 minutes (depending on the size) to make them softer. A fork or sharp knife comes in handy to check if the center of the potato is almost soft.

According to Becca, preheating the potatoes in the microwave helps to achieve a soft, fluffy center and avoid the dreaded hard skin. To ensure even cooking, it's important to turn the potatoes over after halfway through the heating time.

How to make sure baked potatoes are soft (illustrative photo: Freepik)

When the potato is hot enough, its skin should begin to wrinkle slightly. According to the cook, a small amount of oil significantly increases the crispness of the skin and improves the overall taste, although Becca does not use this ingredient.

You can also rub the skin of the potatoes with a little salt. When the potatoes are warm enough, they can be baked for 10 minutes to half an hour to achieve the desired level of crispiness.

After that, all you have to do is cut the potato and put the filling in, making sure to add a piece of butter, as it melts perfectly in hot potatoes.

Read also how to cook buckwheat properly so that it would be crumbly.