How to bake perfect potatoes in a fraction of the time
9:43 AM EDT, June 3, 2024
Baked potatoes are a fantastic side dish and can also be enjoyed as a standalone snack. They are simple and tasty, though many people are discouraged by the long cooking time. Fortunately, there is a way to shorten it radically.
People have been enjoying baked potatoes for a very long time. Archaeological studies conducted in the Border Cave in South Africa indicate that our ancestors prepared potatoes in the embers of fire as far back as 170,000 years ago!
Potatoes – nutritional values
Type B potatoes are best for baking. They are starchy and contain particularly high amounts of starch, giving them optimal consistency and crunchiness after processing.
Potato starch quickly induces a feeling of fullness and digests slowly, with very little converted into fat tissue. This inefficiency makes it a healthy source of energy. Potatoes are also a rich source of easily digestible protein and vitamins, especially Vitamin C (which strengthens immunity and protects against free radicals) and B vitamins (necessary for the proper functioning of, among others, the nervous system).
Additionally, potatoes contain a lot of potassium, which plays an important role in the body's ion and water balance, lowers blood pressure, and maintains proper muscle contractility. They also provide magnesium, a building block of teeth and bones, positively influencing metabolism and alleviating fatigue and stress.
How to speed up potato baking?
We can use a microwave instead of an oven. Simply set the device to full power, place the washed, cleaned, but unpeeled potatoes on a suitable dish, and pierce them with a fork (to help the steam escape and prevent the tubers from "bursting"). Then, place them in the microwave for about 10-12 minutes.
This method will give the potatoes a "baked" taste and a pleasant consistency. Under the crispy skin, there will be moist, not dried-out flesh, seasoned with salt herbs (such as thyme or rosemary) and enriched with a bit of butter before serving.
If you prefer very crispy skin, you can place the potatoes in a preheated oven for a quarter of an hour after microwaving. Before doing so, smear them with olive oil.
